New Books

I got a few books for Christmas and one I picked up this week. I thought I would share something about each one.

The first is by my favorite author, Erwin McManus. It's called Stand Against the Wind. It's a small book of 119 pages and I read it last night in one sitting. It's 12 chapters of wisdom. Written in journal form, but packed full of great explanations of many of our Christian Terms. It covers things like freedom in Christ vs. freedom from Christ, Integrity, Wisdom, Potential vs. Potency, Love, Faithfulness, Gratefulness, Humility, Fear, Courage, and many others. Here are a few of my favorite passages:

On Integrity:
Integrity, or the lack of it, has everything to do with how we use power. When our character is defined by integrity, we can be trusted with power. Power does not become a corrosive agent but a creative energy. When we lack integrity, we use power to control. When we lead with integrity, we use power to bless.

Instead of hoarding His power, Jesus unleashes His power. For Him, neither love nor power is a limited commodity. Just like love, the nature of power expands when it is given away. Power is a tool. It allows us the freedom to be who we truly are. This is why it is critical to pursue integrity rather than power. When you are promoted on your abilities, without regard to the content of your character, it is a disservice both to your subordinates and to you. We do no one a favor when we put abilities over integrity.

Integrity cannot be gained by power and authority. Integrity must be gained long before these have been placed in or hands. Jesus lived an obscure life for thirty years preparing for a public ministry that lasted for only three. Integrity requires that you decide what kind of person you want to become. Integrity not only harnesses our passions but focuses our intentions.

The real measure of our power is the freedom and opportunity we create for others. Men and women who are marked by integrity point the way to freedom.

Perhaps the most amazing thing about integrity is when you still choose to do what's right when you're all alone, no one sees you, and no one will know what you do. It's wonderful when you look inside your own heart and like what you see.

On Courage and Obedience:
You cannot walk by faith and live in fear.

The history of God's people is not a record of God searching for courageous men and women who could handle the tasks but of God transforming the hearts of cowards and calling them to live courageous lives. Adam and Eve hid; Abraham lied; Moses ran; David deceived; Esther wavered; Elijah contemplated suicide; John the Baptist doubted; Pete denied; Judas betrayed. And those are just some of the leading characters.

What is the point of having God's power if you lack the courage to actually use it? Only when you embrace God's calling on your life will you need God-inspired courage. We often ask for God's power to accomplish our small dreams; instead we should cry out for God's courage to step out on His bold adventure.

Without courage we cannot live the life we choose - instead we choose to relinquish life. We conform to the path of least resistance and abdicate our freedom. So in the end a life without courage is a life without virtue!

There's something God wants you to do - not to it back and watch Him do it or passively wait for Him to do, but a calling that God waits for you to embrace, pursue, and fulfill. God chooses to entrust His most sacred work to people just like you and me.

The key to the future s not revelation, but obedience. When we submit our lives to what God has made known, the future becomes clearer to us.

When God speaks, it requires immediate attention. If you respond to God's call, you will be tested to the very core of your being. God will not save you from the fire but will in fact throw you into it. The promise that He will be with you and never forsake you is both a promise and a warning. A divine journey cannot be completed without divine intervention. Courage is not the absence of fear; it is the absence of self. Courage is the highest expression of humility. Courage moves us to risk ourselves for others or for a higher cause.

On Generosity:
Generosity isn't about how much we give but about how much it costs us. Generosity creates an environment for emotional health.

On Wisdom:
Proverbs 1:20-23
While many of us long for God to give us a map so that we can simply follow it, He instead gives us a compass that points the way. What we continually ask for is to know God's will for our lives; what God continually offers us is His wisdom for our lives. So critical is wisdom to the journey that God offers it as a gift to all who would desire it (James 1:5).

From the vantage point of the fool, the world appears to exist in isolated units. The connection between the absentee father and the promiscuous daughter remains undetected. The relationship between bitterness toward your parents and coldness toward your children is unperceived. The repercussions of extramarital infidelity are never linked to premarital promiscuity. Debt remains unconnected to greed; violence remains unconnected to hate; the loss of hope remains disconnected from the loss of faith.

