Over the last few days I've taken a Sabbatical/Study Leave of sorts for the purpose of prayer, personal worship with God in a secluded spot, and life change/growth. I spent part of this time at the BCMD's Shepherd's Rest at Skycroft. The ground on that mountain is hallowed. I have seen God work in many lives there and I have experienced sacramental moments in conversation, prayer, and worship. Last week proved to be one of those mysterious, sacramental times with the Lord.
A Challenging Book for a Thirsty Soul
I set out in a car loaded down with new books and a loose plan for what I was going to study. God quickly changed the course. I was first challenged by Francis Chan's new book, "Crazy Love." It is very conversational, just like Chan's stage presence. Two questions that are challenging me from this book are:
- Am I allowing my high view of God to affect my daily life, in every word, in every decision?
- Do others witness my high view of the Creator in my daily living?
Chan also leads the reader to worship. The first section of the book is a great reminder of God's greatness and our insignificance in the scheme of eternity and the universe. Yet, in spite of that reality, God loves us and desires to communion with us. Leading me to read and mediate on Psalm 19 on page 28, I was inspired with a new song as I witnessed God's majesty in the peak colors of the surrounding hard woods on the mountain. I hope to soon share this song with my congregation.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who feels they've hit a wall in their spiritual journey. Chan asks some tough questions and makes some bold statements and then challenges the reader to test them by going to the scriptures themselves. It is a great book to read and a great book to share.
Writing a Life Plan
Recently, I was privileged to be introduced to
Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishing. I had no idea at the time what an impact this introduction would make on my life. I've probably only spoken with Michael face to face for a total of eight minutes, but in
exploring and digesting his blog, I feel as though he's been coaching and mentoring me from a distance.
Michael is a very successful man in that he is a great husband, father, follower of Christ, and respectfully holds a job of great influence. He has graciously open sourced his keys to success in life through his blog as he writes about the things that keep him focused. Three of his archived posts are really challenging me right now:
After my family joined me for the weekend at Shepherds Rest, I returned home on Monday and Tuesday, found myself a corner at the local library and began working through these posts to create my own Life Plan. This isn't the type of plan where you say, "in five years, I will ______." It's a tool for self awareness, prioritizing your life's relationships, and improving on your weaknesses. I'm still working on this and hope to have it complete in a day or so. It's been very eye-opening to say the least. I highly recommend this systematic approach to working on self awareness.
So what is challenging and shaping you these days?
- BP
