Hometown Prophet - A Book Review

Short Description

Following a spiritual experience, Peter Quill begins to have dreams that come true. When he correctly predicts a major event in front of the church, he is heralded as a modern day prophet. It isn’t until his dreams challenge the biases of people in the community that he comes under attack, discovering what it means to truly be a prophet of God.

Extended Description

At 31 years old, Peter Quill moves back home to live with his mom in a suburb of Nashville. Following a spiritual experience, he has a vivid, cryptic dream. It isn’t until he hears a sermon at church that he understands the meaning of his dream and tells his pastor, Dr. Dan Cox, to have his heart checked out.

No sooner is Dan scheduled for heart surgery than Peter has a dream about the church being attacked. When he hears a visiting preacher, Mark Shelton, rail against an attack on Christian values, he knows Mark has something to do with his dream and tries to warn Dan.

His third dream involves a former member of his youth group, Jordan Stone, who went on to become a famous Christian pop singer. Reluctantly, he tells her about his dream involving a baby, which she claims has no relevance to her life.

By the time Mark Shelton takes many of Trinity’s members to form his own church, Dan is a big believer in Peter’s gift. When Peter deciphers a dream about a stock market crash, his pastor encourages him to announce it in front of the church. Reluctantly, Peter goes through with it and, when the market plummets, he is heralded as a prophet.

Acting on another dream, Peter attempts to save a homeless man from being beaten up. While he seems to succeed, the transient named Jesse, claims to also be a prophet of God and was sent there to help Peter conquer his fear so that he can become a truly effective messenger.

Armed with Jesse’s words, other dreams soon follow, including a toxic coal ash spill and an arson attack on a nearby mosque. Local news cameras are rolling and the pews are packed at Trinity Church as people clamor to witness the latest pronouncement. Even Jordan Stone has come around to Peter’s gift. But, because of the nature of his socially conscious dreams, he also begins to encounter resistance from some elements in the community.

His next dream involves three falling stars, which he interprets to mean three “Christian” leaders will take a fall. As ‘star’ after ‘star’ make public spectacles of themselves, Peter is viewed with even greater awe, and contempt.

Mark Shelton, one of his most vocal critics, claims to have a dream that Peter will soon take a fall of his own. A couple of days later, an old acquaintance appears on television to ‘out’ Peter. Instead of trying to deny the ‘accusation,’ Peter shows up at Mark Shelton’s mega-church for an Old Testament scriptural smack-down.

Following the confrontation, Peter has a final dream about a flood, which he announces on TV. As the rain begins to fall, people seem ready to heed the call to turn to God. In the midst of the rising waters, ‘small’ miracles happen as previous characters are revisited and find redemption in unlikely ways.

Long after the flood waters have receded, Peter has a final dream in which the homeless prophet, Jesse, pays him a final visit. In it, he is told that, even if he never has another prophetic dream, his work is far from finished.

Here is My Review of the Book

This is my first foray into Christian fiction. And I must say that the plot was fairly compelling. The thought of God communicating through dreams via a regular guy in modern times causes my mind to race with thoughts and feelings about how I would react if God chose to use me in that way. Plus, I can sympathize with Peter Quill and the circumstances in which he finds himself. But his conversion experience did not exactly ring true with me.

I got beyond that weakness in the story and was able to suspend disbelief and enjoy the remainder of the book. I can especially sympathize with Peter Quill's disillusionment with the state of the modern church. And I can only imagine that God must be even much more disillusioned with us! Because of that, I found the possibility of God speaking to and through Peter Quill to be a very interesting means of communication between God and mankind. Let me reiterate here. The thought consistently runs through your head as you read the book. "What if God chose to send a message to mankind through Me!"

There were a few things that troubled me. I was not comfortable with some of the activities that Peter Quill chose to engage in. We can have a discussion about the issue of alcohol in the life of a Christian, but I have a hard time accepting the week-end getaway with his new girlfriend.

I think the issues addressed by the dreams were powerful and appropriate to today. And I was pleased to see the redemption story as played out in many of the characters.

