9.10.2008

Accidental/Incidental blogging.

I was writing an email to Adam and ended up blogging. Haha, so I copied and pasted some of what I sent.

I'm reading a book called Confessions of a Reformission Rev. by Mark Driscoll. It's another of those what-is-the-church and how-can-we-be-relevant-to-our-culture and how-should-we-be-functioning-to-best-glorify-God-and-serve-the-needs-of-the-community,-both-in-the-church-and-out books. He's rather harsh at times, but it hits me where it counts (I don't know where that is) and makes me laugh at the same time. He's the cussing pastor Donald Miller talks about in Blue Like Jazz.

I have a hard time with books like these, as I'm sure I've shared before. I feel like many of us spend too much time reading stuff like this instead of the Bible and instead of just DOING. The only thing we have to back ourselves up is the pile of books on our shelves, and knowledge just isn't what it takes to affect change and to start a movement and to bring people to Christ.

And then I get overwhelmed by the amount of knowledge I have - and I don't know where to begin. Which injustices should I focus on? Where should I go? Which church do I attend? What ministry should I poor myself into? With whom would my gifts be most effective? Where will I serve God best? Where will I be challenged the most? Life is full of so many questions. I guess the one I always come back to is this: What is mine to do?

At the end of the day, God is good and life is good and all I care about is the fact that I can live a redeemed life. I love living the life I lead, regardless of the downfalls and attacks from the enemy. (As you know from previous blogs, they are many.)

(I also want to stress that I definitely value the experience and wisdom of those older than me and those who have gone before me into battle-- uh, ministry (ha), so that is why I read books like these... plus they are recommended to me by one of many godly people in my life, so I figure, why not? I can always stand to learn a thing or two. But my issue with these kinds of books comes when we simply ingest all this information and don't put it into use. That's called dead weight. Empty yourselves and DO something so that God can fill you back up with his love and wisdom and peace and hope.) (I'm saying this as much to myself as I am to you.)

1 comment:

  1. Anonymous12:52 AM

    Tonight at focus Fitz was telling a story of 5 men who wanted to share the gospel with a feared (<--there is a much better word for this, but it escapes me) indigenous group and when these 5 men went to share the gospel they were killed by spears in their chests. And my thought was, "They had to know they were going to die. So why did they go anyway? Especially since they never got to say a word about God." For some reason I thought this and now I feel guilty in my own faith. Why am I not one to put my life at stake for the Gospel of Christ? Because I have so much dead weight in my head and do nothing with it. Maybe that should change...

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