Well, girls, here is my list. As I look at it I am both exctied and scared to death. Many of these things are outside of my comfort zone. It will be a long journey, but I am looking forward to what God plans to do in my life through each of these goals. I hope you'll join me in posting your goals so we can encourage and pray for one another.
1. To embark on a healthy eating plan.
a. To allow God to be my portion.
b. To turn to God instead of food for my comfort, reward and all other emotional needs in my life.
2. To add scripture memory to my daily life.
a. I’ve joined the SSMT- Siesta Scripture Memory Team with Beth Moore to ensure I will continue in my goal to memorize scripture this year. (You can too, it's easy. Just go to http://blog.lproof.org/2010/12/siesta-scripture-memory-instructions.html and read the instructions.)
b. My goal is to memorize 24 verses in 2011!
3. To spend quality time with God daily.
a. To learn to love the Lord more deeply than I do now.
b. To enjoy my time with Him and not feel like it’s just another item to check off of my to-do-list.
c. To crave God.
4. To invest more in others.
a. To be active in the outreach ministries of our church.
b. To actively seek to reach out to my extended family- parents, brothers, sisters-in-law, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
The Checklist
Checklists. Oh, how I love them! I have one for so many things in my life. Grocery list, to-do-list, honey-do list, lists of projects to finish, prayer list and the several different lists I have just to keep me on task at work! I’m not sure I could function without them. Funny, the older I get them more lists I seem to rely on. How about you? Do you have lists everywhere like me?
These checklists are the tools I use to organize my mind and get things done in my life. Organized. That’s the key word. I’m a very organized person. Structure is a blessing to me, not a curse.
But lately God seems to be showing be something else. First, this new concept was brought to my attention by Lysa TerKurest in Becoming More Than A Good Bible Study Girl and now Francis has brought it up too.
“Most Christians have been taught in church or by their parents to set aside a daily time for prayer and Scripture reading. It’s what we are supposed to do, and so for a long time it’s what I valiantly attempted. When I didn’t, I felt guilty.” There it is again. God is working in my heart to get over the need to spend time with Him so I can “check it off” my list. Maybe this has become such a theme because, like Francis, I too feel really guilty when I fail to do it.
Francis goes on to say, “Over time I realized that when we love God, we naturally run to Him- frequently and zealously. Jesus didn’t command that we have a regular time with Him each day. Rather, He tells us to ‘love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ He called this the ‘first and greatest commandment’. (Matt. 22:37-38) The results are intimate prayer and study of His word. Our motivation changes from guilt to love.”
The Pastor challenged us to set goals for this year. So this is one of mine. I’m going to work towards spending time with my Savior daily, not so I can check it off my list, but to learn and grow closer to Him.
As you think about your goals for 2011 consider posting them here. I’ll have my list up this weekend. Accountability is a wonderful thing.
Have a great New Year!
These checklists are the tools I use to organize my mind and get things done in my life. Organized. That’s the key word. I’m a very organized person. Structure is a blessing to me, not a curse.
But lately God seems to be showing be something else. First, this new concept was brought to my attention by Lysa TerKurest in Becoming More Than A Good Bible Study Girl and now Francis has brought it up too.
“Most Christians have been taught in church or by their parents to set aside a daily time for prayer and Scripture reading. It’s what we are supposed to do, and so for a long time it’s what I valiantly attempted. When I didn’t, I felt guilty.” There it is again. God is working in my heart to get over the need to spend time with Him so I can “check it off” my list. Maybe this has become such a theme because, like Francis, I too feel really guilty when I fail to do it.
Francis goes on to say, “Over time I realized that when we love God, we naturally run to Him- frequently and zealously. Jesus didn’t command that we have a regular time with Him each day. Rather, He tells us to ‘love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ He called this the ‘first and greatest commandment’. (Matt. 22:37-38) The results are intimate prayer and study of His word. Our motivation changes from guilt to love.”
The Pastor challenged us to set goals for this year. So this is one of mine. I’m going to work towards spending time with my Savior daily, not so I can check it off my list, but to learn and grow closer to Him.
As you think about your goals for 2011 consider posting them here. I’ll have my list up this weekend. Accountability is a wonderful thing.
Have a great New Year!
Video from Francis Chan
Chapter 4
This one goes along with Chapter 4. It's called Lukewarm and Loving it.
