Oxymoron Christians

I have said over and over that REAL Christians should never vote for Democrats. And yet we have a groups called "Evangelicals For Biden" who wonder why he didn't give them what they wanted.  They got what they voted for -- an anti-Christian, anti-God government.

Did He Really Say That?!?

Vallotton is a leader at the heretical and apostate Bethel Redding “Church.” Note carefully what he claims in this “Tweet” — Jesus audibly spoke to him and promised to send an angel “from now on” to help him, and that Vallotton will be speaking on Jesus’ behalf.

This horrid lie comes from a bonafide false teacher.

O Lord, Abide With Me

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;

The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.

When other helpers fail and comforts flee,

Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day;

Earth's joys grow dim; its glories pass away;

Change and decay in all around I see;

O Thou who changest not, abide with me.

Not a brief glance I beg, a passing word,

But as Thou dwell'st with Thy disciples, Lord,

Familiar, condescending, patient, free.

Come not to sojourn, but abide with me.

Come not in terror, as the King of kings,

But kind and good, with healing in Thy wings;

Tears for all woes, a heart for every plea.

Come, Friend of sinners, thus abide with me.

I need Thy presence every passing hour.

What but Thy grace can foil the tempter's power?

Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?

Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;

Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.

Where is death's sting? Where, grave, thy victory?

I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;

Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.

Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee;

In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

Henry Francis Lyte

So Many Things to Think About!

I’ll begin with a good one: Adam Named Eve.

Christians can never endorse “transsexuality.” That ideology is anti-God.

Here’s one for fun: This is very clever the way a musician pokes fun at a false “prophetess.” She looks possessed to me.

The Vatican has come out against same-sex “mirage.” It’s about time.

Now to the serious.

When you live the lifestyle of the rich and famous false teachers/fake Christians, you have your own jets and travel on their congregations’ dollars. And of course God tells them to buy them.

Another example of the un-Christian and harmful ideology of the heretical and apostate Episcopal Church.

Satan is brainwashing the children.

Beth Moore leaves Southern Baptists.  Interesting. More on the topic.  Dwight McKissic, a fake “pastor” who is leaving the Southern Baptist Convention because some DBC bigwigs say Marxism is incompatible with Christianity, has made the follow gross and blasphemous tweet about Beth:

Andy Stanley is more about himself than he is about being a pastor or teachers.

J.D.Greer continues to prove he is a false teacher.

Campus Crusade (“CRU”) and Matt Chandler both continue their dive into false and destructive teaching.  More reasons to abandon Matt Chandler.

Michael Brown continues to demonstrate why he should be avoided; he defends false prophets.

Tim Keller continues to convince me that he is a fake Christian.  Here’s the 4-minute audio. Notice how he claims those of us who want a non-Demokrat president or want to defend against LEFTIST ideology, “Christian Nationalists.”

Does your church preach “inclusivity” and “white privilege”? If so, run from that false church.

THIS is what happens when Critical Race Theory is allowed to invade the Church.

The Southern Baptist Convention is becoming more and more LEFT. Here we have an SBC “pastor” — Thabiti Anyabwile — telling you if you think Biden’s election was illegitimate, then you have “spiritual cancer.” This “pastor” should be booted out.

We’ll end as we began and that is with something GOOD!

Learn Discernment and Stay Safe from False Teachings

Another Hodge-Podge

Just a thought to open with: Hobby Lobby is one of the worst places for Christians to shop. From the moment you walk in you are bombarded with all sorts of devotions, books, etc from a whole herd of false teachers.

I recently learned that in the PCA denomination (and maybe others) if the pastor isn’t “ordained” then the congregation cannot celebrate the Lord’s Supper. This comes into play when the normal pastor leaves for another congregation (e.g. moving to another state to be closer to family), substitute pastors fill in until a full-time pastor is accepted. So, where in Scripture do we have “ordained” pastors, and were in Scripture does it say a congregation can’t celebrate the Lord’s Supper without a pastor (ordained or not) being present?  So many rules by man add complexity to a simple belief system.

Ever hear of “The Shepherd’s Chapel” pastored by Arnold (now deceased) and Dennis Murray? Well, the best advice I can give is to stay away from it. Clint Adams has an excellent (if lengthy) examination of “TSC” and it isn’t pretty.

