Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado – a book review.

Outlive Your Life is a book that addresses the fact that people – Christian in particular – should be truly living the way God has called us to live. A life that is selfless, caring, and compassionate. Lucado encourages the reader to step out of their comfort zone and actually be an agent of change; to do something that is meaningful in the “big picture.” When one considers the extreme pain that is experienced day in and day out by people in all difference walks of life, we need to look for and act upon opportunities to help those in need.

This book encouraged me a lot. I felt as though Max was right on the mark…we are created by a loving God to show others love and to point them toward Jesus. Essentially, we were created to “make a difference.” Of course Lucado is generally a good writer, and this book was no different. It was an easy read, but didn’t feel like I was being talked down to. It also kept my attention. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The only “downside” and the reason I gave it four stars rather than five, was because there wasn’t necessary something about this book that separated it from the vast amount of other books currently being printed that also address this topic of “making a difference.” It seems to be the theme of choice these days…which I don’t mind…but this one simply didn’t stand out as something extra special.

I do recommend it though and hope that those who read it are encouraged to truly Outlive their Life.

Get to work…

It’s time to get to work. Yes, I mean posting more often on this blog (since EVERYONE is interested in reading this), but I really mean in life.

I’ve spent about a year “getting my toes wet” in ministry. I think it’s been long enough. It’s time to get to work for real. It’s time to take risks; ask God for impossible things; love unconditionally; and push the teens of our church to take those same significant decisions. Our God is too big and too important to only pursue with half our hearts. He needs all of it and all of us.

Are you with me?

Book Review: Jungle Warfare by Christopher Cunningham

Jungle Warfare is a devotional book written by a salesperson, for salespeople. The author, Christopher Cunningham, has taken his grandfather’s old journal from his war experiences supplements it with scripture and applies the principles of war to the life of a Christian in sales. Cunningham knows first hand how tough it can get out in the “jungle” of the secular workforce. This book encourages others to stand firm on the promises found in the bible and to not compromise who you are in Christ to please others or make an extra buck.

This book was quite encouraging to me even though I am not in sales, or even in a secular workplace. The principles examined are ones that can be applied to anyone’s life. They are timeless and important for everyone to consider. If you are looking for a devotional that encourages you to fight through the ups and downs experienced due to work, I would certainly recommend this book.

*This book was a complimentary copy provided by Booksneeze.

The Great Ghost

It is kind of ridiculous how much we put God in a box. And I’m not necessarily thinking about God the Father or Son…I’m thinking about the Holy Spirit (Yes, I believe they are one in the same, but for what I’m thinking and working through it’s the Holy Spirit that is boxed up). Something I am severely guilty of is leaving almost everything to chance and circumstance. I tend to think logically about everything, so when something cool happens or I accomplish something fairly significant, I typically look back and can tell you, logically, how and why it happened. And 9 times out of 10, the reasons I give don’t involve the workings of the Holy Spirit…even if at some point in the process of accomplishing task  X or experiencing something cool, I prayed for God to step in! What is wrong with that picture?

John 14:16-17 says, “I [Jesus] will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of Through , whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.  The truth is the Holy Spirit IS God, and has the power of God. I am a Christian, and have the Holy Spirit living in me. Therefore, I have the power of God living in me. The Holy Spirit gives us the power and does things for us and through us that wouldn’t otherwise be possible. Yet, I too often can ignore that power and credit everything  that happens to what I can see and have experienced.

Brian Tome in his book Free Book* says something which speaks directly to this situation. He says, “You can’t allow a fear of the strange to keep you from obtaining the superhero-like powers God wants to give you.” I think this nails my problem right on the head. I believe the fear of the strange is what keeps me from fully accepting the work of the Holy Spirit in my life. The work of the Holy Spirit is super-natural and can’t be explained away with logic. That is hard for me to get over.

Honestly I hope you don’t have the same problem that I do…but I am willing to bet a lot of people do (especially guys…no offense, but we typically reason with logic which, as I’ve made clear, is a hindrance in this situation). If you do struggle, please join me in fighting against our unbelief. Make an extra effort to accept the strange. Don’t flinch when someone says “the Holy Spirit helped me _______.” Believe in the power that lives in you.

Love all and serve all.

*I must thank my wife here because she has been one who has challenged me the most in regards to the power and workings of the Holy Spirit. Without her push and encouragement, I definitely wouldn’t be in the place where I am today. I love you, babe!

The Great Cloud

This morning I will be teaching the High School students about how important it is to choose your friends wisely. One of the passages I will be using is Hebrews 12:1-3. After reading through it several times this week, I began to see this verse ties in with the rest of scripture in a big way.

Here’s what I got from it this week:

First and foremost, Christ gave his own life for the sake of EVERYONE. He ran the race with endurance, facing and conquering everything that got in his way. This passage reminded me that Jesus’
“race” was not an easy one at all…and was in fact much harder than the race we are probably running right now.

That truth is confirmed in verse 3 which simply tells us to remember what Christ had to endure so that we don’t lose heart in our race.

This race is easily hindered due to our sin and “every encumbrance.” Whatever the sin is in your life, it is getting the way of your race and bogging you down. In order to run this race better, repent of that sin and give it to God.

And finally, the race also becomes easier when you are surrounded by a “great cloud of witnesses.” There are two ways I looked at this verse, and I think both ways have some sort of biblical backing. This cloud of witnesses is the body of Christ… the capital Church. As a Christian, we can run the race with more confidence and endurance because we know that we are not alone. There are people all over the world that are running this race too. Secondly, this cloud of witnesses is the specific community of believers you surround yourself with. Being at a lower-case church, being in a small group, purposefully being around other christians, will also help you run the race.

The race we have chosen to run is a hard one but because of who we are chasing after, it is all worth it in the end…so run hard.

Love All and Serve All