By way of request from two of my favorite women in the world(whose names I 'll choose not to disclose for fear of all those special women out there who happen to think they are my favorite) I am starting our own little book club with a slash: it'll read like this- book/quote club...yeah... you heard me!
I'm opening it up for your favorite highlighted sentences. You gotta know we all want what really makes your heart beat faster. Reveal yourselves in others words...shoot, go ahead and tell us why you love it so much.
I'll begin with a stud named Ken Gire who penned these words:
Our unanswered questions are the grappling hooks we use to scale the North Face of God, who seems at times an Everest of indifference. The ascent is treacherous. And maybe why we brave the climb is because we sense that abandoning the climb might be even more treacherous.
Your turn my friends...
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One more from Mr. Gire:
Yet there are days when the promise of "someday" is not enough. You try to think of a reason to go on living today. But today you can't. And from your trembling hand, the only seed you have to sow is the prayer that God in His mercy will put an end to your misery, and take you home. Not someday, but today.
Palzo - call me insensitive, but a book club? I am sure people will frown at my post and they all have a million quotes that touch their lives, maybe I am just bitter because I can't read.
Amen on the last Gire. I find myself saying that often...sometimes I just want the struggle to be over and done. Here is one of my favs...
I do not come into this pulpit hoping that perhaps somebody will of his own free will return to Christ. My hope lies in another quarter. I hope that my Master will lay hold of some of them and say, "You are mine, and you shall be mine. I claim you for myself." My hope arises from the freeness of grace, and not from the freedom of the will.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Last year, as I was preaching through the book of 1 Corinthians, I was struck by the fact that Paul's letter was in large part a series of answers to various questions he received from the church.
Members of the church at Corinth were so distressed about various factions, controversies, and false doctrines in the church that they visited Paul to seek his counsel (Acts 16:17; 1 Cor. 1:11; 8:1; 11:18). The Corinthian church also sent Paul a letter with a number of questions that they wanted his opinion on. The situation at Corinth escalated so greatly that Paul had Timothy deliver his letter of responses on his behalf (1 Cor. 4:17; 16:10).
Throughout the letter, Paul frequently quotes directly from the letter he received from the Corinthians (e.g., 6:12, 6:13, 8:5, 10:23). He also notifies the reader of when he is transitioning from answering one question to another with the simple phrase “now" (e.g., 7:1, 7:8, 7:25, 8:1, 12:1, 16:1, 16:12).
Paul's example got me to consider what it would be like to do something similar. The result is the upcoming preaching series with the working title Ask Anything.
He started the series that resulted from the 9 most asked questions as voted upon...here is the link:
http://www.marshillchurch.org/
the series is called "Religion Saves and 9 other misconceptions
I know this is the wrong place for this...b/c it is not a book but I thought it was an interesting resource for those who are looking for something new...I love this guy!
That last part was Mark Driscoll...sorry! I tend to assume everyone that reads this knows me and knows that I didn't do this...
"I was preaching through the book of 1 Corinthians..."
The "I" is Mark Driscoll and not ME!
Thats a great quote by Spurgeon JT...hes become my new favorite author. Not that hes new or anything (seeing as though hes dead in all) but new in that I recently discovered him. I find great comfort in God's saving grace. I need to reflect often on the fact that my salvation is based on God's grace alone. I had nothing to do with it (for even faith is a gift from Him) and because it is all Him...I have no reason to boast...but have every reason to boast in Him alone!
I really enjoyed his book All of Grace...you guys should check it out!
ok, i asked paul to do the book think b/c i was looking for book favs and wanted a new book - i just read "the same kind of differnet as me"- anyone?
We all know that Jesus chose to identify Himself with the poor and with all those who suffer, and he affirmed this when He said, “As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.”
There is a longing in my soul to serve Jesus through the poor and suffering of this world. I have looked into His eyes a few times through innocent, suffering children, and the gift I received in return was that of total contentment - content to suffer, content to do without, content to die. To say ‘I am not afraid’ and know in your heart that you’re really not is a freedom I chase daily but have never grasped again. I walk to the edge of the ultimate sacrifice, Jesus below asking me to trust Him enough to jump. It’s a long way down, and it looks impossible.
