Forgotten God

I started reading Forgotten God by Francis Chan a few weeks ago. A group of ladies from my church and community are doing a group study of the book. Sadly, I haven't been able to join them but I wanted to read the book anyway! I miss seeing everyone but with the Hub's school, we just don't have a lot of family time in the evenings. I loved Chan's first book, Crazy Love, and it's turning out that I am going to feel the same about this one.

I like Chan. He writes honestly. He pursues truth. He doesn't water down the gospel. Chan, doesn't claim any theological position (he even admits that he's not sure what he would call himself) but it's pretty clear in his writings where he stands and I like that. He did go to The Master's Seminary (John MacArthur), which gives a little bit of possible info on his doctrine and theology. After reading Crazy Love and listening to a few of Chan's sermons, I've learned he's pretty clear on what he feels about God, Jesus and the gospel. And I'm excited to learn more about the Holy Spirit through his book as well. So, since I've only read the first two chapters and started chapter 3, I'll just leave you with a few quotes & comments that I love (quotes in bold). I'll be doing more posts soon as I continue to read. I wish I would have done this with Crazy Love, but I didn't. Maybe, in the future, when I go through it again I will blog about it.

The first two go together:


"The benchmark of success in church services has become more about attendance than the movement of the Holy Spirit. The 'entertainment' model of church was largely adopted in the 1980s and '90s, and while it alleviated some of our boredom for a couple of hours a week, it filled our churches with self-focused consumers rather than self-sacrificing servants attuned to the Holy Spirit."

"If you combine a charismatic speaker, a talented worship band, and some hit, creative events, people will attend your church. Yet this does not mean that the Holy Spirit of God is actively working and moving in the lives of the people who are coming. It simply means that you have created a space that is appealing enough to draw people in for an hour or two on Sunday. It certainly doesn't mean that people walk out the doors moved to worship and in awe of God. People are more likely to describe the quality of music or the appeal of the sermon than the One who is the reason people gather for 'church' in the first place."

Well, what can you add to that other than it's so true. How often do you hear how good a service is because of the music or the speaker. What about God? Could that be a huge sign that God is missing from our 'worship services'? Most churches have turned to entertainment and emotionalism and that has nothing to do with Jesus! In fact I just read a status the other day about 'church promoting'. I mean that was the literal phrase used. It had absolutely nothing to do with Jesus. Don't get me wrong, I think it's fantastic to love your church and your church family (I love mine!) but I think many, many churches have become solely a place to appease the conscience, entertain the masses and provide a place for socialization.

And my favorite, thus far:


"It's easy to get into 'defensive mode', where you quickly disagree and turn to proof texts and learned arguments to defend what you've always believed. Rather than guarding your perspective, consider taking a fresh look at familiar passages to make sure you haven't missed something. You may end up with the same theology you've always had, but maybe you won't. Don't let your views be determined by a particular denomination or by what you've always been told.... Fear has a way of channeling our thought process. Fear of stepping outside of a certain theological framework causes us to be biased in our interpretation. We work diligently to 'prove' that our presuppositions were correct rather than simply and honestly pursuing truth."

I just love this. And although he's speaking primarily about the Holy Spirit when he talks about 'what you've always believed', this quote can also be used in so many other areas of thought, whether it be about the Holy Spirit, God, Salvation, ect! Often times we derive our theology and doctrine based on what we've been told, not necessarily what the Bible says. Sometimes we've been told the truth but many times not. And whether or not we admit it, our theology and doctrine, what we believe, shape us as Christians. What we believe about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, salvation, man and so on, is so important. And what I think Chan is saying is take a fresh look at Scripture, always read it with open ears and eyes. Don't be skewed by popular trends or denominational teaching. Let the Bible speak for itself. Be careful not to ignore particular parts by just brushing them off. If you don't understand it, seek His answers. The best commentary for the Bible is the Bible itself. Like Chan suggests, be careful about quickly disagreeing with proof texts to learned arguments. Oh, how I can hear myself just a few years ago running my mouth with exactly that, learned arguments... things I had been told. I have eaten a lot of words over the past few years! I praise God for opening my eyes to truth and allowing me to be teachable and I pray He will continue to do that with me in the area of the Holy Spirit. I have lots to learn....