I am just talking out loud, but the whole genre of Christian fiction is difficult to handle without offending some segment of those of us who call ourselves "Christians". And I think that Mr. Fullmer did a pretty good job of trying to balance those sensibilities.

You can find the book via the following links:
http://www.hometownprophetbook.com/
https://www.createspace.com/3637544
http://www.amazon.com/Hometown-Prophet-ebook/dp/B004W3FXCQ

John Stroman

It has been a week since my father-in-law went home to be with the Lord. I have reflected on many things in the last 2 weeks. some have asked me to put some of the thoughts and words that I spoke at his funeral into a format that others could access. The following are some of what I shared last Tuesday afternoon.

There are many things that I learned from my father-in-law. I learned of his love for the Lord, his love for his family, and his love for the Church.

For those of you who know me well, you know that I don’t intimidate easily. But, I will admit today that John intimidated me at first. He was everything that I wanted to be. He was successful, he was a leader in the church and he had a truly great family. I was brought into the family. I was introduced to some truly great and Godly men who mentored me and showed me what it is to be a man of God. Men like John Stroman, Paul Freese, Stan Bowers, George Gressett, Dave Hodsdon, Lowell Clyburn, and Bill Searcy. They are almost all gone now. You will hear from one of those men (Stan Bowers) in just a few minutes.

So I offer this advice to you young men, young husbands, young fathers – find yourself a mentor. Find a man like John Stroman to talk to and learn from. Many have had the privilege of having John as a mentor. I was privileged to have him as a father-in-law.

But I learned another thing about John. I also learned about his love of asking questions. He would question the referee when his beloved Washington Redskins came out on the wrong side of the little yellow rag. I am sure he asked last night what happened to the Redskins? (Redskins and Cowboys on MNF, Sept 26, 2011)

He would ask many kinds of questions. Some of them would, quite frankly, exasperate and embarrass me from time to time. For instance, he would sometimes take me golfing an then ask the pro shop for a discount over and above the coupon that he was already trying to use. He would often ask a waitress for something obscure or not on the menu. He would smile that wry smile and see what they would say.

He would often turn and ask me very pointed questions. Some of them made me uncomfortable. He would ask me about my career plans and choices. He would ask me about some of the financial decisions I was making. And although he did not always agree with my decisions and choices, he always loved and supported me.

I think that I learned the power of the question from John. I learned that you often get more in a tense situation by asking questions than by making statements. Maybe it was all of that IBM sales training. Maybe it was just the wisdom gained from many years of living and learning. But I watched him many times as he applied the technique of asking questions as we sat on church boards together. I would want to shout out the obvious solution. John would choose to patiently ask probing questions until everyone could see the value of the solution that he somehow could see intuitively.

I know that if John were here today he would have at least one or two questions for us all.

He would ask is everyone rejoicing in their hearts today with him?

And he would ask if each of you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that you knew Jesus the way that John knew Jesus. And if you didn’t, he would ask if you would like to know the Jesus that he knew.

But if you do know Jesus in a real and personal way, he would say what he used to the girls every Sunday morning from the bottom of the stairs . . . Vamanos! Let’s go!

Let’s celebrate the life of John Stroman and get on with living life the way that he lived it.

How have you changed since 9/11/01?

We have been hearing and reading an awful lot in the media lately about how America has changed since the fateful events of Tuesday morning, Sptember 11, 2001.  I have seen articles in the USA Today newspaper every morning for a while now.  And the subject of how that day changed America has been the subject of many articles, blogs and conversations.

I am somewhat a student of the topic of change.  I don't value change for change's sake alone.  But I do recognize the need for change in many aspects of our personal lives and our organizations.

But back to the many subject of so many of the articles that I have been reading.  They have focused on how the events of September 11th in 2001 have somehow influenced, impacted or otherwised changed our Country.  And they have focused on the changes that have impacted from a political or cultural perspective.  They have focused on whether or not America is safer now.  They have focused on whether or not America is a better place today.  And they have focused on how America is viewed by other nations and cultures.

I don't think I can really add anything to that discussion. 

But what about changes that are more personal? 

