Book Review: Altar Ego (Becoming Who God Says You Are)

Uplifting, bold, and enthusiastic describes the mood of Altar Ego: Becoming Who God Says You Are by Craig Groeschel. In fact, this book had many quotables in it so much so that one quote inspired an entire blog here. But what is Altar Ego’s central theme?

Groeschel begins by tearing down the labels we give ourselves. “That’s why God’s truth about who I am transformed my life and hope. Paul writes, ‘Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!’ (2 Cor. 5:17 NLT, emphasis mine). No matter what others have said or what you’ve believed about yourself, even if the negative labels are true, God can give you a new view of yourself.”

He said if you are not physically fit; believe you can be physically fit. Groeschel talks about how his wife struggled in an area of her life because of a label she believed and when he encouraged her to think of herself, her altar ego, under a new name his wife overcame the obstacle and was able to do great in her classes. But Groeschel doesn’t stop at labels. Altar Ego: Becoming Who God Says You Are is all about transformation. Liberally laced with scripture references, Altar Ego talks about integrity, honor and respect, too.

“Isn’t it tragic,” Groeschel says, “that we live in a world where people are more shocked by a display of integrity than the lack of it?” He defines respect and honor as two different things and that, deserved or not, we should give honor as something someone doesn’ t have to earn and respect is described as something earned.

I did disagree with one portion of the text on honor, but I won’t go into it as it may not have anything to do with the accuracy of the text as more of viewing it through the lens of my past and taking it more sensitively than I ought. I fear others who have gone through what I went through might look at that with the same jaundiced eye I did and question the usage. While I won’t go into what it was, let me say that someone looking at that text from a normal viewpoint would find nothing wrong with it, and when I step into their shoes I can see the simplified message. In normal everyday life, I can even agree with it. He also points out honor from the political spectrum.

Altar Ego shows in an example how even a Republican and Democrat can honor something or someone without agreeing or tolerating something against their beliefs. His section on honor is what everyone in our society should read and practice and it was a good reminder for me, too. Groeschel speaks boldness towards the end of the book—bold prayer, bold living, etc. My favorite part of the book is what rarely anyone seems to practice anymore; that is, not being silent when a friend is doing something unbiblical.

“The mindset of never offending anyone anywhere has overflowed into the church as well. More and more, I hear Christians say things like, ‘You know, I don’t want to upset anybody, so I try not to speak too boldly about my faith.’ Consequently, a common mindset in the church today is that to be good witnesses, we need to just let our actions speak for us. Don’t get me wrong, this is a great place to start, because hands down, we do want our lives to reflect Christ. But there are times when we can’t just let our lives speak for us; we must use our words to witness boldly as well.” Groeschel follows this line of thought with an example of his outrageous and humorous fear of snakes, especially copperheads.

Overall, I gave this book five stars because Groeschel speaks fiery encouragement into the milk-toast Christian, hoping that they close the book bolder than when they first opened it. To learn more about Craig Groeschel, click here.

*book given by the publisher to review.

Grow Into Your True Identity

“In the book of judges, we read about a timid leader named Gideon. In our first impression, we see Gideon hiding in a winepress, afraid of the enemy, the Midianites. But an angel of the Lord appears to Gideon, the angel calls him a “mighty man of valor.” Gideon, empowered by God, grew into the true meaning of his name. God will do the same for you, but you must be willing to let go of the old name to grow into the fullness of your true identity.” - Altar Ego by Craig Groeschel (Zondervan, 2013 – Review later. Follow my progress on Goodreads)

Let go of the old name.

It reminds me of what I read called, An Open Letter to the Church from a Lesbian:

We do not ask for your acceptance of our sins any more than we accept yours. We simply ask for the same support, love, guidance, and most of all hope that is given to the rest of your congregation. We are your brothers and sisters in Christ. We are not what we shall be, but thank God, we are not what we were. Let us work together to see that we all arrive safely home.

We are not what we shall be, she wrote. Craig Groeschel in Altar Ego said, “You are not yet who you are supposed to be.” All believers sin in some way. Not to take sin lightly or to pass it off as common and acceptable, but we need to be willing to, “grow into the fullness of (our) true identity.” The writer of the letter encourages us to, “…work together to see that we all arrive safely home.”

