Bruce Wilkinson also wrote The Prayer of Jabez.  In this book, he reminds us that we are here to be a link between earth and heaven.  A simple concept, but my experience has been that few Christians would say this is why God has me on earth.  We miss the mark on the real purpose of life.

This book refreshed my soul in that it brought focus that I had lost in being available and aware of everyday miracles by making myself open to serving others throughout the day.  I think I was much more conscious of that as a new Christian than I am now.  The author welcomes each of us to Everyday Miracle Territory.

Wilkinson gives some practical steps to help us respond to God on a daily basis, however I found he overcomplicated the matter in my opinion – Four Keys to a Life of Miracles, Five Signals That Guide Miracle Delivery, Three Keys to Special Delivery Miracles.  I got lost even though the book is not hard to read.

One concept that was very inspiring was the God Pocket.  He encourages Christians to set aside an amount of money (maybe $20) that they always keep tucked away in the billfold or pocketbook.  That money is to be used in the lives of others as needs present themselves.  He told the story of feeling led to leave all $20 as a tip for a waitress.  She came to him before he left in tears explaining that she was a single parent and had prayed God would provide the money she needed for medicine for her ill child.

I liked this book.  It could have been shorter but that could be said of most books I read.

How many Max Lucado books have I read?  I don’t know for sure but it is a bunch.  I remember reading my first one years ago and being absolutely captivated.  I confess that now they all seem to run together.  That is why I hesitated reading this one which is his newest book.  However, a friend recommended it and she was right in that at least for me it was worth it.

Like all his other books, this book is easy to read.  Each chapter stands alone and you can read one, put it down even for days, and pick it up and read another chapter without missing anything.  It is like reading a devotional which is a great way to use Lucado’s books.  Like all the rest, there were parts of the book that stuck with me.  He shares a wonderful story from one of his children’s books called You Are Special.  I won’t spoil it for you but for me it was worth it, just for this story about God’s love and grace.  I guess I could have read the children’s book instead but that misses the point. 

Since the topic concerns overcoming our fears, everyone can relate.  Each chapter has some Biblical insight shared in a way that only Lucado can do.  The chapter on raising kids he says, “Before they were ours, they were his.  Even as they are ours, they are still his.”   I guess every Christian parent knows that but he put it in a way that sticks.

So, if you have ever read one of Max’s books and did not like it, you won’t like this one.  If you have read at least one and liked it, chances are you will enjoy this one too.

Pat and I are on vacation together in Destin, Florida.  Even though we have been here countless times, it is still our favorite vacation spot -  lots of sitting on the beach reading, walking, playing golf (for me) and a time of reflection.

We are about to start a new series at FOTP Grapevine called Threads-Life is Better Together.  We will look at the importance of community and how to experience authentic community. 

I have stated many times over the past year or so how this is the most fulfilling time of my life.  Certainly getting to pastor a church for the first time plays a huge role in that sense of fulfillment but I also have come to realize what has been missing in my life all these many years and it is simply this thing called community.

I know hundreds of people.  I hardly go anywhere in the metroplex without seeing someone I know but knowing people enough to say hello when you see them is a far cry from experiencing community.

This lack of community is certainly partially my fault.  I have been surrounded by people who loved me and had a desire to share their lives with me but being a task oriented person I just never took the initiative to make it happen.  I needed to be in an environment that fostered community so that for the most part it could not be resisted.  That is what has happened at Fellowship of the Parks.  Thanks to the intentionality of the staff in creating a purpose driven church, FOTP is a place where community takes place.

This past year due to many factors including hosting our Lifegroup, I have built stronger, more meaningful relationships than ever before in my life.  Some of these relationships already existed but now have been taken to a new level.

I looking forward to teaching the Threads series.  My prayer is that many more people who may be suffering from CDS – Community Depravation Syndrome – will have the void in their lives filled.

We are doing a series at our church called The Limit.  It is about the dangers of living our lives to the limit, emotionally, financially, and with our schedules.  In preparing for this series I read this book.  Dr. Swenson took an interest a number of years ago in the number of patients he had whose health problems had nothing to do with germs or genetics.  He wanted to find a common denominator.  He quest led him to believe that what was missing from most all of the lives of these patients was what he calls margin.  Margin is that cushion we need between the resources we have available and the needs that we have.

Dr. Swenson does a great job at explaining how much of what we call progress has eroded the margin in our lives.  In fact, he points out that the countries that have the greatest number of labor saving devices have the least amount of margin in the lives of their people.   He shows how most of our progress has been in the areas of physical environment (technology, wealth) and most of our pain is related to our social and emotional environment.

Dr. Swenson gives some very pracitical steps for regaining margin.  Although he does not share much information about his personal life, what he does certainly indicates that he practices what he preaches.

The book was a huge help in preparing for my messages.  I would recommend it for those who are living to the limit.