Wisdom frees us from superstitions that constrain us and broken relationships that cripple us.

On the Fear of the Lord:
The Scriptures remind us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom. Then what exactly does this mean? When we fear God, we fear nothing else. It is only in the fear of God that we find ourselves free from the fear of death, of failure, and all the other fears that bind us.

When the fear of God is absent from our lives, we become slaves to lesser fears, and your fears define the boundaries of your life. When you fear God, you are subject only to Him. You align yourself to love and truth. You are never afraid to love or forgive when you fear God. You are never afraid to do good when you fear God. You are never afraid to face the truth or speak the truth when you fear God. You live with a calm assurance that in all these things God finds great pleasure.

The ultimate end of character transformation is not freedom from sin, but freedom to once again be all that God designed for us to be. When we fear God, we find the freedom and the courage to pursue dreams far too big for ourselves, yet courage is the only hope for great dreams.

Well, that was more than I expected to write! Don't you just love the wisdom of this man? The other books:

The Bravehearted Gospel by Eric Ludy. I haven't read but 19 pages of this one, but I can tell I like it. This might be good for our leadership team after we finish An Unstoppable Force. To give you a gist of what this book is about, here's what the back cover says:
Once upon a time, Christianity was the stuff of legends and Christ's loyalists were spiritual and moral revolutionaries, the kind of men and women who turned the world upside down. But over time, something has happened to that once fervent and bravehearted band who dared to be called Christians.

Many today have inherited a faith that has no real life or power. Instead of zeal there is apathy. Instead of courage there is timidity. And instead of confidence there is paralyzing doubt.

Something has to change.

For all those hungering for a spiritual revolution, there is an ancient blood-stained trail, trod by the greatest men and women in history, beckoning us to once again explore it's epic and grand terrain. For all those hungry for a Christianity that actually works, a faith that reforms the human life an possesses the power to rescue this dying world, this trail mustn't be ignored. For it is the path of heroes and of real-world change - it's the path of The Bravehearted Gospel.

The other book is called Following God with All Your Heart by Elizabeth George. Believe it or not, I don't just read books on taking the world for Christ. A 'chick flick' book once in a while is a good diversion! This may be a good book for our women's Bible study after we complete the one we're starting this week. It covers 5 areas:

1. Grow in Joy and Contentment
2. Grow in Devotion and Obedience
3. Grow in Confidence
4. Grow in Courage
5. Grow in Humility

Can't wait to absorb these books!

Thanks for sticking through this very long blog today. Many blessings to you on this cold, windy, gray Friday.

Acting in Obedience

Yesterday I blogged about obeying Christ and the blessings that follow. Yesterday at work I got to see obedience in action.

I received a call from one of our ministry leaders who said that I had been on his heart and wanted to know if he could pray for me about anything or if there was anything he could do for me. I told him everything was going great and really appreciated his call. How great would it be if everyone in the body of Christ responded to the promptings of the Holy Spirit this way? What if we all sent a note, made a call, made a visit when someone was on our heart? What a great support system that would be. I encourage you today to be sensitive to His promptings too.

We had a good night last night. Greg visited a couple of friends who were admitted to the hospital on Tuesday and we both went to visit to visit them last night. Both are doing well and we had a wonderful time sharing and praying with them.

Today we get our locks installed on the new addition. We demo the kitchen wall tomorrow!!! Next week, the whole kitchen comes out. Yikes! I think I've said that before. The good news is that we can probably plug in all our appliances in the garage and still cook. My sink? It just might be the bathtub.

Blessings on this fabulous Friday!

Isaiah

As I was reading Isaiah this morning, I was reminded again about the deep, enduring love of God. Even though Israel messed up and God allowed them to suffer hardship for it, when they turned back to God, we was there with open arms and blessings followed. We see that all through scripture, like in the story of the prodigal son. The consistent current under it all is that blessings follow obedience.

Sometimes people live in very difficult circumstances. Physical and mental health issues, difficult living conditions, financial issues, children going through difficulties and I think, "Is it an obedience issue?" Many times it is. It often isn't a love of God issue. They may love God very much. They may pray and read their Bibles daily. But still they struggle. Often there are small compromises. They would appear small anyway, but have big consequences. So I ponder, "Is it worth it? Is it worth the little shortcuts to have to live like this?" Absolutely not. Are they happy? I can't imagine they would be. Is this God's will for them? No. "So why do people choose this, instead of choosing to do it God's way?"

