2024 Thoughts and Reads

This year I have been coming to terms with the idea that the primary thing God gets out of my life is not what I do for Him but who I become.  I’m learning to be satisfied with being and responding rather than initiating and producing.

I haven’t spent as much time writing this year, though I’ve still done a fair amount of contemplating.  Sometimes I have a thought that captivates me, and I jot it down to think on further at a later time.  Here are a few of those musings from 2024:

1.    To one who is pursuing their own kingdom, that kingdom is their world—their cherished existence—their own constructed reality—and so any attack on that kingdom feels like murderous violence against THEM.  It feels, in an ideological sense, like the physical descriptions of hell that we have entertained as we contemplate God’s ultimate reckoning of all things (which of course includes their kingdom).

2.    A theology of burdens – a small component of God’s heart of compassion for the world, bestowed upon one—a delight to be light and love in a particular place at a particular time.

3.    It seems like the main reason people assume that God no longer communicates with humans through experiences is their own experience (or lack thereof).  So in effect they use a rubric they say they don’t believe in to arrive at their conclusion.

4.    It’s not my job to control my children.  Rather I just train them toward godliness, respond to them in godliness, and respectfully protect them for godliness.

5.    So God lovingly created man and placed him in a suitable environment that for all intents and purposes would urge him toward the type of life which would enable him to thrive.  Creation itself would both bow to his acts of virtue and rebel against his moves away from the Divine.  In this way he could readily see the best way forward at any given time and have the best possible chance of choosing the type of life he was created for—the abundant life of trust in a good and capable Father God and partnership with Him for the ever-increasing joyful participation of all in the life of God.

6.    The goal is not to arrive at perfection, but to grow and discover more and more of God, and to continue transforming as we experience Him more and more.

7.    How do blessings work?

Sometimes I look for a resource that I feel a need of, and am unable to find it, and so after months of feeling agitated by its nonexistence, I cave and begin to create it myself.  This year, that resource has been a family devotional series which would introduce to my children practical ways of training for and truly seeing the counter-intuitive kingdom of the living God—not a kingdom of "oughts" and "shoulds", but a repeated, unending invitation to let love cast out fear.  This is still an ongoing project for me, but the initial introductions to my children have been very encouraging.  And the invention of it is so life-giving for me. 

When we do family devotions now, Skye likes to ask, “Will we doing experiments this time?”  Disclaimer: I have not referred to anything in our devotions as “experiments,” but it’s kind of fun that that’s how she sees our learning activities together.

Books that have impacted me this year:

-       Devotional Classics edited by Richard Foster and James Bryan Smith

I love the way this book takes some of the juiciest nuggets from some of the great writing of Christian authors from the past 2000 years and serves it up in bite-sized, topical delicacies.  I will warn you, however, that you’ll find yourself ordering a lot of secondary books when you read this one.  I took my good time going through it but have not begun going through it a second time, because some of it is so deep and penetrating, that I want another go and digesting it. 

 

-       Letters by a Modern Mystic by Frank Laubach

Similar to Practicing the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence, this book is incredibly brief (too brief, really) and refreshingly raw as it portrays one disciple’s journey to experience God daily.  I found myself motivated and inspired every time I read one of the short excerpts.

 

-       Room of Marvels by James Bryan Smith

I have read very little fiction in recent years, but a couple things made me unable to not read this one: 1. It’s a story which deals with visions of heaven by an author I respect, so obviously that’s enticing, and 2. I know a bit of the author’s own story, and could tell that this book was significantly related to the his experience of losing loved ones and seeking meaning.  In some ways it is similar to the Great Divorce, by C.S. Lewis.  I found it much more accessible, though (easier to understand and follow).  It also proposed ideas about heaven which were a true delight to contemplate.  Anything about heaven revealed to one who has longed for it so desperately, is worth paying attention to I think.

