JUST DO IT

Remember that old Nike slogan, “JUST DO IT”. I feel like that’s my motto right now with this blog. Frank Viola has mentioned that there are two types of writers; the plodders and the crammers. The plodder keeps writing no matter how painful or uninspired he may feel, he just keeps plodding along on the keyboard and then edits it to suit his taste until it becomes gold. The crammer on the other hand waits- even if he’s got a deadline- until he gets a burst of inspiration and then crams all those words in within a shorter period of time.

I think of myself as a little bit of both. However, the side of me that wants to be hip and only do things when I feel like it has been taking center stage for the past couple of months. Alas, there hasn’t been enough inspiration; hence no blog posts of recent.  I must admit that there were little bursts of inspiration every now and then, but rather than take that as impetus and start writing, I would procrastinate until I completely lost that train of thought. Procrastination is indeed the thief of time.

A few days ago I came to a realization; I have to embrace the plodder in me and just write. No more waiting for the stars to align and for my circumstances to be favorable, everything will fall in line as I begin to just do what I want to do. For example, the three paragraphs you have just read came from the simple thought to “just do it”

I think this is something for you to consider too. We all have hopes and dreams. Things we want to do, places we want to go, hobbies and interests we wish to learn. Sometimes it’s best to just get off your butt and do what you want to do. Of course, it’s good to plan things out, especially if you're thinking of starting a business. Be wise, gather the capital and the knowledge you need to make it right. Just don’t spend the rest of your life at the drawing board. Take some calculated risks, put yourself out there, live a little, buy the form, go to the classes; just do it. As you do, more often than not you’ll find things beginning to make room for you to reach your goals.  Just do it

I feel inspired to write more along these lines- so I will. You might be wondering what this has to do with the Father’s love, it does and I intend to explore it later on. Suffice it to say that God’s love is what is exhibited in the things you love to do. You love those things because God loves them and he has placed that same love in your heart. So if theres something you love doing, know that God is on your side and “just do it”

"THE BILLIONAIRE'S GIFT" BY EDWARD IWATA

First of all, I would like to explain the reason for another long hiatus; I was extremely busy and suffering from serious writer’s block. Secondly, I haven’t really had access to the internet on my computer for a while now, which makes it kind of difficult for me to post anything.  As a matter of fact this review was supposed to have been posted weeks ago. So without further ado, here it goes.

“The Billionaire’s Gift” is a strange book. It’s strange to me because I don’t really know how I feel about it. The reason for that is partly because the majority of the book reads like one long introduction. He spends so much time introducing the characters; telling us their history, detailing life impacting moments in their past e.t.c while giving us bits and pieces of the story. This might be a style of writing other people enjoy, but I personally find it frustrating. That being said, the book tackles some important subject matter; the poisonous nature of greed and the vanity of pursuing the accumulation of wealth.

It tells the story of an old billionaire (of course) who reflects on his life and sees his whole life of chasing nothing but money as an absolute waste. He then tries to make the rest of his life mean something. It promised to be a good book, but I was sorely disappointed; partly because of the aforementioned long introduction and partly because I felt the story was too short. (This of course might have something to do with almost all the chapters of the book feeling like introductions!!)

This book is Edward Iwata’s first foray into non-fiction. I must admit I've read worse debuts. I wouldn't say it’s a bad book, it just whet my appetite for too long and became quite miserly on the main course in my opinion.

