Walking Free Now

Book Review: The Ragamuffin Gospel

Feb 262011

The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning is truly a contemporary Christian classic. This book has truly changed thousands of lives, and affected thousands more thereby, including my own. Brennan asks us to take a long and hard look at the grace of God, and then helps us to apply it to our daily lives, through honesty. The simple truth of this book is that the lives that we are living, are not really about us at all. Our lives are meant to be a reflection, and expression, of the story of God. And we do this best when we are honest about who we are, and are grateful for what God has done, and is doing, for us in spite of ourselves.

Mr. Manning challenges much of the hypocrisy and high-mindedness of many in the Christian world. We all continue to stuggle with besetting sins throughout our lives, and yet we dare not speak of these things. And we look down with contempt upon those who do. The grace of the gospel and my reliance on Christ’s forgiveness is what enables us to go through this life with our struggles. Christ has done the work. My part is to just be honest about that.

It is very refreshing to read that God is ok with my acknowledging what he is already aware of: I am a sinner. I am broken. I stumble. And yet God still loves me.

The conflict with this book and this life-style is that it can give some a license to sin. One can decide that since I am a sinner and God still loves me, I may as well stop trying so hard to defeat sin and just accept it, almost welcome it, so that grace may be even more boutiful in my life. This is not what the bible teaches, nor is it what Mr. Manning encourages us to do.

The power in this book comes fromth my acknowledging the reality of my sin and accepting the reality of God’s love and acceptance of me. I am a sinner. God loves me furiously. Both are true. Together. Now. As I am.

This is a wonderfully written book that will challenge your thinking and lighten your load. For those who are struggling to believe that God loves them because of the guilt that you feel over sins in your life, this book is especially powerful.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Book Review : Sun Stand Still

Christian Life, Faith 2,532 Responses »

Feb 112011

I just finished reading Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick. Steven is the pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. I must say, this is a great book filled with solid truth that challenges our faith and the prayer life that it drives. The premise of the book is quite simple: Joshua, in chapter 10 of the Old Testement book named for him, takes God at word, and asks Him to do the impossible to fulfill the plans that He has given to Joshua. God does. He stops the sun from moving, or the earth from spinning, either way, for a full 24 hours. This allows Joshua and his army time to overtake the Amorites and destroy them.

The challenge of this book is that Steven believes that this event is not a one-time supernatural happening, but rather, it is God’s desire for all of us to have this same bold faith and to pray for God to accomplish the miraculous in our own lives and fulfill the desires that he has placed in our lives.

This book is very challenging to the strength of your faith. God does not desire for us to be content with the faith that we were given, but to exercise it and grow it to its full potential. It also requires you to take a very serious look at the quality and depth of your own prayers to assure that your actions and requests are lining up with the faith that God has already given you.

I really appreciated the practical applications of this book. Mr. Furtick does not try to give you a series of steps to go from little faith to maximum faith. Nor does he attempt to drive you towards a particular goal for your own life. Rather, he lays out a series of easily understood principles and practices to gradually move you toward the goals that God has given you.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who feels that their faith in God’s ability to perform the supernatural in average, everyday lives, is weak. Regarding sexual brokenness and recovery, reading material such as this will give you the confidence to trust God with the impossible task of of your recovery and on-going sobriety.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

How Big Is Your God?

Christian Life, Faith 2,307 Responses »

Feb 072011

We all have obstacles in our lives. Sometimes it’s what Paul referred to as besetting sins. They are the things that we just seem to struggle with, over and over, and never seem to overcome. For many men, it is issues with lust, pornography, and adultery. For others is might be pride, anger, or some other emotional response to the situations is life that are seemingly beyond control.

Sometimes, its just the circumstances themselves. It seems that nothing ever goes our way. We look around at others who are less devoted, less intelligent, just plain LESS, and they seem to catch all the breaks. We feel like we can never get ahead.

