Control.
I struggle to not be in control. I like order, routine, and degrees of predictability.
Boring, huh?
And I get anxious when things are out of order. Worse still, I get anxious thinking about the possibility of things getting out of order.
Sad, huh!
Photo Credit” Moody Publishers
I left it last time with this notion that Jesus came, not just to restore our relationship with the Father, but also to be the example for that relationship.
I’ve mentioned Dann Spader’s book, “Walking as Jesus Walked”, a number of times, so let’s get to its key elements.
Spader has based his message from a close study of Scripture. As one works through each chapter, he lets us examine many of these verses for ourselves, so we become familiar with Jesus as a man, who lives a life solely dependent on the Holy Spirit.
This dependence aspect is critical and I’ll explore that a little further in my next post on the weekend.
Photo credit:www.missionalchurchnetwork.com
So we’ve started out on this little expedition to better understand how to love God with our “all”, our everything. I believe this is one of love’s great adventures. God is a never-ending well who so desires for us to dive in knowing that He’ll be there to catch us.
Let’s jump!
Together!
In my last post I reflected on the significance of loving God with “all of our everything”. My post ended with the challenge of how do we do this, not just because of our busy lives but also our humanness.Late last year, I was thinking about which person in the Bible I should study next, and then I heard in my mind:
“What about me?”
Oh, hello there, Jesus.
Of course!
Photo Credit: www.ransomedheart.com
“We need Jesus like we need oxygen. He is the missing essence of your existence.”
This wonderfully written book opened my eyes and heart to Jesus. I sensed a real anointing over this book and hope that many people read it as its quite unique (based on my reading experience) of relating Jesus humanity to His divinity.
We can spend a lot of time “being” a Christian, rather than experiencing Jesus. We can so easily forget that Jesus comes to give us life abundantly through intimacy with Him.
Read more
Photo Credit: coreyrussell.org
This book has enhanced my prayer life.
It is excellent providing a tremendous Biblically-based view of the gifts of the Holy Spirit including the power of speaking in tongues.
Speaking in tongues is often a controversial topic for many Christians. This book removes that controversy and explores the scriptures to provide a solid basis for its importance in the life of a Christian. Paul is a central figure in the book based on the fact he said “I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all.” (1 Cor 14:18) and we see how it transformed his life and ministry.
I love the idea that speaking in tongues is like a “secure-line” between us and the Father. Satan and his cronies can’t interpret it. Hence, why it can be so powerful in overcoming persistent sin. Speaking in tongues, like the sword of the spirit is an offensive weapon we can use to strike at our weaknesses and temptations.
Read more
Photo Credit: Moody Publishers
This is an excellent resource for practically understanding Jesus desire for us to walk as He did.
The study contains tremendous Biblical references and is backed with great insight and interpretation. Spader understands how people learn and providing an acronym Holy Spirit to guide the study was a masterstroke. I know that I will remember the acronym and be able to use it on a daily basis. FYI, the acronym is:
Read more
Photo credit: achesonian
The Bible speaks a lot about our heart. The New Testament alone mentions it 149 times, the four gospels 49 times.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30)
I expect you’re familiar with the above verse. Besides the fact the heart is mentioned first, I like the repetition of “all”:
“all your heart
all your soul
all your mind
all your strength”
Why all?
Quiet by Susan Cain
I’m an introvert so found this book fascinating reading for two key reasons:
1. It helped me better understand why I am the way I am. Further, Susan Cain also provides analysis of extroverts as well to provide a balanced approach. I loved the fact Susan didn’t just rely on her own study of individuals rather used many other studies from various perspectives to support her findings. This included studies of the brain, which I particularly enjoyed.
2. It’s practical so I was able to immediately use some of the findings as I met with people and also in relating to my immediate family.
Read more
Mike Hyatt’s Platform
Mike gave two keynotes. In the first, he shared his professional and writing journeys. The second was focused on his book “Platform” which was released in May and soon became a New York Times bestseller.
“Best time to be an author”
Mike gave 5 reasons for this opinion, all of which are based around the overall position that the “power has now shifted to you” (the author). Previously, the power was very much in the publishers’ hands.
