Face to Face with God: The Ultimate Quest to Experience His Presence

by Bill Johnson
Loaned by Kelly from NewDay paperback 220 pages
genre: non-fiction Christian faith

Again, I struggled with reading this . . . am I too weak in my faith? Is it simply not the "right book at the right time" for me? There are lots of pages that I put post-its on, but I don't feel as though I really know how to better draw near to God and experience His presence. (What a contrast with the Experiencing God book!) Johnson's faith and depth of knowledge of God's Word is strong, though, and I want to be stronger in my own faith.

Page 37 - "He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD" (Proverbs 18:22) "The implications of this promise go far beyond simply getting married. Many have done that without any increase of God's favor. This promise is given to those who correctly steward the blessing of marriage." I think this caught my eye because I love marriage and I am concerned for loved ones who need this Scriptural wisdom . . .

Page 55 - After relating the story of the woman who poured expensive perfume on Jesus' feet . . . "What others thought to be excessive and extreme, God considered reasonable. The only true worship is extreme worship, and only extreme worship brings extreme results - transformation." I love this idea of extreme worship! I don't spend nearly enough of my time (even my devotions / prayer time) simply worshiping God. Perhaps that's part of the reason my faith is weaker than I'd like.

Page 61 - "Relationships are built on trust, communication, common interests, honesty, and time together. It is no different with knowing God. And it is from that place of knowing God that we find our greatest purpose in life." This is so true, and so vital for me to practice!

Page 98 - I think I tagged this because I wanted to find a way to better understand / search Scripture. He basically says that Elizabeth stayed home for five months when she got pregnant with John . . . so that she could protect herself from people's negative comments. How could he know this? Or is he surmising it? Do I care enough to dig deeper?

Page 145 - I loved the entire section on saints! Reading about other believers' lives and work really impacts me. The section on Charles Finney is one that I specifically tagged . . . I love reading about people's personal experiences with the Lord and how transformative those experiences are!

Page 156 - In the story about Smith Wigglesworth (what a name!), I loved this sentence: "Remember that this remarkable experience happened to a most unlikely vessel, and let it encourage you to qualify to receive more of God's Spirit because of your unrestrained hunger for Him." I should make it a sign / reminder for my desk!

Page 157 - "Wigglesworth's ministry was based on four principles: First, read the Word of God. Second, consume the Word of God until it consumes you. Third, believe the Word of God. Fourth, act on the Word of God."

Page 165 - A section on Heidi Baker! Since I had just read her book about Love, I found this very interesting. One fact in particular caught my eye. "Whereas it took them seventeen years to plant four churches before Heidi's encounter with God's face, they have planted over six thousand churches in the eight years since." Powerful!

Page 171-2 - "Much of the present Christian culture has unintentionally fostered ways of life and thought patterns that allow for people to be heavily burdened and discouraged as the norm. That habit often takes us into the stronghold of unbelief. In this mode we are much better at applauding tears over laughter, poverty over wealth, and the endurance of affliction over receiving quick answers and getting breakthroughs." This section is one that I should re-read . . . and discuss with other believers.

Page 188 - "I have heard teaching on the subject of giving to the poor and needy that emphasizes our stewardship instead of compassion. It basically means that you don't want to give to someone who will not use what was given properly." Ooh! I am sometimes guilty of this . . . and I do *not* want to be judgmental or self-righteous! This is where seeking God and spending time with Him helps me to make right decisions with a right attitude! I need You, Jesus!

More: How to Move from Activity for God to Intimacy with God

by Greg Hawkins
Hennepin County Library hardcover 203 pages
genre: Christian living

This was recommended by a colleague. Overall, I wasn't as inspired as I was by Francis Chan's Crazy Love. I marked a lot of pages, though, so clearly I made some connections!

Page 45 - The study that his church commissioned found four groups of Christians. Group Four were the "more" group. "People in this group love God with their whole heart and love others as themselves. They have found a life of purpose, a life of loving others, a life of inner contentment and peace. We want these things. We crave that kind of life, especially when we learn that it's not about doing more things." So true! I want to BE one of "those" Christians . . .

Page 51 - "We were made for an intimacy we cannot even imagine, one in which we feel loved and safe and joyful in ways we've never experienced in this life."

Page 85 - "When we worry, we are telling God, 'I don't trust You. I don't think You can help. . . '" This theme has come up in my readings before, but it's always a good reminder! I have gotten better about trusting God, but I'm surprised I still struggle with this at all!

Page 99 - "Rather than thinking I've got to . . . begin to think, We're going to . . . you and God. Think of doing your day, moment by moment, with God." This is an interesting shift. I'm not sure I can do it! But I think it's an exercise I should try.

Page 127 - "I really prefer the idea of the Bible as 'food' or nutrition that is essential to having an intimate relationship with God. Eating isn't a habit; it's absolutely necessary to live. A habit is something you can break or give up. You simply cannot live without food, and that's how you should approach the Bible: I need this to survive. Without it I will die."

Page 140 - Sometimes, this author's words bugged me rather than inspired me. I don't feel like noting all of them, but this one jumped off the page at me! "At the end of the day, the only thing that will last is people. The only thing that is truly immortal is the human soul." What?! People *don't* last - that's why there's so much crying at funerals. And the "only thing" that is truly immortal is God Himself! If you're trying to make the point that people are important and we should pay attention to them, find a different way to express that!

Page 144 - I'm not sure why I marked this part on small groups . . . maybe I was thinking of the value of book club and the conversations we have about life and following Jesus.

Page 179 - "Push kills your life. I push so that things happen at the pace I want them to happen, not at the pace that God would like them to happen. And God has a pace in mind for things, which will bless me." This really resonates. I hate the go-go-go of modern life. I hate the push, and want God's MORE.