 

-       The Great Emergence by Phyllis Tickle

I picked this up at the library after hearing that it describes a phenomenon of the Christian church at large in which every 500 years, cultural and historical dynamics crescendo into a pivotal theological “rummage sale” that inevitably results in a parting of ways between branches of the church but also an ensuing upsurge in evangelistic effort and global exposure to Christianity.  The book’s clear and concise description of this occurrence was fascinating.  The reformation, the great schism, and the initiation of the monastic movement/Council of Chalcedon are examples that the author looked at; I was thankful for the simple overview of each.  The language this author gave to current religious dynamics at play in our own cultural moment was really helpful to me as well.  I found the whole thing very thought provoking and historically educational as well.

 

-       Becoming Dallas Willard by Gary Moon

Having read many of Willard’s books, this biography brought it all together for me in a narrative of his life, that I identified with occasionally, and that inspired me often.  It helped give additional depth and credence to his books, and also helped me see that God doesn’t bestow pearls of wisdom overnight.  Biographies about a disciple’s journey with the Lord through highs and lows are always so, so good, and this one is no exception.

 

-       Honey For a Child’s Heart by Gladys Hunt

At the recommendation of my sweet friend Whitney, I delved into this fun read and found myself so inspired to read aloud to my children from truly GOOD books.  As a result, we have enjoyed the Winnie the Pooh series, the Little House series, and many others.  I especially appreciate the book lists provided which I periodically use as I’m placing hold requests at the library.

 

-       Death By Meeting: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni

Lencioni is always a super engaging read with incredibly practical application points.  This fable was no exception.  This one, in particular, showed me the value of contributing counter opinions and additional ideas in a work setting.  Instead of assuming that the first opinion shared should rule the day in order for Christian principles to preside, boldly sharing a counter-view and being willing to respectfully discuss pros, cons, and addendums can bring all the gifts of the body into play and result in a much fuller, representative product, not to mention a process that sharpens and deepens the team itself.  I’m working on boldness.

As I close out this post, I’m realizing that I am more and more finding myself impacted by podcasts just as much or more than I am by books, and yet I haven’t written about them. Perhaps I shall soon.  The 3 most significant ones coming to mind right now are:

-       Bema Discipleship

-       The Working Genius Podcast

-       Strengthening the Soul of your Leadership

God-Sightings at Church

A couple weeks ago I had the privilege of attending a half-day prayer retreat with the leadership of our church.  One of the opening activities was an exercise in which everyone contributed short statements of praise and thanksgiving to God for ways they had seen Him at work in our church recently.  Afterward, I felt like there was SO much more to say (and I'm sure that more would have been said had there been more time allotted for the activity).  Since then, I’ve wanted to put words to what I see God doing among our little family of disciples.

Since returning from Peru two years ago, I have witnessed so much spiritual growth and movement of the Spirit at our church.  I feel like I've had a unique glimpse of it too, having recently arrived after a long time away. 

I see our church growing in prayer initiatives on the part of our leaders, and in boldness to jump into prayer and try new ways of prayer on the part of lay people—trends which speak loudly of the Holy Spirit’s work among us.

-       Leaders are gathering for prayer each Sunday before worship.

-       Ladies in Bible study are becoming bold to pray out loud in response to the things they are learning and articulating their own affection for God and His work in their lives even in a large-group setting.

-       Several regular prayer meetings are happening among different women--meetings which were completely initiated by those women as a result of the Spirit's prodding on their hearts.

-       Our church recently hosted an all-day prayer room for world missions and many people signed up and came and prayed together, and many fasted.

-       Quite a few leaders gathered for prayer before sending a team to India.

-       Our leaders recently gathered for a half day of prayer together.

-       I see evidence that several who have not felt strong in prayer are pursuing it in new ways and willing to jump into prayer activities that would have previously have been uncomfortable to them.

 

I’ve noticed new levels of vulnerability demonstrated in our people.  People are more and more willing to share the Word's impact in their own lives, and learning to share not only their weakness but their delight in the growth God is providing.  I believe this is becoming one of our church’s greatest strengths.  

-       Leaders regularly share from their heart quite honestly about how a call to confession convicted them, as they lead on Sunday mornings.

-       At women’s Bible studies women are sharing more personally in their comments and also in their prayers.

-       In Sunday School people are weekly expressing their own particular struggles, desires for growth, experiences with the Lord, etc.

