Rumors of God by Darren Whitehead & Jon Tyson

I just finished reading Rumors of God, written by two Aussies (Whitehead & Tyson) who now work with large churches here in the U.S.  From the beginning, I enjoyed reading this book.  It begins with the prayer of the Habakkuk, "Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord.  Renew them in our day."  Based on that prayer, the premise of the book is simple enough - bringing truth to each "rumor" we have heard about God's goodness.  Rumors such as God's generosity, love, grace, freedom, and justice, among others, are explored in relation to our modern culture.  People have heard of these things, but how do they actually know these rumors about God are true?

I loved being challenged by the idea that in our fallen world, God relies on us to reclaim the world for him.  I have heard that many times in my life, but this book helps to put skin on this idea. It gives real examples of people who are living out the message of convincing the world that the rumors about God true.  It has definitely inspired me to begin thinking differently about the way I live. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has questioned the state of our world and God's role in it. 

This was a great read, and I look forward to the next work from these authors.

**To comply with regulations introduced by the Federal Trade Commission, I will note that I received a complimentary copy of this book, but am in no way required to give a positive review. **

What's Going On

I've been out of the loop for a while now, busy with all things summertime.  Now that our schedule is about to settle down again, hopefully I'll be back in blogging business. 

For now, here's what we've been up to lately.

Creating Financial Margin

I've been finishing up Richard Swenson's book Margin: How to Create the Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves You Need.  I have treasured this book for many reasons, but it has definitely challenged me. The reason that Swenson is convincing in his argument is because he actually lives what he is writing, and he really hits his stride when it comes to the section on financial margin.  I have been convicted by so many things as he discusses what a Christian's view of money should be.  Have you ever thought about God wanting you to be a funnel instead of a sponge? 

"He is trusting us with certain resources; He as owner and we as stewards.  We should never pretend that we have rights to what is not ours. Be a conduit of His blessing, not a dead end."

Think about that one for a minute!  All of the blessings that God pours out on us daily are to be used for His glory.  They are not to be completely soaked up for our pleasure.  Ultimately, God wants the blessings we receive to be used to bless others.  I, for one, have probably thought that way in my head, but in reality, I have lived more like the sponge.  Instead of a steward of what He has given, I have been a hoarder of His blessings.  We, especially in a wealthy country like America, tend to see our money as "ours."  We work for it, it belongs to us, but in reality all we have belongs to God. 

It is so simplistic on an intellectual level, but living it out every day is much harder.  It is counter-cultural to live in a way that does not promote buying, spending, and getting the newest and best of everything.  Being intentional with our money means that planning out a budget may look different than it ever has before.  The only way to break money's power of control over our lives, Swenson says, is to give it away.  How challenging!  I'm intrigued by this idea, even if I'm still a little terrified at the same time, which only serves to underscore the power that money still has on me. 

I once read a quote that says, "You can have anything, but you can't have everything."   How true!  Any "one" thing might be attainable if I devote all my strength, energy, intellect, money, and time to it.  But all other things will be sacrificed for it.  Our calling is to reclaim this fallen world for Christ until he returns to take us home.  That should be our "one" thing.  All other pursuits outside of that are for sustaining us and strengthening ourselves, our families, and others in this effort.  If other things become "the thing" - if the pursuit of money becomes our thing - our life takes on a very different slant.  Contentment becomes unattainable when you can have anything you want.  You will always want one more thing.  It is such an irony, but it is true.  Things will never ever bring contentment.

The end of the chapter on creating financial margin in our lives ends very beautifully and simply:

"Money belongs to God.  Wealth belongs to God. The Kingdom belongs to God.  We belong to God.  Margin belongs to God.  Only the choice belongs to us."

It is only an illusion to think that anything on this earth "belongs" to us.  Truly the only thing we truly possess is our free will - our choice.  What will that choice be regarding what God has entrusted in our care for a season? 

Thoughts for Today

Here is something I read today during my quiet time while the boys were resting.

"If we believe in and work for something larger than ourselves-for our families, for the community, for the common good, and for the Kingdom-then every expenditure of emotion will have meaning, and every expenditure of emotion will be reimbursable."   Richard A. Swenson



Hope you are working for something that is worth your effort today!

Til the Storm Passes Over

Today is a fantastic sunny day here in the South.  The boys have enjoyed playing in the damp earth searching for bugs and worms, running, swinging and laughing.  My heart sings when I get to sit and watch my children being so carefree and enjoying the beautiful weather that we have not enjoyed for many many days because of rain and severe weather we have experienced.  I am reminded,