john14six

Walking with God

I have been a big fan of John Eldredge for quite some time.  His book Wild at Heart changed my life and the way I view it.  He has a new book out now: Walking with God.  I was lucky enough to have been one of the few who got an early look at the book before it was released.  It is another great book from John.  I have not finished it, but I have really enjoyed the first half and look forward to the second half.  Go out and grab a copy.  Here is the description from amazon:

Product Description

 

Walking with God moves through a year in the life of John Eldredge showing and teaching what an intimate relationship with God looks like day to day.

 

God longs to speak. And it is our right and privilege to hear His voice. Our deepest longings could all find sufficient fulfillment in God's company. Yet, somehow, the looming discontent of most Christians is a lack of intimacy with God. Walking with God is unlike any book John has written. It moves through a year in his life showing and teaching what conversational intimacy with God can be like. It teaches readers how to make decisions aligning with God's will, understand barriers and "agreements" keeping them from the life God intends, fight spiritual battles for their own heart and for others, and much more. Ultimately, Walking with God shows readers that walking intimately with Him can be a normal part of the Christian life.

   

      About the Author
  John Eldredge is the founder and director of Ransomed Heart™ Ministries in Colorado Springs, Colorado, a fellowship devoted to helping people discover the heart of God. John is the author of numerous books, including Epic, Waking the Dead, Wild at Heart, and Desire, and coauthor of Captivating and The Sacred Romance. John lives in Colorado with his wife, Stasi, and their three sons, Samuel, Blaine, and Luke. He loves living in the Rocky Mountains so he can pursue his other passions, including fly-fishing, mountain climbing, and exploring the waters of the West in his canoe.

The Poor Will Always Be With Us

We have read another controversial text?I am not sure why I seem surprised. The text I am referring to is Matthew 26, specifically verse 10-12:

10Aware of this, Jesus said to them, "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 11The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. 12When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. Matthew 26:10-12 (NIV)

This has been a very overused and misinterpreted passage. I admit that my first impression was surprise or shock. I read it as, there will always be poor people and there is nothing you can do about it. Taking the money you could have gotten for the expensive perfume is not going to get rid of poverty. Politicians have incorrectly applied this passage as reasons to avoid social programs and / or ignore the poor. I can see how they may have come to the conclusion?.but they are wrong.

If you look at the setting where Jesus makes this statement. He is the home of Simon the Leper. He is not in a cathedral preaching to the masses, isolated from the poor. He is among them, breaking bread with them. He is not saying he is above them or saying we can not do anything about their plight. Rather he is saying that the church will (should) always be with them. They should always surround themselves by those that are less fortunate, whether that is people that are financially, emotionally, or physically less well-off. It is not just by giving money to the poor, but immersing yourself in their predicament?.and helping out! Unfortunately, the church (and the people that make up the church) are not the best at this?.myself included.

I had just read the above text and then later in the day found myself in Barnes and Nobel Bookstore. I always like to look through the Christianity section and the following book found its way into my hands: God's Politics. The tag line jumped out at me:Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It. With the upcoming elections already being beaten into our heads, I thought this might be a good read. I was glancing through the table of contents to see what the author would cover and there is a chapter on this very verse. I am eager to read more?I will let you know my thoughts of the book when I finish it.

2008 in The Word

This is going to be an adventure for sure.  I have been feeling the gentle kick in the pants from the Lord to do this...so here goes.  I am going to read the bible cover-to-cover and blog about it.  I have looked for a good reading plan and there are plenty to choose from out there.  In the end, I settled on "Maranatha Chapel's: A Year in The Word".  It is the reading plan our church put together, so I figured others at our church may also be reading the same plan.  I encourage you to follow along.  I will post the passages for each day (so you don't even need a bible).  I am going to post from the King James version (someone actually put the entire King James Bible in Excel...and posted it on the internet).  I may also post my thoughts on the readings.  I will leave the comments section open, and would love to see people posting their thoughts on the passages as well.  I am not trained in theology, nor do I claim to be.  This will be MY view / take on the readings.  That being said, I came from a loving Christian home and have been a Christian for well over 20 years.  My views come from my life experience and my daily walk with the Lord. 

Here is more information on the reading plan:

The Word of God is living and active, "sharper than any two-edged sword," the book of Hebrews tells us. The more time we spend reading and studying the Scriptures, the more alive our spirits become. This guide will lead you through reading the entire Bible in a year, and will also give you a focus and foundation for your personal devotions.

Available on-line here