I’ve noted before that a true Christian can not be a Demokrat and obey God at the same time. This article notes that David Platt says if you oppose Demokrats you don’t belong in his church, while Mark Dever and Tim Keller are registered Demokrats!

“Avoid independent thinking.”  That’s what Jehovah’s Witnesses (and really every other cult) teach their people.

Richard Abanes.  I have had a few of his books because he was an excellent apologist exposing false teachers. But then he supported and defended Rick Warren’s “Purpose Driven” nonsense. And then he started going downhill to the LEFT. I didn’t realize how far until now.

Kat Kerr: Another lunatic “prophet” with the NAR.

Steven Furtick is nothing but a rank heretic deceiving those who give him an audience. The man continues to prove he has no idea about what Christianity is.

More proof that the Catholic Pope is NOT a Christian. Then there is his claim that the Flood was mythical but God will send a real one because we don’t fight the fraud of “global warming.”

Hillsong’s Christmas 2020 video proves they are not a Christian group. Of course this is also proven by their 2018 Buddhist dance!

Another false teacher/prophet I’ve just learned about and need to warn you about: Leon Du Preez.

I don’t think you’ll find anything in the Bible about a “social justice church,” but you will find, at Romans 13:1-7, that Christians are to obey the government (i.e. the laws), with the exception, of course, if the law goes against God’s law (Acts 5:29), such as when Christians disobeyed the Nazi laws by hiding Jews. Harboring and enabling illegal aliens does not come under that exemption. Those churches which practice this are disobeying God.

Fake Christians join other pagans to pray over and bless a clinic who murder children in the womb. These people are worshiper of Molech. 

If this video doesn’t convince you that Jennifer LeClaire is not only a false teacher but also a false Christian, then you need to spend hours and hours in the WORD!

This is what a fake pastor/fake Christian looks like. He is a tool of Satan leading people to Hell.

Let’s end with something up-lifting: an excellent statement about manhood and womanhood in the Church as intended by God.

Distressing Things Within the Church

Let’s start with a look at the investigation into Ravi Zacharias’ “Decades of Sexual Abuse.” On top of this report we have learned that he lied about his credentials. Although he was a brilliant teacher, I could never, ever again recommend anything he has written.  Here’s another article on the topic.  No one should try to defend him.  The last word about Ravi from Elizabeth Prata.

The only evidence you need to prove Tim Keller is a false teacher.

STOP using satanic practices; don’t even play with them!

Todd Bently is back. This heretic, blasphemer of God, and false prophet continues to prove how bad he really is. These claims of visions are either bald-faced lies or from the demonic world. At any rate he certainly isn’t a believer.

More on the cult of Hillsong. And still more.

NO CHURCH should allow Hillsong, Bethel, or Elevation music into their assembly.

Thabiti Anyabwile has become “woke.” And it you don’t agree with him you are “ravaging churches” and causing “re-segregation.” Stay away from him.

Yes, Joyce Meyer is a horrid false teacher.

The “gospel” of the New Apostolic Reformation. Keep away from this heresy.

Watch out for pro-sodomy theology.

Several times on the blog I have warned about the false teachings of Max Lucado. This article is another perfect example of how Lucado seeks to appease sinners.

Beware the false prophets and false apostles!

Let’s end with an excellent sermon about discernment, and the pastor doesn’t shy away from naming names!

Hodge-Podge

I’ve come across many several articles lately which I feel need to be shared.

First, I’ll give you an article which has some good teaching about divorce and which I agree with.

The remaining links are to articles exposing the bad stuff invading the body of Christ and which you need to avoid!

Hillsong can’t seem to stay out of the limelight. Now they are being sued for failure to pay their bills.

Another reason to really hate Hillsong leadership. But don’t forget the false teachers who want spiritual unity with Muslims!

Stay away from any assembly which is a part of the Association of Related Churches (ARC); false teachings are part of their warp and weave.

Never, NEVER buy or read the heretical Passion Translation of the Bible.

Well, well; another false “pastor” is leaving the Southern Baptist Convention.

Bethel just gets worse by the day. This makes me want to puke. It is not from God.

More about those apologetic false prophets. But hey, Michael Brown, false teacher that he is, defends false prophets!

Beth Moore gets worse by the day.  Elizabeth Prata has a good back-story on Beth.

Real Christianity is being hijacked by pretenders.

Lisa Bevere is a teacher to really, really avoid.

