Soul Keeping

 

About The Book:  The soul is NOT “a theological and abstract subject.” The soul is the coolest, eeriest, most mysterious, evocative, crucial, sacred, eternal, life-directing, fragile, indestructible, controversial, expensive dimension of your existence. Jesus said it’s worth more than the world.  You’d be an idiot not to prize it above all else. Shouldn’t you get pretty clear on exactly what it is? Shouldn’t you know what it runs on? Wouldn’t it be worth knowing how to care for it? Two things are for sure. One is: you have a soul. The other is: if you don’t look after this one you won’t be issued a replacement.  Bestselling author John Ortberg writes another classic that will help you discover your soul and take your relationship with God to the next level.
About The Author:  John Ortberg is the senior pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church (MPPC) in the San Francisco Bay Area. His bestselling books include Soul Keeping, Who Is This Man?, and If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get out of the Boat.  John teaches around the world at conferences and churches, writes articles for Christianity Today and Leadership Journal, and is on the board of the Dallas Willard Center and Fuller Seminary. He has preached sermons on Abraham Lincoln, The LEGO Movie, and The Gospel According to Les Miserables. John and his wife Nancy enjoy spending time with their three adult children, dog Baxter, and surfing the Pacific. You can follow John on twitter @johnortberg or check out the latest news/blogs on his website at www.johnortberg.com.
My Thoughts On The Book:  I did not choose this book, it chose me.....or I should really say it was chosen for me.  It was an assigned reading for a book study I participate in with a group of fellow pastors.  I did not have time for this study.  I did not really want to participate, but I did and as always God knew what he was doing.  Then end of my school year is here and I have found myself grumpy and unsettled.  I discovered in this feast of wisdom that my soul was not being taken care of.  It was not well with my soul.  I should know better.  I am a Christian and I lead a flock at my church....and if my soul is not healthy then I need to fix it!  This book is a discovery of what it means to take care of your soul.  I loved it.  I wish I had written it.  I was sad when the book study ended.  I have read several books by John Ortenburg and I must say this was my all time favorite.  I plan to keep it in my library and reread it when my soul is wilting.  Great read!  Must read!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book from Amazon and Zondervan Publishing Company as part of a book study. 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: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Always Tripping Myself Up

 Philippians 3:13 is one of my favorite verses:  But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. My middle name is not Grace I can assure you.  I stumble because I do not focus on my surroundings and get in a hurry and then end up on the ground.  Physical stumbling is not my only problem  I cannot seem to get the mental stumbling blocks out of my way either, so I tend to I stumble on things behind me too!I look at the Apostle Paul and I see a man who had a difficult past to contend with. His early years were spent tormenting Christ's followers. Then he met Jesus and everything changed for him. He chose to move forward as the new man he’d become.  He chose not to wallow in the muck of condemnation, he stepped into the grace of Christ with determination. He wrote a heart-felt message similar to the wall art in his New Testament letter to the believers in the church of Philippi.  In Philippians 3:10-14 he tells the church, “ I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. 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. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  I have read this section of scripture many times.  I have even preached on it…., it was not until I delivered a sermon on this that I realized that the conversation didn’t end there. What Paul says next in Philippians 3:15-16 is a game-changing statement: “Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.”  I don’t know about you….but I want to be mature. I want to think this way. I want to hold true to what I’ve attained in Christ. It’s the way of life!  When I was putting my sermon together and I read this…it was at that moment that  I begin to realize what Paul was really saying !  It was so simple….Let it go, people! Move on. Greater things await you. Don’t look back. It's no good for you. You won’t gain any traction on the plans that God has for you. If you choose to look back then you need to grow up because that is not where your promise lies. If you are mature in your faith you will believe the gospel. When you are forgiven … You. Are. Forgiven. Believe it. What Jesus did for you and me covers anything that we lay at His feet. Fully.  My life has not always been sunshine and lollipops….but….that doesn’t matter!  I’m reminded that it's time to move forward. That it’s time to fix my eyes on what is ahead, not on what is behind. That God’s mercies are new every day.  BUT WAIT!  We don’t just sweet everything under the rug and pretend it didn’t happen.   We confess it to the Lord and ask Him for forgiveness.  Grace meets us in the asking and settles it with God. Because of this we can move forward in His grace. Life is more often than not….complicated and messy.  The Bible invites us to take our aching, angry, abused, or offended hearts to Jesus so that He can give us the rest we long for.  The past has no hold on us.   I have come to the decision in my spiritual walk that the next time I’m tempted to look back at a failure or an old heart wound, I will choose not to beat myself up … I am not going to re-hash a painful moment… I am not to going to place blame … I am not going to stumble on things that are behind me.  Instead I will reach for grace. I will reach for Jesus and call to Him for help.

Why God Calls Us To Dangerous Places

About The Book:  Why God Calls Us to Dangerous Places is about what is lost and what is gained when we follow God at any cost.
Soon after 9/11, Kate McCord left the corporate world and followed God to Afghanistan—sometimes into the reach of death. Alive but not unscathed, she has suffered the loss of many things: comfort, safety, even dear friends and fellow sojourners.
But Kate realizes that those who go are not the only ones who suffer. Those who love those who go also suffer. This book is for them, too.
Weaving together Scripture, her story, and stories of both those who go and those who send, Kate considers why God calls us to dangerous places and what it means for all involved.
It means dependence. It means loss. It means a firmer hold on hope. It can mean death, trauma, and heavy sorrow. But it can also mean joy unimaginable. Through suffering, we come closer to the heart of God.
Written with the weight of glory in the shadow of loss, Why God Calls Us to Dangerous Places will inspire Christians to count the cost—and pay it.
About The Author:  Kate McCord is an American writer, speaker, workshop facilitator, and spiritual director. She worked in Afghanistan for 9 years as a humanitarian aid worker and often draws on her experiences as she explores themes of faith and practice. Kate can be found on the web at www.storytellerkm.com.
My Thoughts On The Book:  This book is must read for individuals considering missionary work and for the Church in general. It is a well-written and touching book about people of faith who practice what they preach.  Many times it is hard to answer the call of God, especially when it causes you to step outside of your comfort zone.   As the parent of a missionary who has chosen to follow God's call to dangerous places and as a pastor I am saddened by the fact that the Church, as a whole, today should the most understanding of  a person's calling....but they are not always.  It is hard for many to understand the thought processes of a person who chooses to leave the comfort of home and go where they are sent...especially if that place is dangerous.   As a parent, this book answered and settled many of my own questions.  The book is a MUST READ.  It is comforting and encouraging.  I urge you to get a copy, sit down, and inhale the beauty of this book.  If you ever get a chance to hear Kate McCord speak, take it, I know I will.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this e-book free from Moody Publishers as part of their Blogging Review 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: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!