This one goes along with Chapter 4. It's called Lukewarm and Loving it.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
I Warned You!
So has it happened yet? Has Francis stepped on your toes? Has he offended your delicate Baptist beliefs yet? Well, sister, if he hasn’t, then you haven’t read far enough! Tonight at church I’ll be sporting a sturdy pair of steel-toed boots!! Ouch!
Francis has many statements that bruise my toes, but they make me think and stretch me at the same time. I talked about one yesterday. Rejoice in the Lord always! When we’re not doing this because of worry and stress we’re not obeying God. I hadn’t looked at the verse in Phil. 4 in that light before. That stretching sound you hear is my view being broadened!
But this morning, as I read chapter three, I think Francis must be the one wearing the steel-toed boots as he marched across my toes! Double ouch. He asked a very tough question. “The best things in life are gifts from the One who steadfastly loves us. But an important question to ask ourselves is this: Are we in love with God or just His stuff?” See what I mean?
Now many you may not struggle with this question, but as I thought my love for God it bothered me. Someone once told me I could check my love for God by comparing it to the love I have for my spouse. Ask yourself, do I long to spend time with God like I do my spouse? Do I devote as much time to God as I do to my spouse? Who do I put first, God or my spouse? Tough questions.
If God never gave you another thing; if he took your health and wealth, would you still love him? Job comes to mind. Look at all God allowed Satan to take from him yet Job still loved God through it all. Amazing faith and love is what Job had for God.
You may not know this about me, I’m a movie buff. I love movies. One of my favorites is Facing the Giants. In it the coach’s wife wants a child more than anything. They prayed and tried, but she didn’t conceive. They were tested and discovered that the coach was the problem. He asked her, “If God never gives us with a baby will you still love Him?” It was a struggle for her. The pain of that question was obvious. After going to the doctor for the third time that year and being told she wasn’t pregnant again, she bowed her head and told the Lord that yes, she would still love Him. Somebody pass me a tissue!
So Francis has thrown out this tough question. “Are we in love with God or just His stuff?” I think the answer lies with your relationship with God. Job’s relationship with God was solid and secure.
“And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? 9Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? 10Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. 11But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.” Job 1:8-11
God described Job as a man of perfect integrity, who fears God and turns away from evil. A mature Christian. Satan thought that Job’s love for God was due to God’s blessing in Job’s life. But it wasn’t. With all that Satan took from Job, he still loved God.
That’s the type of love for God I want to strive for. How about you?
Francis has many statements that bruise my toes, but they make me think and stretch me at the same time. I talked about one yesterday. Rejoice in the Lord always! When we’re not doing this because of worry and stress we’re not obeying God. I hadn’t looked at the verse in Phil. 4 in that light before. That stretching sound you hear is my view being broadened!
But this morning, as I read chapter three, I think Francis must be the one wearing the steel-toed boots as he marched across my toes! Double ouch. He asked a very tough question. “The best things in life are gifts from the One who steadfastly loves us. But an important question to ask ourselves is this: Are we in love with God or just His stuff?” See what I mean?
Now many you may not struggle with this question, but as I thought my love for God it bothered me. Someone once told me I could check my love for God by comparing it to the love I have for my spouse. Ask yourself, do I long to spend time with God like I do my spouse? Do I devote as much time to God as I do to my spouse? Who do I put first, God or my spouse? Tough questions.
If God never gave you another thing; if he took your health and wealth, would you still love him? Job comes to mind. Look at all God allowed Satan to take from him yet Job still loved God through it all. Amazing faith and love is what Job had for God.
You may not know this about me, I’m a movie buff. I love movies. One of my favorites is Facing the Giants. In it the coach’s wife wants a child more than anything. They prayed and tried, but she didn’t conceive. They were tested and discovered that the coach was the problem. He asked her, “If God never gives us with a baby will you still love Him?” It was a struggle for her. The pain of that question was obvious. After going to the doctor for the third time that year and being told she wasn’t pregnant again, she bowed her head and told the Lord that yes, she would still love Him. Somebody pass me a tissue!
So Francis has thrown out this tough question. “Are we in love with God or just His stuff?” I think the answer lies with your relationship with God. Job’s relationship with God was solid and secure.