We really do try to overcome these issues in life. We develop a plan. We work harder. We war against ourselves and our circumstances. But to no avail. We might even get to a point that we pray about it, as a last resort, of course. We beg and plead for God to just take it away. We don’t want any adversity in life. We just want to get along. We want everything to be nice and easy.

But why are those issues there in the first place? Why are we bent towards some sins? Why don’t things seem to go our way?

Ultimately, its the size of our God that determines the size of our problems. Now I don’t think that we will ever be without problems in this life. We will always be tempted to sin. We will sometimes give in to it. We will always face hardships and trials. BUT, if we have have a big view of God’s Power, then the small problems that we face every day will no longer be a concern to us.

If I know that God is much bigger than my addicti0n, then when I am tempted to sin, I have no problem relying of the fact that God will not only make an escape for me, but will enable me to access it and avoid the sin.

If I know that God is much bigger than my financial crisis, then I trust in his ability to provide for me my daily bread and the financial crisis is no longer a crisis.

As long as I think that my problem is bigger than God’s ability to act, it will always be a problem in my life.

We used to sing a song in church:

Bigger than all of my problems. Bigger than all of my fears. God is bigger than any mountain that I can or cannot see. Bigger than all of my questions. Bigger than anything. God is bigger than any mountain that I can or cannot see.

God is bigger, and he wants a chance to prove it to you. In your life. With your problems. With His power.

The Sacred Journey by: Charles Foster

Christian Life 2,288 Responses »

Jan 262011

There are some things is life that are so important, so necessary, that we leave everything else behind and follow hard after this one thing. Perhaps because we feel that it will unlock something within us, release us, change us, challenge us. We may not even know what it is that we are seeking, but we know that we have to seek it. We engage in a quest, a pilgrimage, to have it.

Such is the topic of The Sacred Journey by Charles Foster. He writes with great passion and wit, to encourage the reader to consider the purpose and benefits of the christian pilgrimage. To be honest, when I first began reading this book, I expected that most of the commentary would be directed towards the metaphorical pilgrimage, as opposed the literal. I suppose that as an American christian, I really had never considered a spiritual pilgrimage to be within reach. And while I am not in a place in my life to really consider making a pilgrimage a reality, the lessons from the author’s journeys are very similar to lessons learned while camping in the southeastern United States and communing with the Father. Although written about a journey that I will perhaps never take, the material is invaluable.

Mr. Foster suggests that the journey of the pilgrimage is the real lesson; not the destination as you might suppose. The time that is spent in community with other pilgrim’s, living off the land and relying on the generosity of others, the constant attention and devotion to the Father and the world that he has given us, that is where we find the things that we seek.

Even if you are unable to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, or Rome, or some other historically important religious locale, the time spent reading this book will be of great benefit when considering the daily path that you are on. The lessons of the road are very applicable to everyday life. They will give you a starting point in considering where you are at in your own path. This is a very enjoyable read that I would recommend to others.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Be-Attitudes and Appetites

Christian Life No Responses »

Jan 112011

In Matthew 5-7, Jesus gives us one of the most beautiful and life-changing messages of all time: The Sermon on the Mount. He begins this message with the Beatitudes, short statements that describe the life of those who respond to Jesus’ message and develop a right relationship with God.

The first three of these deal very directly with brokenness and repentance, something that many of us who have struggled with sexual addictions can relate to. Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, and the meek. When God’s light shines in our lives so brightly that we can no longer c0ntinue in our sin, we repent and these words become true:

We become poor in spirit: we realize our bankruptcy without Christ as the head.

We mourn: Over failures, sins, broken trusts and relationships.

We are meek: recognizing our failures, we humble ourselves before our God and our relationships and no longer put our agenda at the forefront.

But what of the other beatitudes? It seems that the purpose and direction shifts from repentance to action. This is where so many fail to kill their sin. They become broken from their past, but they never rebuild. Lets look at the remaining blessings and compare them to our own lives:

Blessed are those who hunger an thirst for righteousness.