Disclosure of Material Connection:

Now I have to say this (seriously, I do): I received this book free of charge from the publisher and writer via the Speakeasy network, I'm not under any obligation to write a positive review and the views i have expressed are entirely my own. I'm writhing this disclosure in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

Recommended Books

People always ask me what book and materials they should get in order know about this gracious God.and how to "walk it out". These are a bunch of books I believe will help you in your Grace walk. Check them out and have a great time with the Lord. they are by no means exhaustive and I will update them regularly

THINKING NAUGHTY THOUGHTS BY JOHAN VAN DER MERWE

If you are an intelligent man in the Church, you have definitely had naughty thoughts. Naughty thoughts are those thoughts you have about the weird and strange practices that you know do not really fit with the teaching of Jesus or are just counterproductive; the sacred Cows that are not supposed to be touched. The Church is filled with so many ideas and practices we have been conditioned to just accept, we are told that things are the way they are because that’s the way they’ve been. When people begin to poke holes and question these concepts, Scriptures are twisted and misconstrued to sustain them. The person questioning is branded a heretic and sometimes excommunicated from the fold

Johan Van Der Merwe is one of such people, he refused to just accept the status quo and started thinking deeply about the way we practice Church life. These thoughts have led him out of the institutional Church and into developing and living a more authentic, relational and communal life with fellow believers. In “Thinking Naughty Thoughts” he shares these thoughts with us and gives a few conclusions of his own. With chapters like “Do I really need to belong to a local Church?” “Why all the fuss about leadership when Jesus hardly ever spoke about it?” “Why does the pastor insist on 10% of my income when he drives a luxury car and I can hardly make it through each month?”   And my favourite; “Do you really expect me to believe that God lives there?”  You know that it’s an interesting read

However, Johan didn’t write this book to give you answers about the things that have been bothering you concerning the traditional way things are done. He writes this book to spark the discussions and the thought processes that will lead us to a more balanced and wholesome way of being the Church. He does lend his opinion about some topics and I don’t always agree with him. I think he can handle that. Johan doesn’t strike me as someone who will be have a good opinion of someone who swallows ideas hook, line and sinker. We are individuals whose lives have been shaped and conditioned in unique ways. It’s only right for us to not be on the same page on every single detail and that’s alright. And that should be especially alright in the church. As a matter of fact, here’s a quote from the book

“Why can’t we sit around the same fire or build meaningful and intimate relationships with people whom we generally like and get along with quite well but disagree with on some points of belief and doctrine? Why is belonging to the group you belong to with your set of beliefs a prerequisite for our friendship and fellowship?”

On this point, I agree with Johan 100%.  One of the points I disagree with him most strongly about is the attempt at trying to determine whether or not a Church is spending too much on its facilities instead of using it for charity. This is something common among people from the emergent and organic church “movement”. The argument that churches are wasting money because the amount that is being spent on equipment and managing the building could be spent on the poor and the needy. Now hold on, before you start yelling “Yes!!! The Church is being wasteful and you should know that too!!!”  Please hear me out. Who are we to determine how a person should spend his money. What is the prescribed ratio of spending on oneself to spending on the poor? Should I buy clothes for the poor and fund a homeless shelter rather than build a house for myself and my family? An honest answer to this will be “It depends on what God tells you” These are not things we can determine for individuals neither can we determine them for Churches. They are solely dependent on our relationship with the Holy Spirit. We cannot judge people on such issues, otherwise we become legalistic and whatever is being done by the Church for the downtrodden is never enough and whatever she does for herself to have a more conducive and fun meeting is too much.

In conclusion, the book is not about someone who has got it all figured out and is now teaching us how to do it. At best it is about someone who is still on the journey and is sharing some of the insight he has gathered along the way. The book is not too long (only about a hundred and ninety pages) and it’s an easy read. So if you have been thinking naughty thoughts, this book will encourage you and clarify some issues. If you haven’t been thinking naughty thoughts, open your eyes and smell the coffee. This book will also be helpful in that regard

You can purchase the book on amazon by clicking the link below

CONSIDERING THE WORK OF HIS HANDS

Not too long ago I celebrated my birthday. I have reached a milestone age in my life and it was worth celebrating. I didn’t have any party plans in mind so I just spent it praying and in the evening my siblings, my mother and my dear friend came over to celebrate with me, my wife and my son. It was a good day. People called me from far and wide, I received various congratulatory text messages and it all had the makings of a glorious day

But when you hit a landmark age in your life, you can’t help but reflect on the things that have happened. So I did, I started taking a critical look at my life and I must admit I was very disappointed. I wasn’t making as much money as I would want to and a few things that I expected to have happened were either not happening or they were happening contrary to my expectation. This frustrated me and it kind of numbed me to all the love I was receiving for the rest of the day. I wasn’t involved in what was going on around me any longer. Here I was surrounded by family, who were being entertained by my bright baby boy and all I could do was sulk internally and be aloof.