“And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? 9Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? 10Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. 11But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.” Job 1:8-11
God described Job as a man of perfect integrity, who fears God and turns away from evil. A mature Christian. Satan thought that Job’s love for God was due to God’s blessing in Job’s life. But it wasn’t. With all that Satan took from Job, he still loved God.
That’s the type of love for God I want to strive for. How about you?
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
March's Book
Hey Girls,
Here is the book well be doing in March. It's call One in a Million by Priscilla Shirer.
I'm looking froward to this one too! Below is a little video about the book. I hope you'll be excited about the book after seeing it.
Shocker! It’s Not All About Me!
In high school, I knew these girls who were convinced that life was all about them. You know the type. The popular ones who had the perfect hair, perfect smile, perfect body or at least they thought so. Now if you were one of these girls, I mean no disrespect. It’s just, the group I knew truly thought that everything was about them. They planned the dances, the prom and the homecomings… everything to carter to their desires. I once overheard the head of the prom committee say she chose the color scheme to go with the dress she had bought for the prom. Please!
It would have come as a great shock to them to know that majority of the high school population could care less about their hair, cars or social calendars. Life in high school was not all about them.
As I read chapter two, I’ve realized that I sometimes live my life just like those girls did in high school. Francis says, “When I am consumed by my problems-stressed out about my life, my family, and my job- I actually convey the belief that I think the circumstances are more important than God’s command to always rejoice. In other words, that I have a “right” to disobey God because of the magnitude of my responsibilities.” Francis is referring to Phil. 4:4. “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.”
The word rejoice means- to feel joy or great delight. “In everything Lord?” was my first question. Then I read it again and realized it said “in the Lord.” I am to rejoice in the Lord no matter what’s going on in my life.
“Basically, these two behaviors (worry and stress) communicate that it’s okay to sin and not trust God because the stuff in my life is somehow exceptional.” Francis sure knows how to step on some toes, doesn’t he? He goes on to describe the movie of history and how we are not the main character, God is.
I say all this to remind myself that life is not all about me. The point of my life is to point to Him.
“This culture is mass producing wimpy narcissists.” (Beth Moore- 12/28/10 blog post) Generations of people who are so wrapped up in themselves they can’t see the big picture. I for one am grateful the Lord reminds me that life isn’t about me.
Lord, please give me the strength and wisdom to point others to you. Help me to remember that my life is not the feature film but instead one of the minor plots that has been interwoven with millions of others in this thing called life. Encourage me to lift up your Name everywhere I go. Thank you, Lord, for showing me the humbling truth.
It would have come as a great shock to them to know that majority of the high school population could care less about their hair, cars or social calendars. Life in high school was not all about them.
As I read chapter two, I’ve realized that I sometimes live my life just like those girls did in high school. Francis says, “When I am consumed by my problems-stressed out about my life, my family, and my job- I actually convey the belief that I think the circumstances are more important than God’s command to always rejoice. In other words, that I have a “right” to disobey God because of the magnitude of my responsibilities.” Francis is referring to Phil. 4:4. “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.”
The word rejoice means- to feel joy or great delight. “In everything Lord?” was my first question. Then I read it again and realized it said “in the Lord.” I am to rejoice in the Lord no matter what’s going on in my life.
“Basically, these two behaviors (worry and stress) communicate that it’s okay to sin and not trust God because the stuff in my life is somehow exceptional.” Francis sure knows how to step on some toes, doesn’t he? He goes on to describe the movie of history and how we are not the main character, God is.
I say all this to remind myself that life is not all about me. The point of my life is to point to Him.
“This culture is mass producing wimpy narcissists.” (Beth Moore- 12/28/10 blog post) Generations of people who are so wrapped up in themselves they can’t see the big picture. I for one am grateful the Lord reminds me that life isn’t about me.
Lord, please give me the strength and wisdom to point others to you. Help me to remember that my life is not the feature film but instead one of the minor plots that has been interwoven with millions of others in this thing called life. Encourage me to lift up your Name everywhere I go. Thank you, Lord, for showing me the humbling truth.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Live Like You Were Dying
In 2004 Tim McGraw released a song called Live Like You Were Dying. And for a brief moment we were taken to a place where we thought about death. Our death. The end of our life. Well, at least I was.
