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You know, when you first become saved you can’t wait to share your faith. You’re bubbling over with excitement, brimming with the amazing discovery you’ve found. When you’re filled with that fire it’s easy to bring people to God, but as time goes by and your faith begins to fade a lot of that excitement disappears. In time you come to rely heavily on Christian e-books and books and Holy Land gifts to bring your family to Christ in the hope that they’ll figure it out on their own. You just don’t have the enthusiasm you need to bring them to Christ, and as a result you’re all going to be left spinning your wheels. Even Though the Path to Christ is Straightforward and Clear, Most People Need Someone to Follow Think about it for a moment. Did you come to Christ on your own? Or were you led there by someone’s shining example? As Christians we know that it’s our duty to spread the gospel…to be a “sermon in shoes” as the case may be. Chances are you probably didn’t make the determination to come to Christ until someone had personally shared that sermon with you. When you first seek to bring your family to Christ it’s going to be up to you to lay the foundation. Why? Because while the Christian e-books and gifts and the Holy Land gifts you’ve been handing out for the past several years to anyone in your family who happened to look like they would use it can be an invaluable source of inspiration, you have to lay the foundation. Encouragement to act in a Godly manner means absolutely nothing if you have no idea who God is, what he’s done and how acting in a Godly way will affect your life. You Have to Recommit Yourself to Christ before Anyone Will Commit with You The first thing you have to do, before you even consider bringing your family to Christ, is look at yourself. Are you strong in your faith? Do you do your devotionals daily, and continuously read those same Christian books and e-books that you’re handing around? In other words, do you practice what you preach? Remember, your family is going to be looking at you to serve as their example before God. They’re going to learn from you. To the uneducated Christianity appears to be a cult religion, full of blasphemers and hypocrites. Hey, it’s the popular opinion. If you’re going to take them past this misguided belief you’re going to have to do it by standing in the gap. If you can’t serve as a true representative of God, if you can’t give your testimony without using the words “but” or “however”, and if you can’t honestly say that your heart and your motives are pure you’re never going to bring anyone to Christ, much less the people who know you best. You need that fire back. Christian Gifts are an Inspiration, Not a Foundation The bottom line is that Christian e-books, Christian gifts and Holy Land gifts, no matter how inspiring or inspired they happen to be, were never intended to bring people to Christ. They were intended to be a constant, visible reminder of the commitment you’ve already made. They can help you straighten out your problems (some Christian self help books are fantastic for helping you get to the root of your problems, since they’re built on the Bible rather than a foundation of pop psychology) but they’re not going to help your family truly find God. To do that you’re going to have to be the shining example for them of everything being a Christian can be. Then, and only then, will they be able to find their way back home in Christ’s loving arms.

There’s Christian jewelry, and Christian books, and Christian accessories. There are even Christian movies! But Christian shoes? Every pair of shoes a Christian walks in is a pair of Christian shoes, because they’re carrying inside them a blessing from God. But if you want to carry that blessing outside as well as inside, consider investing in your own pair of Christian sneakers!

What’s the difference between Christian shoes and the ones you’d pick up at your local Payless? If you’ve been inside a shoe store recently you’ve seen the art that’s jazzing up ordinary tennies made by big name designers like Airwalk. “Love, Peace and Understanding” is proudly airbrushed on their latest designs, and they’re making a huge splash on the market with fashion conscious individuals who want their feet to make a statement!  I love my “Savior…The Many Names of Jesus…,” shoes.

There isn’t a one of us who doesn’t know the children’s Sunday School song “Sermon in Shoes.” If it wasn’t part of your education, check it out! The resounding theme of the song, “Do you know, oh Christian, you’re a sermon in shoes” can sound a little scary until you figure out what they’re talking about. When you walk out into the community you’re representing not only yourself but Christ and everything he stands for too. Being a Christian means doing a lot more than reading the Bible and praying. It’s up to you to go out there and spread the good news!

It’s a lot of fun to tell others about everything Christ has done for us, but if you suffer from a case of stage fright that leaves you tongue tied when the time comes to spread the good news (and even if you don’t!) you can let your feet do the talking with a pair of genuine, certified Christian shoes. These trendy designs don’t just look hip with your favorite jeans and Christian tee-shirts. They’re proudly emblazoned with the words of Christ himself, carrying the good news with them every time they hit the streets!

Psalms 23:4: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Philippians 4:13: “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

This is love, peace and understanding, and a whole lot more! These Christian shoes are carrying a tremendous message with them, a message everyone should have the opportunity to hear.

What are your shoes saying?

This review is based on the paperback edition of Anne Rice’s novel, ‘Christ the Lord Out of Egypt’.

I must admit that as a past reader of Anne Rice vampire novels, I was prepared for a different experience than what I encountered by reading this book. My son gave me my first Anne Rice novel at Christmas a few years ago, and he followed up with more of her paperbacks on subsequent birthdays, Mothers’ Days, and Christmases.

Many of Anne Rice’s previous novels are dark, yet strongly compelling, reading. You might find your mind wandering as you wade through paragraph after paragraph of descriptive details that, while setting the scene, sometimes distract you from the storyline. However, her stories always seize your interest. You might skim over the flowery descriptions, but you are always entranced by the characters in their search for something bigger than themselves.

In this book Anne talks about something bigger than all of us – and succeeds in eliciting strong emotions accompanied by occasional tears. This is a simply written account, narrated from the point of view of a young Jesus.

Unlike earlier novels, she restricts the descriptive language to a level which accurately depicts the time, customs, and surroundings – without distracting from the story’s progression. The book has been carefully researched. Historical facts are intertwined with dialogue and narrative in a way that makes them come alive to the reader.

Young Jesus surprisingly commits a huge sin in the third paragraph of the first page. This startled me! My perspective of Jesus has always been one of God personified in the flesh – and God would never sin! That first page raised my hackles and I almost put the novel down in disgust.

However, it was a Christmas present from my son, and I felt compelled to read it for his sake. I certainly didn’t think that Anne Rice was going to tell a story about the Jesus Christ I knew from reading Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Without a doubt, I am overjoyed that I read the book right to the end. It cleared up a mystery that has plagued me for years: Why did Jesus have to die to save me? This answer had been given to me many times in sermons and in the Bible itself. However, I never completely understood it until I read this book.

Whatever you do – don’t skip to the end of the novel to discover the answer. Without absorbing the narrative, chapter by chapter, you will not comprehend the last two pages.

Anne has wavered from Roman Catholicism to atheism, and back to Roman Catholicism. She relates in the paperback edition why she made a promise to dedicate her life to God.

The introductory pages of the novel include a map showing the northern part of Egypt and the areas of the Holy Land that are mentioned in the story. The back of the book includes an ‘Author’s Note’ and ‘Note to the Paperback Edition’. Here, Anne describes a bit of her background, her research techniques, and her conversion back to Christianity.

No matter what your religious beliefs, you will find this novel an interesting read. I intend to buy several to give away to friends and relatives.Christ the Lord Out of Egypt – by Anne RicePaperback Edition ISBN: 0-7704-3013-9Hardcover Edition ISBN: 0-6769-7768-5*Anne Rice has kindly provided the following thoughts on this review:

‘I do personally believe that Jesus was sinless, and in my novel the intention is to present Him as absolutely sinless. In the opening scenes He does not kill anyone. He ‘feels the power go out of Him’. Rather like the similar passage of the Gospel of Mark when the hemorrhaging woman is healed by touching His robe.

‘Take care and have a good year,

‘Anne Rice’

©Copyright Kathy Steinemann: This article is free to publish only if this copyright notice, the byline, and the author’s note below (with active links) are included.