I guess sometimes people don't know better. They have never experienced the joy and blessings that come from obedience because they didn't grow up obeying God and didn't have role models who obeyed God. Sometimes I think it is a selfish choice. People often wonder about their difficulties. I don't think it's always a selfish choice necessarily. Sometimes the enemy messes with us just to throw us off-track and God uses those times to grow and strengthen us. Sometimes we just need discipline to get to where we should be.

Anyway, I must get moving this morning. Blessings to you on this great, sunny Thursday!

Obedience

I was reading this morning a little table in my study Bible that showed the different times God gave specific instructions to people and what happened to them when they didn't follow them. Yikes! Everything from not being allowed to lead his people into the promised land, to becoming a leper, to instant death. If that doesn't put the fear of God into you, I don't know what will.

Have you ever been in a situation where God told you to do something specific? Maybe it made no sense at all. Did you do it, or not do it?

I remember praying about a simple car purchase. I had wanted a Honda Pilot for about 3 years total. But during the first year of my desire for this particular car, I felt God impress upon me to wait until I had $10,000 saved up as a down payment. As a single mom, I knew this was going to be a long wait. So I waited. I saved, but progress was very slow. I continued to research the car in Consumer Reports each year when they did their reviews. I still wanted this car. Then something amazing happened. I gave notice at my job and was given a great severance package, that I neither deserved or ever thought I would get. I continued to receive my salary for the next 34 weeks that I wasn't even working there and while I worked at my current job. I had the down payment saved in 4 months and bought the car I had wanted for years.

I've got to tell you that obeying God in all circumstances has rewards we cannot even see from where we're standing. If I hadn't obeyed God, I would have gone into a great deal of debt. Now, three years later, the car is paid for and the only debt we have is our house, which should be paid off in less than 10 years. God has blessed our obedience in so many areas. Obey the Lord your God. Blessed Tuesday!

Nuggets #19

An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
Chapter Nine: Re-Formation

Redefining Church
Many who hear the prophetic call to return and restore the purpose of God for the church are inspired to new levels of obedience and faith. For them, the process of examining every program and expression of the church against the biblical mandate to make disciples of all nations becomes necessary for church health and renewal. Yet for others, this is not true. (For me this is VERY true. It's my passion!)
Known by the Scars
People need to know that the purpose of God burns in your heart, that people not only matter to God but also genuinely matter to you. The people you hope to lead need to see that your life has been reoriented around the very purposes that you advocate.

Yet I was reminded from the encouragement of spiritual men that what's important is not that everything goes right, but that what you're doing is right. If you are to lead God's people in the way of God, then you must prepare yourself for spiritual warfare ahead. If your motivation is the approval of men or being measured as successful in this world, then this journey may not be for you. But if you can live and die on the knowledge that you have given your life for the purpose of God, then you can move to the next step in the process of spiritual re-formation.

I'm going to make my comments in italics from now on, a suggestion from my husband so people know when Erwin stops and I start. Not that anyone would mistake my babble for a genius like Erwin, but I'll do it to make things simple.

So, there's the break between those who do right and those who focus on the outcome. I think this goes back to fear. The other day I wrote about those who wouldn't be caught dead doing something wrong. This is out of fear. But there is so much freedom and peace of mind when you're doing what you know God has mandated in his Word and you leave the desire for the approval of men in the dust. Being a soldier for God is referred to many times in the Bible. I believe that our spiritual walk is often a battle, and our faith, freedom in Christ, and the salvation of others is something to fight for.

Isaiah 41:9-14 (NIV)
"I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you.
I said, 'You are my servant'; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
All who rage against you
will surely be ashamed and disgraced;
those who oppose you
will be as nothing and perish.
Though you search for your enemies,
you will not find them.
Those who wage war against you
will be as nothing at all.
For I am the Lord, you God,
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.
Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob,
O little Israel,
for I myself will help you," declares the Lord,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel."