Jan. 13th, 2016 Colossians 3:12-17

Colossians 3:12-17

12-14 So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

15-17 Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

What a great passage this morning!

When we are around people in a group, there are bound to be some people who naturally rub you the wrong way.

Subconsciously they may remind you of someone who hurt you (Sign of un-forgiveness possibly in your heart...)

Or they may be like you or exhibit a character flaw you see in yourself (Pride, Likes to be in charge, shy, etc...)

Yet we are called to be compassionate, kindness, humble, etc... we do it all though IN GOD'S STRENGTH! Which is a supernatural power!

But just in case, we think that's enough, we are called to forgive them...

I don't read that they asked for it... Do you?

We are to FORGIVE them. And not just superficially with words like a child forced to say 'I'm sorry' by their parents, but with a WHOLE HEARTED, I FORGIVE and will GIVE UP MY RIGHT TO HOLD IT AGAINST YOU forgiveness!

And just wait cause he is just getting started!

NOW add to that PEACE... A COMMUNITY FELLOWSHIP SPIRIT.

"NONE OF THIS GOING ODD AND DOING YOUR OWN THING"

So I need to be kind, compassionate, and forgiving, and then I need to still hang out with them?

You mean I can't change churches when the going gets rough?

You mean I can't hide?

And to top it all off, LET EVERY DETAIL be done in the name of the MASTER!

We are subservient to Jesus because we LOVE.

Will you love with that type of LOVE, DEEP LOVE, today?

More or Less by Jeff Shinabarger: Choosing a Lifestyle of Excessive Generosity

I read a lot of books…  And it seems like they all try to sell you on something.  Follow these three steps and you will be….. you name it.

So when I received a copy of MORE or LESS by Jeff Shinabarger back before it released it ended up on my stack.  I really ‘wanted’ to read it but just assumed it would be like all the other books that challenge you, leave you feeling bad about yourself because you don’t live in a shoe box and give your house and entire income away to others.  As a father of 6, two of whom we have adopted, I don’t have a lot of access in my finances.  Just coming off the Adoption 7 months ago, Hearing aids over the past 4 (Which Insurance doesn’t cover) and now Cochlear Implant Surgeries I don’t see extra money on my ledger sheet anytime soon.

So I expected to start this book and then put it down… you know, one of those SKIM reads.  Well, I started this book with the introduction by Bob Goff whose book I really enjoyed.  His honest words came through sounding genuine and not showing the typical air of “I really only read 4 pages of your book, but let me make a catchy and ironic statement about this title being as good if not better then my book…”  He gave a heart wrenching applaud for this book.  So I was curious.

In one sitting I read 5 chapters.  I couldn’t stop reading.  Jeff writes in a simple way that helps to steer you without prodding, to guide without shoving. 

When you look at our lives if we look truthfully we can find access.  This book gives you examples of how people took the simple things in their lives and made them extraordinary.  The topics all hit home and leave you with a ‘I CAN DO THAT’ feeling.  Making life change simple and compelling!

Some of the topics are finding excess in: your Junk (those items you really don’t need); your kitchen Pantry; Your Clothing; Your gift giving and getting; your time; Transportation; Access; Gift Cards; etc…

Have you ever thought of simple things you could do to raise awareness and funds for a local ministry?  What if you had a Game night and charged a Gift Card (Used one at that) as the admission fee?  20% of gift cards go unused!  Yet for example the local Pregnancy Resource Center could use them to supply needed Bottles, Formula etc. to their clients.  Maybe your kitchen… ever look at your pantry and fridge and say “There is nothing to eat?”  yet you have multiple can’s etc.. staring back at you.  What if you took the challenge to eat only what you have in house (getting milk, bread and eggs occasionally)… how long could you go and how much could you save to give to a Food Pantry or homeless shelter? 

The ideas that Jeff shared REAL examples of are endless.  He has saught to create a new culture in giving.  It is not just about FINANCES.  You don’t have to be rich!  Just use what God has given you!

I am drawing my lines on the ENOUGH scale.  I am personally looking at my closets and giving away.  I am personally looking at my income and setting a ENOUGH level.  I want to be the one to set the level on what ENOUGH is in my life, not the media, culture etc..

So why don’t you take this challenge with me!  Check out this book and then take the challenge in the area God is calling you to take it in!  Together we can make a difference in our communities!

Cross Roads by Wm. Paul Young: a 5 star Book!

Rarely do I read a work of Fiction that changes my life, one that impacts me and helps me to deepen my faith.  I have read some great fiction, C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, Jon Henderson, James Byron Huggins, Ted Deckker and many others; yet none of those impacted my way of life, or my thinking in the way that one author has.

            Classic literature is filled with controversy and topics that made people think.  “Oliver Twist”; “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”; “War and Peace” these are just some titles that not only were good reads but led to a revolution of thought.

            Back in 2008 a book came out by Wm. Paul Young called the Shack.  This single book went on to be on every Best Seller list and sell millions of copies.  The book wasn’t without it’s controversies yet when one set down and read it in its entirety and in the concept of a fiction titles they could understand it so much better.

            Wm. Paul Young is back.  This November 2012 his second work is coming out entitled “Cross Roads”.  I received a free preview copy from Hachette Book Group to review.  

            In this story Young takes on the concept of the Soul.  What is it?  What does it look like?  We follow a man who had it all, wealth, fame, etc… but used his family as a stepping stone as well as anyone else who got in his way.  When his life is suddenly traumatized and he finds him self in coma we begin to see what takes place.

            Follow Tony as he journeys through the hear and now visiting in minds of those surrounding him.  And what happens when Jesus himself tells Tony that he could heal one person?  Will the selfish man win, or will Tony experience a change in heart?

