You have probably heard by now the Scripture that speaks over us, we are God's masterpiece, a treasured work of art. This weekend I read, in my new favorite book, "Love Does" by Bob Goff, a whole other level of this analogy, and it was just too amazing not to share. Here is my (teensy bit paraphrased) summary.
Bob fell in love with a painting in a gallery he walked by frequently. It really spoke to him about God and his own picture of his life with his family, he really loved it, but it was 4 times the value of any of his last 4 vehicles. So he saved up for a whole year to purchase this beloved painting. As he finally made his purchase, the curator handed him two paintings, and they looked identical!
"What do I need two paintings for?"
"Well, ze one on the left is ze real one. It's museum qualeetay. It's very expensive, almost priceless. You don't want to hang ze original where it might get damaged, so you put ze original in a vault. Zis other one, however is ze fake one and iz ze one you put up on the wall for everyone to see."
Well, which of the two paintings do you think he put up on the wall. Bob understood why the guy at the gallery wanted him to hang the fake one and hide the real one, damage to the real one would be a huge loss, it was as Bob put it, 'not long for this earth, rare, one of a kind, irreplaceable.' But that's exactly why he wanted the original on his wall.
So he hung it up, perfectly framed by two windows where he the sun comes up over the waters in colours to beautiful to be real. Fitting. Then one morning as he sat in his favorite spot that overlooked the two windows and the original painting he looked up and his jaw dropped. The night before there was some typical family chaos going on, no one recalls doing the damage, but the painting in fact took a hit. That was awhile ago now, and every morning he still does his usual routine, sits in his favorite chair, and looks at his favorite piece of art, still taken by its beauty. He doesn't even notice that it's damaged anymore, he's not mad or disappointed about it. The reason is simple: it reminds him fondly of his kids. He sees his kids engaged in life, he sees all the mischief, the whimsy, and the spontaneous combustion that is their hallmark. Truth be known, he likes the original painting even more now.
There are times in life when we've gotten into mischief, taken chances, taken some big risks. In the process, sometimes we've let people down or it didn't go well. We've taken some damage. But after that painting got hit, Bob realized, God doesn't think any less of us when things don't go right. Actually, it's more likely He plans on it. What God doesn't plan on is us putting a fake version of ourselves out there to take the hit. God is the master artist and made an original version of us, a priceless one that cost everything to create. A version that can't and won't be created again.
God asks us to hang that version of ourselves for everyone to see. Despite our inherent beauty, each of us is tempted to hide the original so we won't get damaged. It's obvious to see why. But the fake version of us is not worthless, it's just worth less. Because it's a copy, a version we don't care about as much, it's like a stunt double standing in for us, yet we're telling the world this is the best we've got, the best we'll risk.
But our value, as the masterpiece, is not because of the beauty of canvas, we have infinite value because of who created us, God, the master artist. The best we can muster on our own is a fake. God asks us to leave the cheap imitations in the closet. That doesn't mean he's saying that when you hang the real one out there - the priceless one - that things will go great. It's pretty clear from watching Jesus' followers that when you risk the real you, you'll probably take a hit. God did when He hung Jesus out there. But the thing is, when we take hits, and we will, God isn't going to think less of us. He's still going to go to His favorite spot to look upon His original masterpiece, and He loves us, damage and all.
Showing posts with label Reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reading. Show all posts
Monday, August 10, 2015
Sunday, July 5, 2015
The Fellowship of the Burning Heart
God IS love.
Let’s break that down first.
I’m going to start with defining the kind of love God
is. Some people may think only Agape
love (unconditional, charitable, selfless, committed) applies to God’s brand of
love, but remember, God doesn’t merely HAVE love, He IS love, so He encompasses
all types of love, Philia (brotherly or friendship affection), and Eros
(intimate or romantic) as well. The best way to describe that kind of love is
like a burning love. When fire is unleashed it does not hold anything back, it
is all-consuming and fiery, it is intense, it is unwavering, and it is bold.
That kind of burning love is wholehearted, it is powerful, passionate, perpetual,
and profound. When consumed with burning love, there is no part of being that
goes untouched, it is the essence of heart, mind, body and soul.
Love doesn’t just consume God’s heart, it IS the heart of
God, the core or essence of God. God’s entire being is burning love. And if God
IS love, then love IS also God! All that defines burning love can be applied to
God, but also, authentic love also has the qualities of God; it is eternal, it
is unceasing, it is infinite, and it is perfect. Another way we can see God and
love are indivisible is through the Trinity. As the old saying goes, love isn’t
love until you give it away. Love demands expression. Which is why God is one
essence, or nature, expressed in three persons, where this burning love can be,
and is, shared within the Trinity.
This is the beginning of the Fellowship of the Burning
Heart. But God didn’t stop there, the
joy of this burning love shared in the Trinity compelled the triune God to
create beings who could also share their love, who could share the experience
of the resulting joy. The expression of love doesn’t demand sharing on a small
scale, it requires to be shared AND multiplied.
For God so loved that He created the world.
He loved us before we even knew Him. He loves
us with the burning love He has for the Trinity (John 17:23). He loved us
first, offering us a perfect love to respond to. And when that wasn’t enough...
God so loved the world that He sacrificed His only Son.
The Son He loves intensely, with burning love. Because He loves us intensely, with burning love. All this so that we
could participate freely in the Fellowship of the Burning Heart. What we call salvation is really an invitation to participate in the Fellowship. God is searching for those who desire to participate.
Participate.
Because God did not create humans to be passive
recipients of love, but to be part of a fellowship where the love we have for
each other consumes us.
Because God doesn’t ask for anything that He hasn’t
already given wholeheartedly.
There are so many ways we are privileged to participate in the Fellowship of the Burning Heart!
Delighting in beauty.
Passion for our purpose.
Prayer.
Loving others.
Loving yourself.
Loving God.
Imagine my surprise when I picked up this book (Growing in
Prayer, Mike Bickles) and started reading this amazing perspective
on relationship with God, only to find, I had already branded myself as part of
the Fellowship 20 months ago! Yet another layer of meaning God has given me for this tattoo!
