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Friday, May 31, 2013

Living a Risky Life

Recently, I began reading through a book by Simon Guillebaud called, More Than Conquerors. This book is similar in theme to More Ready Than You Realize, but focuses more on living the radically changed life that is given through Christ. So, if you want a different take on understanding how God wants us to live our lives, this book would be a good read, especially if you want to see how the Bible can be applied into your life.

Chapter One of this book talks about how life involves taking risks and how living out how God wants us to live is risky business. I would agree with what he is saying there; it's a risky life I'm living, which is following Jesus and trusting him as my Lord and master. I wouldn't be as greatly surprised if I were all of a sudden discriminated and attacked in the future because of my chosen lifestyle. This reminds me of something that Jesus said in the Gospels as he was preaching:

"Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets." (Luke 6:22, 23 NIV)

Here, he explains that even though people around us are going to hate and ridicule us, we know that God is always going to be with us and he wouldn't want us to give up because we are being bullied or betrayed. Yes, it's going to hurt, but we shouldn't let that get the best of us; not only does it hurt us, but it hurts God too and it doesn't get work done to propell the kingdom forward.

I'll be reading through Chapter Two to learn more about how I can live radically. There's always so much to learn about God and what he intends for us. It has definitely been quite an intellectual and spiritual journey for me so far, and I hope that it continues to progress like that and that I will be able to apply what I learn into the world around me.

God bless you!

Alex

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

More Ready Than You Realize - Overview and Afterthoughts

Now that I have finished reading the main part of More Ready Than You Realize by Brian McLaren, I thought that I would share some of my thoughts about the book as a whole. It has been a while since I last wrote here. I do enjoy writing about things that I am experiencing and learning.

The book as a whole was very well-written and thought provoking. It has allowed me to see evangelism done in a different, more practical way. I like the whole notion that all it takes is a simple conversation to get started. It also got me to learn that how Jesus evangelized was very process-oriented, meaning that the focus is on the journey and the destination, second. Although having milestone moments are great to celebrate, your journey, your walk with God, is what needs more attention.

I find that I am now learning more about how to apply the Bible into my daily life. No wonder they call it the "Living Word": it's so relevant, no matter the time or era. I also like how I can see a bit more about how I can use my gifts and talents to help people learn more about Jesus and what he has done for us. Also, with the verses and passages that were used, I now have a better understanding as to ow evangelism should work.

It's great that I have gotten to share some of the things that I am learning from these Bible studies and from the books that I have been reading. More Ready Tha You Realize is definitely a good, thought-provoking book that helps us to learn about and practice reaching out. I definitely feel ready to try talking with more people who are spiritually searching and trying to find answers to sme of life's big questions.

'Til next time,

Alex