“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”- Luke 9:23 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”- […]
“If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”- Galatians 5:25 Kyle Idleman states in Chapter 6 (“Self-empowered or Spirit-filled?”) of Not a Fan that when we try to follow Jesus without being filled daily by the Holy Spirit, we will “find ourselves frustrated by our failures and exhausted by our […]
“O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. You […]
Nicodemus, who had gone to him (Jesus) before, and who was one of them (Sanhedrin), said to them, “Does our law first judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” They replied, “Are you from Galilee too?”- John 7:50-52 As Kyle Idleman concludes Chapter 2 of Not a Fan, […]
And he (Jesus) said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”- Luke 9:23-24 In Chapter 2 (“A Decision or a Commitment?”) […]
“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples.”- John 8:31 “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”- John 3:35 As Kyle Idleman concludes Chapter 1 of Not a Fan, he asserts that it’s almost impossible to be objective when asked to […]
Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus is the first book written by Kyle Idleman, teaching pastor at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY. His second book, Gods at War, previously was blogged and annotated on this site. Pastor Idleman begins Chapter 1 (“D. T. R.”) of Not a Fan with what […]
Grace (Thomas Nelson, 2012) The full title of this book by Max Lucado is Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine. Pastor Lucado begins with the assertion that God answers the messes of life with one word: grace. He then defines grace as “the voice that calls us to change and then gives […]
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.”- Titus 2:11-12 “Grace is the gift of feeling sure that our future, even our dying, is going to turn out more splendidly than […]
“In love he predestined us for adoption as sons, through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the beloved.”- Ephesians 1:5-6 “He meant us to see Him and live with Him and draw our life from His smile.”- A. […]
“Freely you have received, freely give.”- Mathew 10:8 (NIV) “Grace must find expression in life, otherwise it is not grace.”- Karl Barth In Chapter 9 (“Unscrooged Hearts”) of Grace, Max Lucado tells how bridal shop owner Amy Wells gave grace to a dying man. That man, Jack Autry, had been hospitalized because he was in […]
“Cry for help and you’ll find it’s grace and more grace. The moment he hears, he’ll answer.”- Isaiah 30:19 (The Message) “[God] never gives a thorn without this added grace, He takes the thorn to pin aside the veil which hides His face.”- Martha Snell Nicholson Chapter 8 (“Fear Dethroned”) of Grace begins with the […]