What about changes that don't relate to the tragic events of that day at all?

Let's take the questions from above and try to apply them to our own personal lives.  For instance, am I a better man today than I was 10 years ago?  Am I a better husband?  Am I a better father?  Am I a better employee?  Am I a better Christian?

Those questions are a little harder.  But they are much more important to me and to the overall success of my family, church, culture and society. 

I'm just talking out loud right here.  But I think that as we focus on improving ourselves as husbands, fathers, employees and Christians, we will inevitably become better Americans and members of the global community.

Butler to the President - Server at a Banquet

His name was Eduardo.  He told me to call him "Eddie".  He was from the Philippines and he left after Ferdinand Marcos was deposed in February of 1986. 

Eddie was in the personal service of Marcos.  He was what would most likely be considered a butler.  He served Marcos proudly and he served him well.  Eddie was fortunate to get out before the downfall of Marcos.  And Eddie left and found himself in the service of King Khalid of Saudi Arabia.  He served the King until his death.  Eddie has served other persons of great political prominence and wealth, but we did not discuss them much. 

At some point on a visit to family here in the U.S., he found his way to Las Vegas, Nevada.  And then, as Eddie said, "the planes hit the twin towers and all that."  And he found himself stuck in Vegas with no real plan to get back to where he had come.  Quickly running out of money he turned to what he knew.  He could serve.  But, there are not many kings or presidents in Vegas.  There are "whales".  But they come and go and he needed something steady.  So he got a job serving food to business folks like me who come to Vegas for conventions.  And that is how we met.  We met at the final dinner of a convention that I attended this week.

And here is what impressed me.  He served us like I was a president or a king.  I don't really know that for absolute surety.  but I know he served me well and with great care.  But I am nobody really.  I am just a guy in a suit who works for some big corporation.  But he treated me with great dignity and respect.

One of the speakers at one of the luncheon was the CEO of Zappos.com, Tony Hsieh.  Hsieh talked about the culture of Zappos.com.  And he talked about the interview process for those who want to come to work for Zappos.com.  He said that unbeknown to the person interviewing for a job, the driver of the van that transported the prospective employee to the office was a part of the interview process.  And after the formal interview was over, the driver was asked about the prospective employee and how he treated the driver during the ride.  So, no matter if the person was an outstanding applicant, if he had no ability to relate to the "cab driver", then he was not really Zappos.com material. 

So, I am just sorta talking out loud here.  But I wonder.  How do I treat people?  Do I treat them royally?  Do I treat them with dignity and respect even when they are just some tired and worn out conventioner?  Would Zappos.com hire me based upon how I treated the cab driver to and from the airport?

I hope so.  I think so.  I pray so.

Facebook and the Ideal Tribe Size

I get a bunch of e-zines and various technology related subscription content delivered by email to my work email address.  It gives me plenty to look at when I can't concentrate on my work because am having an ADD flareup during the day.  I came across an interesting one the other day that was about being a little more discerning in the amount of Friends that you have on facebook.  I think it stands alone without the need for comment.

But the opening paragraphs and Step 1 of the article really got my mind racing.  I chose to take the statement made in Step 1 and apply it to my church consulting interests.  For those of you who did not click on the link in the paragraph above, here is what got my attention:

"Ponder over the fact that the ideal human tribe number is thought to be about 150. This anthropological and sociological figure was reached at through studying people's interactions in societies and it is also thought to apply to the online context. After all, there is only so much buzz and chatter that you can actually manage to take in without feeling overloaded. As such, if your facebook friends amount to more than 150, it may just be that your online tribe capacity is bulging at the seams and that there are people there whom you rarely, if ever, interact with."

 What does this have to say about the modern church?  I don't know about you, but I don't see many churches striving to optimize at the 150 attendance mark.  Most that I know of are looking to be the next Second Baptist here in the Houston area.  They have fully bought in to the belief that "bigger is better".