The charge to change comes from the Holy Spirit in us, like Pinocchio’s conscious, telling us when we are doing wrong or right, giving direction in a complicated world. The harder we fight that voice the longer it takes for us to grow into our new name in Christ, but I’ve found we can incorrectly interpret our voice for the Holy Spirit’s; labeling ourselves; reacting to our circumstances, instead of responding; or wanting something so bad, it is our voice we follow instead, like choosing to eat the cheesecake when it’s the celery and humus we should devour. In a diet, accountability keeps us closet chocolate eaters in line, which is probably why many diet programs have councilors–someone to answer to.

I’ve often wondered at accountability’s absence in our culture, but then realized do we seek after only other people’s accountability? Do we yet realize when we ask for accountability that this prayer includes us, too?

I am not yet who I am meant to be and everyday my Father allows things to happen in my life, either due to a fault of mine or through the consequences of other people’s sins, to change me. In order to change, I must be willing to give up my old name and grow into my new identity in Christ. Some of those changes will always be painful, and has been over the years, but every year I change as people leave a bit of themselves behind in my life–something they did or said which amazed me, even if it was minor. Those are precious gifts from the Father that linger like expensive perfume in my soul; the scent of the Creator Himself.

How are you different since accepting Christ?

Over The Rainbow

English: Rainbow. At 10pm a rainbow tries to brighten up the Sutherland moor. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Somewhere over the rainbow,
People smile, laughter reigns.
Somewhere over the rainbow,
People care, no one complains.

Somewhere over the rainbow,
Is Heaven—and Christ, our King.
Somewhere over the rainbow,
Are places where angels sing.

Somewhere over the rainbow,
People stop thinking of self.
Somewhere over the rainbow,
Aren’t dusty hearts on a bookshelf.

Somewhere, Somehow a violin,
Plays a sweet song of a place,
Without harsh judgment or sin,
Over the rainbow, Christ’s embrace.

© 2009 Nikole Hahn

Honduras: Missionary, Michelle Crotts

By Michelle Crotts (reprinted with permission)

It is hard being a missionary.

I won’t lie.  It has kicked my butt for going on 10 years now.  There have been times where I thought there was no way I could go on another day.  Depression, disillusionment, disappointment, dread…sometimes they seem like constant companions to me.  And they are bad friends.

I was talking the other day to a good friend who wants to be a missionary.  “Be careful what you wish for,” I told her.  I wanted to be a missionary once.  And look where that got me.

I stopped wanting to be a missionary like 6 months after becoming one.  In complete culture shock, having been lied to by one too many people, struggling to find my way in the confusing unnamed streets of Tegucigalpa, lonely, with still an inept sense of the language, being whistled at by beady-eyed men on the streets, feeling like I was getting nothing done as I stood in yet another line, trying to begin a ministry that looked oh-so-different then it had in the States, and feeling like I was failing in every single aspect of it.

Add to that the complete silence of God.  It was like He left.  Took off.  Took one look at me and realized I was not worth His investment and went to look for someone else.  Someone more worthy of His time and affection.  And on the way out the door, He left the door open to the Enemy.  It was like He said, “have at her.”  And the Enemy wasted no time.

So there I am…having thoughts I’d never thought before, temptations I’d never had before, fears I’ve never felt before, in a place I’d never lived before, among a language I’d never spoken before, among people I had never known before.

Fun times.  Who wants to be a missionary now?  Not me.  And yet…

I’m still here.

Turns out, God didn’t take off when I thought He did.  Turns out He’s pretty invested here.  With me.  Turns out He did let the Enemy in, but then came kickin down the door like a jealous husband when I cried out to Him.  Turns out He wants me here and has defended me on every turn when I’ve been depressed, disillusioned, defeated and disheartened.

So, yeah, its hard being a missionary but it is also extremely…amazing.  Since last time I wrote, I’ve had 2 camps for the disabled, 2 short term teams, 1 national youth camp, and 1 retreat for pastors and their families.  The camp is being rented out almost every weekend where we don’t have an event scheduled.  With this last team from Garden Spot Village in Pennsylvania we finished the cement floor of the multipurpose building, built a storage closet, and finished the painting of the new dorms.  Kitchen cabinets were built and installed and so were shelves for the kitchen pantry.  A team from Seoul Baptist Church in Houston came in June and planted some beautiful gardens, painted and helped put on the single-most dynamic camp for the disabled that we’ve ever had.  This year’s national youth camp was incredible. And God did such amazing things.  Sometimes I sit there as these events are going on, and I’m watching God work, and I just wonder to myself, “how did I get chosen to do this?”  A kid calls me after youth camp is over, thanking me for inviting him and he tells me, “I really want to follow Christ.  This time I’m serious.”  I watch as two leaders are praying with a disabled girl who wants to trust Christ.  I see a pastor holding hands with his wife as they go walking off together to talk about their marriage.