Awhile ago I was journalling and asked God more about my purpose, He told me I was His walking billboard, advertising His love, beauty, grace, and joy through my testimony. At the time, it didn't occur to me that He also may have meant this literally, but it makes sense because I have always seen my tattoos as a part of my testimony, etching in significant lessons God has taught me so I never forget but also as a conversation starter.
So here I am, a walking billboard for the Fellowship of the Burning Heart!
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Reading Rainbow
I'm calling this semi-annual post topic "Reading Rainbow" because after I came across this picture, I'm smitten with having a reading nook/happy place that looks like this!
So, I've finally finished a few books lately that I wanted to note here, my reading at bedtime has really put a dent in my book pile although it's still growing :)
So, I've finally finished a few books lately that I wanted to note here, my reading at bedtime has really put a dent in my book pile although it's still growing :)
Loved just
as much as the Case For Christ. Deals
with what people here about Christianity today, everyone has their own skewed
version, trying to make Christianity what they want it to be. Like The Divinci
Code, giving credence to illegitimate gospels, which this book looks at
objectively. Experts weighing in on credibility of historical texts was enlightening, but also re-verified for me the validity of the Bible and the process it went through to become. Very interesting!
Sean read
this one first, it was his pick from the stack of books we bought at last
year’s WCL Summit. He couldn’t stop
himself from sharing with me things he was learning every chapter so I put
aside my stack of books to read this next. WOW!
Such amazing insights! It has
shown me how to get to the ‘me I want to be’, how I’m wired to connect with
God, and how much I am already doing that is yielding results that I didn’t
know before. Spoke on great topics like;
our purpose, restoration, worrying, difficult people, and so much more.
I have found myself working more on the best version of myself rather than working on my spiritual maturity. As the book says (paraphrased), “don’t work at trying to grow, just let the Spirit flow”. Tapping into the Holy Spirit and letting the Spirit move me is the way I’ll become my best self. I found myself weekly sharing insights from this book with my small group and even borrowed some sections when I was a speaker one Friday night at Recovery. I want to read this again to make notes, but it is also a small group study which Sean and I are determined to bring to Riverwood :)
I have found myself working more on the best version of myself rather than working on my spiritual maturity. As the book says (paraphrased), “don’t work at trying to grow, just let the Spirit flow”. Tapping into the Holy Spirit and letting the Spirit move me is the way I’ll become my best self. I found myself weekly sharing insights from this book with my small group and even borrowed some sections when I was a speaker one Friday night at Recovery. I want to read this again to make notes, but it is also a small group study which Sean and I are determined to bring to Riverwood :)
This was an
excellent book to read after The Me I Want To Be, in fact, TMIWTB’s last points
talked about Caleb & Joshua, and that’s where Sun Stand Still picked
up! It’s really been challenging me that
the best version of me has even more powerful potential than I have ever
thought. I’ve had audacious faith in God
for the last few years but this book is helping me have audacious faith in
God’s plan for me as well!
The author
says if our idea of what God has planned for us isn’t intimidating to us it’s
probably insulting to God! Wow! He is great at demonstrating God’s desire to
accomplish in our weakness/imperfections something awesome that can only give
Him glory. He uses a lot of Biblical stories to illustrate his points, several
real life examples from him and his church, and he has many awesome
analogies. One in particular that stood
out, and that I loved, is the image of the wave jumper. http://www.stevenfurtick.com/personal/wave-jumper/.
New books on
the go:
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Heal ~ Change ~ Grow - Part Two
Well it's been quite awhile, but the second part of this book 'Changes That Heal' was much harder to summarize, it's messages so important I wanted to write down everything! But that's not really a 'Cole's notes' simple summary then is it :) If you can't read the book at least you have this summary of critical truths that may start a path to some answers for you.
As I mentioned in the last post, there is a third ingredient needed for us to grow, in addition to Grace & Truth, and that is Time.
"There is a season for everything under the sun."
Time
God's time - rarely does he snap his fingers and change us once we 'get it', there is still a lot to be learned by making us work at it as well.
Our time - old habits die hard, even once we get it, integrating what we know with what we do takes time. Even Paul said, I know what I should do yet I keep doing what I know I shouldn't do.
Relational time - we may need the time to learn things in relationships we were never taught in our formative years, or we may need to unlearn things we shouldn't have learned as children when it comes to relationships.
There are 3 foundational truths we need to learn through childhood/adolescence that are critical to having healthy relationships as an adult:
Bonding with others - we need to have others to relate to at the deepest, emotional, level. God created us to hunger for relationships, with him and others. It's a Biblical and natural principle, nothing grows apart from another source of strength and nutrition, nothing grows completely self-sustaining. The most foundationally important bond is with our parents, most security instincts develop from the confidence/trust in these 2 relationships, not to mention psychological development. It also lays the foundation for how we proceed to bond with others, how we relate to God and how we relate to ourselves. If you can't bond properly with people (issues with trust, fear, anxiety, isolation in relationships) begin by trying to examine your formative relationships.
Separating from others - we need healthy boundaries so we realize our independence from others. Boundaries help us define who we are and who we are not, what we are responsible for and what we are not, what we own and what we don't own. Without these boundaries we can find ourselves trying to control others or letting ourselves be controlled by others. Boundaries are our emotional 'skin', our skin knows how to protect us by keeping unhealthy things out but letting nourishing things in. When our skin is severely wounded it can't protect us as well and needs to be repaired to be functional again. Same with our boundaries, if we are letting ourselves be wounded or not letting in nourishment, we need to fix our boundary problems to stay healthy. If you can't separate yourself from people (issues with co-dependence, control, anxiety, self-worth) begin by trying to discover what healthy boundaries are.
Becoming an adult - the process of moving into authority over your own life.
It is hard to take that authority and own your life if you have a distorted view of yourself and others.