There are two people in history that followed Jesus in a way that makes my heart beat faster – Peter and Mother Teresa. Neither one bothered to stop at the edge and look down before jumping. I wish I’d had done the same. My contribution to the blog is from Mother Teresa’s own words in the book “Come Be My Light”. She shares the words of Jesus the day He called her out, and her answer was simply “yes, Lord”:
“I heard Jesus’ voice very distinctively, ‘I want victims of my love, who would be so very united to me as to radiate my love on souls. I want you covered with my poverty of the cross. I want obedience covered with my obedience of the cross. I want love covered with the charity of the cross. Wilt thou refuse to do this for me? The thirst you have for souls brought you this far – are you afraid to take one more step for your Spouse, for Me, for souls? Has your generosity grown cold? Have I become second to you? You did not die for souls, and that is why you do not care what happens to them. Your heart was never drowned in sorrow as it was My Mother’s. We both gave our all for souls – and you? You are afraid that you will lose your vocation – you will become secular - you will be wanting in perseverance. No, your vocation is to love and suffer and to save souls, and by taking this step you will fulfill my heart’s desire for you – that is your vocation. I love you, my little one.’ And I answered; I am yours, My Love.”
Awesome post chris! thanks for that i really needed to hear that. Lately ive been stuggling with the kid inside of me. The one who is still looking for the adventure in life, the one who wants to conquer villans and save damsels in distress and be the guy who is noble, and couragous and leads people in to battle. I know that God has put that on my heart and im sure he's put that desire in everyones heart to love and live with a passion that we are in a battle. One where we are far from home but yet are moving ever closer each day. I want to look at the poor and the rejected through the eyes of Christ. I want the nervous situations were my palms get sweaty and my heart starts pumping. I want the situations where i hear Gods spirit telling me to do something that seems impossible, and then i wanna have the courage just to listen and take a step. In the end I want nothing more then to know Him and experience the rapture of His love.
Sorry i dont have a book quote right now and i know this is the section for book quotes but Chris's post just got me going so you can blame him if your upset =)
Wow...thanks Chris. Mother Teresa's words not only brought tears to my eyes but I still have chills that have not left my body. The words that really spoke to me were..."You did not die for souls, and that is why you do not care what happens to them."
Ive gone through a season of looking at my life and seeing so many areas of selfishness...areas that I am not proud of but digusted by. I feel like everywhere I look...once again I am thinking about me, myself and I. I feel this way with my walk with the Lord...Im real quick to soak in everything I can to grow in my own walk(reading books and the Word, listening to sermons etc)... things that I know are beneficial but I began to ask myself... what am I doing for the kingdom? Am I investing in any lost souls out there? Do I really care about others the way I am called to? Certainly not the way I desire to. Basically Im tired of just being concerned with myself and taking much but not giving back. I cant imagine living a life as selfless as Mother Teresa...
Heres a quote by J.I. Packer that I enjoyed...
"His ultimate objective is to bring them (His chosen) to a state in which they please Him entirely and praise Him adequately, a state in which He is all in all to them, and He and they rejoice continually in the knowledge of each other's love-people rejoicing in the saving love of God, set upon them from all eternity, and God rejoicing in the responsive love of people, drawn out of them by grace through the gospel." (Knowing God)
Gordon McDonald says, “The world can do almost anything as well as or better than the church. You need not be a Christian to build houses, feed the hungry, or heal the sick. THERE IS ONLY ONE THING THE WORLD CANNOT DO…IT CANNOT OFFER GRACE!”
This question seems to haunt me, what do I really offer that others (teachers, coaches) do not? What can I offer kids? Am I strict enough? Am I intelligent enough? Are my skills adequate for the profession? The answers are probably nothing, no, no, and no. But, the thing that I can offer that only those who have been pummeled by the love of God can offer…continual, never ending, GRACE! I trample the cross every single day I breath…the kids trample grace every single day…there are rare instances when they respond to grace with the proper response…but those who know Christ can keep giving and giving and giving b/c we are the result of an unmerited, unearned, unappreciated….grace giving…love! I hope you and I offer that to the world.
Dang it! I just don't have time to say all I'd like to say, but maybe tonight.