The words were powerful. The scenarios of the people in the verses were relateable . You could picture yourself in their shoes. For a brief moment, we thought about death.
But on an average day, how often do we think about the end of our lives? Once, twice or maybe not at all.
Life is so fragile. I don’t think we really comprehend that on an average day. In Chapter two, Francis opens with thoughts of life and death. He reminds us of our fragile life really is.
As I was reading this I’m reminded of what’s really important. Like the chorus of Tim’s song, we need to live our lives as if we were dying. Breathing in every moment of our day as if it were the last. Loving, forgiving and enjoying the people who are dear to us. Loving God with our whole hearts.
Sisters, I am so grateful for each of you. You have blessed me more than I will ever be able to express. I love you all.
So……
What would you do today if you knew today was your last day on earth?
The words were powerful. The scenarios of the people in the verses were relateable . You could picture yourself in their shoes. For a brief moment, we thought about death.
But on an average day, how often do we think about the end of our lives? Once, twice or maybe not at all.
Life is so fragile. I don’t think we really comprehend that on an average day. In Chapter two, Francis opens with thoughts of life and death. He reminds us of our fragile life really is.
As I was reading this I’m reminded of what’s really important. Like the chorus of Tim’s song, we need to live our lives as if we were dying. Breathing in every moment of our day as if it were the last. Loving, forgiving and enjoying the people who are dear to us. Loving God with our whole hearts.
Sisters, I am so grateful for each of you. You have blessed me more than I will ever be able to express. I love you all.
So……
What would you do today if you knew today was your last day on earth?
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas to all my book club girls! I love you all. Thanks for making this first year of blogging and reading and discussing the book so much fun. I am looking forward to 2011!!!!!
Thursday, December 23, 2010
A Trillion Thoughts or More
“O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.” Psalm 139:1
I love the Psalms. I find myself pulled to them whenever my Bible lays open on my lap. They offer so much wisdom and insight to our lives. By far, my favorite is Psalm 139.
In a culture that teaches us to be guarded about our true selves it’s refreshing and a little intimidating that God knows us so well. Listen to how well your God knows you. “Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.” Psalm 139:2-4
God knows where you go. Remember the song you learned when you where little. Oh be careful little feet where you go….. How true the ending is- for the Father up above is looking down with love, so be careful little feet where you go. Have your little feet taken you places you ought not to go? I know mine have. We would do well to remember that God knows our downsitting and uprising.
He knows and understands your thoughts. I am amazed by this. Sometimes a thought will pop into my head and I’ll wonder, “Where did that come from?” God knows. Of the thousands of thoughts we have every day, God knows them all. Think about that. For the nine of us in this book club, with an average of 12,000 thoughts a day, God hears and understands all 108,000 of them. Wow! For our church of 562 individuals that’s 6,744,000 thoughts. And God knows them all. All SIX MILLION+ of them. Our God is amazing! For the population of Ocoee- 292,692,000 thoughts. For the population of the US- 3,731,568,000,000. That’s TRILLIONS of thoughts for just one day. Just think what the worlds would be……
Not only does God know where we are and every thought we have, but he knows all our ways and every word we speak. I don’t know about you, but for me that’s a lot of words! Daunting thought isn't it? Especially when we think of what we think and say. I love Lysa's advice on this subject. You can read about it at http://lysaterkeurst.com/?s=psalm+139
Francis made a good point about this in the section on God is all-knowing. He says, “He (God) knows each of us, deeply and specifically. He knows our thoughts before we think them (Wow!!!), our actions before we commit them, whether we are lying down or sitting or walking around. He knows who we are and what we are about. We cannot escape Him, not even if we wanted to. When I grow weary of trying to be faithful to Him and want a break, it doesn’t come as a surprise to God.”
God knows it all. If you aren’t familiar with Psalms 139 take a moment to read it. I always feel greatly comforted by it. I’ll leave you with my favorite part.
“How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.” Psalm 139:17-18
I love the Psalms. I find myself pulled to them whenever my Bible lays open on my lap. They offer so much wisdom and insight to our lives. By far, my favorite is Psalm 139.