False Prophets Are Quite Active

When a false prophet is proven wrong, why doesn’t he step down or why don’t the congregation boot him? God felt so strongly against false prophets that in the O.T. Israel was to stone them!

Of course this clown isn’t the only one. The blasphemous group called “Bethel” has their own false prophets, and Kris Vallotton made the same prophecy as Johnson! Apologies for false prophecies don’t cut it.

Charismatic false prophets are “at war with each other over” these failed prophecies.

Where Is DISCERNMENT?!?!

What Is Discernment?

STOP misrepresenting/co-opting Jesus!

The Mediocrity of Christian Men.

Watch out for William Lane Craig’s false teaching about Genesis.

Another popular Christian, Phil Vischer, denies the Genesis creation record.

Hillsong again. Even former members agree with me that it is a cult! It just goes from bad to worse. Don’t forget I’m offering to send you a copy of my full article on Hillsong at no charge.

Some of the most infamous false prophets/false teachers are exposed by the ATHEIST media!

The Ravi Zacharias situation. Very sad to realize how this man had deceived so many people.

An example of all that is wrong with The Gospel Coalition. What “gospel” are they teaching?

This is about as blasphemous and stupid as it gets. But what else can you expect from a United Methodist Church “minister”?

Another “minister” who worships a satanic god; he is anti-Semitic, pro-abortion, pro-same-sex fake marriage, pro-homosexuality an “transgender” in general, says one can’t serve in the military and serve God (what about Israel’s O.T. army raised by God?), is pro-Marxist, anti-white racist and has “credible accusations of spousal and child abuse” against him. He’s a wolf.

It must be true; I saw it on the Internet.

Critical Race Theory is invading the church; it is a horrid teaching.  Stay tuned for Part 2.

Books I Read in 2020

Once again I am publishing my annual look at the books I’ve read this past year. letting my readers know what sorts of things I read fill my head with (aside from the Bible, many magazines, journals, etc).

I know there is a lot to read here but you may find a title or short review to pique your interest and perhaps get a copy of the book for yourself.

As with the past years, a few books were repeat reads for me for various reasons; some so I could give them away but mostly just too many years passed to remember what was in them! Those will be noted in blue. For the most part the titles should tell you what the subject was.  And the list is in the order in which they were read.

Sword and Scimitar: Fourteen Centuries of War Between Islam and the West, by Raymond Ibrahim. This should be required reading for every American, let alone citizens of other countries.

Calvin Ruined the Protestant Faith, by Gregory L. Jackson. Staunch Lutheran author. I agree with him on Calvin, but totally disagree with him on Lutheranism and KJVO.

British Aircraft of the Second World War, by John Frayn Turner. Not only does it give details of every aircraft but if that aircraft was crewed by someone awarded the Victoria Cross (analogous to our Medal of Honor) it gives the story of that flight. The last section details specific missions in which the various types were flown.

The Smart Words and Wicked Wit of Winston Churchill, edited by Max Morris. Hardbound, 4.5X7 format, 159 pages of citations from Winston Churchill, some of which will end up on my “The Thought-Provoker” blog.

The Story of Civilization: Caesar and Christ, by Will Durant. This is volume 3 of an 11-volume series. I purchased and read one other one, The Age of Reason Begins, but gave that away a long time ago. I read this current one when I bought it back in 1998. It covers the Roman period from 800 BC to Constantine with an epilogue explaining the causes of the fall of the Roman Empire. When it gets to the Christian period you get what you’d expect from an atheist — Jesus only thought he was the Messiah but he was just influenced by Greek philosophy; Paul invented the Christian theology and a lot of Christianity was just copying the pagan religions around them, etc, etc, etc.  I have decided this book no longer belongs on my shelf and I will not pass it on for someone to be subjected to the deceitful false teachings about Christ and Christianity.

Irena’s Children: A True Story of Courage, by Tilar J. Mazzeo. The story of Irena Sendler from 1910 to the end of World War II. The primary focus of the story is the Warsaw ghetto and how Irena was instrumental in saving 2500 Jewish children out of Nazi hands.

White Cargo: The Forgotten History of Britain’s White Slaves in America, by Don Jordan and Michael Walsh. The title pretty much sums up what the book is about. Very interesting piece of history. The white slaves led to the black slavery.

The Illustrated History of the Vietnam War, by Andrew Wiest and Chris McNab. At only 252 pages it certainly isn’t in depth but it is an excellent, concise overview of the war from the French rule through WWII and back to the French, with the USA basically taking over from the French without learning any lessons.

