Evangelist Steven R. Martins

Book Review – “I Am Second” by Doug Bender & Dave Sterrett

How many of you have already watched the “I Am Second” video series on Youtube? I’ve watched a few, and I’ve been impacted by what I’ve watched, but I never would have thought that a book bearing the same name would have been released with some grueling life changing stories. Doug Bender & Dave Sterrett’s book “I Am Second - Real Stories, Changing Lives” left me tearing from cover to cover as it confronted the ugly face of evil and suffering, and encountering the marvelous beauty of Jesus Christ. The reason the series is called “I Am Second” is because throughout the real stories of changed lives, Jesus is always number one. It’s when we begin to live for Him and acknowledge that we are second and He is first that we begin to see the miraculous and the glorious come into view. Many of these stories involve Brian “Head” Welch, Josh Hamilton, Michael W. Smith, Vitor Belfort, and many other personalities (both well known and some not so well known).

It’s a book that I would recommend for anyone and everyone, I have never found myself nearly crying on the Toronto subway system because of a book I was reading. I held in my tears, and took momentary pauses to think and reflect, when I was ready I would resume the read. The stories range from first-person narratives to third-person narratives, but regardless of the differing styles, each story was woven into a greater masterpiece. I rate this as a high five star quality book, for every man, woman, child and senior. The book that every teen should read, and as a bonus, for all the tech savvy youngsters of our day who carry around smart-phones, the stories have scan bar-codes that will take you right to the video series.

I’ve received this complimentary book from the Thomas Nelson Publishing House through the Book Sneeze program in exchange for a review. A positive review was not required and the views expressed in my review are strictly my own.

Lights of the Sky

Genesis 1:14-15 – “Then God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth’; and it was so.”

If you look up at a clear night sky, without the light pollution, you’ll find yourself star-gazing. The beauty of the night canvas, the bright lights in the far reaches of our galaxy, the constellations known to man, all came forth on the fourth day of creation. The Scripture lays it out plainly that God spoke the cosmos into existence; He ignited the stars in the vast expanse of our universe. He had separated the day from the night, brought forth land from underneath the waters, and sparked the life for vegetation to sprout from the soil. Here however, God works on a portion of creation that is exterior to the planet. When we see the stars covering the sky, we know it’s night, but when they’re far from our view and invisible due to the brightness of our sun, we know it’s day. But the light in our night sky aren’t all stars, some very few lights are planets themselves, and no doubt they were also a part of God’s plans. This is why the term “star” was not used, for there were more than just stars in the canvas of the night sky.

Throughout history, civilizations have relied upon the stars and planets for guidance and direction. They allow us to pinpoint where the polarities of North and South are, they’re what you can call an ancient GPS system for travel and transportation systems. Subject matter experts report that “You can find your position north or south of the Equator simply by checking the height of the Pole Star at night, as navigators have known since before the dawn of history” (Heather & Nigel, 2009). The stars of the night sky have proven invaluable for human life, they have in one way or another affected our decision making collectively throughout history. When it has involved agriculture for human survival, the stars have been shown to be “for signs and for seasons” as it was written thousands of years ago. Consider for example, the Pleiades, the constellation known as the “Seven Sisters” was extremely useful for the people of the Andes Mountains.

“People in the Andes regularly observed the Pleiades to ensure a bountiful supply of food. If the Seven Sisters were clear and bright, they would plant their potatoes in October. But they would delay the planting if Pleiades were dim and hazy” (Heather & Nigel, 2009).

This isn’t some whimsical astrological nonsense concerning astrology (Scorpio, Libra, etc.) or any other unrelated matter of unfounded concepts. This pertained understanding of how the world worked was not a matter of mystic mythology as some civilizations have posited in their own cultural views, but rather, the science behind the wisdom reveals that the Andean people knew how the climates worked.

“When the Pleiades are dim, they’re being hidden by a veil of high-altitude cloud, associated with an El-Nino in the Pacific. This change in the ocean’s circulation leads to a drought in South America, and would spell ruin for the potato crop” (Heather & Nigel, 2009).