-       A new men’s group began meeting weekly for accountability, mutual sharpening, and prayer.

-       Several women have been willing to share testimonies of their own spiritual journey publicly in Bible study announcements and missions announcements.

-       Quite a few adults and recently some youth have been sharing the works of God in their lives in Middle School and Youth meetings.

-       People are impromptu sharing ways that the Sunday sermon and Sunday School lessons are striking a chord with them and causing them to meditate mid-week.

 

I see people becoming comfortable with the idea that God INTERACTS with His people to this day, providing timely direction, encouragement, and circumstances in response to our pursuit of Him.  I even see people becoming expectant to hear about those sorts of God-sightings in each other’s lives.

-       People are beginning to ask each other informally about how they’ve seen God at work or what He’s been teaching them.

-       People are texting each other mid-week about ways God has shown up in their lives.

-       Even long-time Christians are becoming bold enough to ask questions about how they can experience God in new ways.

 

I see people humbly stepping into new leadership roles in the church.

-       Several new couples are volunteering to lead at different times in the Middle school ministry.

-       New volunteers are helping with local community outreach ministries.

-       New people are stepping into leadership of the missions committee.

-       God provided two new staff members with a real heart for youth ministry.

-       God recently called both a new elder and a new deacon into ministry.

-       A new women’s ministry leader has stepped into leadership as well as a returning one.

-       I see new people volunteering in Children’s ministry.

-       There are also other things in the works which I won't mention, but suffice to say that God is prodding still others toward new levels of involvement and leadership in the near future.

 

I see people eagerly responding in practical ways to the teaching they receive at church.

-       When there is an opportunity to physically respond in a worship service, MANY do so—even though it’s a practice outside our norm.

-       When asked to share how they applied last week’s Sunday School lesson, several share personal testimonies to that effect.

-       When resources for spiritual growth are shared, there are always people who hunt down those resources and even talk them up to others.

 

I see relationships at church going deep.  As people grow in boldness to pray out loud, share from their heart in group settings, ask genuine questions, and try out new things, they become more and more known and cherished by the others around them.  This, in and of itself, yields additional intercession and spiritual growth mid-week, because as we know each other more deeply, we are moved to pray for one another more often, and to spur one another on in the faith more regularly.

 

What a delight it's been to watch the Lord at work these past two years at our home church, and to partake in the growth with them!  And to see very specific answers to requests that I (along with many others) have been presenting before the Lord for our congregation, is such a joyous privilege.  

He is truly ON THE MOVE.

 

My Top 5 Reads of 2023

 I wasn’t thinking I would write about my top 5 reads this year, partially because I wasn’t sure that there were that many I would want to rave about publicly, but at 4:30 this morning when I found myself fully awake in bed, it became clear to me that there were five, and that was my divinely orchestrated moment to write about them.  So here you go.

 

#1 The Exodus You Almost Passed Over by Rabbi David Fohrman 

This is this book I’m most excited to write about from this year—not that I think it’s necessarily the best of the five I’ve listed here, but it was certainly the most surprising thing I’ve read in a long time.  It answered questions for me that I thought unanswerable, and significantly changed my perspective on Romans 9, specifically the part referencing Pharaoh. The writing style was SO engaging, I found myself unable to put it down.  I don’t think I’ve read another nonfiction book that so compellingly kept me coming back for more in a suspenseful sort of way. 

-       It dealt with the “hardening” of Pharaoh’s heart, and what that word, or rather, those words (it turns out there are actually two different distinct words used in the Hebrew which got translated into the singular English word) meant.

-       It tackled several interesting questions about the Exodus story:

o   Why was Moses’ initial message to Pharaoh just a request for 3 days of worship in the wilderness rather than complete freedom for the Israelites?

o   Since God was so keen on getting the Israelites out of Egypt, why didn’t He just have them escape during the plague of darkness while the Egyptians were unable to leave their homes for 3 days straight?

o   How was it loving for God to “harden” Pharaoh’s heart?

o   When God offered Pharaoh the honor of deciding the precise time that the plague of frogs would end, why in the world didn’t Pharaoah say, "right now!??"  Why did he instead respond, "tomorrow?”

