stop praying -- chapter one

"What if I said, 'Stop praying'?  What if I told you to stop talking at God for a while, but instead to take a long, hard look at Him before you speak another word?  Solomon warned us not to rush into God's presence with words.  That's what fools do.  And often, that's what we do."

the first chapter continues on to describe some of the phenomenal things that God has orchestrated and created.  it speaks of us having "spiritual amnesia", that no matter how much He has revealed to us we forget who He really is.  i am appalled at how true that is in my life and how much i take for granted every day. why is it so hard to consistently stay connected to the one who is my source of hope, joy, strength and love?

this year in particular i feel like i have questioned and fought God the most.  it hasn't necessarily been a bad thing, because before this point i feel like i distanced myself whenever i disagreed with Him.  anyways, these questions struck me hard...

"Can you worship a God who isn't obligated to explain His actions to you?  Could it be your arrogance that makes you think God owes you an explanation?"

i am sensing my perspective shifting already, as i desire to stand in awe of God and acknowledge myself for who i am.

stop praying -- chapter one

"What if I said, 'Stop praying'?  What if I told you to stop talking at God for a while, but instead to take a long, hard look at Him before you speak another word?  Solomon warned us not to rush into God's presence with words.  That's what fools do.  And often, that's what we do."

the first chapter continues on to describe some of the phenomenal things that God has orchestrated and created.  it speaks of us having "spiritual amnesia", that no matter how much He has revealed to us we forget who He really is.  i am appalled at how true that is in my life and how much i take for granted every day. why is it so hard to consistently stay connected to the one who is my source of hope, joy, strength and love?

this year in particular i feel like i have questioned and fought God the most.  it hasn't necessarily been a bad thing, because before this point i feel like i distanced myself whenever i disagreed with Him.  anyways, these questions struck me hard...

"Can you worship a God who isn't obligated to explain His actions to you?  Could it be your arrogance that makes you think God owes you an explanation?"

i am sensing my perspective shifting already, as i desire to stand in awe of God and acknowledge myself for who i am.

crazy love.

i have heard that this book, written by Francis Chan, is amazingly powerful.  i am definitely intrigued and excited to starting reading it!  thanks to the public library, it is now in my hands and i decided to blog about my thoughts and favorite quotes from each chapter.

now...the house is quiet, with faint sounds of a recorded episode of burn notice playing in the other room, and i'm snug in my bed with a book and my laptop.  the biggest challenge of the night is going to be reading only one chapter!

crazy love.

i have heard that this book, written by Francis Chan, is amazingly powerful.  i am definitely intrigued and excited to starting reading it!  thanks to the public library, it is now in my hands and i decided to blog about my thoughts and favorite quotes from each chapter.

now...the house is quiet, with faint sounds of a recorded episode of burn notice playing in the other room, and i'm snug in my bed with a book and my laptop.  the biggest challenge of the night is going to be reading only one chapter!

the case for faith

i just started reading Lee Strobel's book, the case for faith. i've only made it through the first chapter, and there is already so much to process. in a nutshell, the book is about a journalist investigating the toughest objections to Christianity (or at least that's what it says on the cover...). :o) the first main argument it covers is this: since evil and suffering exists, a loving God cannot. the whole chapter is full of intriguing bits of information, but this paragraph stuck out to me the most.

"At the time of the crucifixion, the disciples couldn't see how anything good could result; similarly, as we face struggles and trials and suffering, we sometimes can't imagine good emerging. But we've seen how it did in the case of Jesus, and we can trust it will in our case too. For instance, the greatest Christians in history seem to say that their sufferings ended up bringing them the closest to God - so this is the best thing that could happen, not the worst."

hmm. lots to think about. can't wait to see what else i'll learn!

the case for faith

i just started reading Lee Strobel's book, the case for faith. i've only made it through the first chapter, and there is already so much to process. in a nutshell, the book is about a journalist investigating the toughest objections to Christianity (or at least that's what it says on the cover...). :o) the first main argument it covers is this: since evil and suffering exists, a loving God cannot. the whole chapter is full of intriguing bits of information, but this paragraph stuck out to me the most.

"At the time of the crucifixion, the disciples couldn't see how anything good could result; similarly, as we face struggles and trials and suffering, we sometimes can't imagine good emerging. But we've seen how it did in the case of Jesus, and we can trust it will in our case too. For instance, the greatest Christians in history seem to say that their sufferings ended up bringing them the closest to God - so this is the best thing that could happen, not the worst."

hmm. lots to think about. can't wait to see what else i'll learn!