Grant...I know you're a bare-knuckle brawler with a heart as hard as penitentiary steel, but surely you can come up with at least your favorite Bible verse. Ifor one would be interested in knowing what verse you hang your hat on- your go-to.
Petey...You are definitely one of my favorite females, heck-you're one of my favorite peoplein the entire world and I can't explain in words how excited I always get when I see your post. Sydney read "Same Kind Of Different As Me" and truly enjoyed it. I've heard many stories about it and my mom went and heard them speak. She loved it too.
Kelsie...you blow me away with all the gifts and talents you possess and even more so at how you choose to invest and nurture them. You're words carry great weight and you are far beyond your years when it comes to knowledge and willingness to serve. I love listening to you always.
Burkester...I hope we walk side by side in Africa soon. Your honesty on here and in conversation is what attracts people. Everyone loves that you don't take yourself so seriously, yet you have these burning passion to please and constantly search for outlets in which to give them.
JT...sometimes I forget you haven't been around my whole life. I often times get confused and put you in my Jace or Beas catagory because I feel you at times more like the mentee than the mentor. I'm often times overwhelmed with spiritual emotion of thanksgiving for your friendship. It's wierd, man.
Chris...not time enough in this post to come close to what I thought about your words and the heart behind them. More to come later...
Thanks for your encouraging words Palzo youre awesome...and so are the rest of you!!
Pal - I will tear down my hardness just for you. I hang my hat on an Oswald Chambers quote, "A warning that needs to be repeated is that "the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches," and the lust for other things will choke out the life of God in us". I started my first real job out of college 5 years ago and came across this qoute that Chambers references to Matthew 13:22. I pinned it on a board right above my computer so I would see it everyday. The reason it is my favorite is due to the fact that I have failed at this the most in my life. I worry about every detail that life has to offer. I don't mean just thinking about it, but losing sleep over things I have no control over. I stress about money and retirement everyday of my life along with a slew of other fun items to worry over. A constant struggle of mentally not having enough. I have failed at the very thing God warned me about. I think about this a lot, but it is probably useless since I really don't take any steps to improve. I dislike the Sunday school answer of "give it over to God, you worrying won't change a thing", even though this is the correct answer. Yes, I am aware of the fact that this is an issue. My spiritual life has suffered due to this, and worry it has strained my marriage as well. I think about Oswald Chamber's quote everday at work and it feels as though it has slipped right through my heart into a place that is unattainable. The sad thing is America is the most blessed nation in the world and you can walk into any church on Sundays and you have a good chance to hear some passage or quote on worry and God being sovereign. I found it interesting that your question on the blog showed that 50% of people stress about finances and yes I am one of those votes, and we are the richest nation in world. I am constantly stressing about money. I am frustrated by this in my life, and fear it has choked God and spirtual freedom out of me.
I tell you what, Grant...that truly was an amazing post and I've always known you know the answers. You have so much more to offer than you believe you do. That took guts to write and as I learned alot from it I am confident others did as well. Thank you for such a great contribution. Wow!
These are some quotes from my current senior students journals over the past couple weeks:
When I was younger(3years ago)sex was the popular thing so of course like everyone else I had my share...doing it with the biggest metal head druggies in the school meant I was their groupie
I got a phone call from Jeff's mom and she was crying and mumbling, but somehow I heard what she said. She told me Jeff had overdosed on heroine.
One time my dad and I tried to fix our relationship after years of mistrust...I tried to open up and talk about stuff that meant alot to me and he shut me down...I don't have very much faith in anything anymore.
When I was 13 my mom divorced my step-dad...I am so angry and I still am...each of them fighting over you, and it never seems it is really about you so much as it is about them getting back at each other.
My dad took another route to punishment and started hitting me and throwing me around...I would go to school with bruises all over my face and have to make up excuses...emotionally I'm broke, but physically I'm stronger.
One of the other students told him to hurry up and stop stuttering...
She(mom) would even go around telling people of fake illnesses I had just to get attention...it was always about her no matter what happened...she would tell me not to wear my brothers hand me downs, but they were the only clothes I had.
I went to a private school and had two friends, that's all...I was labeled as a dork or loser just because I didn't do cheerleading or like football like everyone else.