-       The book changed my perspective on the Exodus story completely, causing me to see it as an incredible reflection of God’s compassion for Pharaoh and the Egyptian people (and thus, the nations of the world in general) rather than merely one of His wrath.

-       It drew an undeniable and really fascinating connection between the entire exodus story and the story of Jacob’s burial at the end of Genesis, which put the whole story into a context and perspective I never would have picked up on myself.

-       It understandably explained the surprising perspectives of the Jewish sages, or Biblical commentators from ancient times, on the Exodus story—some perspectives that would have been common knowledge to the religious teachers during Jesus’ day.

 

#2 Dirty Glory by Pete Greig

This book I listened to on audio while on a road trip last spring, and so I unfortunately do not have any notes or highlights to go off of as I attempt to recap it for you.  I wish that I did.  At some point I need to go back and read a physical copy.  This book tells the narrative of the birth and growth of the 24-7 prayer movement, and simultaneously presents story after story of God’s miraculous responses to the prayers of His people in the past few centuries.  As such, it compelled me toward prayer and an attitude of pilgrimage with God, not through theological arguments or practical how-to’s, but through story.  It is testimony after testimony of God’s intention toward His people, His eagerness to respond to them, and the incredible delight waiting for us in relationship with our heavenly Father.

 

#3 God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew

This one was another page-turner.  Derek and I actually read this one together, out loud, and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.  It’s the story of Brother Andrew’s upbringing in the Netherlands during Nazi Germany’s occupation there, his resistance to and eventual surrender to Christ, and his radical pursuit of God’s direction for his life which led him behind the iron curtain repeatedly to smuggle Bibles to individuals and entire congregations meeting in secrecy without a single copy of God’s word.  It captures so well the thought process and emotional development of brother Andrew through wild and miraculous experience after experience.  SO many times he should have been arrested and His Bibles should have been confiscated, yet God repeatedly stepped in and took the situation into His own capable hands.  This book was just so fun to read, and incredibly faith building at the same time.  I have since found myself searching for other books like it.

 

#4 Living in Christ’s Presence  by Dallas Willard and John Ortberg

This one I’m currently listening through for the 2^nd time (this time with Derek—and the conversations around it have been fantastic).  My first time listening to it while flying to Malasyia, I stopped halfway through, backed up and started over because it was so good I wanted to let the first half sink in better.  So you could almost say I’m on my 3^rd pass through it.  This book is the transcription of a conference in which Dallas Willard and John Ortberg took turns speaking and responding to questions both from one another and the audience.  For those who find Dallas a little dense, John provides a really helpful perspective and his way of relentlessly asking blunt and practical questions of Dallas makes the whole thing more tangible and digestible.  I’ve loved listening to the audio, because you hear the actual authors speaking as they did to the actual audience, and you pick up on engaging nuances of their interaction with one another, but I really want to read through it again as a physical copy so I can take notes for future reference.  In the talks, they give fresh perspective on life with Christ, discipleship, the church, the difference between knowing Christ experientially and knowing a lot about Him, practical ways to use spiritual disciplines for combating specific sin struggles or negative tendencies, and a host of other topics incredibly relevant to life with Jesus Christ as your friend and director.

 

#5 The Princess and the Goblin  by George Maconald

This one I had actually read before as a child, but this year I read it again, this time out loud to Finn.  For one, it’s just a delightfully engaging and fanciful story.  The copy I ordered also has beautiful pictures.  But this time through, I actually found it to be spiritually challenging as I picked up on many metaphorical truth nuggets that George Macdonald worked into the story.  There’s just something so delightful about learning truth for life from a story isn’t there?  Macdonald, who C.S. Lewis regarded as his master teacher, had such a way, like Lewis himself, of capturing spiritual realities through other-worldly stories.  Some of his, I have found a bit too “out there” for me to wrap my mind around, but this one is so engaging and understandable that Finn and I both completely adored it.  I recommend it for kids (maybe age 7 and up?  It might still be a bit wordy for Skye at this point) and adults alike.