Part of becoming an adult is realizing that not only within others, but within ourselves, is both a good and bad nature, and we have to understand and accept that to get a realistic view of ourselves, others, and our relationships. We need to see the good and bad truthfully in order to get a balanced view, we can not summarize a person, even ourselves, as wholly good or wholly bad. When we are intolerant of 'bad' we blame and withdraw from others, when we are intolerant of 'good' we are self-destructive. Learning to balance the good nature vs. bad nature in others and ourselves is developed in childhood, but over time. As we are exposed to 'good' parents who make 'bad' mistakes and we progress in reconciling they can exist as both. If you didn't learn this as a child you can be stuck in the 'child-like' thinking of 'all-good' or 'all-bad'.
Another way you can tell if you haven't moved fully into an adult role is you will either a) still have the 'one down' mentality where you feel under the authority of other adults (inferior, need permission/approval, powerless, etc.), or b) develop a 'one up' mentality where you are focused on being 'higher' than others (parenting, judgemental, superiority, power hungry, etc.). When we become adults we become equals with other adults, age is not a factor, we all have one higher authority, God. We no longer need parenting, God is our only Father. No adult (who is now your peer, brother/sister, contemporary) is above you (or below you), God's is the only approval we should seek. This isn't license to disrespect authorities God has placed in your life, but respect doesn't take away your freedom to choose.
If you feel like you don't have authority over your life, begin by maturing your freedom to think, decide, and act for yourself.
I want to reiterate again that these points are very summarized, so if you feel like you can relate but need more information to flesh this out, I encourage you to read the book - a lot of what I haven't said here is examples to show you what it looks like in real lives. Or I can relate more specific information to you over coffee : ) But I highly recommend evaluating the health of your relationships in respect to these points.
It definitely takes time, with equal portions of grace and truth, to grow healthy relationships with yourself and other, but the fruit is worth it. Just remember there is a season for everything under the sun. Even in relationships, there is.....
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
As I mentioned in the last post, there is a third ingredient needed for us to grow, in addition to Grace & Truth, and that is Time.
"There is a season for everything under the sun."
Time
God's time - rarely does he snap his fingers and change us once we 'get it', there is still a lot to be learned by making us work at it as well.
Our time - old habits die hard, even once we get it, integrating what we know with what we do takes time. Even Paul said, I know what I should do yet I keep doing what I know I shouldn't do.
Relational time - we may need the time to learn things in relationships we were never taught in our formative years, or we may need to unlearn things we shouldn't have learned as children when it comes to relationships.
There are 3 foundational truths we need to learn through childhood/adolescence that are critical to having healthy relationships as an adult:
Bonding with others - we need to have others to relate to at the deepest, emotional, level. God created us to hunger for relationships, with him and others. It's a Biblical and natural principle, nothing grows apart from another source of strength and nutrition, nothing grows completely self-sustaining. The most foundationally important bond is with our parents, most security instincts develop from the confidence/trust in these 2 relationships, not to mention psychological development. It also lays the foundation for how we proceed to bond with others, how we relate to God and how we relate to ourselves. If you can't bond properly with people (issues with trust, fear, anxiety, isolation in relationships) begin by trying to examine your formative relationships.
Separating from others - we need healthy boundaries so we realize our independence from others. Boundaries help us define who we are and who we are not, what we are responsible for and what we are not, what we own and what we don't own. Without these boundaries we can find ourselves trying to control others or letting ourselves be controlled by others. Boundaries are our emotional 'skin', our skin knows how to protect us by keeping unhealthy things out but letting nourishing things in. When our skin is severely wounded it can't protect us as well and needs to be repaired to be functional again. Same with our boundaries, if we are letting ourselves be wounded or not letting in nourishment, we need to fix our boundary problems to stay healthy. If you can't separate yourself from people (issues with co-dependence, control, anxiety, self-worth) begin by trying to discover what healthy boundaries are.
Becoming an adult - the process of moving into authority over your own life.
It is hard to take that authority and own your life if you have a distorted view of yourself and others.
Part of becoming an adult is realizing that not only within others, but within ourselves, is both a good and bad nature, and we have to understand and accept that to get a realistic view of ourselves, others, and our relationships. We need to see the good and bad truthfully in order to get a balanced view, we can not summarize a person, even ourselves, as wholly good or wholly bad. When we are intolerant of 'bad' we blame and withdraw from others, when we are intolerant of 'good' we are self-destructive. Learning to balance the good nature vs. bad nature in others and ourselves is developed in childhood, but over time. As we are exposed to 'good' parents who make 'bad' mistakes and we progress in reconciling they can exist as both. If you didn't learn this as a child you can be stuck in the 'child-like' thinking of 'all-good' or 'all-bad'.
Another way you can tell if you haven't moved fully into an adult role is you will either a) still have the 'one down' mentality where you feel under the authority of other adults (inferior, need permission/approval, powerless, etc.), or b) develop a 'one up' mentality where you are focused on being 'higher' than others (parenting, judgemental, superiority, power hungry, etc.). When we become adults we become equals with other adults, age is not a factor, we all have one higher authority, God. We no longer need parenting, God is our only Father. No adult (who is now your peer, brother/sister, contemporary) is above you (or below you), God's is the only approval we should seek. This isn't license to disrespect authorities God has placed in your life, but respect doesn't take away your freedom to choose.
If you feel like you don't have authority over your life, begin by maturing your freedom to think, decide, and act for yourself.
I want to reiterate again that these points are very summarized, so if you feel like you can relate but need more information to flesh this out, I encourage you to read the book - a lot of what I haven't said here is examples to show you what it looks like in real lives. Or I can relate more specific information to you over coffee : ) But I highly recommend evaluating the health of your relationships in respect to these points.
It definitely takes time, with equal portions of grace and truth, to grow healthy relationships with yourself and other, but the fruit is worth it. Just remember there is a season for everything under the sun. Even in relationships, there is.....
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Heal ~ Change ~ Grow - Part One
I've briefly mentioned the book Changes That Heal in my blogs over the last year, and I just can't get over how differently I relate to people now, how I've been able to let go of so much of my anxiousness, my attempt at control over situations, the world, and people. And as I see through healed eyes I now see so much more clearly the pain of those around me. There is no doubt this book has changed my life!