The moment I heard my cousin had passed I knew my life would be altered forever...
When I was 16 years old my mom was told she had cancer...
Being a military kid I moved every couple of years to a new state, anew school and new town...
I was 6 years old and it was my brother's 5th birthday and my mother walked out on us...
I had gotten myself so mixed up in the drug and alcohol scene that I had forgotten my roots, my friends and my family...
When I was younger my mom practically lived in a hospital...my dad never told us what was going on...
In 2003 my father went to war in Iraq...alot of stuff started breaking around the house and he wasn't there to fix it.
When I was 5 years old my father was killed in a motorcycle accident...
This is only a sampling of a stack of papers I brought home tonight. If you are aparent, a teacher, a volunteer coach, or anyone who deals with kids, then know you are serving God in the greatest of callings. Be assured there is much need and they are craving any type of love they can get their hands on...may we all be the first to give it.
If you work with adults then know you walk side by side with these kids who now carry these scars as adults and crave the recognition and love they have searched for and not found in this life. Your witness and joy in friendship is crucial. May none of us forget whose name we carry into the dark places. May His light shine bright in and through you all your days and may He receive all the glory...forever!
WOW. I am at a loss for words (big deal for me) after catching up on posts after the worst 24 hour stomach FLU EVER! Ugh. But, I am back. Have I said how much I really love this blog and how I love the hearts of all God's children who dare to give us ... me a brief insight to their heart. Amazing. I will post books, etc. later.
Right now I am reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elisabeth Gilbert. It is totally a chick book and one completely appropriate for where I am right now. Sometimes I need a break for "Christian Books" and need to find God speaking to me through the lives and words of non-believers. This book is where I started wrestling with meditation and listening more to the Lord and what exactly that meant for my life. More to come ...
JT, Kelsie, and Liz,
These are some of the "be ye perfect" quotes I was speaking of last night.
"Our Lord is like the dentists. If you give Him an inch, He will take an ell. Dozens of people go to Him to be cured of some one particular sin which they are ashamed of (like masturbation or physical cowardice) or which is obviously spoiling daily life (like bad temper or drunkenness). Well, He will cure it all right: but He will not stop there. That may be all you asked; but if once you call Him in, He will give you the full treatment.
That is why He warned people to 'count the cost' before becoming Christians. 'Make no mistake,' He says, 'if you let me, I will make you perfect. The moment you put yourself in My hands, that is what you are in for. Nothing less, or other, than that. You have free will, and if you choose, you can push Me away. But if you do not push Me away, understand that I am going to see this job through. Whatever suffering it may cost you in your earthly life, whatever inconceivable purification it may cost you after death, whatever it costs Me, I will never rest, nor let you rest, until you are literally perfect-until my Father can say without reservation that He is well pleased with you, as He said He was well pleased with me. This I can do and will do. But I will not do anything less."
After reading this from Mere Christianity, my mind gasps because I get overwhelmed with how far I have to go.
"The command Be ye perfect is not idealistic gas. Nor is it a command to do the impossible. He is going to make us into creatures that can obey that command. He said (in the Bible) that we were 'gods' and He is going to make good His words. If we let Him-for we can prevent Him, if we choose-He will make the feeblest and filthiest of us into a god or goddess, a dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot now imagine, a bright stainless mirror which reflects back to God perfectly (though, of course, on a smaller scale) His own boundless power and delight and goodness. The process will be long and in parts very painful; but that is what we are in for. Nothing less. He meant what He said."
I so long to cooperate with God's plan of perfecting me and to not prevent Him, but I find myself doing just the opposite. I wonder what the inconceivable purification process looks like after death! I feel like the apostle Paul felt, I want to do what's right but I don't do it. Whether it's how I spend my money or how I talk to my children. The list could go on and on. I know the Lord's working on me, I just feel like this process specifically for me will happen mostly after death. Anybody know how I feel?
I did enjoy dinner last night. It was another one of those blessed moments where we can look around the room and thank the Lord for who He has placed in our lives. Thank you Coker for sharing your testimony with me. It was a sweet reminder of when the Lord called out my name. I have enjoyed watching the Lord work in your life. What special memories we all share!
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