Scotland: Highlands, Islands, Lochs & Legends, by Claudia Martin. Sort of a coffee-table book with lots of photos. Hardbound 8.5” tall and 11.5” long, 223 slick pages.  Text could probably be condensed to between 50 -75 pages. But the history and photos were we’ll worth the “tour.”

Persuasion, by Jane Austin.  This is another novel by Austin which I read to my wife.  Now, having never seen the movie we had no idea what the story was about. I cant recommend the book because it was quite a boring story. We liked much better the other three Austin novels we previously read.

A Legacy of Hatred: Why Christians Must Not Forget the Holocaust, by David A. Rausch. A friend gave me this book, which was first published in 1984 and this new edition was published in 1990. A very good look at the Holocaust and the history of anti-Semitism which led up to it. Many details of the period from Hitler’s ascension to the end of WWII. 

The Rational Bible, Exodus: God, Slavery, and Freedom, by Dennis Prager. This is the book of Exodus with virtually a verse-by-verse commentary from a Jewish perspective. It also has commentary relating the teachings to today’s culture. Prager is a well-known, excellent conservative commentator who happens to be a practicing Jew. I found the book to be very interesting. This book was loaned to me by a pastor friend because he wanted to get my viewpoint on it. When I gave it back to him and discussed it with him he gave it to me as a gift!

that’s not in my american history book: a compilation of little-known events and forgotten heroes, by Thomas Ayres. Yes, there are no caps in the title. Very interesting historical tid-bits, some of which I actually knew.

1984, by George Orwell (aka Eric Blair). For years, even decades, I have heard about this book and what some of the teachings are. When I was in junior high school we were required to read Orwell’s Animal Farm which really demonstrated the end of the ideology of totalitarian systems, so I assumed 1984 would have a similar focus—and I was correct. While the topic of the book was good the story was boring. I was disgusted with the whole sex story between Winston and Julia with Winston finding her exciting knowing that she has had sex with hundreds of men in the “Party.” I think that is an irrational idea.Yes, I got some good quotes out of it for use on my “The Thought-Provoker” blog but overall I can’t recommend it.

Forgotten Hero: The Story of Jack Manch, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo and the Self-Sacrifice of an American Hero, by Charles Culbertson. I saw this booklet while searching for a new copy of the book, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo. We had watched the movie Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo on April 18th and decided to buy a new copy since I had lost mine. Jack Manch was portrayed in the movie so I decided I needed to read about him. He was 6 feet, 7 inches tall and had the nickname of “Shorty.”  Manch was flying a T-33A on a training mission in 1958 when the plane’s engine caught fire. Manch ordered the student to bail out as Manch steered away from a housing area; when he was clear he ejected but he was too low to get deployment of the ‘chute and died. He had served with much valor during WWII and then in the Korean War.

Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen. This is another novel by Austin which I read to my wife. We have the movie and enjoy watching it every year or so. The movie followed the book pretty well.

This We Know: A Chronology of the Shootings at Kent State, May 1970, by Carole A Barbara, Laura L. Davis, and Mark F. Seeman. I am from Ohio and graduated high school shortly after the incident at Kent State. It wasn’t until the late 1970s and early 1980s that I got curious about what really happened there and began reading library books about it; I think there was a total of four which I read. I recently came across my old letter to the editor which I wrote shortly after the incident and decided to see what I could find on the ‘net in the way of a book. There were quite a few, some of which were quite expensive, but this one was fairly inexpensive and sounded interesting. Very interesting since it is just a chronology rather than a lot of opining.

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, by Capt. Ted Lawson. Written in 1943, just over a year from when the mission took place. I first read this book when I was in high school and then when I was in the Army I bought a paperback version. I later gave that book to my son and after he left home in 2001 I bought another copy, which I later passed to another young man who was interested. Wanting to read it again, I bought another copy in 2011 and that was the last time I read it. It has become a tradition to watch the movie on April 18th every year since that was the date of the Tokyo raid in 1942. It is an excellent book for an inside look of what happened to the “Doolittle Raiders.” The last survivor of the raid, Doolittle’ co-pilot Richard Cole, died on April 9, 2019 at 103 years old—and I met him at the Air Force Museum in April 2017.

