YOUR GOD IS TOO SAFE

Last night we discussed the premise of a book by an author named Mark Buchanan titled Your God is Too Safe. If you would like to read a summary of this book you can visit the following link: http://www.christianbooksummaries.com/library/v2/cbs0208.pdf.

Essentially the book proposes the idea that in our journeys of following Christ, we often find our selves stuck trying to live in between the two choices we have, 1. to follow Christ or 2. to reject Christ and pursue our own agenda. Christ never said that pursuing him was going to be easy, in fact he said, " 13"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." (Matthew 7:13-14).
The problem is we often try to compromise the passion that is needed to be a fully devoted follower of Christ. Jesus said that we can not be lukewarm, he wants us to be honest pick a side, but not to lie to ourselves and cheat ourselves, by doing things half heartedly. (Revelation 2-3)

So the book suggested, and we did too, that to leave this "Borderland" we must discipline ourselves to create holy habits that place us daily into the presence of God. This is a dangerous thing to do. To trust God with our lives. But just like the four children in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe learned about Aslan, Jesus is not safe, but he is good!

So the book and I challenge you (and honestly me too) to practice some common and some not so common disciplines. These included:
Woundedness
Confession
Quiet
Fasting
Study
Service
Prayer
and Joyful Celebration.
I also added the discipline of journaling, and have asked that next week along with your Bibles you bring with you a journal of some kind (a spiral notebook, a Big Cheif writing pad, your diary, whatever). We as a group are going to practice this art of journaling and reflection.