This weekend, I was involved with a production at our church in Oak Creek, WI. I wasn't a part of the actual musical, but I lead the cast/crew in a short worship/prayer time before each performance. There were a couple of times that I just sat back to listen to everyone singing and was just overcome with the thought that what makes our church great is that we're all family... not because of natural blood, but because of our common ground in Christ.
Families are families because of something in common. At the end of the day, that shared connection always stands stronger than any differences. And, thank God for that!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
"Revolutionaries" Blog Tour with Matt Brown
Generally, I'm a pretty big reader, but you won't often find me reading fiction - I had to do that in high school, but I never cared how the characters were "feeling" or how their stories would impact my life. I guess I'm just too much of a realist to have been concerned...
I was pretty comfortable and enjoyed the times I set aside to read about the past conquests of these world-changers, but it got personal for me on Wednesday night. I intended to sit on my chair, wrapped-up in a fleece blanket with a cup of tea, and read the last few chapters; however, it didn't end up so cozy for me.
Anyways, I love to read things that help make me better. Things that fuel me. Things that engage me in the core of my heart. Things that ignite the passive or idle.
Hot off the press is Matt Brown's new book, "Revolutionaries". Kids, this is not one to miss.
The book is a carefully crafted and easy-to-read compilation of stories surrounding the Christian Church and its development. From the first century change-maker named Jesus, and continuing through each progressive 100-year period to the modern day, you'll become engulfed in the stories of the "Revolutionaries" that cast aside their personal comforts for the sake of proclaiming the gospel.
I was pretty comfortable and enjoyed the times I set aside to read about the past conquests of these world-changers, but it got personal for me on Wednesday night. I intended to sit on my chair, wrapped-up in a fleece blanket with a cup of tea, and read the last few chapters; however, it didn't end up so cozy for me.
I never drank my tea. It just got cold while my captivation deepened.
The last few chapters discuss the character and passions of current revolutionaries, and exhorts us to cast of restraints and live a life that would revolutionize OUR world. I had to be honest with myself... I've never been so bold in the way I carried the name of Jesus Christ that I experienced "persecution". And, considering that in Matthew 5 Jesus says that we are "blessed" when we experience persecution for His sake, I have to know that I'm missing out on some blessings...
This book was such a huge encouragement to live boldly! History is flooded with examples of average people who made a significant difference in the world. I want to be one.
Read the book, and let's plan the Revolution!
Order your copy of Revolutionaries at RevolutionariesBook.com or get the Stocking Stuffer Special (2 books for price of 1) through midnight Christmas Day. You can also buy the book on Amazon.com and download a free chapter or the whole book for the Amazon Kindle or through the free Kindle app on the iPod Touch and iPhone. This book was provided for review by Skyline Book Publishers.
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
A Good Slap In The Face
Everyone loves to get slapped, right? ...Let me explain it this way... everyone likes to have good and clean relationships--nothing hidden, nothing "walled off" from the other, etc. But, sometimes it takes a good slap for me to realize that I've got something wrong on the inside (and, no, my wife is not a husband-abuser). I read the following article from Jonathan Acuff's blog, "Stuff Christians Like", and I felt an immediate, Holy-Spirit-laden slap to let me know that I've got something wrong on the inside. It's one of those "hurts-so-good" moments, when you know feel the pain of the guilt, but you also feel the goodness of God's love for revealing it to you...
"I wish Barnes & Noble had a diving board instead of a front door.
That way, I could jump into the books and swim around like Scrooge McDuck in his money bin.
I want to run down the aisles with my arms open wide pulling books from the shelf that I then roll around in and laugh, laugh, laugh the day away while Natasha Beddingfield’s “Unwritten” plays in the background.
I love bookstores.
But recently I thought I was going to throw up in one.
I got all dizzy and sweaty. I felt faint and had to sit down. I lost the wonder of Tom Hanks in the toy store scene of the movie “Big.” I panicked.
Why? …
Were they out of Bassin’ Magazine? Did the shelf that contains the veritable wall of “Left Behind” books fall on my foot, crushing several, small but significant bones? Were the moleskine notebooks in the wrong section of the store? Nope. It was much worse than that ….
I realized the Stuff Christians Like book wasn’t going to save me.
I had gone to Barnes & Noble that day to research what other books were in my category. So I went through hundreds of different Christian books and hundreds of different humor books. And I couldn’t find many that were like the one I had written. Sure, Stuff White People Like and Stuff Mid Westerners Like, but there wasn’t a Christians humor section for my book to land safely in. I couldn’t find a place on the shelf were the book I wrote would fit. I started to think, “Oh no, my book is not going to sell.”
I started to think, this book experience isn’t going to change my life. It’s not going to be some financial windfall or make me famous or taller or less insecure. It’s not going to save me.
Then I got really depressed and dizzy and other words that mean the opposite of “awesome.” That’s when I remembered a truth I have learned 37 different times:
“My greatest disappointments in life are when I ask anyone or anything other than Jesus Christ to be my savior.”
Have you ever done that? Have you ever unknowingly said to a new job, “OK, new job. Here are my expectations. I want you to make me happier, filled with joy and more content as a person. I expect you to save me from my previous job and magically make me a better person.”
