Book Review: Imperfect Disciple
What do you do when you struggle to get your act together but keep failing? Imperfect Disciple: Grace for People Who Can’t Get Their Act Together, by Jared C. Wilson, is the perfect book to read with a friend this summer. Wilson’s conversational style of writing makes you feel like you are sitting across the table at a coffee shop or at an airport waiting area having a chat. His wisdom makes you feel smarter not smaller once you finish a chapter. Read a chapter, let it settle in, then discuss it with a friend or two. Repeat 10 times. Preferably with an iced coffee. Wilson takes readers on a discipleship journey through his own stories with humor and honesty. Knowing you are not alone in this journey nor do you have to have it all together all the time will build your confidence. Discipleship is doing life on life with someone else. Normal life. Messy life. Wilson understands a life full of questions and knows a Book full of answers. After hearing Wilson speak in person a few years ago, some friends and I did a book study with Imperfect Diciple. There are not questions at the end of…
God is my rock
How does your view of God affect how you live? How you view God affects how you live. What does that mean? If I don’t trust God to be who He says or to keep His promises, then I think too little of God. As a result, I don’t rely on Him. Or maybe I think He’s only sometimes going to answer my prayers or only if I’m really good is He going to listen to me. When I think that, I make prayer and devotions all about me. I should make them all about God. When things get hard I need to remember to trust God to be who He says He is…my rock, my hope, my creator. He is strong, just, loving, and forgiving. And so much more! We can rely on Him. We can anchor to Him in the storms. What’s the definition for rock? Firm foundation, immovable, stable, dependable, refuge, unbreakable. What does the Bible tell us about God as our rock? Let’s take a look at a few verses. Deuteronomy 32:4 “He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong;…
Psalm 71 – A Psalm of Hope
Who or what is your anchor? Psalm 71 is a psalm of hope. It reminds us of God’s constant help and our testimony of being anchored to the Rock. When our future seems uncertain, we can look back and see the certainty of God and we can rely on that certainty to continue in the future. Psalm 71 is a wonderful mix of problems and praise. We can choose joy in the midst of struggle. We can choose to anchor ourselves to God, our rock and salvation. Make Psalm 71 your prayer today. I’ve been studying and praying through this psalm. Here are some of my notes. God is our Rock Verses 1-3: Trust in God who delivers His people These verses describe the writer’s trust in God and his confidence in that trust. He is satisfied with God’s promises and boldly asks God, his Rock, for deliverance. Verses 4-6: Trust in God’s steadfast care These verses describe the troubles of the writer and proclaim his hope and trust in God. His confidence in God is encouraged by his experiences from the earliest stages of life. With this confidence in God’s continued care, he makes requests and promises continued praise.…
Extreme Paddleboarding
Have you ever had an adventure that went from a lazy river to an extreme sport? A few years ago, I went on what was supposed to be a leisurely 10 mile paddleboarding trip down the James River in Lynchburg, Virginia with my best friend who had always talked about how fun paddleboarding was. She and her husband had taken this trip numerous times and knew where to start and where to park the car at the end. That morning we briefly looked at the little boat launch and stairs at a secret fishing spot in the middle of nowhere where we would exit the river. We hopped back in the car and headed to the launching spot where her husband was dropping us off. When we got our gear out, she and her husband remarked at how high the river seemed to be after the recent rains. Boards, paddles, inflatable life vests, cellphone pouch (me), and camelbacks were ready. We were ready for a few hours of paddling down the river and catching up on life. With 7 kids and 115 miles between us, time alone together was rare. We sat on our boards to start and after a…