In fact, most churches today are embracing more and more of the social networking culture.  My local church has a facebook page.  Our denomination has a facebook group page.  Every pastor that I know is active to some degree or another on facebook.  Most are embracing the "immediacy" of the social networking technology as a communication and ministry tool.  In fact, recently, we were asked and we texted answers to poll questions to the pastor in the middle of his message as a way of making the message more interactive.  It was very interesting.  However, my mom probably would not approve of me texting in church!  So, don't tell her.

But consider the statement from the article that I quoted above.  How is it that we in the church embrace so much of what modern society and social culture and anthropology has to say when it comes to mass communication theory, and yet we completely ignore so much of what we know intuitively in our gut to be true?

I am just talking out loud here, but I bet you won't hear anything tomorrow from your pulpit that says that your local church has gotten too big to really function in the intimate way that Jesus Christ intended it to.  I am not taking a shot at any particular pastor here.  But the reality of the situation is that so many pastors, are looking to grow the church, grow the staff and "outsource" much of the traditional pastoral functions to junior staff and small group leaders rather than becoming intimately acquainted and involved in the lives of the whole church body. 

Is it possibly because there are more than 150 of us who attend on a regular basis?  Is it possibly because our seminaries are training a generation of pastors who are not being taught or mentored in such a way that their heart's desire was to know the people of the church intimately and stand with them through tears of joy and sorrow?

I am not theologically opposed to a church of more than 53,000 like Second Baptist.  I am really not.  I was a member of that church for several years.  I just know that I have experienced the greatest levels of intimacy in my life at churches that hovered around the 200 range.  At 200, I know who will do the weddings and funerals that come along.  I know who will dedicate the babies.  I know who I will call in the moments following a tragedy. 

Maybe, just maybe, to borrow from another cultural phenomenon and the 1980's sitcom known as Cheers, I am looking for the kind of response that Norm Peterson got every time he walked into the bar.  Everyone shouted, "Norm!" 

Norm belonged there.  Everybody loved Norm.  And everybody knew his name.

Living and Reflecting

I guess I have been a little too busy lately "living" life to spend much time "reflecting" on life. But my goal is to slow down a little and reflect a little more. The Memorial Day week-end couldn't come at a better time. So, let's all slow down a little this week-end and enjoy time with family or friends. After all, many have fought and died so that you and I can grill in peace and freedom.

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If the world is going to end, do you need a new coffee pot?

I guess I have been so busy lately that I really didn't pay much attention to the whole "end of the world" thing.  Usually that stuff fascinates me beyond belief.  But this little bit of misguided nonsense slipped past me. 

So what does that have to do with a new coffee pot?  Well, we got a new one a few weeks ago.  It leaked right away.  And we figured it was "operator error".  Then it leaked again.  And then again.  One time is maybe my fault.  Two times is a strange coincidence.  Three times and you got yourself a "leaker".  That settled it.  We needed to take that one back and get another new coffee pot.  So we did.  And it is a cool one!

Now what does this have to do with the predicted rapture?  I'll tell you as I describe the events of "rapture day".  I got up.  My wife went out to breakfast as is our custom.  We talked about life and our family.  We stopped by Target and bought a new coffee maker.  We visited briefly with my in-laws.  While we were there I fixed a broken toilet handle.  For most of the day we drove around north Houston looking for furniture for the house we want to buy if we can ever get this one sold.  We spent a lot of time in car and we listened to old gospel quartets using Pandora and my Android phone.  Cool, huh?  We had dinner with some of our family around the time of the predicted rapture.  Apparently it didn't happen so we paid the check and went on our merry way.  We ended up going to an antique auction for a few hours to end the day.

Whew!  That was quite a day.  It was full of family, fun, serving, laughing, singing, and praying.

And then it hit me.

That's the way that I want to spend my last day here on Earth.  I want to be so ready to meet my Maker that I won't have to change a thing about my day.  There will be no last minute apologies to someone that I have hurt.  No flurry of hastily said, "I love you's".  I hope that when God calls me home I am on my way back to the house from visiting my grand-kids or fixing something for a friend or neighbor and I am driving in my car sipping coffee and listening to The Cathedrals with the windows rolled down.

What did you do yesterday?

Photo via a link to the official "Mr. Coffee" website