Or maybe you’ve done that with a relationship. “OK, new boyfriend. I need you to fix all my problems. I have some hurt in my life, some emptiness in a few spots and I need you, in the context of this dating relationship, to fill me with a light that shines bright and true and perfect. OK, go!”
Or maybe for you it’s stuff.
I thought owning a guitar would make me a better guitar player. Maybe you thought buying a new car would make you feel new. Or owning a house in the right neighborhood would make you feel right.
I don’t know you that well, but I do know this, that person you asked to save you, that possession you asked to heal you, failed. Your wife made a mistake, your boyfriend was human, your mom messed up. The job turned out to be different than it was promised to be. The shine wore off a new toy.
And for me, those moments feel a little terrifying. I thought this was the one. I thought that writing a book would save me. From the mundane, from the difficult corners of life, from all the little things that just don’t seem to go right.
But it didn’t and it won’t.
Why?
Because that’s Christ’s job.
He and he alone is in the Savior business. He and he alone can rescue you from deep waters. He and he alone can save you from powerful enemies. And you know why? You know why God does that? It’s not because He has to. He doesn’t do it out of obligation. Not at all. Psalm 18:19 says “He rescued me because he delighted in me.”
I hope the Stuff Christians Like book sells a ton of copies. I hope you’ll buy 14 each and give them out to friends like orange flavored tic tacs or big league chew gum. But regardless of it sells a million copies or 17, please know this, it won’t save me.
That position is already filled in my life and it’s filled in yours too.
So let’s stop asking anyone or anything other than Jesus Christ to be our Savior."
I hope this was as encouraging to you as it was to me!
"I wish Barnes & Noble had a diving board instead of a front door.
That way, I could jump into the books and swim around like Scrooge McDuck in his money bin.
I want to run down the aisles with my arms open wide pulling books from the shelf that I then roll around in and laugh, laugh, laugh the day away while Natasha Beddingfield’s “Unwritten” plays in the background.
I love bookstores.
But recently I thought I was going to throw up in one.
I got all dizzy and sweaty. I felt faint and had to sit down. I lost the wonder of Tom Hanks in the toy store scene of the movie “Big.” I panicked.
Why? …
Were they out of Bassin’ Magazine? Did the shelf that contains the veritable wall of “Left Behind” books fall on my foot, crushing several, small but significant bones? Were the moleskine notebooks in the wrong section of the store? Nope. It was much worse than that ….
I realized the Stuff Christians Like book wasn’t going to save me.
I had gone to Barnes & Noble that day to research what other books were in my category. So I went through hundreds of different Christian books and hundreds of different humor books. And I couldn’t find many that were like the one I had written. Sure, Stuff White People Like and Stuff Mid Westerners Like, but there wasn’t a Christians humor section for my book to land safely in. I couldn’t find a place on the shelf were the book I wrote would fit. I started to think, “Oh no, my book is not going to sell.”
I started to think, this book experience isn’t going to change my life. It’s not going to be some financial windfall or make me famous or taller or less insecure. It’s not going to save me.
Then I got really depressed and dizzy and other words that mean the opposite of “awesome.” That’s when I remembered a truth I have learned 37 different times:
“My greatest disappointments in life are when I ask anyone or anything other than Jesus Christ to be my savior.”
Have you ever done that? Have you ever unknowingly said to a new job, “OK, new job. Here are my expectations. I want you to make me happier, filled with joy and more content as a person. I expect you to save me from my previous job and magically make me a better person.”
Or maybe you’ve done that with a relationship. “OK, new boyfriend. I need you to fix all my problems. I have some hurt in my life, some emptiness in a few spots and I need you, in the context of this dating relationship, to fill me with a light that shines bright and true and perfect. OK, go!”
Or maybe for you it’s stuff.
I thought owning a guitar would make me a better guitar player. Maybe you thought buying a new car would make you feel new. Or owning a house in the right neighborhood would make you feel right.
I don’t know you that well, but I do know this, that person you asked to save you, that possession you asked to heal you, failed. Your wife made a mistake, your boyfriend was human, your mom messed up. The job turned out to be different than it was promised to be. The shine wore off a new toy.
And for me, those moments feel a little terrifying. I thought this was the one. I thought that writing a book would save me. From the mundane, from the difficult corners of life, from all the little things that just don’t seem to go right.
But it didn’t and it won’t.
Why?
Because that’s Christ’s job.
He and he alone is in the Savior business. He and he alone can rescue you from deep waters. He and he alone can save you from powerful enemies. And you know why? You know why God does that? It’s not because He has to. He doesn’t do it out of obligation. Not at all. Psalm 18:19 says “He rescued me because he delighted in me.”
I hope the Stuff Christians Like book sells a ton of copies. I hope you’ll buy 14 each and give them out to friends like orange flavored tic tacs or big league chew gum. But regardless of it sells a million copies or 17, please know this, it won’t save me.
That position is already filled in my life and it’s filled in yours too.
So let’s stop asking anyone or anything other than Jesus Christ to be our Savior."
I hope this was as encouraging to you as it was to me!
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