by Bill Johnson
Loaned by Kelly Harvey, paperback 181 pages
genre: non-fiction, Christianity
This book challenged me in a good way. Whenever I read a book like this, it leads me back to Scripture (always a good thing). I am so glad that Kelly wanted me to read this; I hope she and I get time to talk about it!
Page 30 - "There is no question that spending time with God changes our desires. We always become like the one we worship." I love that! I love drawing near to God and caring more about laying up treasures in Heaven and not as much about the material things the world values.
Page 38 - "It's difficult to build something substantial on a negative." Johnson writes about how being convicted of one's sinfulness is only part of revival. We also need to be aware of God's holiness and how our identity changes when we accept that.
Page 48 - "There is a misconception that often exists in the artistic community; creativity must come from pain." Oh my! I vividly remember a fellow theater student at the U dismissing me as any kind of artist or performer - I just didn't have enough pain and trauma in my life. I was so discouraged by this idea that you had to be miserable to create! Praise God - He designed us to be creative!
Page 49 - "Yet many believers have simply tried to make the good news more intellectually appealing. This must stop! The natural mind cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God (see 1 Cor. 2:14). The wisdom of God is foolishness to men. It's time to be willing to appear foolish again, that we might provide the world with a message of power that delivers, transforms, and heals. This is true wisdom. It alone satisfies the cry of the human heart."
Page 56 - "Not understanding is OK. Restricting our spiritual life to what we understand is not. It is immaturity at best." I'm so glad that God is patient with me as I struggle to understand and to trust Him completely!
Page 63 - The section on Mary's mystery was so interesting to read as a mom . . . "Her pondering gave place for the roots to be established and the word to grow until the promise became manifest. God's Word grows in the heart of the believer." Maybe "ponder" should be my word next year . . .
Page 71 - "Few things are more devastating to pastors than when people leave the church. It feels like a personal rejection (and often times it really is). Those in ministry are certainly not immune to these feelings. Pastors are a unique breed - there are times when people who hate us leave the church and we still feel bad." This is food for thought for me . . . the rest of the paragraph is quite good. Seeking God's will makes all the difference in the world!
Page 89 - "There is no such thing as secular employment for the believer. Once we are born again, everything about us is redeemed for Kingdom purposes. It is all spiritual. It is either a legitimate Kingdom expression, or we shouldn't be involved at all." I love this! What a wonderful perspective!
Page 90 - Covert and overt ministry . . . covert ministry "works within the systems of this world to bring about change by reestablishing the proper norms of thought, beliefs, disciplines, and relational boundaries. In other words, we work to change the culture. This requires more time, as the goal is not a specific healing or conversion. The goal is the transformation of society itself by invading the systems of the city in order to serve." This is the heart of the book, in a way. It's a challenging idea.
Chapter 6 - The Practical Side of Things - this is my favorite chapter. "If it matters to you, it matters to Him." "It is because of my passion for Jesus that I love the Church the way I do. My love for God is my love for life. They cannot be separated." "When we live with genuine passion for God, it creates a passion for other things." The three specific stories within the chapter really captivate me. God is so good!
Page 146 - In the chapter on "Celebrating the Living Word," I finally put a post-it note with a question. "Why do these ideas challenge me so much?" Some of his writing about truth - "All Truth is not created equal" and Bible interpretation and the Holy Spirit not following rules . . . I wasn't completely sure I agreed with him or even understood him! I probably ought to re-read the chapter and grapple with it, but I want to return the book to Kelly and move on.
Page 149 - I struggled with this, too. "We prophesied the best we knew how. When the day of delivery came, the baby was in fact born dead. There was great mourning; first because of their heartbreak and loss, and second, because we didn't actually hear from God and missed it with all of our prophetic pronouncements. We met as a church family to review the tragedy and our mistakes." Sometimes I think I simply lack faith. Other times, I realize that God performs miracles but that *I* cannot make them happen on my desire or prayer. This is something I need to pray about more.
Page 151 - "Christianity was never to be known by its disciplines. It's to be known by its passion; and those without passion are in far more danger than they know. Demons are attracted to religiously sanitized environments where there is no power." I'm so glad that my God inspires passion!
Page 157 - "We have been given this amazing tool to fulfill our stewardship role: 'Death and life are in the power of the tongue . . . ' (Prov. 18:21 NASB)." Yes! This is one of the reasons I wanted to move on from this book. Lois lent me one on words. God is working on me in this area!
Page 158 - "One of the essential tools necessary to redefine the nature of the world around us is the gift of encouragement." Praise God! That's one of my favorite things to do!
Page 166 - "We have the honor of living at a time when our lives make a dramatic difference in the outcome of world events. We were born for this hour. Our assignment is to live as though nothing were impossible." This is a wonderful way to look at things, instead of bemoaning all that is happening that is discouraging.
Page 176 - "Is there anyone hungry enough for what He has shown us in the Scriptures that we will pull into our day something that is reserved for another? Is there anyone willing to lay themselves down to bring more of God's promises across another great divide? Or how about the promise that says everyone will know the Lord?" This is a "get off your butt and do what God is calling you to do" message.
Page 177 - "It's a New Day" I love this and thought of Kelly instantly: "Brand-new believers are not waiting for the mature to tell them that something is possible. They've read the Book, and they know it's legal. This tattooed generation with their body piercings and little fear of death has locked into the possibility of significance. They have seen what prior generations have called impossible, and will settle for nothing less." This sounds like a call to stop being an old fogey and join the young'uns who are moving forward for God . . .
Page 179 - "We are in a race. It's a race between what is and what could be. We are uniquely positioned with the richest inheritance of all time." I want to re-read Hebrews . . . I'm so grateful to God for inspiration, creativity, Truth, mercy, love, and grace.
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