I've recommended these books to so many people, but there are a few close people who don't have time or inclination to read books like these so I've been spending some of my time trying to summarize the most key principles and blog about them so that some of them, or even just one of them, may be able to start applying these healing principles to their own life.
First of all, here are some key indicators, if they are consistent or prolonged, that something in your life needs healing, that something you are struggling with is out of control that you alone cannot change:
~Feelings of guilt ~Broken Relationships
~Anger/Resentment ~Eating/Substance Issues
~Sadness ~Judgementalness/Highly Intolerant
~Aimlessness/Emptiness ~Excessive Care-giving
~Panic/Anxiety ~Feeling Obligated
~Indirect Resistance ~Blaming
These are just a few of the indicators, the ones I've felt personally.
So, to start I'll summarize by saying that just about every issue we have boils down to relationships; our relationship with God, with ourselves, and with others. Not being in a healthy relationship with any of those will result in some brokenness. But what does it take to make those relationships right?
There are 2 integral ingredients, both for personal health~change~growth, and consequently healthy relationships:
Truth
God's truth - it is truth that God created the world with order and structure, laws of nature and moral law. God knew that even his original design, flawless as it was, needed guidance, needed one point of obedience, Adam & Eve had one law, not to eat the fruit of the tree of good and evil. He's given us his written truth, he became living, breathing truth, and he gave us a universe full of the truths he created.
Our truth - there is reality and then there is our reality. When we live outside of healthy relationship with God and others we can create our own reality, our own truth, because we have no 3 dimensional perspective. Only by opening ourselves to being completely honest about everything; who we are, what we've been through, what we've done, etc., can we begin to see the world as it really is and then act on that reality, instead of making choices based on the reality we created, and live alone in. Disowning our truth, our feelings (good or bad), is to ignore our responsibility for them, we can't act on what we deny, and that is one of the most destructive things we can do to ourselves and others.
Relational truth - we were created to be relational. God is a relational being, three in one, and we were created in his image...we have a built in need to have relationships because we are just 'one in one'. And deep relationships, with truth and accountability are the kind of relationships we crave, because accountability will keep us from drifting back into hiding and hypotheticals, they will remind you of the truth you desire but forget. Only in complete relational truth will vulnerability and humility flourish.
Grace
God's grace - we are safe from condemnation with God's grace. He doesn't want us to feel condemned or judged, he has something to teach us but he wants to teach us in love, to give us freedom, and to give us healthy relationships, and he gives us mercy in abundance when we mess up.
In John 8:2-11, Jesus tells the adulterous woman, "Neither do I condemn you (grace). Go now and leave your life of sin (truth)."
And God knows that he who is forgiven much loves much. Luke 7:40-43, "Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them do you suppose will love him more?"
Our grace - if anyone's theology will not allow them to help someone who is hurting then their theology is not big enough to hold the love of God. Some Christians label all problems as sinful, but being sinful isn't actions or results, it is a state of being we are all in constantly. Labelling other people as sinful is trying to create a community of 'only perfect people allowed', we all know that no one is perfect or ever will be, pretending otherwise is denial. So realizing this we need to give everyone the grace we hope people will give us. Only being a grace-full person will make you a 'safe' person for other people to trust, and without trust their can be no real intimacy.
Micah 6:8, "And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."
Relational grace - we hide within ourselves not only because of truth but we hide because we've have emotional baggage we haven't experienced grace in. We either have been injured by others or we have injured others ourselves, and both of those cause guilt/shame. But there is grace in admitting that pain, exposing it to the light of day. Humility became a virtue because of the founder of Christianity - Jesus, but now it can be hard to find a Christian community that welcomes a spirit of humility that includes openness about struggles with painful issues. But remember, 'blessed are the poor in spirit', those who can admit they don't have it 'all together spiritually' will find grace in relationships, because other people are drawn to vulnerability and humility. People are drawn to the truly humble because in their presence they feel grace for their own pain is possible and they feel like they are with someone who is honest and trustworthy.
The combination
Grace (safe from condemnation) + Truth (reality, true intimacy) = acceptance of your true self (good and bad) -> leads to healthy relationships with yourself, others, and God. And when you are in healthy relationships it is much easier to grow and change in the areas of your life you know you need to, because you are surrounded by grace-full and honest support.
There is a third ingredient but, I'll save that for another post....this was quite enough to chew on :)
I've recommended these books to so many people, but there are a few close people who don't have time or inclination to read books like these so I've been spending some of my time trying to summarize the most key principles and blog about them so that some of them, or even just one of them, may be able to start applying these healing principles to their own life.
First of all, here are some key indicators, if they are consistent or prolonged, that something in your life needs healing, that something you are struggling with is out of control that you alone cannot change:
~Feelings of guilt ~Broken Relationships
~Anger/Resentment ~Eating/Substance Issues
~Sadness ~Judgementalness/Highly Intolerant
~Aimlessness/Emptiness ~Excessive Care-giving
~Panic/Anxiety ~Feeling Obligated
~Indirect Resistance ~Blaming
These are just a few of the indicators, the ones I've felt personally.
So, to start I'll summarize by saying that just about every issue we have boils down to relationships; our relationship with God, with ourselves, and with others. Not being in a healthy relationship with any of those will result in some brokenness. But what does it take to make those relationships right?
There are 2 integral ingredients, both for personal health~change~growth, and consequently healthy relationships:
Truth
God's truth - it is truth that God created the world with order and structure, laws of nature and moral law. God knew that even his original design, flawless as it was, needed guidance, needed one point of obedience, Adam & Eve had one law, not to eat the fruit of the tree of good and evil. He's given us his written truth, he became living, breathing truth, and he gave us a universe full of the truths he created.
Our truth - there is reality and then there is our reality. When we live outside of healthy relationship with God and others we can create our own reality, our own truth, because we have no 3 dimensional perspective. Only by opening ourselves to being completely honest about everything; who we are, what we've been through, what we've done, etc., can we begin to see the world as it really is and then act on that reality, instead of making choices based on the reality we created, and live alone in. Disowning our truth, our feelings (good or bad), is to ignore our responsibility for them, we can't act on what we deny, and that is one of the most destructive things we can do to ourselves and others.