Crazy Love

I have been meaning to post about the book study that a group of ladies from my church have been doing on Wednesday nights. We went through he book Crazy Love by Francis Chan. I wish I would have done a week by week post just because each week has been so good! And, since the book is something that I will likely... ok, most definitely go back and read again, I may do that in the future. If you haven't read this book I highly recommend it. I would challenge you to get a couple of friends together and do it as a group because I think that accountability and discussion is really important for this type of book. It's the kind of book that takes thought, you can't just skim through.. if you do there is no point in reading it. It's not a gushy, feel good kind of book. Chan takes a biblical look at what it looks like to love God. It wasn't always easy to read.. but I am so glad I did it. I'll be honest, I'm always leery of 'study books' and 'devotionals'. I think most of those books are worthless. They rarely take you deep into Scripture and challenge you. Crazy Love is not that kind of book. It's no joke.


God has really used this book study to chip (or SMASH) away at things in my life. It's challenged my thinking on how I'm living out my life as a follower of Christ. It's convicted and tried me in many ways... and honestly it still is. I believe this book will continue to do so, as long as I'm willing. I'm continuously praying that I will be teachable. Lord, give me a teachable heart.

Next Wednesday is our last meeting (sniff, sniff) and I'd just like to share some things that have really stuck out to me. Like I said, while reading Crazy Love, I've taken a hard look at the way I'm living my life. God is abundantly clear in Scripture what is looks like to be a Christian. But it seems that in America we've lowered the standards and made our own rules. Just take some time reading the Gospels, as Chan suggests, and you'll see that the call Jesus gives is clear. Chan says,

"He wants all or nothing. The thought of a person calling himself a 'Christian' without being a devout follower of Christ is absurd."

More importantly, Jesus says, "If you love me, you will obey what I command." (John 14:15)

I find a paragraph in Chapter 5, Serving Leftovers to a Holy God, perfectly represents the attitude of American Christianity today. After quoting Matthew 16:24-25 (Jesus speaking) "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it" and Luke 14:33, "Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple" Chan says,

Some people claim that we can be Christians without necessarily becoming disciples. I wonder, then, why the last things Jesus told us was to go into the world, making disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey all that he commanded? You'll notice that He didn't add, "But hey, if that's too much to ask, tell them to just become Christians-- you know, the people who get to go to heaven without having to commit to anything."

I don't want to live a complacent and comfortable life. My flesh does. But the amazing work that God has done and is doing in me wants to live this 'crazy love' kind of life. I'm trying to figure out what that means. What does that mean for me? Right now, I'm just pursuing Him. And I pray that my actions will flow from my pursuit to love God, to know Jesus, to be in communion with the Holy Spirit.

How could we think for even a second that something on this puny little earth compares to the Creator and Sustainer and Savior of it all?? We disgust God when we weigh and compare Him against the things of this world. It makes Him sick when we actually decide those things are better for us than God Himself. (Francis Chan)

How is it that we think we're doing pretty good to read a one page devotional that barely mentions Scripture and throwing up a five minute prayer when Christ calls us to give all of ourselves, every ounce, every second? I'm not saying we are suppose to be perfect after salvation. But should we not press, suffer and strive for the prize? Is Christ worth it? Or do we continue to offer Him 'token praise' as Chan says? Does the King of Glory not deserve our life, our words, our deeds, our thoughts? I know He does, but my life often does not reflect that. Now, do I say, well.. that's just the way it is and go on living a complacent Christian life. Do I look at people in the Bible who lived that crazy kind of life (or at those examples that Chan gives in chapter 9, WOW!) and say, I can't live like that. God calls some to be radical.. and some to be 'normal Christians'. No, I don't think so. How about the truth? Biblical Christians are radical. And I want to be one.

The first page in Chapter 6, Chan quotes a piece of A.W. Tozer's The Pursuit of God and this is my prayer as well...

O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need for further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, The Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, so that I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, "Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away." Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long.

New Book!

I just started a new study this week. The book is called Tell the Truth: The Whole Gospel to the Whole Person by Whole People, by Will Metzger. I have only read the introduction so far but I am LOVING it. Seriously. I am really excited about the book. We are doing this study with a home study group at our new church. We missed the first week though because I have been sick. We were actually at the after hours clinic during the study, Sunday night. I was trying to avoid the Dr because of many reasons (the biggest being no insurance!!) but I was miserable and couldn't take it any longer! Thankfully, after 3 days on antibiotics I feel much better. So after reading the introduction I wanted to share a few excerpts that got me excited about reading further!

