Soul Detox

In January, there are many Christians who are setting aside time to fast and pray. Some are doing Daniel fasts (fruits and vegetables for 21 days), some are fasting from any food for a set amount of time and some are doing some sort of self-defined fast, like abstaining from media or sweets or hot sauce. Whatever the fast is, or for however long, people are creating space in their lives for God to speak to them or intervene in some way.

Centerpointe Church takes the first full week to fast and pray. It always makes a difference in the spiritual temperature and atmosphere of the church. For me, I feel refreshed and re-invigorated. It gives me clearer vision and passion.

Fasting is also a time of humbling ourselves before God and asking him to cleanse us from sin. Like our physical bodies benefits from this time of detoxing, our spiritual life also needs a time of cleansing. 

I have already recommended people to get the book Second Chronicles Seven Fourteen Journey. It is a 28 day journey in prayer that will help guide you in your days of fasting. Others are reading Mark Batterson's book Draw the Circle. This is a 40 day prayer challenge. Hey, anything Mark writes I highly recommend. 

Here is another. My daughter got it for Christmas and I picked it up today. It is Craig Groeschel's Soul Detox, Clean Living in a Contaminated World. I have only read the first chapter, and I recommend it already. 

"The Bible consistently reminds us to check our spiritual diet for toxins. Proverbs 25:26 says, 'Like a muddied spring or a polluted well are the righteous who give way to the wicked.' How muddy is your water right now? Is your well polluted by all the cultural toxins seeping in? Or does your spiritual well draw on Living Water as its pure, thirst-quenching source?" (pg 17)

During your time of creating space for God, allow Him to speak to you about the areas of your life that need correction. This is no laughing matter. As society intentionally pushes us toward dysfunction, let's go counter-cultural and draw near to God.

Drawing Near,
Keith  
 

Great Books on Marriage and Family

Here are four books I am recommending during our series, "Ready the House Family Edition." They are meant to be a resource for you as you strive to thrive in your marriage, not just survive.  

1. Pray Big for Your Marriage is a wonderful book by Will Davis Jr. with lots of practical and specific ways to pray for your marriage and spouse. It includes a 30 day devotional guide. One chapter is specifically geared for those who have an unbelieving spouse. 

2. Love and Respect by Emerson Eggerich is a classic must read for couples. It gets to the basic differences between what men and women need in a relationship. 

3. Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman is another classic. It is not only helpful in marriage, but also has great insight into how people respond differently. I learned a lot about people from this book.

4. The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian is a must read for every wife. This book changed our marriage - I'll leave it at that.

The Circle Maker

I just finished Mark Batterson's book, "The Circle Maker." It is one of the best books I have read that connects vision and dreams with prayer. We are now reading it together as a family and praying circles around each other, believing God for the miraculous. 


For nine months now, I have believed God wants to do great things in the life of Centerpointe Church. I believe He wants to do greater things than we have asked or imagined. My prayer is that He uses us to proclaim the name of Jesus and declare Him King of Kings and Lord of Lords. My prayers are large - at least I thought they were. 


This week, I am convicted by the thought that my prayers are too small. 


I pray that God will do something at Centerpointe so big that there is no way we could take the credit.


As Brittany's friend, Jen, said to me yesterday - "Go big or go home."

The Unforgiving Minute

I just finished reading The Unforgiving Minute, by Craig Mullaney. It is a story a young man’s story of going through West Point and becoming an officer in the Army. The first half of the book is a “coming-of-age” story about his life and training, which certainly gave me a greater sense of appreciation for our soldiers and what they go through. While serving in Afghanistan, his infantry platoon was caught in a deadly firefight with a-Qaeda fighters and one of the soldiers in his unit was killed. This is the “unforgiving minute.” Captain Mullaney fights with his own demons and feelings concerning the battle and struggles to relieve himself from the guilt of loosing one of his men. The book is riveting and connecting.

When I finished the book, I could not help but wonder how all of us have “unforgiving minutes” in our lives. We make mistakes; we misjudge; and sometimes people get hurt. We cannot seem to let go of that moment – it plays over and over like a broken record (for those who remember what they were). And those moments seem to be replayed at the most defeating times. Sometimes they are replayed when all is well, but you can’t help but think that you are going to mess things up again. Sometimes they are replayed when you are in similar situations and they create a defeatist mindset. Other times they are rehearsed when you make other mistakes and you begin to think of yourself as a looser and a fake. Satan uses these moments as a weapon against you. Since he is a liar, he twists those moments in your mind and hinders all your spiritual growth.

The great news for all of us is that Jesus is the Great Redeemer. He not only forgives, he renews our mind so that we can live again without fearing the haunting past. Although we can never relive the past and change the consequences, we can live in the hope of a forgiving God. Here are a couple of thoughts that keep me sane during these unforgiving memories:

1. There is only one savior and I am not Him. We are all fallen and need his forgiveness.
2. Satan is a liar. Defeating thoughts will come and go, but don’t allow Satan to expand them beyond the reality.
3. Godly people bring the voice of God. Processing defeating thoughts with people who are close to Christ brings hope and correction.
4. God wants to change me. He wants to me to learn from my mistakes and grow in Him.
5. The Word works! In moments of defeatist thinking, the Bible reminds me that I am not so different from the people in the Bible: same struggles, same temptations, same thoughts and same mistakes; and throughout history God has worked to redeem them – and me! What a great God I serve!

With a Grateful Heart,
Keith