Month: December 2013

When the author walks on stage the play is over. God will invade: but what is the good of saying you are on His side then? Now is the time..

— C. S. Lewis (@CSLewisDaily) December 4, 2013

Now is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It will not last for ever. #CSLewis

— C. S. Lewis (@CSLewisDaily) December 4, 2013

My friend Gregg Farah wrote the book 52 Ways to Grow Your Faith. I just finished reading it (see my attempted comical review here.) I did have one more suggested way one can grow in their faith. Here goes …

I am a reader. Each year I seek to read a wide variety of books on a wide variety of topics. I often have 5 books going at the same time. Sometimes people ask me where I find the time to read. Well, I have a confession to make.

You know the schpeel: We all have the exact same amount of time available to us. 24 hours a day. 168 hours a week. I am no exception. There are times when I sit and read for lengthy periods of time, to be sure. But what I always try to do is have a book handy so if I have a few minutes free, I can read a bit. Here’s my confession (and if you’ve ever heard me speak, I often suggest this to people as a way to start the habit of daily Bible reading): I read a good 5 books a year … on the toilet. That’s right people! I redeem the time. Rather than just sitting there, I sit there … and read. I will not reveal to you which books I have completed on the toilet this year, but generally they are books with short chapters that can be wiped out (pun intended) in a couple of minutes. Every day = a chapter. Or two. Or three. (It just depends on what I eat. lol!)

And so, now you know a little bit more about me than you wish you did. Nevertheless, I have found that this is a great way to sharpen my mind, just taking advantage of something that nature insists I take time out to do every day already. Gregg probably thought of this as a way to grow your faith, but was too polite to write it down. So, shamelessly, I do it. You’re welcome.

Tonight I had the great joy of reconnecting with my friend Mike Atiles whom I haven’t seen in 20 years. He was in town doing some training, and we were able to spend a couple of hours together this evening catching up. It was really fun to talk about our families and all that God has done in our lives through the years.

I have many memories of Mike from our days at Elim (he was a college student, I was a kid in high school who loved rap (before it was popular – especially in our area!)) and I remember when Mike would DJ for me as I rapped at various youth events back in the early 1990s. I still remember visiting him in his dorm room and him exposing me to the one and only DJ Richie Rich before he was spinning for 3rd Bass. Crazy!

Another great song we might very well be singing at Youth Winter Fest.

I recently finished reading 52 Reasons to Believe and 52 Ways to Grow Your Faith by my friend and co-pastor Gregg Farah. Here are 52 Reasons I Loved the Books:

