New Podcast! - Don't Follow Jesus

Title almost speaks for itself...almost!

Don't Follow Jesus Podcast

Thoughts or questions please share them here.

In your Father's arms...

One of my favorite memories as a kid was water skiing with my dad around the lake.

What was special about it was it was before I could ski, so the only way the two of us could water ski was with him holding me in his arms - while holding the rope and maintaining balance.

Out there on the lake it was just the two of us skiing.

If we talked, I don't recall - we didn't need to, the moment was special enough.

If we ever fell, I don't remember.

If we did, it must not have ever bothered me because I remember it being such a thrill!

Sure it was "dangerous", sure I could have gotten hurt...but I had COMPLETE trust in my dad.  He was Dad, and I was in his arms - in his arms I truly believed no matter what, I would be okay.

If I hadn't have trusted Dad, I would have never had that the opportunity to ski with him like that.  I would have missed out on something special.

Can we say the same when it comes to God?  Do we trust him the same way?  Completely...willing to give complete control over to him?

I know I don't.  Not as often as I would like to.

God calls us into many situations that, at first glance, may appear "dangerous" or "scary."  We might get hurt: emotionally, financially (how we view money), spiritually (we might lose a deeply held belief), etc.

We may even "lose" something: friends, comfort, our perceived "safety", status, religion...

Yet, we must trust that despite what we see with OUR eyes, God is calling us into a special experience meant just for us to share with Him.

Sometimes I believe we know EXACTLY what God is calling us into, we just hope that he'll offer us something a bit more safe.

If we just hold out long enough.

Yet, it has been my experience that God is far more patient that us, and while he will offer us other experiences: they aren't necessarily "safer."

I trusted my Dad completely, and still do - God?  eh...that, I must admit, needs (quite) a bit of work.

But I am learning, and growing to trust God...and it only happens when we take that first leap of faith.  God's arms are waiting, ready to catch you and take you on an experience that you will never regret and never forget...you just need to JUMP!

And when God let's go of the rope and you both ski gently close to the dock, you'll never be the same..

"...Our daily bread."

When you pray the Lord's prayer and get to "give us this day, our daily bread" do you really believe that?  Are you really asking for ONLY your daily bread.

I haven't and I don't.

We certainly don't as a culture.  We are a culture of "more" rather than a culture of "enough."

We want more.  I want more.

I don't want my daily bread, I want my weekly bread, my monthly bread, yearly bread, enough bread that I can tuck some away, bread to fall back on, bread insurance to replace my bread if I lose my bread in a fire or if it's stolen, I'll even gamble some of my bread if it means that I might be able to win MORE bread, I'm jealous if others have more bread than I do, or if their bread smells better, or is better looking, or makes better sandwiches, I've left jobs I have loved to ones I tolerate for more bread, I even have a couple of cards that allow me to act AS IF I have bread - for a nominal interest charge, I trade my bread for junk, for crap, for stuff  that within a year after purchase I'll wonder why I bought it in the first place, I have a garage sale to sell said stuff for small amounts of bread so I can make room for more stuff that I buy with my bread, if someone asks me for bread sometimes I pretend I don't have any on me - they might use my bread to buy something I don't think they should have, after all...it's MY bread right?

Next time I pray "give us this day, our daily bread" I'm going to wonder: do I really mean it?

Book Review - Reggie

"Born as a result of a heart-wrenching decision made by his then sixteen-year-old mom, Reggie offers hope and inspiration to those who are stuck in the despair of their broken beginings and are crying out for help." - Back cover from Reggie

Reggie Dabbs’ book doesn’t read exactly like a zero to hero book. Surely, one could argue that being the result of a twenty dollar one-night-stand (as Reggie was) might be considered starting from zero. And for a moment in his life, Reggie DID consider himself just that.
But one day, Reggie realized that he wasn’t a zero. That he was a child of God and that despite what others may think, or how they saw him, he was loved.
Sounds simple, yet sadly that’s isn’t the case for many kids born into similar circumstances; or worse.
That knowledge of being loved, loved by Jesus kept Reggie on a path that now allows him to share this knowledge of love with the kids of the world.

As you read, you’ll find various cross roads for Reggie, to take a different road would have meant a different future - a different outcome. Reggie could have easily become another statistic: either counted among the dead, or imprisoned.
But Reggie didn’t. Reggie knew of his value, his TRUE value, because he knew his Creator. And through this book Reggie offers you the chance to learn about this love as well.

While geared more toward teens, Reggie is book for all who need to remember, that despite our past, our failures, our faults, we are loved by the one who created us.
 
(I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.)