Relational truth - we were created to be relational. God is a relational being, three in one, and we were created in his image...we have a built in need to have relationships because we are just 'one in one'. And deep relationships, with truth and accountability are the kind of relationships we crave, because accountability will keep us from drifting back into hiding and hypotheticals, they will remind you of the truth you desire but forget. Only in complete relational truth will vulnerability and humility flourish.
Grace
God's grace - we are safe from condemnation with God's grace. He doesn't want us to feel condemned or judged, he has something to teach us but he wants to teach us in love, to give us freedom, and to give us healthy relationships, and he gives us mercy in abundance when we mess up.
In John 8:2-11, Jesus tells the adulterous woman, "Neither do I condemn you (grace). Go now and leave your life of sin (truth)."
And God knows that he who is forgiven much loves much. Luke 7:40-43, "Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them do you suppose will love him more?"
Our grace - if anyone's theology will not allow them to help someone who is hurting then their theology is not big enough to hold the love of God. Some Christians label all problems as sinful, but being sinful isn't actions or results, it is a state of being we are all in constantly. Labelling other people as sinful is trying to create a community of 'only perfect people allowed', we all know that no one is perfect or ever will be, pretending otherwise is denial. So realizing this we need to give everyone the grace we hope people will give us. Only being a grace-full person will make you a 'safe' person for other people to trust, and without trust their can be no real intimacy.
Micah 6:8, "And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."
Relational grace - we hide within ourselves not only because of truth but we hide because we've have emotional baggage we haven't experienced grace in. We either have been injured by others or we have injured others ourselves, and both of those cause guilt/shame. But there is grace in admitting that pain, exposing it to the light of day. Humility became a virtue because of the founder of Christianity - Jesus, but now it can be hard to find a Christian community that welcomes a spirit of humility that includes openness about struggles with painful issues. But remember, 'blessed are the poor in spirit', those who can admit they don't have it 'all together spiritually' will find grace in relationships, because other people are drawn to vulnerability and humility. People are drawn to the truly humble because in their presence they feel grace for their own pain is possible and they feel like they are with someone who is honest and trustworthy.
The combination
Grace (safe from condemnation) + Truth (reality, true intimacy) = acceptance of your true self (good and bad) -> leads to healthy relationships with yourself, others, and God. And when you are in healthy relationships it is much easier to grow and change in the areas of your life you know you need to, because you are surrounded by grace-full and honest support.
There is a third ingredient but, I'll save that for another post....this was quite enough to chew on :)
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Books, Books, Everywhere a Book
Well, I started my year off with a bookshelf half full of books I was determined to read by year end. I have not read a one. I keep getting gifted books (thank you!!), borrowed books (thx too!), and find myself wanting to re-read books! Ack!
These are my most recent reads, and hopefully my next reading post will include at least ONE book from my original list.
After No Perfect People allowed I was borrowed two books from my friend. The Purpose of Womanhood was a good read but it wasn't anything new to me, I'm already a pretty firm believer I'm equal but different, and that I am the one called to submit to my husband and he's the one called to lead us.
The second book was The Maker's Diet, and this one did really open my eyes to things I was already somewhat beginning to understand but tied it into God's original dietary instructions for the Jewish people. I've always been of the opinion these were for spriritual cleanliness, but there are very valid connections to physical cleanliness. It's not necessarily about organic, it's about food being the way it was before it was tampered with by human knowledge. And how God knew about the internal health qualities of some food long before we did, and had the Jews avoid food based on that wisdom. I haven't decided to follow the entire change in my diet, but I have definately changed my perspective on some certain foods and am now limiting them, and some foods I'm definitely trying to find alternatives for. I am avoiding giving details because a) learning about some foods is not appetizing, and b) there were far too many details to summarize. But if you are already leaning towards AVOIDING; horomone-injected foods, meats fed on anything but grass, figuring out what 'healthy fats' really are, etc. then I would definitely recommend you read this book. Or if you have severe physical ailments that haven't been able to be treated successfully with modern day medicine, this may be an eye opener for you as well. If I ever get that ill, I would certainly take on changing my whole diet to it's recommended plan.
Then I read Reshaping It All, by Candace Cameron Bure. She was one of my fav stars as a kid on Full House, and I identified with her being that I was a bit larger than my skinny counterparts as well. To find out she is a Christian and struggled with her weight and kept it off without giving up any particular foods (not that she didn't give up anything to acheive it, just didn't follow an elimination diet), I was thrilled to find out she talked about it all in this book. I've been wanting it for several months now and Sean got it for me for my birthday. I have loved it, she has such great examples to tie into the princple point she's trying to get across in each chapter. And the fact that she still loves to eat, that eating at restaurants is her 'treat' just as it is mine, it made each point hit home for me all the more. I have been so much more aware of my eating habits since reading this book, I'm fairly sure it's one of the keys in my ability to start dropping weight I haven't been able to for a couple of years!
Anyway, now I have a fiction book to read finally :) It's not even the latest Ted Dekker book anymore, but I have to read it before the latest does release on Sept. 13th! I can't wait to dive back into his world. Then I'll have that book shelf of non-fiction calling out to me again. Good thing I'm down-sizing our cable package :)
These are my most recent reads, and hopefully my next reading post will include at least ONE book from my original list.
After No Perfect People allowed I was borrowed two books from my friend. The Purpose of Womanhood was a good read but it wasn't anything new to me, I'm already a pretty firm believer I'm equal but different, and that I am the one called to submit to my husband and he's the one called to lead us.
Anyway, now I have a fiction book to read finally :) It's not even the latest Ted Dekker book anymore, but I have to read it before the latest does release on Sept. 13th! I can't wait to dive back into his world. Then I'll have that book shelf of non-fiction calling out to me again. Good thing I'm down-sizing our cable package :)
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Off the not-so-dusty bookshelf
It started with my Boundaries book for the Boundaries course I mentioned, and although I didn't read that one all the way through again (I already read it about 8 years ago when trying to deal with this relationship) but I was reading the material for the course as well. Anyway, I've been wanting to write something about the course here now for awhile because it has helped me so much (along with Changes That Heal by the same authors, which I read last summer for that course we ran in the fall). I have yet to meet one person who hasn't been struck by one of the truths in these books that directly impact their own life, whether it causes internal or external changes, everyone I know who has read this book has benefited from it.
