this past weekend mike began a series on the holy spirit and ended his message with the allowance that many of us may not even feel the need for MORE connection to God. it's tough to get excited about reading the bible or asking for the holy spirit to move through us if the CRAVING is missing. mike suggested that if we aren't yet hungry for the WORD that we might consider reading a book that helps us get in touch with the the "felt need" of our own hunger for God. God designed us for relationship but it is entirely possible to be so detached from this connection that we aren't even aware we have it. the craving has been temporarily satisfied with things that feed us just enough to camouflage our real hunger - like snacking around instead of waiting until supper's ready.
i always have a good book next to my bible. i need to hear fresh voices with skin on, other jesus-followers who struggle and start over each day. i've expanded my reads by sharing with a group of women who are all absorbing the same book and get together once a week to talk about it. we choose our books carefully with the common felt need to "get our butts kicked and move forward with our lives." one of our best reads was "one month to live - thirty days to a no-regrets life" by chris and kerry shook. i blogged about this book awhile back.
most recently we have been working through "journey to freedom" by scott reall. it's a recovery book for the everyday person who wants to make real progress towards emotional and spiritual health. the daily reads constantly require us to depend on the holy spirit for each day's journey and suggests scripture to seal the lesson deal into our hearts. some readings hold new stuff for me, some not so new. the point is i need REMINDERS and butt-kickers each and every day. i want to MAXIMIZE my life and that is what creates my CRAVINGS. in the words of aerosmith...
i don't wanna close my eyes
i don't wanna fall asleep
'cause i'd miss you [jesus]
and i don't wanna miss a thing
next we plan to share this little book i have from the 70s called "adventures in prayer" by catherine marshall. it's not in print anymore but i LOVE the way it creates a CRAVING inside me to talk to and trust God more. i'm going to make bootleg copies to give to my girls for our group's benefit.
do you have a book that has helped expedite your God-connection? Please share it with a comment below.
Dream Giver by bruce wilkinson who also wrote prayer of jabez. this book helped me focus on clarifying my God dream. i used it with a friend. the end result is my going to ohio state in the fall to get my phd. awesome book for anyone feeling stuck in the status quo who wants direction. its a great read.
ReplyDeleteImproving Your Serve by Charles Swindoll. It's an old book, but it defined an attitude within me; even though today I can not recall the salient points of the book I read over twenty years ago.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I just pop in a Nooma video (see clips at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17lH2My9QGM). I don't feel like I have enough time to clear my head and dig into a book anymore so these 10 minute videos can be enough to focus my mind on the subject at hand and hopefully extend into some thinking/conversing time with God after the video is over.
ReplyDeletevideo is cool idea. we are going to feature as many of your suggestions as we can in a bookstore "jumpstart your God-connection" display here at gburg this week. thanks.
ReplyDeleteso funny you mention that Catherine Marshall book- I recently picked up a vintage version of it. Now...I'm going to have to read it!! Wish we were back in town so I could have come to your group and read it with you and the other ladies! blessings!
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