The Coming Apocalypse, by Dr. Renald E. Showers.  Subtitled, “A Study of Replacement Theology vs. God’s Faithfulness in the End Times.”  An excellent examination of Replacement Theology and how it originated and then later spread via the Roman Catholic Church and how it has affected history and the Church at large. Unfortunately, when the author gets to the end and writes about the end times, he goes full Hal Lindsey.

Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christi. A story I’ve heard about for a very long time. Watched a modern movie and watched an episode of the Hercule Poirot miniseries and decided to read the “real McCoy.” Since my wife also wanted to know the real story, I read it to her.

Sense and Nonsense About Angels & Demons, by Kenneth D. Boa and Robert M. Bowman, Jr. I read this book when I first got it back in 2008 and I decided to read it again to determine whether to give it away or keep it in my library — I’m keeping it.  Good study of the false ideas about angels and demons as well as explaining the facts about them.

The Rational Bible, Genesis: God, Creation, and Destruction, by Dennis Prager. Prager did for this book as he did to his “Exodus” book as noted above.  Excellent commentaries. I do think he tries too hard to make all sorts of numbers mean something.

No Safe Spaces, by Dennis Prager and Mark Joseph Editors. Also in a DVD version. This book examines how free speech is not permitted any more, especially on college campuses where they have “safe zones” where you can’t say anything that offends someone. The idea of free speech is being excoriated by the LEFT.

The Founders’ Key: The Divine and Natural Connection  Between the Declaration and the Constitution and What We Risk by Losing It, by Larry P. Arnn. An excellent examination of the connection to those two documents and how the LEFT is fighting proper interpretation of the documents—and how the LEFT violates especially the First Amendment.

A Night to Remember, by Walter Lord. The story of the cruise ship Titanic which was sunk by a collision with an ice berg in 1912.  Given to my wife by our son on Mother’s Day 1998 because the kids knew she was fascinated by the Titanic. She has read it 2 or 3 times before but I’ve never read it. So this time I read it to her.  We have the movie by the same title.

Death of a Nation: Plantation Politics and the Making of the Democratic Party, by Dinesh D’Souza. A very good study of the history of the Democrat party and its political agendas from the beginning until the current time.

World War II: A Chronology of War, edited by Col. Raymond K. Bluhn, Jr, US (Ret). This is a LARGE book, 9.5” by 13” with 531 slick pages (plus index) and lots of photos. The book was published with the assistance of The Army Historical Foundation, The Air Force Historical Foundation, Naval Historical Foundation, and Marine Corps Association. There is a whole section, “Prelude to War: 1938-1941,” to open the book; almost a day-by-day account of all services and countries affected prior to the end of December 1941 with year-by-year chapters. Then the first section of the book is “The War Against Japan,” with year-by-year chapters, followed by “The War in Europe,” with year-by-year chapters. Each year in both sections are day-by-day of events. No real detail of any battles, of course, just short paragraphs with short descriptions of events. Great book for an overall understanding of the events of World War II.

The Night Lives On, by Walter Lord. “The untold stories and secrets behind the sinking of the “Unsinkable” Ship —  TITANIC! “ Written after the Titanic was found in 1985, it gives lots of accounts by survivors. Also given to my wife on Mother’s Day 1998, this one by our daughter.

Never Call Me A Hero, by N. Jack “Dusty” Kleiss, with Timothy and Laura Orr. The autobiography of one of the dive bomber pilots who flew at the Battle of Midway. The story begins in his early life, later as he joins the Navy, the battle, and his career afterwards. Written while in his 90s, it is also a story of romancing his wife.

The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells. This was a “read to my wife” request. I got a series of H.G. Wells books back about 1980 and never read them. I know I read some of Wells’ books when I was in high school but I totally forgot what they were about. For this book I much prefer the 1960 movie. The book is thick evolutionist propaganda while the movie is much lighter on it and the movie has somewhat of a happy ending compared to the book.

Willie and Joe: The WWII Years, by Bill Mauldin. Although a paperback, it’s almost 9X11” and a tome of 692 pages. Mauldin was famous for military comics he drew and captioned before and during WWII. This book has 18 pages of biography of Mauldin and his comic history, then 615 pages of his comics, usually one to a page but sometimes two. The there are 12 pages explaining the previous comics because those having not been in the military would miss the humor in many of them. The rest of the book are copies of original artwork.