Of course my wife knows me better than anybody and she asked me what was up.  I proceeded to explain to her in few words the things bothering me and she tried her best to cheer me up and remind me that I was loved. I should stop focusing on the bad stuff, it will be there tomorrow. Instead I should focus on what was going on at that moment in time and enjoy the day. That sounds awfully similar to Jesus’ admonition that we should not worry about today, neither should we worry about tomorrow (Matthew 6: 25-34).

At first I found it hard to shake off the dark cloud over me. But then it became more and more obvious to me that the more important stuff in life were standing right there in front of me; good friends, a beautiful and loving wife, an awesome son and a loving family, divine health for me and for all that surround me. These things are priceless and eternal. The things I was worried about (it all boiled down to money anyway) are temporary, they do not have eternal value. They were just things that empty people hold on to in order to cover the loneliness in their hearts.

It is always important to focus on the good that God is doing in our lives instead of all the evil Satan and this fallen world confronts us with.

“EVERY GOOD AND PERFECT GIFT IS FROM ABOVE, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” James 1:17 KJV (emphasis mine)

All the good things in our lives is from God, whether we know it or not. He does not do evil and I found out that I only had to take a cursory look at my life to see those gifts. He that gave me these things of value will also take care of our other needs.

I know it can be hard to see these things sometimes. Life hits us hard, and sometimes we don’t have many people like I just said on our side. But I encourage you to take a long hard look at your life, you’ll find something good and that thing is from God. Focus on that, and let God see you through your challenges

CROSSROADS BY WILLIAM PAUL YOUNG

Have you ever wondered what happens to people when they die? Does God give them a chance to accept his redemption in Jesus? The honest answer to such questions is: we don’t know for sure. In “Crossroads” Paul Young gives us a very hopeful outcome.

In a story that channels C.S Lewis and George Macdonald, Crossroads tells the story of a self absorbed, "self made" man and how God takes him on a journey to discover the emptiness in his heart and the redemption that ensues. He suffers a brain tumor and falls into a coma.  His soul encounters Jesus and the Holy Spirit who take him on this fantastic journey.

I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag; suffice it to say that once again Paul Young helps us to explore those dark parts of our soul that we refuse to acknowledge. The truth is that those parts are the things that impact our personalities the most. Our fears and disappointments-coupled with fake religion have resulted in our distrust for God, survival mechanisms and over reliance on self.  

The thing I like most about the book is that it shows us that no one is all bad. Some people are mostly good, while others are mostly bad, but they’re not all bad. We are all in a journey trying to find happiness in a heavily tainted world. And God is with us helping us find our way through the darkness. As with the Shack, Paul emphasizes the fact that God in his love for us will not complete the healing process without our participation. It always starts with an invitation o participate. Even the Gospel we preach is an invitation to participate in his Life. Even though he has finished it all, died on the cross and included us in the life of Christ, he still beckons us to believe and participate. This shows love and respect for his creation.

Many other books raise such high standards of spiritual discipline and asceticism that you end up with a feeling of inadequacy. This book however, makes you appreciate the spiritual in the mundane; seeing God in everyday life. I personally don’t enjoy climbing mountains, taking hikes or going on fasts. I rather enjoy family, friendships, and laughter as gifts from God.  To me these things are most holy.