Metzger says:

It boggled my mind that once Christians passed beyond the common notion that everyone needs Christ for salvation, there was confusion and even contradiction on what triggered the new birth- our faith and repentance or God's enabling Spirit? These are haunting, important, fundamental questions. How could the majority of evangelicals be so oblivious to the need to research what is the biblical gospel? ... I have to admit that the resurgent interest in this topic in evangelical circles is healthy. Who can deny that there has been an increased participation in evangelism?... Yet something bothers me- and I believe others also have an uneasy conscience. Could some aspects of contemporary evangelism lack biblical integrity?

He goes on to say:

If it is true that there are serious differences among evangelicals on the message and methods of evangelism, then we must ask, to what extent are these differences justified? If the differences are simply due to the different audience we are reaching or the variety of gifts God has given us, these differences are not bad. But if in evangelism we are just being loyal to our tradition, molding truth to our personality, diluting the gospel or manipulating people, we are wrong. If we are convinced there is a theological foundation for our methodology, we may be justified in evangelizing accordingly. Then our difference is a matter of our conscience bound by what we conceive Scripture teaches. A scriptural doctrine of evangelism should be the controlling element in any practice of evangelism.

Nevertheless, even when we can articulate a theological base for our evangelism, I do not believe our responsibility has ended until we compare our doctrinal interpretation with that of others and in humility be willing to rethink what the Holy Spirit is telling us in Scripture. Not to do so is to say that we cannot learn from each other. It is to deny that new light can break forth on our understanding of the Scripture. It is to limit the Holy Spirit in communicating to us through other Christians. It is to evangelize a certain way out of tradition and not conviction.

Good stuff! I think the main reason why I am so excited about this book is that for some time I have expressed to many that I disagree with some forms of modern evangelism. I know why I disagree but I don't exactly know how to put an explanation into words, as well as Scripture to go along with it. I know what God's Word says about it, but I'm hoping through this book it will help me organize my thoughts better so that I can clearly explain it, if need be. I'm praying
that it will also help me in the area of witnessing. I pray it helps me to understand more clearly my role, my calling to reach others for Christ. Not to just 'get decisions' but to make disciples.

Matthew 28:18-20- And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

~ Crystal (I deleted my signature on accident!)

Journey Through Isaiah.. so far anyways!

I mentioned not too long ago about me reading through Isaiah. Well, it's taking me a while! I just read through chapter 15 today. I'm breaking up the chapters somewhat and taking it slow because it can sometimes be difficult to understand. And I dare not sit down without some kind of study help or commentary! I'm not sure what impressed me to read through Isaiah (hmm.. maybe the Holy Spirit!) but I have really learned a lot so far.
Up to today most of what I have read has been about Israel, Assyria and Babylon. Most of what I have read are prophecies about those specific times (that have already occurred) and/or about the end times. I say and because some believe that while Isaiah is speaking about things that will and have already happened to Israel, he is also speaking of the tribulation or millennium in the same prophecy. (you see why I'm taking it slow!) Anyways!
The main theme so far is the wrath of God. It is throughout everything I have read.... God pouring out His wrath on His own people.. God pouring out His wrath on those oppressing His people.. God pouring out His wrath on the evil and wicked.

Isaiah 1:4 ~Alas, sinful nation, A people laden with iniquity, A brood of evildoers, Children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the LORD, They have provoked to anger the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away backward.

Isaiah 2:7-11 ~ 7 Their land is also full of silver and gold, And there is no end to their treasures; Their land is also full of horses, And there is no end to their chariots. 8 Their land is also full of idols; They worship the work of their own hands, That which their own fingers have made. 9 People bow down, And each man humbles himself; Therefore do not forgive them. 10 Enter into the rock, and hide in the dust, From the terror of the LORD And the glory of His majesty. 11 The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, And the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.


Boy do those verses sound familiar! When I first began reading I wondered what God was going to teach me. His word is alive and relevant.. no matter what the subject. And honestly throughout the first few chapters I didn't really know. I guess it just took a while for it all to start sinking in. Of course I have been in awe of such a mighty and majestic God. Throughout the verses He is called : The Holy One of Israel, the God of Jacob, the Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel.. But I think what has hit me the most is God's wrath on wickedness... His hatred of sin. I serve a God of justice for the unrighteous and that is clearly seen throughout these scriptures. I might also add that I am so thankful for the grace and mercy that He has bestowed on me otherwise I would be in the direct path of that wrath as well.