Seriously, I get to do this stuff!  I get to see this stuff.  I get to participate in this stuff!  Amazing!

So, yeah, being a missionary is the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.  But it is also pretty darn amazing.

So, hey, will you pray for me?  I’ve been walking yet another hard path in this missionary/life journey but I have to say, God has been so good to me.  He has been speaking to me and pouring His love over me like I’ve never quite known before.  And He’s tearing things off of me and pulling out roots from inside of me…and it’s kinda hurting.  Like a lot.  But He’s being so tender and kind at the same time so…it’s good.  But it still hurts.

So will you pray that He will finish the work and that, when it’s over, I will have an undivided heart.

I would also appreciate prayer for the 3 remaining big events of this year: a pastors/leaders conference with Michael Wells, an international speaker who speaks on the Abiding Life in Christ (Oct. 6-8), a camp for the blind (Oct. 21-22) and a conference for women (Nov. 11-13).

Bio: Michelle Crotts is a missionary for International Teams in Honduras. She attends FBC Prescott when she is home where her parents attend. You can view more information about her here.

In celebration of our first short term missions trip next year, I have re-posted a guest post from the missionary we will be working alongside for a short time in conjunction with Faith Barista’s community post one-word, “Follow.”

The Real Meaning I’ve Missed

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“The word bless is not be confused with the word, praise. Because the people who need blessing the most are the ones who deserve it the least.” – Cheryl Sacks, Co-Founder of Bridge Builders International

God really is beautiful in that He takes something so simple and adds a third dimension. It’s enough to befuddle Satan. Why I didn’t see it sooner leaves me to wonder if my eyes have been closed?

On Saturday, I attended a prayer seminar at American Lutheran Church. They hosted Bridge Builders International, “…an Arizona-based Christian organization called to mobilize the Church in united fervent prayer and “vertical” worship, engaging God’s presence for spiritual awakening and community transformation.” In it, we experienced a level of prayer that moved me beyond my comfort zone.

I am a fun and serious person uncomfortable with the show of a lot of emotion. Even raising my hands in prayer causes discomfort. Yet, this level of prayer brought each of us—just strangers—to a closer and deeper place of prayer. When Cheryl explained Genesis 27, we heard the story of Jacob and Easu. She explained that a blessing is desirable, but what surprised me was when she said:

“…the person receiving it [the blessing] does not need to be worthy of it.”

Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was a blessing to us and we were not worthy of it. Cheryl explained the definitions of blessing: “…to invoke, divine, favor upon; (being empowered to prosper. Blessings are benefits that add to our lives additional resources from God.)” Likewise, wishing a curse on someone is defined as, “…to appeal to a supernatural power for evil or injury to befall someone or something. That which brings or causes evil; to invoke evil, calamity, or injury upon. (to cause to fail).”

The words blessing and curse remind me of the scripture from Matthew 5:44 (CJB):

“But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that spitefully use you and persecute you,”

Bless, not curse, which brought us to her end point: To pray a blessing upon everyone, enemy and friend alike, which would have the power from God to encourage success rather than failure. It also, in my opinion, leaves our soul open to God’s will rather than what we want God to do for us,  or in the words of a friend, spouting a grocery list of things we want from God. I learned so much of the power of words today and the power of prayer.

When we prayed a blessing over each other, we used a method that most definitely moved me beyond my comfort zone. To a stranger, I touched her ears and prayed for her to hear; I touched her shoulders, and prayed for the burdens and the tears, and touched her hands and so on, praying in a deeper way. And I prayed when quiet, internal prayer was called for, a blessing over my enemies—for them to prosper, to be happy, to find a close relationship with Christ, to be healthy, to be in love, and I realized the power of that prayer.

For anyone who has been wounded, praying a blessing over your enemies is so contrary to human nature it confounds the world. It opens the door to transformation of your enemy, removes your anger, and frees you. While I held no more anger towards my enemies, I also never prayed a prayer of blessing over enemy, friend, or myself. It is so beautiful. So three-dimensional. Only God could come up with the perfect prayer—one that accomplishes both justice and love in one swoop.

Pray a blessing over your enemy, and they and you change for the good of all.

Write a prayer of blessing in the comments section for your enemy, friend, yourself, or your significant other.