In a culture that teaches us to be guarded about our true selves it’s refreshing and a little intimidating that God knows us so well. Listen to how well your God knows you. “Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.” Psalm 139:2-4
God knows where you go. Remember the song you learned when you where little. Oh be careful little feet where you go….. How true the ending is- for the Father up above is looking down with love, so be careful little feet where you go. Have your little feet taken you places you ought not to go? I know mine have. We would do well to remember that God knows our downsitting and uprising.
He knows and understands your thoughts. I am amazed by this. Sometimes a thought will pop into my head and I’ll wonder, “Where did that come from?” God knows. Of the thousands of thoughts we have every day, God knows them all. Think about that. For the nine of us in this book club, with an average of 12,000 thoughts a day, God hears and understands all 108,000 of them. Wow! For our church of 562 individuals that’s 6,744,000 thoughts. And God knows them all. All SIX MILLION+ of them. Our God is amazing! For the population of Ocoee- 292,692,000 thoughts. For the population of the US- 3,731,568,000,000. That’s TRILLIONS of thoughts for just one day. Just think what the worlds would be……
Not only does God know where we are and every thought we have, but he knows all our ways and every word we speak. I don’t know about you, but for me that’s a lot of words! Daunting thought isn't it? Especially when we think of what we think and say. I love Lysa's advice on this subject. You can read about it at http://lysaterkeurst.com/?s=psalm+139
Francis made a good point about this in the section on God is all-knowing. He says, “He (God) knows each of us, deeply and specifically. He knows our thoughts before we think them (Wow!!!), our actions before we commit them, whether we are lying down or sitting or walking around. He knows who we are and what we are about. We cannot escape Him, not even if we wanted to. When I grow weary of trying to be faithful to Him and want a break, it doesn’t come as a surprise to God.”
God knows it all. If you aren’t familiar with Psalms 139 take a moment to read it. I always feel greatly comforted by it. I’ll leave you with my favorite part.
“How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.” Psalm 139:17-18
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Is God Created for Us?
“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:” Colossians 1:16
From the very beginning of scripture God tells us that He created all things. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Genesis 1:1 For years I taught this simple truth to my Kindergarten students. Many would accept this without question, while others would say, “But why?” I would read to them Colossians 1:16. God created everything for Himself. And still some would say, "But why?" but that's a whole different topic!!!
While reading Crazy Love I found that Francis quoted Colossians 1:16. Then he asked this question, “Don’t we live instead as though God is created for us, to do our bidding, to bless us, and to take care of our loved ones?” I was struck by how I do feel that way sometimes.
In our media driven world all the propaganda is focused on one thing. Think about yourself! Lookout for #1! It’s warped our thinking of God. It's warped our thinking of ourselves too. It’s made us selfish. Instead of thinking about what we can do for the Creator, we think instead of what we can do for ourselves or worse what can God do for us.
We’re taught in Sunday school to pray and ask God for our needs. To ask for blessings and good health. To ask for the desires of our hearts. Its here I think sometimes we go astray. Here is where the focus is taken off of God and shifted to us. Don’t get me wrong, all of these things are taught in scripture, but if we’re not careful we’ll find ourselves expecting God to answer every request just as we asked Him too. Forgetting that He is the all-knowing One who does what is best for us.
You can check yourself by looking at your attitude when God’s answer to something you really wanted is no or wait. Do you get angry or frustrated? Then your focus was on yourself rather than God.
Christians need a reminder that life is not all about us. We were created for God. For His pleasure. To do His will. When we question God or get upset because He didn’t do for us what we expected we need to remember this, “All the inhabitants of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does what He wants with the army of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth. There is no one who can hold back His hand or say to Him, “What have You done?” Daniel 4:35 HCSB
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Crazy Love-Preface
Francis Chan feels that our American churches are not doing well. I’d have to agree. Look around and you’ll see so many churches that open their doors week after week, but fail to open their hearts to God. So many of the pastors, deacons, staff and members are just “going through the motions.” And what’s sad is we are raising the next generation to do the same. It’s no wonder so many teenagers choose not to go to church after graduation; churches are closing their doors at an alarming rate and the false religions are abounding with new growth.
