Excerpts - An Ongoing Blog Series

I retraced the tough but remarkable journey to Katylynn entering our life this past Sunday morning when I shared in NMC's services. I mentioned a book that I was reading and had a huge impact on me during the journey of understanding the "why" behind 6 1/2 years of hoping and praying for a baby, but seeing no answers to our prayer. That book was GOD ON MUTE by Pete Grieg.

The following excerpt was monumental in rebooting my heart, mind, and soul on who God is and one of the more significant roles prayer plays in my life.

God's great aim has been, and will forever be, relationship with us. Sometimes, He may deprive us of something in order to draw us to Someone. And when we reciprocate - when we decide that we want Him more than we want His stuff - the most amazing thing happens. We are rewired and our requests are either altered as we grow to know and to prefer what he wants for us, or they are simply answered because, in seeking first the kingdom of God, "all these things" are given to us as well (Matt 6:33).
Some prayers aren't answered because God Himself is a greater answer than the thing we are asking for and He wants to use our sense of need to draw us into a deeper relationship with Himself.

Excerpts: A New ongoing blog series... "Lust'"

I didn't get into Rob Bell's first book, Velvet Elvis as much as many of my friends did. It was a good read, but I had heard him speak on most of the topics covered in the book. Rob's second book, Sex God, was much more interesting and profound to me, especially the chapetet "Leather, Whips, and Fruit." Rob's angle at which he approaches the sin of lust was interesting and deep...

The word lust in the Greek language is the word epithumia. It's actually two words in Greek: the word epi, which means "in," and the word thumos, which refers to "the mind."

In the mind.

Think about the head space we give to things and people we want. It's easy for our thoughts to be dominated by a craving. We're in a meeting, we're taking a walk, we're studying, we're doing jobs around the house, and the whole time our brain is miles away, trying to figure out how to get it.

It takes ahold of us.

We are not free.

Lust is slavery.

If I want something to the point that I can't conceive of being content without it, then it owns me.

Excerpts, An Ongoing Blog Series... Magician's Nephew

As a part of the Unanswered Prayer series I did last year, I shared this passage. It's just so good, I'm sharing it again. It's from The Magicians Nephew by CS Lewis (a part of The Chronicles of Narnia Series). In the story, a young boy named Digory has a mother is sick. He finds himself in a land containing magical fruit with healing powers. Digory approaches the great lion Aslan, and asks...

"May I - please, will you give me some magic fruit of this country to make Mother well?"
He had been desperately hoping that the Lion would say "Yes"; he had been horribly afraid it might say "No." But he was taken aback when it did neither.

Later in the story, Digory approaches Aslan again.

He thought of his Mother, and he thought of the great hopes he had, and how they were all dying away, and a lump came in his throat and tears in his eyes, and he blurted out:
But please, please won't you - can't you give me something that will cure Mother?" Up till then he had been looking at the Lion's great feet and the huge claws on them; now, in despair, he looked up at its face. What he was surprised him as much as anything in his whole life.
For the tawny face was bent down near his own and (wonder of wonders) great shining tears stood in the Lion's eyes. They were such big, bright tears compared with Digory's own that for a moment he felt as if the Lion must really be sorrier about his Mother than he was himself."

What a powerful picture of a Heavenly Father who hurts with us.
I'm looking forward to a day when I can read these stories to Katylynn. As we get into this section of the story, the emotions will run thick.

Excerpts: An Ongoing Blog Series... The Danger of the Bare Minimum

I read Crazy Love (David C. Cook books, 2008) by Francis Chan about a month ago. Chan, pastor at Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California, dares to challenge readers to consider living out a radical, over-the-top, obsessed, crazy love for God. Reading it pushed and challenged me to keep a high view of God, and to recapture that first love that I have discovered in Christ. Below is a section that resonated with much of my experiences with students, but also challenged the mentality that I find myself battling through:

Let's face it. We're willing to make changes in our life only if we think it affects our salvation. This is why I have so many people ask me questions like, Can I divorce my wife and still go to heaven? Do I have to be baptized to be saved? Am I a Christian even though I'm having sex with my girlfriend? If I commit suicide, can I still go to heaven? If I'm ashamed to talk about Christ, is He really going to deny know knowing me?

To me, these questions are tragic because they reveal much about the state of our hearts. They demonstrate that our concern is more about going to heaven than loving the King. Jesus said, "If you love me, you will obey what I command" (John 14:15). And our question becomes even more unthinkable: Can I go to heaven without truly and faithfully loving Christ.