It’s an Unsafe Thing to Do

Jesus has the best public relations in the world. The stuff one can buy with His name on it is everywhere. When you go to church in some places, it’s like attending a concert. Trendy names like Jesus Freak pop up, describing those who aren’t ashamed. For all of this cheerleading, are we really following Him?

The Insanity of God by Nik Ripken touches on the reality of following Christ. In one situation, a Middle Eastern man realized if he followed Jesus that decision would place a death sentence on him, his wife, and children. Tonight, when one of our Fellowship Group questions asked, “What should our response be to God’s faithful leadership?”, I thought of two words: fear and excitement.

Fear describes a realistic (as much as I can imagine in America) viewpoint of what it means to answer Jesus in Matthew 4:19 when He said, “Follow me and I will send you out to fish for people.” (NIV, paraphrased). It’s unsafe to follow God. In following God, a person could get cancer; or lose their home; or be asked to do something as minor as serve outside of our comfort zone because someone needed to see our faith in action to finally believe in Jesus’ existence. In America, I don’t have to worry about my decision to follow Jesus, or if tomorrow the police will knock on my door and take my husband because of my decision. I worship in freedom. I blog so far in freedom. Yet, this freedom also makes me and others complacent.

And I don’t understand this Free Grace (or otherwise phrased as cheap grace) because Lordship Salvation makes so much sense. I understand once you ask Jesus into your life, you’re saved. It’s not, “Jesus plus…,” it’s just Jesus. But then, I did a study in James and realized how much Lordship Salvation makes sense. Faith will save us, but we are called to be fruitful in our lives. It means giving up, doing, loving, not giving in, and sacrificing; and that brings me to the second word, excitement.

Excitement is how we should feel when faced with following Jesus. Not the kind of shallow excitement based on a well-organized public relations campaign where emotions fade and fail to pass, as Pagan Christianity said, the Monday morning test. But to look at following Jesus in a new way—an adventure. It means, you’ll be uncomfortable at times, doing things you wouldn’t ordinarily do, and maybe you’ll be called to live in a dangerous part of the world or in an unsafe part of town. Maybe, like me, you aren’t being called to other parts of the world, but simply to step away from being a wallflower and start approaching strangers to pray for them.

Sometimes excitement for a calling flags as time passes and the emotions wear thin, but like any commitment, it’s something you have chosen. You know the excitement is still there and the burning belief, too, that God wants you there, but for the moment, you struggle to feel it. Like any good emotion, joy returns again. Following Jesus is risky and rewarding.

In other countries, it means poverty for life, a lower station in life, or death if discovered by the wrong people, even the authorities. In America, I will never know how it feels to live for Jesus in the way Christians in the Middle East live. I won’t ever know the kind of poverty where people live in landfills. In church, as we worship God, I wonder if we in America really know what it means to follow Jesus? How far would we really go if our faith was tested like it is elsewhere in the world?

The sane part of me is grateful we aren’t tested in that way. The insane part of me knows that kind of testing brings only good to believers, shakes up apathy and complacency. It stirs the blood. So as I drink water out of my Jesus water bottle, I often pray that my faith will be as strong as the faiths of other believers worldwide.

What if following Jesus meant losing your job, your family, or your iphone?

Book Review: Constantly Craving

“We think, if I had that job, or that relationship, or lived in that city or that house, or lost twenty-five pounds, or gained a lot of money…then I would be happy. In other words, often when we are unhappy, we think that more of something would make it better.” – Foreword, Henry Cloud, PH.D.

Constantly Craving by Marilyn Meberg begins stoically, stripping away our romantic ideas of love and identifying our cravings and what causes those cravings.

Marilyn begins by breaking down our craving for more. We think if we got more of something in our life, then and only then, would we discover true happiness. The whole book goes psychologically deep into our motives and methods as Marilyn looks from how our search for our mate stems from the cradle; how we seek a duplication in our mate of what we loved or lacked in our parents; and to how our search for more can get us into trouble.

When we think of Bible characters, we forget how they didn’t live in America, enjoying surplus and physical freedoms. The Apostle Paul endured much for the gospel from stoning to shipwrecks, and finally execution because of his belief in Christ. So when I read, “That’s how Paul’s transformed new soul enabled him to sit in jail, even knowing he would ultimately experience execution, and still say, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content. (Philippians 4:11-13),” it made me realize how this want for more of something can keep us from living in contentment.

What’s striking is the last sentence, quoted from scripture in Marilyn’s book, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.” Marilyn also speaks about solitude and friendships.

