MUST read books!

Favorite passages from two books I've read since South Africa:

Kisses from Katie- Katie Davis
"People are people. They all need food and water and medicine, but mostly they need love and truth and Jesus. I can do that. We can do that. We can give people food, water, medicine, love, truth, and Jesus. The same God created all of us purpose, which is to serve Him and to love and care for His people. It is universal. We can't do it in our own strength or out of our own resources, but as we follow God to wherever He is leading us, He makes the impossible happen."

"Ever day, we have a choice. We can stay nestled in our safe comfortable places; or we can let fear of something that is really small compared to the greatness of God cripple us. Or we can take a risk, do something to help someone else, make a person smile, change someone's world. Life to the fullest exists. It's available. All we have to do is decide to get up and embrace it."

"Adoption is wonderful and beautiful and the greatest blessing I have ever experienced. Adoption is also difficult and painful. Adoption is a beautiful picture of redemption. It is the Gospel in my living room. And sometimes, it's just hard.
As a parent, it's hard to not know when your daughter took her first steps or what her first word was or what she looked like in kindergarten. It's hard not to know where she slept and whose shoulder she cried on and what the scar on her eyebrow is from. It's hard to know that for ten years yours was NOT the shoulder she cried on and you were not the mommy she hugged.
Adoption is a redemptive response to tragedy that happens in this broken world. And every single day, it is worth it, because adoption is God's heart. His Word says, 'In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasures and will' (Ephesians 1:5).
God accepts me, adores me even, just as I am. And He wants me to accept those without families into my own. Adoption is the reason I can come before God's throne and beg Him for mercy, because He predestined me to be adopted as His child through Jesus, in accordance with his pleasure and will - to the praise of His glorious grace."


Not a Fan: Kyle Idleman
Are you a FAN or a FOLLOWER of Jesus? ... Some of my favorite passages...
"Fans are those who cheer for him (God) when things are going well, but who walk away when it's a difficult season. Fans who sit safely in the stands cheering, but they know nothing of the sacrifice and pain of the field. Fans of Jesus who know all about him, but they don't know him."

"The biggest threat to the church today is fans who call themselves Christians but aren't actually interested in following Christ. They want to be close enough to Jesus to get all the benefits, but not so close that it requires anything from them."

"There is no way to follow Jesus without him interfering with your life. Following Jesus will cost you something. Following Jesus always costs something."

"He is looking for more than words of belief; he's looking to see how those words are lived out in your life. When we decide to believe in Jesus without making a commitment to follow him, we become nothing more than fans."

"When we learn to truly follow Jesus, we find that obedience to God comes from the inside out. Submission to what God wants for our lives flows naturally out of that relationship. It's not to say that what we do or don't do doesn't matter, but what we do or don't do must come from who we are as followers of Jesus."

"Like fans today, they would give their time and attention to following all the religious rituals, but would neglect to show God's love to the people around them, which was the point of the rules in the first place. When laws become more important than love, and rules take precedent over relationships, it's a good sign that we have become fans who are aiming at the wrong target."

"A belief (in Christ), no matter how sincere, if not reflected in reality isn't a belief; it's a delusion."

"It comes down to a personal relationship with Jesus where you know him and are known by him. Jesus identifies his true followers based upon an intimate relationship. What we say and what we do overflows out of the relationship we have with him."

"Jesus has defined the relationship he wants with you. He is not interested in enthusiastic admirers who practice everything in moderation and don't get carried away. He wants completely committed followers."

"If you say to Jesus, 'I will follow you wherever,' you can be sure that where he points will be out of your comfort zone."