Nope. This is not a recipe tutorial. Sorry.

It’s a message I gave last week at church.
Have a listen if’n you’re bored or hungry for something spiritual.

 The unending appetite for stew [53:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Check out the entire “Rich” series if you’re interested:

vineyardwestside.com/podcasts

I use StatCounter to check in every now and again on all things related to this blog. It allows me to see where people are coming from, how many people a day are reading, and most importantly for me…the crazy stuff that people search for and end up finding my posts. Often times I have no clue how someone could search for something so strange and turn up on something I’ve written. The interwebs are kooky. Some of the recent gems are listed below. Click on each photo to see the corresponding post.

Recently searched on Google or Bing:

“Pull her belly button out” landed on this post -

“Reasons to have another baby” landed on this post -

“Refuge Coffee Bar” landed on this post -

“Why does my eye look like I got hit in the face” landed on this post -

“Arms full of tattoos”, “Full sleeve tattoo”, “Tattoos for mothers”, “Tattoos that make you look skinny”, “Bible verse tattoos” all landed here -

“My husband deflects everything” landed on this post –

“Can a Brown Recluse Spider kill you” landed on this post -

“I am unsatisfied and discontent with my life” landed on this post -

“How to deal with siblings in jail” landed on this post -

“Petocin is evil” landed on this post –

“The best Christmas gifts” landed on this post -

This is the internet. I love it. That’s all for today kiddies.

A BOOK REVIEW //

Now I realize that I have just recently done a music review post, and I’m not trying to get all… REVIEWishy, but this book was just too good not to share.

Ted Dekker has been a favorite author of mine for some time now. His series Black, Red, White – also known as The Circle Trilogy, will forever remain on the top shelf of my mind when I recall the greatest books I’ve ever read. I’ve read several other novels by Dekker, most of which I enjoyed tremendously.

He’s a fiction writer, but the majority of his works are spiritual analogies that mirror the Kingdom of God in some way. I love them because they cause you to question how things really work without forcing “Christianese” answers or language down your throat.

Every now and then, I have this realization that all I’ve been reading lately are books designed to teach me, challenge me, guide me, etc.. That’s all well and good, but sometimes I just want something that can entertain me – a story that I can lose myself in. The funny thing about it is that those entertainment books usually end up teaching me, challenging me, and guiding me more than the boring books ever could. Case in point:

Immanuel’s Veins //

I picked this book up while I had some time to kill last week. I’d just dropped my wife’s car off at the mechanic’s shop to have some new tires put on, and I walked across the street to our local Sam’s Club. As soon as I saw Ted Dekker’s newest book on the shelf I devised an ingenious plan to locate the most comfortable recliner I could find in Mr. Walton’s bargain club. So there it was, my oasis in aisle 12 – me copping a squat in the cushiest chair the world has ever known with a 68¢, 44 ounce Coca-Cola resting on an end table that didn’t belong to me. Before the first chapter had ended, I made the decision it was okay to lick my finger when turning the pages because this book wasn’t ever going back on that shelf.

I read for an hour straight, undeterred by the shoppers searching for 24-packs of energy saver light bulbs or gallon jugs of mayonnaise. The mechanic called me to let me know my wife’s car had fresh rubber on her feet and I’d wished it had taken them longer. Fifty pages into Immanuel’s Veins and I finally became it’s rightful owner…the perfect chair and end table would have to wait.

A few days later, Allison and the kids left town to visit friends and family in Nashville, TN. I’d not had the opportunity to read much and although the book was good, it hadn’t hooked me just yet. Too much work was ahead of me to spend a few days in NashVegas with my bride and offspring, but I was comforted by the fact that her sister and nephews would be there to keep them all laughing. For a couple of strange nights, the house would be quiet and all to myself. The perfect opportunity to devour a book if it was worthy of consumption.

A few chapters later, Ted Dekker’s claws sunk into me and wouldn’t let go. It had been a while since I read a work of fiction, and I wasn’t sure if I’d ever read anything quite like this. It’s…a love story. Wait, wait…not like some cheezwhiz romance novel. A true love story. Plus, it gots vampires – or at least something like them. You’ll need to read it to understand.

Set in 1772, the main character Toma along with his right hand man Alex are sent by Catherine the Great to protect the Cantemir family in Moldavia. When they arrive, they discover the beautiful twins Lucine and Natasha who are in their charge. Everything is going great until some creepster Russians show up on the scene to tempt the twins into a life of debauchery, seduction, and overabundance. I appreciated this story due to the very real portrayal of how they – and we too – can become easily enticed, ensnared, and eventually taken captive as slaves to something that isn’t really what we wanted at all when we first set out.

Immanuel’s Veins is ultimately much more than a love story. It’s a massive warning that puts skin on what it can look like to be seduced by evil under the guise of incredible beauty. It’s a story of two suitors – good vs. evil – light vs. darkness – and imagery of Christ’s extravagant love for humanity seeps through every chapter. Watch the video below to see what others have said about the book:

I crushed this book in a matter of three days. On Saturday night, I sat down around 10pm to read a few chapters before bed and by the time I noticed my eyes blurring and drying out I’d realized it was nearly 2am. It’s fun to lose yourself in the story. I guess what I’m trying to say with this ridiculously long and drawn out post is…buy it. Regrets are unlikely.

———————————— Or on your Kindle ————————————>