Isaiah 1:18-20 ~ 18 “ Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “ Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. 19 If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land; 20 But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword”; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

My prayer through reading these verses and chapters has been that I will hate sin as God hates sin. God calls us to be holy and the only way to do that is to become more and more like Him... for He alone is holy. Of course we can never do that on our own, only through the righteousness of His Son, Jesus. I can only boast in Him, for there is nothing good in me. I want to hate the very sin that put Jesus on the cross. I want to hate the very sin that caused a Holy God to pour His wrath out on His innocent Son. I want to hate sin because sin and obedience do not mix. I long to be obedient to His call.

Isaiah 6:3 ~ "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!”

I Am ~ Lesson 9

Well, it's been a while..
I think the whole getting pregnant thing just threw me off for a while! So, today I'm gonna start the I Am Bible Study, right where I left off! It's soo good... go over to The Preacher's Wife and check it out!

Discussion Questions:
1. On a scale of 1 to 10, rate yourself on how often your conversation is seasoned with the works of the Lord on your behalf? If you speak very little of Him, is there a reason you know of? If you speak often, how do people respond? Hmm.. I'd say a 7. I think my conversations are seasoned with the works of the Lord. (At least I hope they are!) I desperately want my only boasting to be in the Lord. I mean I can't even breath without His say so!!
2. Have you experienced a Set Up for a Show Up when you were uncertain whether the situation was the chastisement of the Lord or a temptation of Satan? Let me think about this..
3. Have you ever or are you now experiencing any Job trials where you can still not identify any wrong-doing on your part? I don't think I have ever experienced any 'Job trials'. If I have then they have been very minor things. (and I guess if they were minor.. they definitely weren't 'Job trials'!!)
4. Apply this principle: How can my response make my God famous? Will obedience result in my sanctification and God's Glory? The way we respond to any trial or circumstance will reflect God. I mean, if that's who we claim to put our trust in, our actions/reactions will prove whether or not we truly believe He is trustworth and faithful. You know, I don't know if I conciously think this but I should: will my response to {insert situation here} be one that brings God glory? If I can't answer yes.. then maybe I should rethink my response!! And yes, obedience always results in sanctification and brings God glory!!
5. Does the origin of our affliction matter in view of the fame God can gain from it? I don't think so.. I think that it has everything to do with how we respond.

Just a thought.. no matter how we respond.. or how we might fail.. God will get glory. It's amazing to think that He doesn't need us for His glory.. He chooses to use us to get it!

~I AM~ Lesson 8

Time for Lesson 8 of The Preachers Wife Bible Study~ "I AM"



1. Have you ever been in a situation where you had to 'go back' to a place of shame or ridicule? How did that make you feel? Yes, sometimes 'those' things in my past like to come to mind. But I've been learning a lot lately about how to break free from those things (I'm almost finished reading Breaking Free by Beth Moore! Love it!).



2. Is there any circumstance in your life that still has you running for cover? Share if you feel comfortable. No, not a particular circumstance but I do struggle with things of course. The crazy thing about life is that there will always be 'circumstances' and right now I'm learning how to deal with those circumstances. I think that best thing is to remember that our life as Christians is to bring Him glory! At least that helps me out when I'm in a bind.. that is, to remember that it's not about me anyway! Even in the discouraging and even messy parts of life, God deserves the glory and we should be looking for ways for Him to get it! Sometimes that is easier said than done in the midst of turmoil but it helps me put things into prospective when I remember what everything really is all about... HIM!!



3. When is the last time you felt like an overcomer? Last week! I have not (yet) blogged about much of my 'struggles' but maybe one day I will. I won't go into much detail here but I will say that I deal with one thing almost on a weekly basis: FEAR! Irrational fear. I have overcome a lot in that area thanks to God's peace but I still deal with it a lot. Every situation that I make it through, I consider as a situation that I have overcome! And I definitely know that it is not of my own power, Praise God!!! (or I'd be in one of those insane asylums Lisa mentioned in the study!)



4. If you have not yet taken the serpent by the tail, are you willing to stop running, take hold and trust God to transform it into a tool for wonders? I'm not sure I have 'taken the serpent by the tail' yet but I want to!!! I want God to use every part of my life! That is my desire!! I think it's exciting to see someone like Moses, who we often think of being so strong and courageous, show his weaknesses. It reminds me of the verse that says that in our weaknesses, He is strong! And that definitely is the case in Moses' situation!



