Books that have changed the way I think

I read a fair amount, but there are a few books that I go back to.  They stand out, because they so altered my way of thinking.  I was forever changed.  These are books I recommend over and over to people in hopes that they will reap the benefits that I have gained from them.

“The Divine Commodity” by Skye Jethani

I just finished reading this book.  He is able to put into words some of my thoughts.  I really enjoyed the read.  I think this is one of those rare books that speaks equally well to both right and left brains.  Here is an excerpt from the book that summarizes it well…

J.O.Y.

The acronym  J.O.Y. was meant to remind us to think of Jesus first, then others, then yourself.  I think I got this wrong during these first ten years of my walk in Christianity.  I think I skipped the first step, at least, most of it.

What I did was minimize the first step.  

Who Am I?

I recently took a day long course on Spiritual DNA.  It’s design was for us to take 5 different assessments and then to compile that data into a picture of how God made us.  I’m writing this blog piece to try to make some sense of my results.  Those of you who know me, feel free to comment.  I’m also interested in what someone who stumbles on this data would make of it, especially if you don’t know me personally.

church vs. Church

The latest and most dramatic swing of the my pendulum has been my view of Church.  I “came to Christ” or better stated He revealed himself to me almost 10 years ago.  My family and I have gone to the same church for the 10 years.  I was curious though, to see what else was out there.

The Pendulum

I’ve recently have come to see the ebbs and flows of my life as a pendulum.  I get pulled one way and then another.  I see God as the center, and my goal is to stop swinging and be in perfect alignment with Him.  I realize that this is unattainable in this life, but my goal is to get closer.  Let me give you an example:

My last word on Contentment

I have written two other blog post on contentment.  These have fleshed out some of my thinking on contentment.  I think where I got messed up initially on contentment was putting it on the wrong continuum.  Initially I thought the opposite of contentment was ambition.  I now see contentment  and ambition on two different continuum.

Family Mission Statement

My wife and I went to a Family Ministry Conference last year.  I was just going over my notes and thought I would blog on it.  Basically this speaker laid out the most succinct way to form a family mission statement.

Nicaragua

I just returned from my first mission trip.  My family and I went to Masatepe, Nicaragua.  Our church and a few other American churches are helping to plant a church there.  This was my first visit to a third world country.  Here are few of my observations.

A very difficult year

This year has been very difficult.  It has been a very expensive year, both financially and personally.  My father, grandfather, and grandmother all died earlier this year.  I had to replace our furnace (only 6 years old).  My dog, Hope, developed seizures, hypothyroidism, and pancreatitis (all this year).  She spent 3 days in the ICU ($2000).  On December 1st I totaled my car.  With all this happening in one year I could wonder why I’m getting beat up.  What have I done wrong?