It's hard to summarize it, and even the book description linked above I personally don't feel does it justice. It's human nature to eventually come in to contact with someone with whom the relationship will be strained, it's because as we get close to people our personal space crosses their personal space and the property lines get blurred and it's hard to know which feelings you are responsible for and which they are responsible for. This is where Boundaries comes in and I can't rave enough about how all encompassing and far reaching the truths of this book will go to help any and every relationship you have.
And to that same tune, I also read No More Christian Nice Girl, which has a lot of the same principles as Boundaries, but with one additional point that I found so helpful, being nice isn't the same as being good (by God's standards). Nice is not a fruit of the spirit, but goodness is. And if we are to be Christ-like, think about this, Jesus was often a very not-nice guy. Even when he healed people he is quoted in blunt terms. People often say, if Jesus was a nice guy he would have lived to an old age. A really great book that's great for women at all stages as it also tackles of the issues of being nice vs. good while dating or married.
Then I read this book that was recommended by my ministry leader, No Perfect People Allowed. Wow! I'm only 4 chapters in and I'm just so loving it! I have tried to live my life with the motto 'love the sinner, hate the sin', but this book really delves into how you can balance being truthful, not holding back opinions about sin, but in a loving way that ultimately shows real care for people no matter where they are on their journey through faith. It's been really insightful, full of real examples from the author's rapidly growing Church. It especially focuses on the best way to engage those who are affected by the postmodernism belief that there is no one truth. I find that the toughest, that people won't even bother to investigate claims of truth because they refuse to accept another reality than the one they have - that there isn't just one truth. This book is exactly what I have been needing to help me step out and talk more with others about their faith journey, I can't wait to finish it!
Well, that's just been the last 2 months, and there are a couple in there I've started to read (some fiction, yay! :) that I'm sure I'll be mentioning soon....serving at Church is slower now and so are the t.v. shows I watch. Yay summer!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Books That Changed My Life
I am an avid fan of reading, there are many books I just love to lose myself in, and if I can learn from the book as well, fiction or non-fiction, then that much better.
But there are a few that I look back on that have literally changed my life, they moved me or shaped my thinking in such a way that I transformed myself because of what I read. Some I've already written about here but here is a quick review/recap of how I felt after reading those books:
Receiving Forgiveness/Peace
Boneman's Daughter - follow the link for my previous review, but in respect to forgiveness and peace I realized in this book, God's judgement is perfect, he will deal accordingly with those who hurt me, and me when I hurt others. There is peace in knowing I don't have to judge anyone or even deal with them, forgiveness is all that's required of me. There is also peace in knowing how far my Father will go to save me.
The Shack - follow the link for my full review of this one I wrote right after I read it, but to sum it up I'll use this quote from the book, God speaking - "In my relationship with men, I will never bring up what they did, or shame them or embaress them. I don't do humiliation, or guilt, or condemnation. They don't produce one speck of wholeness or righteousness. Unless people speak the truth about what they have done and change their mind and behavior, a relationship of trust is not possible. When you forgive someone you certainly release them from judgement, but without true change, no real relationshp can be established.... forgiveness does not excuse anything. Believe me, the last thing they are is free. And you have no duty to do justice in this, I will handle that."
Philippians - I love this one so much I'm attempting to memorize it! There are so many reasons this book of the Bible gives me an all encompassing peace, here are just a snippit of the verses that have taken away my anxiety and given me confidence in his purpose for me:
1:6 - Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.
3:7-12 - But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things...not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ….Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
4:6-9 - Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things….And the God of peace will be with you.
Thanks to these books, the peace of God is with me.
New Appreciation for Creation
The Magician's Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia) - the amazing description of a world created, reading this gave me a feeling that I was right there with the creator when it all happened, it moved me to tears, as Aslan often does.
Black (The Circle) - again, the amazing description of a world created (very much a tribute to the above book I believe), as well as reading about the relationship with the creator among his own creation was a truly heartfelt experience, moved me to want to know my creator more.
A Case for a Creator - a behind the scenes look at not just the facts that show our world has a creator, but how much effort went into creating a world perfect for us, in such a way we could see how special and unique we are.
Not only does appreciation for creation give me confidence in the faith I have everyday looking around at the awesome wonders I get to live among, but it makes me long for the pure earth he first created, what I believe Heaven will be like.
Chasing Heaven
Slumber of Christianity - this non-fiction book (by my fav author) aims at awakening a passion for Heaven on earth, and that it did! Everything good here is just a small taste of all the goodness in store for us when we join our Father's house, so everything I 'love' down here will be just that much more magnificent in our eternal bodies.
The Shack - again, I've already written a review focused on the forgiveness, but this book also gave me an awesome glimpse of Heaven that completely re-focused how I appreciated God's earthly creations and how they are likely but a murky reflection of Heaven.
When Heaven Weeps - a beautiful and touching story that showed how pale this world can become compared to living life with God....that glimpse of joy in this story is like a song you just can't, and don't want to, get out of your head....
The combination of these books led me to this insight that still colours the way I see everything now.
The End of Days
The Last Battle (Chronicles of Narnia) - like all of the Narnia series, the Bible's imperitive message is spun in a way that you can recognize the story but the retelling is done so well it sheds new light and have a way of gripping you more than just reading Revelation alone.
Sinner - the religion of tolerance has overtaken society, a tale mirroring the great deception that also draws on the reality that is already changing our world, really makes the verses I was learning from in Revelation at Church at the time hit home that much more.
Revelation - This one is admittedly a hard read, and only with the help of our Church at the time, and these books, did I really begin to grow a passion for reading this book on it's own. So far I haven't completed it on it's own, but that's because I want to really study it, not just read it. I want to really grasp how it relates to me and what lessons God has waiting for me in it's words that are for TODAY, not the undetermined future. Believe me, once I feel I have the best understanding of this imperitive truth, you can bet I will be sharing more details!