The Island of Dr. Moreau, by H.G. Wells. Another one I read to my wife, a book which I cannot recommend. The basic plot was about using vivisection to turn animals into some semblance of humans. Horrid story, with evolutionism as the basic philosophy.

Vikings: Raids, Culture, Legacy, by Marjolein Stern & Roderick Dale. The title of the book pretty much sums up the topic of this book; a history of the Vikings.

Scotland: The Story of a Nation, by Magnus Magnusson. I went to a Scottish Facebook site to ask if anyone could suggest a good history book about Scotland and this is the book most suggested. At 700 pages it took me three weeks to read but it was well worth it!

The Invisible Man, by H.G. Wells. I read this one to my wife. Decades ago I saw different movies supposedly based on this book, but I don’t remember anything about them. While this was a better story than Dr. Moreau it was still not anything I’d recommend.

The Last Days According to Jesus, by R.C. Sproul. I read this book 16 years ago when I first got it and read it now to decide whether or not to keep it. It is essentially an examination of preterist eschatology. I’ll pass it on.

The Real Saint Patrick, by J.M. Holmes. Small paperback examining the myths, legends and actual facts of Saint Patrick. Ends with Patrick’s complete “Confession.”

The War of the Worlds, by H.G. Wells.  Of the four books by Wells which I read to my wife, this was the best one. Still lots of teaching of evolution and denigrating of religion but overall the story was good. For those who are unfamiliar, Martians invaded the earth and after causing death and destruction all over the middle part of England they ended up dying from bacterias.

The Longest Day, by Cornelius Ryan. A wonderful, very accurate report of what happened on June 6, 1944, including the events and preparations prior to the Normandy invasion. The book reports only on that one day, from beginning to end, and includes reporting on all participants on both sides of the battle. Reading about the research Ryan did and his efforts to get everything as accurate as possible is amazing. If you’ve seen the movie by the same name, it closely follows the book’s reporting. I last read the book when I was in high school in the late 1960s. After watching the movie again this year (we watch it every June 6th) I decided to buy the book. The one I got was released last year, the 75th anniversary of the invasion, and aside from the original text it includes copies of many of the documents Ryan used in his research as well as over 100 photos.

Why Do They Dress That Way?, by Stephen Scott. I last read this in 2003 when I first bought it. The point of the book is to explain why “plain people” (Amish, Mennonites, Brethren, et al) wear the peculiar styles. I got the book down in Amana, which was a colony of “plain people.”  The author did not grow up with any group, rather he claimed he was looking to be a better Christian in the way he dressed and therefore studied the “plain people” from all over the states and some foreign countries. Essentially their rules are arbitrary and legalistic, derived from abusing Scripture for the most part. I consider these groups cultic because it is all about control of their people.

Helmet For My Pillow: From Parris Island to the Pacific, by Robert Leckie. This was one of the first “war” books I read when I was in junior high school, if I recall correctly.  I was recently talking with my wife about books I read when I was in school and remembered several titles. So I ordered a copy on Amazon and, after reading the book, I’m sure I enjoyed it more when I read it over 50 years ago! Leckie was a Marine fighting in the Pacific during WWII, but at least a third of this book tells of his debauchery whenever he was on leave or had a pass, as well as his illegal activities of stealing things and spending time in the brig. If he’d left all that trash out it would have been a better book. I will not keep this one. OH, the book says the HBO miniseries “The Pacific” was based on this book. I saw the series and don’t remember seeing that, but I thought the series stunk when compared to “Band of Brothers.”

All In One Room: A History of Country Schools in Johnson County, Iowa, by Franklin L. Yoder. The title sums up the subject of this book. We live in Johnson County and we photograph one-room schools, so this book was quite a fascinating read.  

Heidi, by Johanna Spyri. Another one read to my wife. A very sweet story with a lot of teaching about how God works in our lives. After many years of watching a Shirley Temple movie we finally decided we wanted to read the book. The movie is not the same story; it’s been modified and shortened so much that half the story is left out. But it is still fun to watch.

