Demon Possession, Truth, Book Reviews…

I don’t know if I mentioned the fact that I get free books to read from Zondervan and one other publisher so that I can review them on my website. I’ve been so busy that I haven’t had time to do much reviewing, however, I can tell you that I am reading Holy Discontent by Bill Hybels, The Case for the Real Jesus by Lee Strobel and Abiding Darkness by John Aubrey Anderson. So far my favorite is The Case for the Real Jesus which is an intellectually riveting read that is filled with fascinating information and insights about the life and historical information written about Jesus Christ.

Did you know that besides 1st and 2nd Peter there is a Gospel of Peter? Who knew! There are so many “Gospels” and literature written about Jesus Christ that people have gone through great lengths to find the truth. Lee Strobel does a brilliant job of showing us how we got to that truth.

In the above paragraph I mentioned “Abiding Darkness” by John Aubrey Anderson. It’s an intersting read but it started out a little bit like a play. There are introductions to the characters and who they are in the book. Do people do this with books? I thought part of the purpose of the book was for you to figure out who the people were and what their roles are while you are reading it? This is the first book in a trilogy and so maybe it will make more sense later.

The book starts out interestingly enough. It sort of reminds me of To Kill a Mockingbird meets Piercing the Darkness. A 1940’s setting filled with kids and demons and angels in a spiritual realm. I was intrigued at first and then there is this chapter where this demon takes possession of a water mocassin and he recruits other demons to also possess other water mocassion’s and they are traveling from all over to kill this little girl. Now I don’t mind dancing outside the realm of reality, but this is a way out there. I mean, the only mention of animals being possessed by demons was when Jesus cast out Legion into the pigs and they ran off the side of the hill.

If animals can be possessed and they act like Cujo or those Lions from the movie The Thief in the Darkness then I wonder why we don’t see more crazy animal possessions?

All I know is that my mind is ever being opened to new dimensions of possibility. For so long I’ve been close-minded about many things and instead of doing real research for myself to find truth, I just took someone else’s word for it.

I challenge you to do the same. If you believe in something, be sure that you know why you believe it. Find out some facts, don’t just do it because that is what your parents taught you to believe. Don’t be a democrat because your parents were Democrats, or a Conservative because your best friend is a Conservative. Go out and decide how you want the world you live in, the world your children will live in, will be shaped.  I love that about America, we have this amazing ability to change the world we live in, even if it is in the small things.

For example: I don’t like people begging for money on street corners, however, I used to feel sorry for them and I would give them money. That only reinforces their behavior and so the problem with panhandlers only becomes worse. However, if everyone stopped giving them money then they wouldn’t stand on the street corner because it would be a waste of time.  We, as a society, are the ones that make the decisions that rule this country, change takes time and patience and hard work, but if you really care about something strongly enough, then you can make a change.