Blessed are the merciful.

Blessed are the pure in heart.

Blessed are the peacemakers.

Blesse are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake.

Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you on my account.

It is simply not enough to repent. We must pursue God with our whole hearts. Our appetites must change from the things of this world to the things of God. Righteousness, Mercy, Purity, Peace. And we must take action on these. The goal is not simply to stop sinning, but rather to pursue God and bring Him glory in all that we are and do. We can’t accomplish this by simply saying “sorry”, but rather by believing that Christ has destroyed and forgotten our former life and by beginning to live a life based on His Grace, His Mercy, and His Strength.

So what are you doing today to increase you appetite for God and grow in holiness beyond your repentance? A simple 3 part plan:

1. Read God’s Word EVERY DAY and pray it back to Him.

2. Believe what you read and accept it as the final word, God’s Truth.

3. Take action on the things that God shows you, whatever it is.

Charles Stanley once taught, if you want to begin living a life of obedience to God, then whatever the next thing is that he tells you to do, Do It! It really is that simple. As we turn our appetite towards him, we find him to be completely satisfying.

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. James 4:8

Be blessed!

Hunger

Faith 2,760 Responses »

Jan 012011

About 5 years ago, I went on a three day total fast. From Saturday day night until Wednesday morning, I ate nothing and drank only water. I was at a place in my life where I was about to make a big decision and wanted to make sure that I was making the right one.
As you can imagine, by the time Wednesday morning rolled around, I was famished. I was so physically weak that I was shaking. I truly felt that it I did not eat something soon, I would die. The point to all of this, is that I was hungry. Very hungry. Jesus makes a very interesting statement about hunger in John 6:35. He says that he is the bread of life and that anyone who comes to him shall not hunger and anyone who believes in him shall never thirst. This confused those around him. They believed that he was speaking literally. We know today that he was speaking regarding our spirituality.

I struggled with a compulsion to view pornography for almost 20 years. It took a long time for me to realize that my hunger for porn was not due to a physical need that I had for it, but rather due to relational issues and spiritual needs that I was attempting to mask. My hunger was real, but I was feeding it the wrong food. Enter Jesus. He claims that if I come to him, and bring my hunger and thirst, then I will never hunger or thirst again. Did you hear that? If I come to him, I will never hunger or thirst again? Then why are so many believers with access to the cornucopia that Christ offers, starving, and searching aimlessly for some food to meet the needs and cravings that overwhelm them?

I believe that the answer is a lack of knowledge of the truth, and a lack of application of the truth that we know. Christ commands us: If you do what I say, then you are truly my disciples. AND THEN you will know the truth and the truth will make you free. Obey. Know. Believe. BE FREE. Its Gods plan for freedom in our lives. Whatever truth we know today: stop doing this, start doing that, cutoff this relationship, cleave to that one. WHATEVER IT IS…DO IT. Obey! Take God at his word and just do what he says. God will see our obedience in a little, and increase it.

Maybe he hasn’t trusted you with more you have been faithless and disobedient with what you already have. This year, commit to hearing and doing what you hear. Stop the cycle of disobedience in your life! God is waiting. He has SO MUCH MORE for you. Let him be your Bread of Life.

He is the ONLY thing that will ever satisfy!

The Birth of Jesus: The Beginning of Peace

General No Responses »

Dec 252010

John 1:14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

I am stoked that my wife gave me the ESV Study Bible for Christmas this year. I have been wanting it for a while and couldn’t wait until Christmas morning to open it…we are still kids at heart! Sitting down with my coffee this morning, I opened it up to John and began reading. While John 1 isn’t exactly the nativity story, but when I read verse 14, I had to step back.

I am not a theologian or philosopher. I have forgotten most of what I have ever known and didn’t fully understand the rest, but this verse…it changed everything. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. It is as if God said “I love you so much, I am going to step into your world and build a bridge; a bridge to me”. People who were hopeless, were now hopeful. Light was breaking into the darkness and forever destroying it.