God’s wording was specific when He mentioned through the writings of Moses that the lights would be used “for signs and for seasons.” They would also serve to mark the passing days and years, the Mayan civilization acknowledged that the stars would serve for such purposes.

“The Mayan astronomers had seriously cracked the problems of the calendar, as well. In fact, they ran three separate calendars at once. One repeated every 260 days, the second every 360 days, while the third kept pace with the year, with a length of 365 days” (Heather & Nigel, 2009).

Throughout ancient history, civilizations have acknowledged the usefulness of the stars and planets for their survival and livelihoods, and it was with this in mind that God created the lights of the universe. When we come to understand that the vastness of our universe and all its highly-tuned complex calculations were specifically designed with us in mind, we’ll grow further in our knowledge of how great our Architect really is and just how special we really are.

Works Cited

Heather, C., & Nigel, H. (2009). Living with the Sky; Reading the Heavens; Matters of Some Gravity. In C. Heather, & H. Nigel, The History of Astronomy (pp. 29, 46, 158). Richmond Hill, Ontario: Firefly Books Ltd.

This Year Be Revolutionary

The start of the New Year always brings excitement, anticipation, and awe-inspiring wonder. It feels like a fresh new slate, the year is past and gone and the newness brings its own taste of freshness. However, despite the numbers on the calendar changing and the ticking of the clock going well into the new year, the world comes to the sudden realization that it doesn’t have a reset button for its own history cache. Many of the problems of our history’s past continues to run on its own pattern today, well on track to creep into our children’s future and the generations to come.

To keep it short and concise, we’re living in a fallen and degenerate world. Our societal values have been undermined and distorted; our clarity of vision has become blurred thanks to the contributions of postmodernism and skepticism. What remains of our Christian values and standards are slowly fading away into the pages of history. We’re at war, against the culture of our world, the ideologies and philosophies that fundamentally undermine logic and reasoning, and most importantly against all injustice and corruption on the face of the Earth. In order to address such a predominant issue, we are faced with a daunting question as ambassadors of Christ, what are we to do?

The response is not one that man is fairly accustomed to, of physical aggression and violence, but rather a fight that is far different than the ways known to man. “Jesus has shown that it is now a betrayal of the gospel to take up physical arms explicitly to promote the interests of Christ” (Orr-Ewing). There is another way, another pattern of which to live by, let us instead of raising arms surrender ourselves as martyrs in the proclamation of who Christ is.

“Martyrs die because they refuse to deny the Truth, they are unwillingly to force their ways upon others, and they are unwilling to fight back when fighting back would deny the Love they are trying to show those hurting them” (dc Talk).

This year, you have the choice to be a revolutionary, to stand upon the pillars of truth and love. Instead of following the mainstream of culture and society, choose to deny yourself for the sake of others. Learn to die to the self in order to see the betterment of our society by making the truth of the Gospel known.

“This is how martyrdom changes things: It stands up as a witness of the One who is Truth and Love, and the One who is Truth and Love can do little else but stand up and surround them with His presence. And His presence changes things” (dc Talk).

Be a Revolutionary, bring a sudden, radical and complete change. Stir the movement that will fundamentally bring reform to political, social and cultural organizations. The William Webster’s Dictionary defines the term revolution as a “fundamental change in the way of thinking about or visualizing something: a change of paradigm <the Copernican Revolution>” (Merriam Webster Dictionary). In understanding such, stand not only as an advocate but also an adherent of revolutionary doctrines, beliefs that are a “complete turnaround from the cultural, economic, and political norms of the day” (dc Talk). Live as a martyr, be a revolutionary, and embrace the words of the Apostle Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20, ESV).

It’s a New Year, and You’ve been given a Choice. Choose Change.

Many Blessings,

Steven R. Martins
CYC Director & Evangelist

Works Cited

dc Talk. Jesus Freaks II: Revolutionaries. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Bethany House Publishers, 2002. 6-7.

Merriam Webster Dictionary. Revolution – Definition and More… 06 January 2012 <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/revolution>.

Orr-Ewing, Amy. “PostModern Challenges to the Bible.” Zacharias, Ravi. Beyond Opinion: Living the Faith We Defend. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc., 2007. 18.