Excerpts: and ongoing blog series... Saying "No" is tough.

Doug Fields heartfelt plea from one youth pastor to another, What Matters Most: When No is Better than Yes (Youth Specialties 2006), was a great read for me in January 2007. I remember finishing the book poolside in California, opening up my journal and outlining some new guidelines I was going to live by when it came to my commitments and priorities. It was a catalyst in my crusade against busyness.

Here's some of Doug's great thoughts on WHY SAYING NO IS SO TOUGH:

The more I speak with youth workers, the more convinced I am that those of us called to serve others find it very difficult (if not impossible) to say no to people and opportunities.
When you reread that, you may protest: "I can say no to some things!" Well, of course you can say no- to easy stuff. It's effortless to no to people or opportunities you don't like. If you asked me to volunteer in the church nursery, I'd quickly say, "No." If you offered me an invitation to eat a nasty lima bean-velveeta cheese-cashew-hello salad, first I'd gag; then I'd roll my eyes and say, "No." If you invited me to your house to read the book of Job in Hebrew, I'd say, Thanks, but no."

What isn't so easy is saying no to the many, many good things that come your way in ministry.

If you struggle with aying no and busyness is affecting you, there isn't an easy way to conquer it. You can't simply slip out of a lifestyle of busyness by making some subtle changes. It won't work! I've tried to do it subtly , but be subtle doesn't communicate the required amount of conviction to do it the right way. I'm not the only one. I know of many others who've also tired to casually change, but it doesn't work that way.

To change, you must declare war on busyness - go public, ask for help, and invite others into your journey to change.

Excerpts: A New ongoing blog series... "Deep people'"

Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline (HarperCollins 1978) is undoubtedly one of the most influential books on my early, mid, and late journey with Christ. I have read it 3 times. It's a why what and how to the various practices that allow us deeper joy and intimacy in our walk with God.

The first 37 words of the book are powerful, probably my favorite first paragraph of any book I've read:

Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of intant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.

Excerpts: A New ongoing blog series... "The Magic of 'Why?'"

A new open-ended series I'm going to throw out every once in a while. When it comes to my book reading, there is usually a story, anecdote, or paragraph that will profoundly impact or hit me.

These posts will simply share those excerpts from those books. I will stick to books that I'd recommend the full read. Maybe in reading these sections, it will spark an interest or let you know if this is a book you'd be interested in reading.

I'll start with an excerpt from Mike Yaconelli's book Dangerous Wonder: The Adventure of Childlike Faith (Navpress, 1998). Mike went to be with Jesus in 2003, but his investment into youthworkers and being a general burr in the butt of nominal Christianity will have a lasting impact for generations to come. This book was instrumental in me holding on to an idealistic, risky, wonder-filled, childlike faith at a time where I was tempted to grow up.
I read it 9 years ago, and I find myself returning to this excerpt often. I read it at The Effect to our College age and 20 somethings last night...

The Magic of "Why?"

In the last chapter I mentioned that Karla and Ispent a week at Daybreak Retreat Center. We were soul weary...

...The first meeting brought together our group of eight, three workers at L'Arche, and three mentally and/ or physically challenged residents of the community. I had read many of Henri Nouwen's books and fully expected his remarks ar our first meeting to be life changing. During the obligiatory introductions, I had admitted to the group that my busyness was draining my sould of life -- leaving it lifeless and weak. Although Henri's opening remarks were interesting, I was disappointed. I expected profound insights. What I received was the logistical instructions for the week.

After the meeting, somwhat dismayed, I was confronted by a handsome resident of L'Arche. I'll call him Robert. Robert was in his forties, and although his appearance was normal, his vocabulary wasn't -- it was limitted to maybe a few hundred words. He stood uncomfortably close, his face within inches of mine. With his eyes focused directly on mine, he said, "Busy?"

Startled with his concise summary of what I had admitted earlier, I said ptronizingly, "Yes, Robert, I'm very busy."

"Too busy?" he continued.

"Yes Robert," I admitted rather sheepishly, "I am too busy."

I will never forget what happened next. He moved even closer (his eyes revealing his sadness for me) and asked with sincerity I have seldom experienced, "Why?"

My eyes filled with tears. Robert, a man with very limited vocabulary, had asked the one question I had been afraid to ask.