1. Short chapters.
2. Concise thoughts.
3. Just enough to whet your appetite to dig deeper on your own.
4. Informative.
5. Challenging.
6. Practical ideas.
7. Real-life examples. I know some of the people who share stories in the book, and they are real. For real!
8. Personal reflection questions.
9. Small group discussion questions.
10. Humor.
11. Prayers.
12. One thought for every week of the year.
13. Key Bible Verses.
14. Key Quotes.
15. Random trivia.
16. Interesting stories.
17. Who knew there were so many ways to look at things?!
18. There are so many ideas, you don’t know if he repeated something.
19. If you read one chapter from a book each day, it will take you 104 days.
20. That’s 3 1/2 months of intentional investment in your spiritual journey.
21. If you do just 5 minutes a day, that will be almost 9 hours. How much more is that than you are currently investing?
22. If you invest 5 minutes a day in your spiritual life, you will probably find yourself thinking about spiritual things more often, and digging more on your own, so it will probably end up a lot more than 9 hours.
23. Gregg’s picture on the back cover.
24. Mark Batterson endorsed it. Say what?!
25. Doug Fields endorsed it! Who’s he? (JK)
26. The Purpose-Driven Life only has 40 chapters. This has 52. Do the math, people.
27. Humility. Gregg didn’t want to show off, though, so he kept it less than the Bible’s 66 books.
28. 52 Reasons is a great gift to give a spiritual seeker. One of our friends is a businessman, and he gives a copy to everyone he meets on sales calls.
29. 52 Ways is a great gift to any Christian – whether someone is newly saved, or has been walking with God for many years, the ideas in this book can help them grow spiritually.
30. Experimental. 52 Ways has lots of ideas. Some might resonate with you, some might not. Experiment.
31. Creative. Some of the ideas Gregg sets forth are pretty ingenious.
32. Understandable. These books are understandable and appropriate for anyone from about Jr. High on up. I’ve passed on the books to my middle- and high-school-aged daughters.
33. Honesty. Gregg shares from his own struggles in life.
34. Bookmark included. Hey, that could be a Christmas present for someone! Bonus!
35. Foundational. 52 Reasons gives quick snapshots of foundational tenants of the Christian faith.
36. Principles. 52 Ways is filled with principles that can work in any context.
37. Relational. These books are perfect for walking through with a friend or small group, thus creating and deepening relationships.
38. Encouraging. Every time I read a chapter I felt uplifted.
39. There are so many ideas, you don’t know if he repeated something.
40. Now I see everything through the lens of 52.
41. I’ve decided to start preaching 52-point messages.
42. 52 is Harder than you think. Why did I decide to write 52 things? I realize that my cutoff is about 16. After #16 I had to start thinking harder, and dig deep into my creative recesses in order to reach the Herculean heights so easily achieved by the great Gregg Farah.
43. We all now know that the P in G.P. Farah stands for Peter. Or so we’ve now been led to believe.
44. Peter, Paul & Mary? Try Gregg, Peter, and Farah.
45. Because Gregg will Retweet this review, you will read it. (If he doesn’t, “Hi, Self.”)
46. Gregg has a great website and blog that fosters ongoing conversation about the books and has lots of fun stuff on it.
47. There are so many ideas, you don’t know if he repeated something.
48. I love when my friends live out their passion, and I know creating resources to help people discover God and grow in faith is Gregg’s passion.
49. Because Gregg is now raking in 52 figures a year in book sales, he can be my Krispy Kreme supplier. I’m an addict. I admit it.
50. It’s called the 52 Series, so I’m sure more books are sure to follow – 52, to be exact, I hope.
51. Gregg hears 52 jokes all of the time now, so I’m hopeful that his next 52 Series book will be inspired by the 52 ribbings we’ve given him.
52. Gregg now has to take Dominic and me for the trifecta (Pepe’s Pizza, a Knicks game, and Krispy Kreme).

I’ve recently been pondering the different approaches people have to prayer. For those who do practice communicating with God through prayer, I would suggest that most of us fall into one of three categories, if we’re honest. There may be more. There probably are. The goal isn’t to label ourselves, but just to raise awareness and challenge us to consider how we approach God. Here are the three I’ve been thinking about:

1. Crisis Pray-ers. These people view God as a 9-1-1 operator whom they only call when they find themselves in situations beyond their control in which they need help. When life is good, there is no need to call on God. But as soon as they feel the pain of having their plans messed up, or they get in a car accident, or a loved one dies unexpectedly, or a major catastrophe like 9/11 or a natural disaster happens, they begin to pray with great urgency.

2. Christmas Pray-ers. These people view God as Santa Claus whom they only reach out to when they want something. The content of their prayers is simply a wish-list for God. Whether it’s financial, relational, emotional, spiritual, or otherwise – they perceive something is missing from their life and their desire is for God to meet their wants and needs.

3. Constant Pray-ers. These people view God as a loving Father who wants to have a vibrant, personal relationship with them that is characterized by ongoing communication. All day long they are carrying on conversation with God about whatever they are going through. When things are good, they are thanking God. When things are difficult, they are seeking God for wisdom and strength. When things are confusing, they are asking God for clarity and discernment. When they are engaged in dialogue with other people, they are simultaneously praying, asking God what He has to say about what they are discussing, etc.

Our goal in prayer should be to be constant pray-ers. The Apostle Paul said, “Pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17, NIV). Another translation reads, “Pray without ceasing” (NASB). That doesn’t mean we walk around talking to God out loud all the time (although we are certainly encouraged to pray out loud in the Bible). The idea is to have an ongoing, continual dialogue with God in our hearts and minds all day, every day, about everything we are experiencing. Ephesians 4:6 says that God “is over all and through all and in all.” If that is true, then He has something to say about what we are encountering throughout our days, and since we don’t know it all, and He does, why not live in constant conversation with God, sharing our concerns, asking our questions, but most importantly, listening to what He wants to reveal to us about our lives in His world.