She makes suggestions in how to make new friendships, opening ourselves up to the risk of rejection, and then gives sound counsel in how to deal with someone who doesn’t want our friendship. Marilyn encourages us to not take it personally. She says, “When a person is unresponsive to me, I first consider the personal grid that basically assures me it’s not about me but about that host of “thems” in the other person’s early  background.” By “thems” Marilyn speaks about the people in our past who have hurt us and how that hurt instinctively keeps us from new friendships because those friendships are too risky. Her chapter on solitude I could relate to, and in fact, something Marilyn encourages. There is a lot of humor and good advice, but like I mentioned earlier, she stripped romance of its idealism and makes it a practical application.

The book warms up into a conversation between two friends, but when I first read the book I balked at two places—the clinical view of love and how we are looking for father or mother in our spouse. While what she says is true, it’s hard to hear. Especially, when she talks about looking for cradle love. Talk about taking the romance out of the evening when you recall that part as you listen to your husband say, “Let’s have a romantic night together!” Still, it’s a good read and worth four stars.

*book given by publisher to review.

Church Clutter

“When Christianity was born, it was the only religion on the planet that had no sacred objects, no sacred persons, and no sacred spaces. Although surrounded by Jewish synagogues and pagan temples, the early Christians were the only religious people on earth who did not erect sacred buildings for their worship. The Christian faith was born in homes, out in courtyards, and along roadsides. For the first three centuries, the Christians did not have any special buildings. As one scholar put it, ‘The Christianity that conquered the Roman Empire was essentially a home-centered movement.” (pg. 14, Pagan Christianity?)

So I have moved into Chapter 2 of Pagan Christianity? by Frank Viola and George Barna. You can read my prior thoughts on the book here. In Chapter 2, Constantine, previously thought of as the first Christian empire (or so was taught to me), is really another pagan soul who worshipped other gods and himself. He introduced many Catholic traditions and made Christianity popular as he created the non-profit for church buildings. Many of these church buildings were built over sacred sites that Christians once met at for communion.

Did you know that Communion used to be full meals? My friend who knows Amish country well, once told me that some Mennonite or Amish churches usually do coffee and sweet rolls for communion. I laughed at the time, but after reading this chapter I understand why. The early Christianity that conquered the Roman Empire also acted like a family unit.

When you attend a family party, are you ignored? In normal family situations, the answer would be ‘no.’ The moment you walk in, your mother embraces you. Your cousins and siblings immediately come to you to share their secrets and joy. Meals are shared together with everyone helping. In the Bible, the church is illustrated as not a building, but a body (1 Corinthians 12).

Barna and Viola also dispel the myth that the reason early Christians didn’t have church buildings were due to the political climate. They said on page 14-16, “Some have argued that this was because the Christians were not permitted to erect church buildings. But that is not true. Meeting in homes was a conscious choice of the early Christians.”

It’s interesting to note how far we have come from a Christian family. It’s easy to walk into a large church and leave without knowing a single name or breaking our cliques to greet another brother and sister in Christ. I have been speaking to a pastor in India by email and he greets me in the same way the the Apostle Paul spoke to the New Testament church. It feels like the walls disintegrate when we reach out to our brothers and sisters in Christ. But let me make my thoughts clear here. I am not against church buildings no matter how ornate.

Barna and Viola simply outline how far we have come from New Testament Christianity and how much of our traditions were born from paganism. They also make the point early in the book that while some traditions can be used because of cultural ties, some probably should go away. In many aspects, I agree with having a church building because it’s practical. Barna and Viola go into detail about how some Christians in the Roman Empire converted their homes by taking out a wall to accommodate up to 70 people so people could meet in homes. In America, due to zoning laws and just being practical, it’s good to have church buildings.

It’s a central place to meet and fellowship together as believers, like going to Aunt Edna’s house as a family to meet together; in the same way, we need to de-clutter our Christian life to come together and meet regularly. We need to remember early Christianity’s roots when meeting, break our habits of forming cliques, and greet our brothers and sisters in Christ, pray with them, serve them, and not expect others to serve us. Like I said earlier in my blog, if a cousin came to our family party our habit is to greet her with an embrace or a smile, and ask her about her week. If a grandmother lost a friend, a family would come together and grieve with her over her friend. That’s church.

I have always treated church like a second family, filled with quirky personalities, people with strong opinions, and sometimes there are some family members that just don’t get along. We’re saved as a church family by the blood of Jesus Christ, and that grace must be extended to each other if we are to get along.