Chan says, “I grew up believing in God without having a clue what He is like. I called myself a Christian, was pretty involved in church, and tried to stay away from all of the things that “good Christians” avoid—drinking, drugs, sex, swearing. Christianity was simple: fight your desires in order to please God. Whenever I failed (which was often), I’d walk around feeling guilty and distant from God.” Looking back over my “religious” experience in church, I remember learning Bible “stories,” but not how they applied to my life. I remember being told not to sin because it made God sad. And just like Francis, I remember sinning and feeling so distant from God. But what I don’t remember is learning about God’s character-- Who He is. It wasn’t until just a few years ago that I started to discover who God really is. My view of God has been so small and narrow.
So Francis wrote, Crazy Love, for those of us who want more Jesus. Not just more church, but more of God Himself. He tells us, “It’s exhilarating to be part of a group of believers who are willing to think biblically rather than conventionally…” That statement struck me. I want to be a woman who thinks biblically. I praise God that our church, WOBC, has a Pastor that thinks biblically, but even being part of a wonderfully lead church, a person can be stagnant. Sometimes I look across the sanctuary and wonder how many of our people feel they have “enough God.”
Chan boils down what he thinks is the problem with American church. “The core problem isn’t the fact that we’re lukewarm, halfhearted, or stagnant Christians. The crux of it all is WHY we are this way, and it is because we have an inaccurate view of God.” Though his book we’ll look at who God really is and examine ourselves. He doesn’t promise it will be easy. It’s going to challenge us greatly. I am looking forward to our discussion in January!!
Just a heads up about the book. Francis asks for each of us to watch a video as we read each chapter. I’ll include the video for the next chapter at the end of my last blog about the current chapter. Happy Reading!
Chan says, “I grew up believing in God without having a clue what He is like. I called myself a Christian, was pretty involved in church, and tried to stay away from all of the things that “good Christians” avoid—drinking, drugs, sex, swearing. Christianity was simple: fight your desires in order to please God. Whenever I failed (which was often), I’d walk around feeling guilty and distant from God.” Looking back over my “religious” experience in church, I remember learning Bible “stories,” but not how they applied to my life. I remember being told not to sin because it made God sad. And just like Francis, I remember sinning and feeling so distant from God. But what I don’t remember is learning about God’s character-- Who He is. It wasn’t until just a few years ago that I started to discover who God really is. My view of God has been so small and narrow.
So Francis wrote, Crazy Love, for those of us who want more Jesus. Not just more church, but more of God Himself. He tells us, “It’s exhilarating to be part of a group of believers who are willing to think biblically rather than conventionally…” That statement struck me. I want to be a woman who thinks biblically. I praise God that our church, WOBC, has a Pastor that thinks biblically, but even being part of a wonderfully lead church, a person can be stagnant. Sometimes I look across the sanctuary and wonder how many of our people feel they have “enough God.”
Chan boils down what he thinks is the problem with American church. “The core problem isn’t the fact that we’re lukewarm, halfhearted, or stagnant Christians. The crux of it all is WHY we are this way, and it is because we have an inaccurate view of God.” Though his book we’ll look at who God really is and examine ourselves. He doesn’t promise it will be easy. It’s going to challenge us greatly. I am looking forward to our discussion in January!!
Just a heads up about the book. Francis asks for each of us to watch a video as we read each chapter. I’ll include the video for the next chapter at the end of my last blog about the current chapter. Happy Reading!
Monday, December 13, 2010
A New Year
Well girls, 2010 is drawing to a close. It's been a very busy four months or so in my life. I can tell because I seem to be praying about my stess level a lot lately.
Funny how when things in our lives get so busy, we lay aside the things that bring us the greatest peace and joy. My time with God seems to be so much shorter these days. I miss the peace I get from spending quailty time with Him in the mornings.
Blogging has brought me such joy. I love writing about the books we have explored. But as of late I havn't taken the time to read much less blog! I'm looking for the slower pace after the holidays.
So here is a renewal of commitment to our book club and blogging. I hope you'll join my in the renewed spirt of reading and sharing our thoughts as be tackle Crazy Love.
Funny how when things in our lives get so busy, we lay aside the things that bring us the greatest peace and joy. My time with God seems to be so much shorter these days. I miss the peace I get from spending quailty time with Him in the mornings.
Blogging has brought me such joy. I love writing about the books we have explored. But as of late I havn't taken the time to read much less blog! I'm looking for the slower pace after the holidays.
So here is a renewal of commitment to our book club and blogging. I hope you'll join my in the renewed spirt of reading and sharing our thoughts as be tackle Crazy Love.
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