Let the New Journey Begin

Wow....so I've blogged my way through a book. I am not very good at it as all I really do is tell you what the author said, but instead of saying "you" & "we", I usually just say "me". I leave out most of the author's personal stories & add in mine where they seem appropriate. But like I've said, I use the blog as my way of taking notes. Even if you look back at my books & notes from my high school & college days, I highlight & write pretty much everything that's said. I don't want to forget anything. So I blog more for myself. I thought about not doing this again, but then I remembered that. And it's a bonus if someone else reads my blog & gets something out of it that they would not have gotten if they had not read it.

 

I heard about Unglued when it first came out & was promoted on K-Love Radio. I had heard the author (Lysa TerKeurst) do little radio snippets, read her stuff from the Proverbs 31 daily emails, & had even signed up for her personal blog cause I liked her stuff so much. So when I heard about Unglued, I thought: hey, why not read it? You already read daily stuff she puts out & LOVE it! Plus, she's a working Mom I can relate to! So off to Lifeway I went. When I was there, another one of her book titles caught my attention: Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl.

 

I thought it looked interesting. I mean, I had just actually finished my 1st or 2nd group Bible study. And I'm excited to say that my Moms Bible Study Play Date has started a new study! In cause you are wondering & can't figure it out from the name, this is a group of my Mommy friends & I who get together weekly to eat --um, I LOVE food-- & let the kids play while we have a Bible study & talk about our Heartwork for the week. I like what the author of our studies calls it better than homework since we are working on our hearts to become more like God.

 

Oh, I have attempted to participate in several Bible studies, but for whatever reason, I had not made it through them. So when I saw the title of Becoming More, I thought: that will be my next book to read/blog about. And until this morning, I haven't even read a word on it or in it cause I wanted to make sure I stuck with finishing Unglued.

 

Back Cover Summary [with a little input from me]

 

Is something missing from your life? [Um, yes]

 

Lysa TerKeurst knows what it's like to consider God just another thing on her to-do list [I did too, until about a year ago]. For years she went through the motions of a Christian life: Go to church. Pray. Be nice. Longing for a deeper connection between what she knew in her head & her everyday reality, she wanted to personally experience God's presence [oh WOW, this sounds familiar! Is Lysa in my head?].

 

Drawing from her own remarkable story of step-by-step faith, Lysa invites you to uncover the spiritually exciting life we all year for. With her trademark wit & spiritual wisdom [sorry you miss out on this if you only read my blog...you'll have to read the book to enjoy this], Lysa will help you:

* Learn how to make a Bible passage come alive in your devotion time.

* Replace doubt, regret, & envy with truth, confidence, & praise.

*Stop the unhealthy cycles of striving & truly learn to love who you are & what you've been given.

* Discover how to have inner peace & security in any situation.

* Sense God responding to your prayers.

 

[Oh WOW!!!!! I want all of THAT!!!!]

 

The adventure God has in store for your life just might blow you away.

 

Introduction

 

Lysa indicated that she's a picky book reader cause her time is a hot commodity. The reality is she's got dishes to wash, loads of laundry to fold, kids to raise, a ministry to run, & cellulite to deal with. If she's going to give a book her time, she wants to know that she'll be able to relate to the author as a trusted friend & that it contains a message that will challenge & impact her [yes, please! Me too!]. If that's what she wants as a reader, you better believe she wants to deliver that as a writer.

 

The message she's delivering in this book: She wants to help women not only know God's truth but also feel equipped to live it out in their everyday lives. For too many years she was full of Bible knowledge with no idea how to let the truths she knew impact her daily life. She would go to Bible study, leave all inspired, & then go home & have a complete meltdown over spilling bleach on her favorite shirt. Or a kid's bad attitude. Or finding a friend betrayed her. Or gaining back the 5 pounds over a weekend that took her 2 months to lose.

 

How do we apply truth to this kind of everyday stuff? We are quick to say all the right Jesus answers in church, around our Christian friends, & in our Bible study. But when the strains of life press against us, do we live as if Jesus really works?

 

Lysa admitted that she is challenged by this. So she is not writing as an expert who has achieved a life that authentically reflects Jesus at all times, but as a friend who dares to try to become more than just a good Bible study girl.

 

Inviting me to accept this challenge is the whole point of this book. She started with a question that many people seem to be asking today: "Does Jesus work?" It's great that He's true, but what kind of difference can He make in my life? At first, this question seems bold & self-centered, not even worth answering. She would never want to reduce Jesus to the same qualifications by which she judges a car! But still, "Does Jesus work?" is an honest question deserving an honest answer.

 

That's why she decided to tackle 6 issues that each play a vital role in determining whether or not Jesus works:

* Will Jesus make a difference in my heart?

* Will He help my connection with God be more real?

* What kind of difference could He make in my relationships?

* How do I process my struggles with Jesus?

* What do I do when my thoughts pull me away from Jesus?

* Does Jesus really have a calling for my life?

 

If I can truthfully answer these questions as Lysa addresses them one by one in this book, I believe we'll truthfully answer the bigger question "Does Jesus work?" question as well. Lysa says if you want to break free from the confines of our Christian arenas & replace the world's emptiness with true fulfillment, read on.

 

So, let the journey begin. From now on, I will blog this book just as I did Unglued & as I mentioned at the beginning of this.

 

Stay tuned for the next Becoming More Book Blog Update....