Families as you know can get complicated. Barna and Viola explain in Chapter 2 how complicated Constantine made Christianity by adding unnecessary pagan rituals and not just a church building. It’s a real history lesson how religious clutter can keep the laity from participating in the worship of Christ. Chapter 2 goes in-depth into Constantine’s introduction of pagan traditions into the church like relic collecting, stages, thrones for the clergy and elders, etc. It’s easy  to forget that knowing Christ is about a relationship and we should participate in that relationship by talking to Him, reading the Word, and being His hands and feet.

What are you doing to treat your church like a second family?

People Who Influence

What people influence you? And how do they influence? Why do you admire the people you admire? Is it because they are godly people or is it how they dress? Are the people you admire shallow and image driven or deep in the Word of God? Maybe it’s their magnetism that draws you to them. Whatever the case, the people who have that kind of power of influence that draw us should be people who inspire us to godly things. They should shine like an arrow pointing right at the scriptures and the God behind the scriptures. That’s what Bonnie does over at Faith Barista. Today is her first blog post in a long time.

She asked, “What is your word for 2013?”

Relationships.

Because without relationships, people can’t see Jesus working in our lives in tangible ways.

Now it’s your turn. What’s your word for 2013 and why?

The Unexamined Life is Not Worth Living

“But this revolution of faith is challenged. Those involved know what they are shifting from—lifeless, institutional forms of faith to breakthrough. But what are they shifting to? House churches, marketplace ministries, cyberchurches, independent community wide worship gatherings, intentional communities. These forms of church are all intriguing, but do they really represent a meaningful step toward God’s highest purpose? Or are they just the same stuff presented in a different setting? Are they developing the same roles, but attaching new titles adopted by different role players? Are we living ina culture that is so infatuated with change that we have forgotten that the church is about transformation, not mere change?” (xxvi)

What would you do if God told you to tell someone on the corner that God loves them? The person is a stranger and it’s quite counter-cultural to actually stop a tourist to say something like that. When my friend told me that story, I remembered The Insanity of God by Nik Ripken.

Many stories of God using people to answer other people’s prayers pepper Nik’s book. Our Americanized faith somehow makes us pragmatic. My friend’s story woke me again to the realization that God is not dead, but some of us feel dead. I’m reading Pagan Christianity? By Frank Viola and George Barna. Another friend loaned it to me. In it, they speak about how the Christian faith is under a silent revolution, but mere change is what they accomplish instead of transformation.

“Much can be gleaned from the efforts of the earliest Christianity—our physical and spiritual ancestors—as they sought to be the genuine church Christ purchased with His blood.” it said in the pages of the introduction.

Socrates, who challenged people by asking too many questions, said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Accused of corrupting the youth of his time the Roman government sentenced him to death. Socrates asked many questions, challenging the traditions of his time. Pagan Christianity? Is not an anti-church book, but is the anti-anti church bashing book so far. Rather it will explore the roots of our church practices. I am reading it slowly as my prayer is to have a closer and stronger relationship with God. My friends teach me by the examples of their lives what that should look like.

I pray all of you have those kind of friends who inspire you to better, more godly things and choices. I believe church can make a difference, but I also see the searching hearts of people wanting something different in church. What I found in my search is that prayer brings me closer to God. What I liked about this book so far is that it does not encourage rebellion against the church.

“Our advice: Either leave your church quietly, refusing to cause division, or be at peace with it. There is a vast gulf between rebellion and taking a stand for what is true.” (pg. 5)

Some think by speaking out and causing division that they are being like Jesus when Jesus overturned the money changer tables. I believe, if you want change, that change happens beginning in a whisper, by an example, and with persistance. It means entering into discussion, not with loud shouts and rude comments, but like Socrates—asking questions. Perhaps by asking questions, we may find unexpected answers. God does answer prayer in supernatural forms.

I’ve seen it.

But sometimes in our everyday American life, we forget that the world does not depend upon us or what we do. God is in control. I know this, but reminders come to me in every form. Those God moments where He not so gently reminds us we are not the Messiah. Case in point, my friend risked rejection, embarrassment, and told a stranger that God loved her. The stranger needed to hear it and burst into tears after a long silence. God used my friend to reach someone who isn’t a local and showed that He is indeed very present in our lives. The change we seek is in ourselves and even when God uses us to help someone else, change always happens inside of us in that moment. Perhaps it’s not the church that needs to change, but me and you?

I want to be used by God even if that means discipline or self-denial. I can’t wait to read the rest of this book.

What do you think about my thoughts?