Now I realize that it was at the cross where this was ”finished”, but it was here, in a cave in Bethlehem, where it all began to change. And now, almost 2000 years later, I am able to overcome the sin in my life because God overcame the chasm that man had placed between us and God. He changed everything, by becoming us, so that through his sacrifice, we could become like him.

Hosanna! Glory to God in the Highest! And on Earth, Peace…Peace…Peace. Let that word settle over you now. Peace. Not peace like the world gives, but complete, full, overwhelming God-Peace.

What I Am Thankful For

General 2,264 Responses »

Nov 252010

No matter how BIG I think God is, He is BIGGER.
No matter how Merciful I think God is, He is more MERCIFUL.
No matter how much I think that He loves me, He LOVES ME MORE.

We spend so much time coming to grips with the fact that we are more than we give ourselves credit for being. I am not unloved. I am not unknown. People do want and value me. So much of recovery is rediscovering the truth of who we really are.

Today I am thankful that God is More, because this reality is what allows me to be and become more than I could have ever dreamed!

Happy Thanksgiving!

How Long Is This Gonna Take?

Sexual Brokenness No Responses »

Nov 052010

A complaint that I have with most Christian recovery programs is that they seem to place the addict in a state of perpetual recovery. It seems that with many of them, the goal is simply for you to attend weekly meetings for accountability and they will teach you how to respond and manage your addiction well.

The problem that I have is that I can’t find any instances in the bible where Jesus followed this pattern when he restored a life. I love John 5:9. Jesus asks the man if he wants to be healed, and he heals him. “At once the man was cured”. At once. Ta-da. I don’t mean to make light of recovery. I do realize that for some it takes incredible strength, courage, and faith to overcome addictions. My concern is that we make the “group”, “accountability”, “the recovery process” our new idol and we worship at its altar. Only when we worship Christ as he requires and deeply believe his Word and apply it to our life, can we be truly free. Everything else is just playing games, really just replacing one idol with another.

In Galatians, Paul tells us the Christ set us free so we would be free! And that we should gaurd ourselves that we don’t become enslaved again. I desire to have every ounce of freedom that God has for me and I would rather fall on my face trying to be free, than accept the fate that awaits me by limiting God’s ability by my own belief.

Be Free!

It’s Obvious (Isn’t It?)

General 2,669 Responses »

Oct 132010

I was watching my new guilty pleasure, Hoarders, the other night. It’s a show that focuses on two individuals who have spent their lives squirreling away stuff in their homes, never throwing away anything. They get to the point that their homes are wrecked and family members are threatening legal issues if they don’t throw this stuff away, and we watch with horror and mild amusement as they are watching this stuff get tossed out.

Like I said, guilty pleasure, but I digress….

The other night, a man is sitting in a wheelchair, with an oxygen tank on his back, and all of this junk piled around him. The psychologist walks in and says “I see you are on oxygen. What’s that for?”. The man looks at her, eyes wide open, shoulders back and says “So I can breathe!” I almost fell in the floor laughing. The obvious reponse to her question.

Now I realize that the good doctor had another thought in mind, but it got me thinking. Misunderstandings cause huge problems in relationships. We say one thing, but our spouse hears something completely different. It is a common problem that leads to all sorts of issues in marriages and families.

But what about when its God who is speaking and us who are listening. How much more does the problem get magnified when its the creator of the universe speaking through his word and we are not understanding what he is saying? Fortunately, He gets us. “He remembers we are dust” the psalmist tells us. He expects us, rather knows, we are going to make mistakes.

Unfortunately, we don’t just “get” him. Many of us live our lives in complete frustration and confusion simply because we misunderstood what he was saying, or who he is, or who we are in relation to him. The greatest thing that we can ever do to aid our recovery from sexual addiction is to read God’s word and let the truth of who he is and what he says wash over us and change our faulty thinking.

Let God be true and every man a liar….beginning with me, and you.

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