So grab a copy and enjoy a moving story about Gods amazing Grace and his unrelenting pursuit of humankind. I’ll leave with one of my favorite quotes from the book:

“But don’t I need walls? Aren’t they good things?”

He felt the hug from behind. “You need boundaries” said the voice of Jesus, “but not walls. Walls divide while boundaries honor”. Tony let himself relax into this tender embrace, his tears unexpectedly appearing and spilling softly onto the ground. 

THE SECRETS OF LEAVEN BY TODD WYNWARD

Seldom do you read a “Christian” novel that captures your imagination and keeps you turning the page. “Secrets of the leaven” does. In his first novel, Todd Wynward spins a story filled with suspense and intrigue. With each turn of the page something new happens. The story progresses and just keeps getting bigger and bigger. He spins a story of conspiracies and ideas that give “The Da Vinci Code” a run for its money.

The story revolves around Thomas Whidman a young seminarian who has lost his faith. His uncle and one time mentor is a famous revivalist and televangelist. He finds out about an ancestor whose very existence is a family secret and meets a mysterious Zen teacher who wishes to introduce him to a long forgotten brand of Christianity and an old secret society that follows Jesus in a way Thomas and much of mainstream Christianity has never experienced. The lives of these people come crashing together in a battle between orthodoxy and revolutionary thinking.

One thing I like about this book is that it explores difficult theological concepts without being too preachy. Tom Wynyard weaves his rather strong views in the story and the conversation seamlessly, without sounding forced, winding and boring to the reader. The central theme of the book, to my mind, is the age old debate amongst preachers and theologians; James versus Paul; faith versus works. While I have personally reconciled whatever contradictions might seem to exist on the surface, many people still believe there is a conflict in the two books. While Todd does not discredit Paul totally, he certainly leans more on the James side of the argument. Faith without works is dead and we who claim to be followers of Jesus need to get our faces out of our selfish little worlds. We need to get out of our comfort zones and reach out to the hurting, the homeless and the lost. We need to start loving these people without an agenda; preaching with our actions rather than with empty words.

But I believe this book falls into a ditch that Frank Viola always points out; boxing Jesus and his kingdom into a certain category; this time it’s to the realm of social justice. While the Kingdom of Heaven includes social justice and social welfare that is not all there is to it. The kingdom of heaven is Jesus himself, a man who is not just a man but God in the flesh. Yes, the modern institution that parades itself to be Christianity leaves much to be desired in the realm of true religion, the same can be said of a religion that focuses on ascetics and just being good. To my mind, they are two sides of the same coin. Now, I’m not saying Todd doesn’t believe in the other aspects of the Gospel. I just think this book leans more on the “doing” aspect. But I guess that’s what happens when we realize one of God’s desires in our hearts. We become so obsessed with that cause that we think that being a follower of Jesus is all about this cause or ministry God has given us. It’s a problem we all have. But Jesus is much bigger than any concept or ideas, he encompasses them and goes beyond them because He is I AM, a being that is the root and sustainer of all being. He is not just a “doing”.  He is not God because he did anything; he does what he does because he is God. That distinction is very important in shaping our Christian worldview.

This difference in opinion aside, “Secrets of the Leaven” is a great book. This book is good if you seek to be challenged in your walk with God or if you just like good stories with well rounded characters and a well thought out, suspense filled plot. However, be warned. This book raises some serious questions and makes some really strong assertions. He rejects some long-held sacred traditions of Christianity. So if you are one of those who is easily offended by anything that rocks your theological boat, this book is not for you. Or maybe it is exactly for you. Maybe you need to start asking questions. Maybe you need your faith-boat rocked to see whether or not that boat can stand stormy seas or it will be shipwrecked. We all need to be shaken sometimes. That way only the things that are real and true about God remain. Or you could read it and regard it as just a wonderful thriller.

I read the book and did not lose my faith. Rather my faith was strengthened and it brought some things to my mind that I hadn't considered before. Now go get the book, I'm off to read the Epistle of Saint James