5. I would like for you to write down this statement based on 1 John 2:14 somewhere you will see it often this week: "I am strong, the Word of God abides in me, and I have overcome the evil one." Memorize it. Say it over and over until you believe it. Will you do this?? Most of the time, there are no right or wrong answers, but on this one, I'm expecting a 'yes'! Sure!! I'll put it above my sink by the window where I put other verses that I'm *trying* to memorize. You know.. that's where I spend a lot of my time... at the sink! :)

I AM ~ Lesson Six

I AM ~ Lesson 6 "West Side of the Wilderness"

This week's study was great! I thank God for the 'burning bush' moments in my life. Yet, I also thank Him for the times I've had to be 'decidedly content'! Every day is a journey toward greater closeness and likeness to the Father.
If' you'd like to read the lesson from today please go here. The "I AM" link on the side bar of my blog will take you to the entire study. Please check it out!

Here are this weeks questions:


1. How current is your God? Is he up to date on all your issues or do you have old hurts you still hold behind your back? I don't think I have 'old hurts'. Now, of course I still deal with some things from my past, mainly just attitudes I have about myself, but God is continuously working on me in that area. I have to remember that my worth is in what He thinks of me! I am constantly bringing things to Him and letting Him be present/current in my everyday life.

2. Has the enemy ever told you there are situations that are 'old news' that are better left stuffed down? Or perhaps because they were so long ago they can't possibly be affecting you now? Oh yes, things like to creep up on me! All of a sudden something pops into my head that I haven't thought about in years. I have to chose to either let it bother me or just bring it to the Lord and let Him handle it.

3. In the matter of established authority, does God truly reign in your life? Where are you when He calls your name? He does truly reign in my life! I desire to say "Here I am!" when He calls! I want to be listening closely to hear my name!

4. Do you ever feel God has forgotten you in your 'west side of the wilderness'? Sometimes being a stay at home mom I kind of feel like I'm always in the wilderness alone :-) ! I think it's important to remember that if we daily follow in His footsteps and chose to do His will, we are doing something great in the eye's of God. I know I have been at places where I felt like God was a billion miles away, but I can always see Him when I look back at the situation. Those are usually times of growth and change and sometimes it takes that to draw us closer to Him.

5. Have you ever experienced a time of cleansing where God has illuminated and rejuvenated you? If not, do you find you are in need of this now? Yes! And wow aren't those times awesome! I love how God shows up and out at just the right time. He knows what we need and when we need it. It's breathtaking to be in the presence of the Lord and truly experience it!

*I Am* Online Bible Study (Questions) Lesson 5

My questions from The Preacher's Wife online Bible study (lesson 5). I started this 2 weeks ago and have been going back through the first 3 lessons I missed and they are awesome! If anyone is interested in doing them on their own time... Go here or click the 'I Am... so you don't have to be' icon on the side bar. I'm almost caught up, thank goodness, because I don't like doing things out of order. It's part of my quirky personality, I guess!

1. Have you ever found yourself 'in faith' yet bewildered or demoralized? Yes, I have! There have been times when I wondered what in the world I was doing.. or asked myself 'how did I get here?'.
2. Do you consider yourself content? Would you describe it as Decidedly Content or Dreamily Content? A mixture of both I think. There are moments when I purpose in my heart to be content 'in whatever state I'm in'. And just like Paul said in that (Phil 4:11) verse it is something 'learned'. I have wonderful moments where I am truly, dreamily content. Those come from all kinds of things... my husband, son and of course God. I love when I can just rest in His goodness!
3. If you are not content, are there circumstances that keep you from this feeling? I am content.. so I'll skip this one!
4. Have you ever found yourself in a place where you looked back on a period of your Christian walk and believed a great opportunity passed you by? Yes! I have missed lots of opportunity from fear! I've gotten scared and chickened out of doing things that I knew God wanted me to do.
5. Do you ever believe your faith was stronger in an earlier time in your Christianity and find yourself floundering now? Sometimes I do look back on the time when I was single and felt closer to God. I don't think I was 'closer' though, it was just a different kind of 'season' with God. Hmm.. let's see if I can explain... I think at that time in my life was the 'foundation' time. God was laying the foundation of my faith for me to build on. I was a new Christian and it was just a time of magnificant transformation in my life. Now, of course, I am still transforming, but it's a different 'season'. I'm not sure how else to explain it. I definitly do not think I'm floundering now though. I am continually drawing closer and closer to the Lord and to be honest it's a more intimate walk with Him than I have ever had.
6. Can you recognize that this season may be one of great preparation instead of a period of "I Was"? I think that it's important to remember that all seasons are seasons of preparation. I think that even if we're not preparing for a certain circumstance or opportunity in our walk, we are preparing for the coming of Jesus Christ.