The impact all these books have had on me has steared, and keeps stearing me, towards a more ernest pursuit of God's truth about everything, my life, the life of our world, death, after life. They have been a amazing catalyst towards a passionate pursuit of a closer relationship with my Father. I can only hope I continue to find such books to continue spurring me forward in this journey. You can bet I'll be writing about those as I find them too :)
But there are a few that I look back on that have literally changed my life, they moved me or shaped my thinking in such a way that I transformed myself because of what I read. Some I've already written about here but here is a quick review/recap of how I felt after reading those books:
Receiving Forgiveness/Peace
Boneman's Daughter - follow the link for my previous review, but in respect to forgiveness and peace I realized in this book, God's judgement is perfect, he will deal accordingly with those who hurt me, and me when I hurt others. There is peace in knowing I don't have to judge anyone or even deal with them, forgiveness is all that's required of me. There is also peace in knowing how far my Father will go to save me.
The Shack - follow the link for my full review of this one I wrote right after I read it, but to sum it up I'll use this quote from the book, God speaking - "In my relationship with men, I will never bring up what they did, or shame them or embaress them. I don't do humiliation, or guilt, or condemnation. They don't produce one speck of wholeness or righteousness. Unless people speak the truth about what they have done and change their mind and behavior, a relationship of trust is not possible. When you forgive someone you certainly release them from judgement, but without true change, no real relationshp can be established.... forgiveness does not excuse anything. Believe me, the last thing they are is free. And you have no duty to do justice in this, I will handle that."
Philippians - I love this one so much I'm attempting to memorize it! There are so many reasons this book of the Bible gives me an all encompassing peace, here are just a snippit of the verses that have taken away my anxiety and given me confidence in his purpose for me:
1:6 - Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.
3:7-12 - But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things...not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ….Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
4:6-9 - Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things….And the God of peace will be with you.
Thanks to these books, the peace of God is with me.
New Appreciation for Creation
The Magician's Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia) - the amazing description of a world created, reading this gave me a feeling that I was right there with the creator when it all happened, it moved me to tears, as Aslan often does.
Black (The Circle) - again, the amazing description of a world created (very much a tribute to the above book I believe), as well as reading about the relationship with the creator among his own creation was a truly heartfelt experience, moved me to want to know my creator more.
A Case for a Creator - a behind the scenes look at not just the facts that show our world has a creator, but how much effort went into creating a world perfect for us, in such a way we could see how special and unique we are.
Not only does appreciation for creation give me confidence in the faith I have everyday looking around at the awesome wonders I get to live among, but it makes me long for the pure earth he first created, what I believe Heaven will be like.
Chasing Heaven
Slumber of Christianity - this non-fiction book (by my fav author) aims at awakening a passion for Heaven on earth, and that it did! Everything good here is just a small taste of all the goodness in store for us when we join our Father's house, so everything I 'love' down here will be just that much more magnificent in our eternal bodies.
The Shack - again, I've already written a review focused on the forgiveness, but this book also gave me an awesome glimpse of Heaven that completely re-focused how I appreciated God's earthly creations and how they are likely but a murky reflection of Heaven.
When Heaven Weeps - a beautiful and touching story that showed how pale this world can become compared to living life with God....that glimpse of joy in this story is like a song you just can't, and don't want to, get out of your head....
The combination of these books led me to this insight that still colours the way I see everything now.
The End of Days
The Last Battle (Chronicles of Narnia) - like all of the Narnia series, the Bible's imperitive message is spun in a way that you can recognize the story but the retelling is done so well it sheds new light and have a way of gripping you more than just reading Revelation alone.
Sinner - the religion of tolerance has overtaken society, a tale mirroring the great deception that also draws on the reality that is already changing our world, really makes the verses I was learning from in Revelation at Church at the time hit home that much more.
Revelation - This one is admittedly a hard read, and only with the help of our Church at the time, and these books, did I really begin to grow a passion for reading this book on it's own. So far I haven't completed it on it's own, but that's because I want to really study it, not just read it. I want to really grasp how it relates to me and what lessons God has waiting for me in it's words that are for TODAY, not the undetermined future. Believe me, once I feel I have the best understanding of this imperitive truth, you can bet I will be sharing more details!
The impact all these books have had on me has steared, and keeps stearing me, towards a more ernest pursuit of God's truth about everything, my life, the life of our world, death, after life. They have been a amazing catalyst towards a passionate pursuit of a closer relationship with my Father. I can only hope I continue to find such books to continue spurring me forward in this journey. You can bet I'll be writing about those as I find them too :)
Friday, June 12, 2009
Boneman's Daughters
Well, I told you how eager I was to read Boneman's Daughters and I finished it just before we left for Nashville. I wanted to finish reading it before I met Ted Dekker because if I had the chance I wanted to talk to him about it, considering my personal connection to the story.
It's interesting how hard this book was for me to read, although it wasn't really any more violent than any other books I've read, it felt much more real. I thought the hardest thing would be to read the father's view point of losing his daughter, and it was very moving, but I actually thought it was harder to read about his action to remedy the situation. I felt the same angonizing division as the father did because he felt he couldn't do what he was required to do to save his daughter, yet he couldn't NOT do it. Sometimes I am just too wrapped up in my thinking 'I can't hurt somebody else' that I overlook the hurt I'm inflicting on myself. I can't hurt somebody else but I can't keep hurting myself.
The other thing that really got me about this book was the ending. I won't spoil it for anyone who wants to read it, but it is not an ending you can apply in real life. I was expecting something a little more 'applicable' to my situation, since I thought he may have put his own 'wishful thinking' into the resolution, having experienced a real life Boneman as well. But alas, I received no such insight and in fact I was perplexed. Why would he put in such a unattainable ending? I was hoping to have a chance to ask him at the Gathering, but because of time constraints I wasn't able to. Then it dawned on me, as I was thinking about the question, Ted wasn't only writing about a human father's attempt to save his child, he's writing about our heavenly Father's attempt to save us as well. God is a lot more just than us, His judgement and execution of that judgement is perfect, AND has nothing to do with us, but with the Boneman's own relationship with Him. So, it turns out I answered my own question, but I still would have loved to have a dialogue with Ted about it.
