Book Review
31 Jan 2010 Leave a Comment
So I have made a commitment to read a book a week. So for the last 2 weeks I have been busy reading. The two books I have chosen to start with is Crazy Love by Francis Chan (everyone has highly recommended it, evidently it’s better than toilet paper). I just finished up Confessions of a Not so Supermodel by Brooklyn Lindsey (a ministry book for teen girls). So here are my two cents on these first two books of my new adventure.
Francis Chan has the ability to capture an audience when he speaks and did the same in this book. I really enjoyed his out look on the way we love, and are loved. One example of how we view eternity and the love of God really captured my thoughts and I haven’t been able to shake it. We all have the freedom to choose between heaven and hell and of course when looking at all the perks of heaven the streets of gold, the eternal happiness, no sickness, mansions, peace, joy, you name it, that’s what you would choose. But the real question is, if you could have all that, but God was not there, would you still want to be there for all eternity. His question is, if you can have all the glory of heaven, but no God, would you want it? We tend to focus on all the glory and beauty of the promises of heaven but loose site of the true reason we would want to be there. There are tons of thought provoking things throughout this book and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for some extra insight on the wonder of this crazy love our Savior has for us.
I am in the thought process of working out a possible ministry for youth pastors wives and women leaders in youth ministry. I have learned over the past 12 years in youth ministry a lot and have found that having the support of others is a huge asset. There seems to be all kinds of resources and support for pastors and not a whole lot (at least in my area) for the wives and women in ministry. There are so many things girls go through in junior high and high school and the parts we play as the women role models is very important. Girls these days are told from everyone all kind of things. From what socks to wear to how to act or what to say to be “perfect”. From television to friends they hear it on all sides. Our role is to help them see who they are in Christ. To find their identity in Him. This book is Brooklyn’s way of sharing how her thoughts and dreams she had for her life were nothing compared to what God had planned for her. This is a great book for young girls to read and a great resource for them. Every chapter ends with questions for the reader to reflect on their own lives. It could be used for small group discussion or just for individuals to go through. I would definitely recommend mother’s of teen girls to read this, youth workers, and students.
So that’s it for this review. I am looking forward to the next couple book choices and what God has to teach me through them.
Heart of a Complainer
28 Jan 2010 2 Comments
in Life
Lately I have been reading in Exodus where God delivered the Israelites from the hands of Pharaoh. As I read through the pages I start to check my heart and ask myself if I have a heart of a complainer like they did. It is so easy to read the story and judge them for griping every time they weren’t getting everything they wanted, seeing full on how God was providing for them literally every step of the way. But when I really think about it, I see that I myself have the tendency to gripe and complain when I feel things aren’t going as they should. I forget at times that God is providing for me in a very real way as he did the Israelites thousands of years ago. It just reminds me how His love, grace, mercy is new everyday. He never changes, His love really does endure forever. I am really going to challenge myself to think of 10 things I am grateful for every time I complain about something. I am sure I am not the only one who finds themselves doing this and if anyone has any thoughts or ideas on how to get out of this habit, I would gladly take any advice I can get.
Challenges
25 Jan 2010 2 Comments
in Life
So every new year people come up with their New Year’s Resolutions. I have never been one to set these as it seems they are more likely broken then ever achieved. So this year I decided to set some goals I would like to accomplish. Granted I set them about 10 days into the new year being I was out with my back surgery but I did set them and I am excited to see what God shows me this year. I have never read through the Bible so I set myself up on youversion.com (you must try it out) and chose a reading plan that best suits me. By the end of the year I will have read through the Old Testament once and the New Testament twice. I am right on track and even caught up for the first 10 days I missed. I have asked God to open my eyes to see things I have never seen before when reading and to make it fresh and exciting when I read. He has been faithful to do so. My second goal is to read a book a week. I enjoy reading but have never really pushed myself to do that much. It is a challenge I stole from Jake as he is doing the same thing but I really am excited to learn and exercise my thinking in ways I haven’t before. Lastly, I had started this last year and did it a couple times but I want to make it a staple in my life. I will be fasting at least once a week and seeking God in that time. I want to be able to show my kids the importance of this principal so they learn at a young age how to really devote yourself to the plan and purpose of God. So these are the three goals I have set for myself this year and like I said before, I am really excited to see what God teaches me this year. I hope you all have set goals and are pushing yourselves because I truly believe that this year is meant for greatness!