            As always, since this book deals with the Trinity, and deals with the Soul and the topic of what happens when a body is not dead but not full of life, there will be controversy.  Expect it, and embrace it.  Learn from it!

            There is a line at the end of the book that I feels sums it up the best:

“Imagery,” added Grandmother, “has never been able to define God, but it is our intention to be known, and each whisper and breath of imagery is a little window into a facet of our nature.  Pretty cool, eh?”

If you look for Truth you may find comfort in the end.

If you look for comfort you will not get neither comfort nor truth,

Only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin and in the end, despair.   

~C.S. Lewis

This is a must read.  Put all other fiction aside and read this book as soon as it comes out!

You will not be disappointed and you will be led to THINK!

The Admiral: The David Robinson Story by Gregg and Deborah Shaw Lewis

I grew up in the days of the Basketball hero's.  Michael Jordan ruled (before he retired the FIRST time), Scotty Pippen was his protege; Larry Byrd flew; Magic Johnson was only known for Basketball;

But growing up there was one player who I enjoyed to watch more then most, David 'The Admiral' Robinson.  David Robinson was the 'perfect sport', a great player, a team player and a Christian.

I can remember reading articles on him in Sports Illustrated, or Sport's spectrum (The Christian version of SI).  When it came to his Integrity there was no one who compared except maybe Billy Graham.  I remember reading of his stance on abstinence and other items. 

So when I saw this book for young boys, I knew I had to pick it up and review it and hand it to my son.

Here is what the publisher had to say:

Disciplined Life, Determined Athlete, Devoted Christian Kids will be inspired by the compelling story of David 'The Admiral' Robinson, who went from the Navy to the NBA, becoming MVP center for the San Antonio Spurs. When David Robinson became MVP center for the San Antonio Spurs, he seemed to have it all---fame, success, wealth, and a wonderful family---but he didn't feel complete until he found his faith. This is the true story of one man's disciplined life, how he excelled in academics and sports, and who isn't afraid to share his utter devotion to God.

So final thoughts: David Robinson is one of the Best players the NBA has ever seen; yet off the court his legacy is even greater!  This book will help introduce young boys to this giant of a man.
You will not be disappointed.

Thanks to the publisher for sending this Ebook to me for free to review.  This review is my true review and not 'driven' by the publisher.

Under The Overpass by Mike Yankoski

I recently received "Under the Overpass" by Mike Yankoski free to review from the publisher

Here is what the Publisher had to say about the title:

Ever Wonder What it Would Be Like to Live Homeless?

Mike Yankoski did more than just wonder. By his own choice, Mike's life went from upper-middle class plush to scum-of-the-earth repulsive overnight. With only a backpack, a sleeping bag and a guitar, Mike and his traveling companion, Sam, set out to experience life on the streets in six different cities—from Washington D.C. to San Diego— and they put themselves to the test.
    For more than five months the pair experienced firsthand the extreme pains of hunger, the constant uncertainty and danger of living on the streets, exhaustion, depression, and social rejection—and all of this by their own choice. They wanted to find out if their faith was real, if they could actually be the Christians they said they were apart from the comforts they’d always known…to discover first hand what it means to be homeless in America.
   Mike and Sam's story is gritty, challenging, and utterly captivating. What you encounter in these pages will radically alter how you see your world—and may even change your life.


This is a neat book that I really did enjoy.  It catalogs for us this journey or experience that Mike took on.  Living as a homeless person.  Could you do it?
That is what I am left thinking: Could I do that?
Could I live like that even for one night?

Since reading this book it has opened my eyes and my families eyes to those around us.  We have seen the homeless village outside Walmart and even taken them soup and food a few times.

So don't read this book if you don't want your eyes opened and your life to change!

Time Keeper by Mitch Albom

Have you ever had a moment where you wished time would stop around you allowing you to simply enjoy the moment?

Maybe a time you regret and wish to relive.
Just think about our lives and how instrumental the concept of time is to everything we do.

Who invented time and why?  What caused time to infect our lives in the way it has. We cant go a long amount of time without checking on what time it is. Or we measure our days by the amount of time we work or how much we produce in that time.

In the Time Keeper we meet Dot who first began to measure time. We see his journey from time creator to becoming Father Time, locked in a cave for multiple lifetimes. We see him begin to realize how precious time is.

Here is what the publisher had to say:

From the author who's inspired millions worldwide with books like Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven comes his most imaginative novel yet, The Time Keeper - a compelling fable about the first man on Earth to count the hours.

The man who became Father Time.

In Mitch Albom's newest work of fiction, the inventor of the world's first clock is punished for trying to measure God's greatest gift. He is banished to a cave for centuries and forced to listen to the voices of all who come after him seeking more days, more years. Eventually, with his soul nearly broken, Father Time is granted his freedom, along with a magical hourglass and a mission: a chance to redeem himself by teaching two earthly people the true meaning of time.

He returns to our world - now dominated by the hour-counting he so innocently began - and commences a journey with two unlikely partners: one a teenage girl who is about to give up on life, the other a wealthy old businessman who wants to live forever. To save himself,he must save them both. And stop the world to do so.

Told in Albom's signature spare, evocative prose, this remarkably original tale will inspire readers everywhere to reconsider their own notions of time, how they spined it and how precious it truly is.

______________________________________________________________________

So final critic. I read this novel in two days and just a few hours each. It is well.written. well developed plot. Very captivating and will not disappoint. It expresses concern over the way we lead our lives and the lack of value we put on our time.  The one negative is that you feel as though God is punishing Doe for his creation. That was a sour feeling g that is transformed In the end.

I highly recommend you checking this out.  You'll be captivated; whisked away to a new realm and left thinking about your own use of time.