I did enjoy the book, despite what it may sound like here : ), but it was an enjoyment that came from making discoveries about myself through a very well told story, rather than the normal enjoyment I get from my typical 'lose myself in them' fiction books. And this discovery of self through reading was then even more confirmed when Ted took the time to talk about the purpose of stories, whether writing or reading them, the purpose of a story is to discover our own story, and discover our place in the greatest story, God's story.
And another piece falls into place.
It's interesting how hard this book was for me to read, although it wasn't really any more violent than any other books I've read, it felt much more real. I thought the hardest thing would be to read the father's view point of losing his daughter, and it was very moving, but I actually thought it was harder to read about his action to remedy the situation. I felt the same angonizing division as the father did because he felt he couldn't do what he was required to do to save his daughter, yet he couldn't NOT do it. Sometimes I am just too wrapped up in my thinking 'I can't hurt somebody else' that I overlook the hurt I'm inflicting on myself. I can't hurt somebody else but I can't keep hurting myself.
The other thing that really got me about this book was the ending. I won't spoil it for anyone who wants to read it, but it is not an ending you can apply in real life. I was expecting something a little more 'applicable' to my situation, since I thought he may have put his own 'wishful thinking' into the resolution, having experienced a real life Boneman as well. But alas, I received no such insight and in fact I was perplexed. Why would he put in such a unattainable ending? I was hoping to have a chance to ask him at the Gathering, but because of time constraints I wasn't able to. Then it dawned on me, as I was thinking about the question, Ted wasn't only writing about a human father's attempt to save his child, he's writing about our heavenly Father's attempt to save us as well. God is a lot more just than us, His judgement and execution of that judgement is perfect, AND has nothing to do with us, but with the Boneman's own relationship with Him. So, it turns out I answered my own question, but I still would have loved to have a dialogue with Ted about it.
I did enjoy the book, despite what it may sound like here : ), but it was an enjoyment that came from making discoveries about myself through a very well told story, rather than the normal enjoyment I get from my typical 'lose myself in them' fiction books. And this discovery of self through reading was then even more confirmed when Ted took the time to talk about the purpose of stories, whether writing or reading them, the purpose of a story is to discover our own story, and discover our place in the greatest story, God's story.
And another piece falls into place.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
I was Boneman's Daughter
I came across this and wept.
As I was reading my favorite author's blog I found his story about why he wrote his latest book Boneman's Daughter, how it was a personal story of his own daughter, and I wept over the father's perspective of losing his daughter to the Boneman. I was Boneman's daughter for a time being and although my dad didn't know it until long after, I know there was definately a weeping room in my parent's house while I was with him. It's been about just over 2 years since I confessed to my family about my time with the Boneman, and I know it is a distant pain, they've told me so, but I can't help but feel my heart rip in two at the thought of what I put them through over 13 years ago when I became Boneman's daughter.
I will weep when I read this book, I'm sure, but I want to read it even more because of that.
As I was reading my favorite author's blog I found his story about why he wrote his latest book Boneman's Daughter, how it was a personal story of his own daughter, and I wept over the father's perspective of losing his daughter to the Boneman. I was Boneman's daughter for a time being and although my dad didn't know it until long after, I know there was definately a weeping room in my parent's house while I was with him. It's been about just over 2 years since I confessed to my family about my time with the Boneman, and I know it is a distant pain, they've told me so, but I can't help but feel my heart rip in two at the thought of what I put them through over 13 years ago when I became Boneman's daughter.
I will weep when I read this book, I'm sure, but I want to read it even more because of that.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Not your typical love shack
It is rare to find a story that can, with the mear words our communication limits us to, portray a revelation of God that fills your heart, soul and mind with peaceful understanding and a passionate desire to know Him more. This is such a story. The author of The Shack may have just been a janitor barely scraping by, but God revealed to him a story that HAD to be shared, a story he would allow him to write that could open the eyes of our hearts. For those of us who think we understand/know God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit sufficiently, this story will blow your mind, it will open your heart wider than you thought possible, and it will forever change your soul.It is hard to begin to describe how this book has made me feel. I could not stop wanting more, I read all 248 pages in under 5 hours!! All the best things I have ever believed about the trinity are just a small taste of the way they are revealed in The Shack, brought to life so vividly I feel like I was the one conversing with Them, laughing with Them, crying with Them. I have never before read something that transported me into Their presence like this book, a glimpse of heaven, more beautiful than my mind has ever imagined.
One thing that stood out the most to me is what I learned about forgiveness, or more accurately, what was finally articulated for me, but something my heart always seemed to know. Here is a portion of what I read that really rang true (slightly paraphrased as to not give too much away).
" 'For you to forgive is for you to release them to me and allow me to redeem them. Forgiveness is not about forgetting. They too are my child, I want to redeem them.'
'So what then? I just forgive and everything is okay? And we become buddies?'
'Forgiveness does not establish a relationship. In Jesus, I have forgiven all humans for their sins against me, but only some choose a relationship. Forgiveness is an incredible power...Jesus gives to all whom He indwells so that reconciliation can grow. In my relationship with men, I will never bring up what they did, or shame them or embaress them. I don't do humiliation, or guilt, or condemnation. They don't produce one speck of wholeness or righteousness.
Unless people speak the truth about what they have done and change their mind and behavior, a relationship of trust is not possible. When you forgive someone you certainly release them from judgement, but without true change, no real relationshp can be established.'
'I think I understand what you are saying. But it feels like if I forgive them then they get off free. How do I excuse what they did?'
'Forgiveness does not excuse anything. Believe me, the last thing they are is free. And you have no duty to do justice in this, I will handle that.' "
This is exactly what I've been trying to communicate to Richard for nearly 2 years now, but he has no desire to be redeemed, he says.
Anyway, for fear of giving too much information and spoiling it for any future readers of The Shack (which I hope you ALL do!), I will end my rave review here, but I hope one day I can talk to many of you about the discoveries you make about God and yourself through the experience of this wonderful story.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
