Sunday, October 28, 2012

His Timing

My roommate has a small card displayed in our house that says, "Faith in God includes faith in His timing."  I've been reading it for a while, but last night He made it real.  The store I work at closes at 9pm.  Last night there was still a family of customers in the store at 9:15.  I was getting increasingly frustrated. I had a terrrrrible week.  Overly stressed, under-slept. The last thing I wanted to do was spend any extra time at work when I knew I had to be up in the morning.  We cut off the music trying to encourage the family to finish up.  They finally came to my register.  I forced a smile and asked if they had found everything they were looking for.  The woman sheepishly looked at me, and said, "no English."
Suddenly, I started to smile for real.  I knew this family was sent to me by God to brighten up my week.  We had a ten minute or so conversation.  I cannot wait to serve God for the rest of my life on the field, but I can help people here while I am waiting.  I know that God's fullest blessing comes in His timing, and I refuse to force my way through some part of it or skirt around the outside.  

Thursday, October 25, 2012

My heartbeat

As many of you know missions is my heartbeat.  I have gone on two trips to South America, and now God is giving me an opportunity to go to Mexico for Christmas this year.  I am so excited.   Every day just shows me more and more how much my desire is to be in South America.  Right now I'm in the waiting stage.  I kind of feel like how the disciples may have felt when Christ told them to wait in Jerusalem.  This is my "Be still and know I am God" time.  I'm just rather horrible at being still.  I have been able to attend two days of MBBC's mission conference.  I cannot begin to tell you the blessing it has been.  I really feel for those who don't take anything from chapel, and I remember the days when it was commonplace to me as well, but I guess it would be kind of like being in a place where you are given more water than you can possibly drink.  You never thirst for it until you are removed from the abundance.

I also just read Call of a Coward by Marcia Motson.  It was a great narrative of seeing God work in one woman's life for short term missions with a long term impact.  When I first read the summary of it, I wanted to read it because it sounded like this woman was a little begrudging of her husband's call to ministry, but this was not the case at all.  She was ready and willing though at times fearful.  I think this is something many people struggle with when they know what they are supposed to do with their lives.  It also discusses when they returned how her heart was still in Guatemala (a little like the continent of South America has taken mine).  She wasn't sure how she would get back, just that it was her desire.  She traced God's hand through her life, through different circumstances to take her back again in different roles.  This book was an honest narrative of the joys and hardships, of the loves and losses, of the encouragement and discouragement of the field.  I'm very glad to have read it.  And i recommend it to anyone with any heart for missions.

I received a copy of this book through the BookSneeze program.  I was not required to write a positive review.

Sunday, October 07, 2012

A Taste of Radical.

I recently received a book that combined "The Radical Question" and "The Radical Idea" both by David Platt.  I have already read Radical Together, so I was really looking forward to the new read.  It wasn't really a new read at all, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it.  This book is intended to give the reader a taste of what it means to be radical.  The first part, "The Radical Question," looks at the disconnect in American churches today between spending a fortune on our comfort and convenience, and that of our church, and the desperate need of  our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world.  Between our entertainment and the souls of men around the world.  Do not read this if you are looking for a fluffy feel good book.  Do not read if you do not want to feel conviction.

The second part of the book, "The Radical Idea" focuses on how the church can become more effective together (very similar to Radical Together)  It explains that church is the people not the program; discipleship is the responsiblity of everyone, not just the leaders in the church.  One quote in the book said, "Why would we spend an inordinate amount of our resources on something that is never prescribed our even encouraged in the new testament?"  Good question.

Buy a copy here.

I was given a copy of this book as a part of the Blogging for Books program and I was not required to give a positive review.

Monday, October 01, 2012

A book about Grace

Im back into full book review mode again.  I just love reading all the different books I get the opportunity to review.  I just finished Grace by Max Lucado.  I have a fairly high standard for rating books, so maybe people shouldn't always take my opinion too seriously, but this is another book I just can't recommend.  While the illustrations were helpful and some points made well, I felt the book had a sense of flippancy to it.  There was a phrase in the book that said that God would love to lavish us in grace if we are simply willing to give God the nod.  God doesn't just want a nod from us.  He wants our entire life...pure and simple.  He desires to have us completely.  I do appreciate the transparency the author has.  He is willing to share personal illustrations about his own life.  He shows us snippets here and there of how he feels and even fails.  I appreciate that, I really do.  The book just didn't wow me.  I wasn't drawn to be constantly picking it up.  It wasn't one that i talked about with my friends.  I don't really know how to describe it except it was one that I counted pages until the end, and I wasn't terribly sad when the end came.

I was able to review this book as a part of the BookSneeze program.  I was not required to write a positive review.