This non-chapter, "Hungry Still", is my favorite chapter of Feinberg's book. It resonated with me more than any previous chapter. Her first sentence, "I'm convinced that people today know a lot more about how to become a Christian than about how to be one," is simple, yet profound.
Feinberg quotes Jesus standing at the door, knocking, and the phrase that popped out at me was, "and he with Me." We invite Jesus in to dine and, in that moment, we are making a powerful decision. In that moment we are making the decision to change our lives.
Feinberg asks, "How do we have depth?" I wonder... how do you find that depth in your own lives? How do you find the meaning and closeness that brings you near to the heart of God?
I love Feinberg's assertion that God wants to be closer to us. She mentions it twice in this section - if we already have a strong relationship with God, God wants to make it stronger, and if we are God's children, then God desires to spend time with us.
We are, indeed, God's children. Precious in God's sight. But, it is our responsibility to maintain those ties. Remember the old bumper sticker, "Feeling far from God? Guess who moved."
Feinberg's reminder is a good one, "If we are going to be God's people, part of the kingdom, then we must have more than information about God to offer; we must have God dwellling within us." Our relationship must be more than book learning. People need to see authentic, deeply held, understood and valued beliefs.
What are yours?
I hope that this book reading has been a good experience for you. It's been fun for me. I do love books! And this made me actually finish one of the books in my pile of "to read" books.
Thank you for sharing this experience with me.
Love and peace to you all. And may we all continue to hunger for God.
Tam
It's been many months since we've read a book together. Once again, I invite you to join me on a journey. This time, we will focus on the book, Children as Partners in the Church, by D-B and Phyllis Heusser. Even if you only read the forward, which is written by Marian Wright Edelman, you will be thankful you ventured that far. Used copies of the book are available on Amazon. Let me know if you have any difficulties locating it.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Thursday, September 1, 2011
.006 Have You Heard?
This chapter, the final chapter of Hungry for God, takes us through the journey of decision making. This is often one of the most difficult tasks of our daily lives. You’d think that, since we are constantly making decisions, we’d be very good at it. But all too often, decisions stymie us.
I’ve often thought that life would be much simpler if God would simply tell me what to do. I’ve known people who believed that God did that for them. They could hear God’s voice as clear as day. And the statement, “God told me _______________” (you fill in the blank) made complete sense.
In fact, Gary and I had a woman in one of our churches for whom God chose her dining room set. I jest not. She was truly grateful for this wonderful blessing in her life.
That’s never been my story. And so, I rely on other things to guide my decisions. And I like the questions that Feinberg uses to guide her decision-making process.
Do these questions work for you? Which ones most resonate with you? Which do not? And why?
Have you had experiences in which you have felt God’s leading? Have you made decisions that made God’s head shake in amazement over your every move?
Feinberg’s look at Mary’s “treasuring all these things, pondering them in her heart,” encouraging us to do likewise, makes me ponder something else. When Feinberg writes, “The words God speaks are sacred and are often meant just for you,” I agree. But tying this all together with the idea that sometimes we’re wrong in our understanding of what God is telling us, cause me concern about us misinterpreting the messages of God. If we’re keeping it all to ourselves because we think we’re not understanding God’s messages, we’d be much better off running our thoughts by someone else wiser than ourselves. A mentor, a pastor, a teacher, an elder. Someone who has known and followed this God a long, long time might be a good place to start.
I do like Feinberg’s concluding thoughts on the danger of focusing on our disappointments. She warns that if we do this, we might miss out on “the divine appointments God has for us.” She writes, “When I look back on my mistakes, I’m still grateful for what God showed me through them.”
I pray that your life has been full of many joys and blessings. And when it has not, I pray that God has blessed you with many lessons worth learning!
Peaceful thoughts for your week,
Tam
P.S. Next week will bring the concluding thoughts for our book, as we take a look at the closing section, “Hungry Still.”
I’ve often thought that life would be much simpler if God would simply tell me what to do. I’ve known people who believed that God did that for them. They could hear God’s voice as clear as day. And the statement, “God told me _______________” (you fill in the blank) made complete sense.
In fact, Gary and I had a woman in one of our churches for whom God chose her dining room set. I jest not. She was truly grateful for this wonderful blessing in her life.
That’s never been my story. And so, I rely on other things to guide my decisions. And I like the questions that Feinberg uses to guide her decision-making process.
Do these questions work for you? Which ones most resonate with you? Which do not? And why?
Have you had experiences in which you have felt God’s leading? Have you made decisions that made God’s head shake in amazement over your every move?
Feinberg’s look at Mary’s “treasuring all these things, pondering them in her heart,” encouraging us to do likewise, makes me ponder something else. When Feinberg writes, “The words God speaks are sacred and are often meant just for you,” I agree. But tying this all together with the idea that sometimes we’re wrong in our understanding of what God is telling us, cause me concern about us misinterpreting the messages of God. If we’re keeping it all to ourselves because we think we’re not understanding God’s messages, we’d be much better off running our thoughts by someone else wiser than ourselves. A mentor, a pastor, a teacher, an elder. Someone who has known and followed this God a long, long time might be a good place to start.
I do like Feinberg’s concluding thoughts on the danger of focusing on our disappointments. She warns that if we do this, we might miss out on “the divine appointments God has for us.” She writes, “When I look back on my mistakes, I’m still grateful for what God showed me through them.”
I pray that your life has been full of many joys and blessings. And when it has not, I pray that God has blessed you with many lessons worth learning!
Peaceful thoughts for your week,
Tam
P.S. Next week will bring the concluding thoughts for our book, as we take a look at the closing section, “Hungry Still.”
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