Never Without Heroes: Marine Third Reconnaissance Battalion in Vietnam, 1965-1970, by Lawrence C. Vetter, Jr. On September 1st, while at the local grocery store wearing my “Army Veteran” baseball cap, I was approached by another man about my age and wearing a “Marine Corps Veteran” hat. We got to talking about our time in service and he said he was in Vietnam as a technician aboard an electronics warfare aircraft. He invited me to meet with his group of vets meeting early on Wednesday mornings. So on the following Wednesday, the 7th, I met with them. There was another paratrooper who was stationed in Korean during the mid-1950s, a Navy vet who was an electrician on board an aircraft carrier during the Vietnam War, another sailor stationed in the Philippines during the Vietnam War and another Marine who was stationed in California during the Korean War. One man was missing, having just recently fallen out of a tree he was trimming and was recovering. This man, Bob, was a Marine Recon in Vietnam. So the next week we met on Bob’s patio. I mentioned my interest in history and that my only knowledge about Vietnam was through reading and talking to veterans of that war. Well, Bob had some stories and then he offered to loan me a book about his unit in Vietnam. This book was such a great history of what extraordinary missions his unit undertook. Members of this battalion were awarded four Medals of Honor, 13 Navy Crosses and over 50 Silver Stars. Fascinating reading, as well as humbling to read of so many who lost their lives saving others. Bob’s copy is autographed by the author, who was a member of the unit, and Bob’s name is listed at the back of the book with the names of all those who were members of the Battalion. I ended up purchasing my own copy. 

Reflections on the Existence of God, by Richard E. Simmons III. My retired pastor friend asked me to read this so he could discuss it with me. I think it is an excellent examination for the evidences for God while leaving religion out until the end of the book. Ed ordered 40 copies for his prison ministry. My only problem with the author is his lack of theological discernment when selecting Christian authors to cite (e.g., he calls Donald Miller’s Blue Like Jazz, from which he cites, a “wonderful book”).

The Miracle of Dunkirk, by Walter Lord. The second book I’ve read on this historical event. Lord really highlights the individuals involved.

Thunderbolt!, by Robert S. Johnson with Martin Caiden. This book is the story of one of the highest scoring aces of World War II and the plane he flew. It’s a great fighter-pilot book with all the thrill and fear of aerial combat. I read this book while in the 10th grade and during the same period I was taking a science course titled “Aeronautics,” which was essentially ground school for working toward a pilot license. Between the course and this book I was convinced that I needed to one day earn a pilot license, not even considering that one day I would earn a Commercial Pilot license but also a multi-engine airplane rating, and instrument rating and a helicopter rating!  While “Aeronautics” taught the mechanics of flight, the first part of Thunderbolt taught the thrill and joy of flying.  It’s a book I could never forget and so I found a copy on the Internet in October so I could once again enjoy the story.

A Town Like Alice, by Nevil Shute. Long ago we acquired a VHS set with the mini-series based on this book. It is really an excellent story which I can highly recommend. A couple years ago I found a DVD version, thinking it was professional but it is a bootleg copy — although a fairly good one.  A couple months ago we watched the mini-series for the first time in a couple years and got to wondering about the novel. So I found a copy from Barnes & Noble and I just finished reading it to my wife on 12/5. The mini-series really, really followed the book, which left you wanting the further story! The author was an aeronautical engineer in England and founded an aircraft manufacturing firm which provided 1000 training aircraft to the RAF in WWII. He moved to Australia a few years after the war and the large part of the book takes place there.

Hit List: An In-Depth Investigation Into the Mysterious Deaths of Witnesses to the JFK Assassination, by Richard Belzer and David Wayne. The sub-title sums up the topic. Essentially the evidence from two congressional commissions and other witness testimony is that Lyndon Johnson ordered the assassination and the Mafia with the CIA carried it out. Oswald had nothing to do with it.

Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty, by Peter Collier. This book profiles living and recently deceased (as of the 2006 publication) Medal of Honor recipients. Whenever I read such stories I wonder if I would have been able to do such things if I went to war.

Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe, by Robert Matzen. Good story about Stewart’s war time service but the narrative leading up to the war had too much about him and how many Hollywood starlets he bedded. I don’t know why that was necessary — just pure titillation with nothing to do with the story. AND it made me lose a lot of respect for Stewart.

Richard Rohr and the Enneagram Secret, by Don & Joy Veinot and Marcia Montenegro. This book exposes the fraud of the Enneagram and well as the history of the false teachers who developed it and promote it among Christians. Rohr is the current “heavyweight.” I’m always amazed at how gullible people can be.

And there you have it. Of course I'm in the middle of two other books: How the Scots Invented the Modern World upstairs and Maps of War: Mapping Conflict Through the Centuries downstairs, both of which will be reported on next year.