As Mark Batterson concludes Chapter 6 of All In, he notes that the prophet Elisha came from wealth, as evidenced by his ownership of twelve yoke of oxen. That meant Elisha was divesting himself of his share of the family when he burned his plowing equipment. Elisha was all in. Unlike Elisha, we tend to […]
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.”- Psalm 46:1 “And now for something completely different.”- John Cleese (Monty Python) In Chapter 6 of All In, author Mark Batterson states that Elisha made a statement of faith when he burned his plowing equipment to follow Elijah. By doing so, Elisha was […]
Sometime later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. The God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love- Isaac- and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”- Genesis 22:1-2 Mark Batterson observes in […]
“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.”- Luke 9:24 In Chapter 3 of All In, author Mark Batterson counterintuitively asserts that he’s convinced it is true that the key to self-fulfillment is self-denial (shorthand for delayed gratification). That’s how we’ll discover that authentic […]
“This is the message that we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”- 1 John 1:5 Mark Batterson begins Chapter 1 (“Pack Your Coffins”) of his most recent book, All In, with an account of some brave missionaries known as one-way missionaries. […]
In his Introduction to Part 2 (“Identity: Who We Are”) of Transformed, Caesar Kalinowski asks us to imagine performing as a one-person trapeze act. Obviously, it doesn’t work- we’d need a partner to catch us. Similarly, our new identity in Christ is lived both individually and collectively (as the church). Pastor Kalinowski states that the […]
“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.”- Romans 8:11 As Caesar Kalinowski continues Chapter 2 of Transformed, he states that his grasp of the […]
“And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”- 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 In Chapter 2 (“A New Way of Being”) of Transformed, Caesar Kalinowski states that, at times, Christians […]
One Way Love (David C. Cook, 2013) The full title of Tullian Tchividjian’s latest book is One Way Love: Inexhaustible Grace for an Exhausted World. Pastor Tchividjian emphasizes that in our performance-oriented society, the need for God’s inexhaustible grace has never been more urgent. Real life is long on law and short on grace. While […]
Today marks the beginning of five blogs from the book Transformed by Caesar Kalinowski. In Chapter 1 (“Who Are You”) the author observes that, as Christians, we’re often puzzled that we continue to sin in the same old ways, thus seeing little real change in our lives. Similarly, we may wonder why our doubts, fears, and […]
“The Gospel is not a command to hang on to Jesus. It’s a promise that no matter how weak your faith and how unsuccessful your efforts may be, God is always holding on to you.”- Tullian Tchividjian In Chapter 10 (“The End of To-Do Lists”) of One Way Love, author Tullian Tchividjian notes the paradoxical […]
“We are objects of love before we are subjects who love.”- Jono Linebaugh In Chapter 9 of One Way Love, author Tullian Tchividjian states that the only way any of us truly begins to live a life of obedience to God is when we experience tasting His grace. The message that justifies also is the […]