Writing’s an individual sport. Yet in a group, we find support to stay focused, inspired, and excited about our craft. If you write to get published or for personal reasons, this blog is a place where you will find proactive support and encouragement for your personal writer’s journey.
Personally, I felt called to make writing a career in 2000, and have been slowly moving in that direction ever since. Sometimes the progress is two steps forward, one back, but I’m making progress every year. If you’re a writer, you know how it goes. I hope you drop by often. It’s lonely pounding out words in front of your computer all day. When you take a break, use the posts here to motivate you onto love and good works.
“Confessions of an Insignificant Pastor” Book Review
Who sets the image of what is ‘normal’ in a Christian’s life and experience? Where does the place of transparency reside in a Christian’s life when our culture promotes accomplishment, size and performance? Pastor W. Mark Elliot, in his recent book Confessions of an Insignificant Pastor confronts the image of what too often is the ‘rugged individualist’ Christian persona. In its place, he reveals a transparent, genuine, real “pastor from nowhere, just a nobody from zip code 47492,” and he’s in good company.
How Can I Run a Tight Ship Book Review
Released early 2009 by New Hope Publishers, Kathi Macias’ How Can I Run a Tight Ship when I am Surrounded by Loose Cannons? is a light hearted look at discipleship from an experienced Christian writer. During our interview, Kathi described the book as “discipleship with a grin.” As I easily consumed the book’s message, I would have to agree. Like Mary Poppins’ spoonful of sugar, the sometimes thick discipleship message is a joyful read in this book.
Kathi said her inspiration for the book was a conversation with a trusted friend. “How can I run a tight ship when I am surrounded by all these loose cannons?” quipped Kathi. She told me she immediately paused. “That’s too good of title to not have a book attached to it,” and the merry title gave birth to an equally playful book.
Kathi builds the book on a metaphor which follows a person’s growth. First we crawl, then walk, and run. Hopefully as a Christian eventually we learn to fly as with wings of eagles (Isaiah 40.31). After these experiences we often learn that the most important place for a Christians is on our knees, back on our knees, in the same position we began our journey.
The book is woven with stories of women who influenced Kathi’s life from that of a young Christian to a mature believer. After coming full circle, Kathi realized that quite often she was the loose cannon. She needed to trust her Father more. By following the example of other, equally loose cannons around her, she found balance. These women helped here see that having the details of life lashed to the deck isn’t always God’s plan. He works through imperfect people who have learned to rely on Him in their weakness. A hard lesson for a person with a High D, Type A, Choleric personality like Kathi.
Overall, I recommend this book highly. We need to laugh at ourselves as we apply the lessons of discipleship. Kathi has woven together anecdotes and vignettes from her life which lead to laughter with a purpose. As proverbs says, a merry heart does good, like a medicine. (Prov 17.22)
Forged in the Fire – Shaped by the Master book review
Often people do things haphazardly then justify their actions with these words – God knows my heart. The truth of the matter is – He really does.
“Forged In The Fire – Shaped By The Master” speaks to the issue of heart matters by bringing readers face to face with reality – we are ordinary people who can be used by God. How and to what degree depends upon the condition of the heart.
Author, Tim Burns has presented a study that invites its participants to the table of choice and self examination. Throughout this twelve week course the lives of four men chosen by God to lead Israel are examined. It is the presentation of the lives of King David, Joseph, King Saul and King Hezekiah that we come to see a little, (if not a lot) of ourselves.
Many today are hard pressed to see how biblical circumstances can be applied to their stressful conditions. “Forged In The Fire – Shaped By The Master”, through practical application, skillfully speaks to those concerns.
As with the aforementioned rulers, we too have choices. Examining circumstances and choices made by the biblical leaders shows the consistency of human nature and the faithfulness of God. David and Joseph sought to serve God with pure hearts. Saul and Hezekiah deviated from righteousness causing other to suffer the consequence of their choices. God’s response to each upheld the righteousness of His eternal word. As it was then, it is now.
Regardless of your station in life and level in your spiritual walk, “Forged In The Fire – Shaped By The Master” clearly shows that God has chosen you and wants you to choose a right relationship with Him.
-Dr. Linda F. Beed, D.R.E., author of “Business Unusual”
Beyond Me: Living You-First in a Me-First World
Beyond Me: Living You-First in a Me-First World
By: Kathi Macias
Published by: New Hope Publishers, Birmingham, Al 2008
Ever had mornings you don’t want to get out of bed, days you don’t feel like going to work? What do you do when the issue is obeying God? You love him; you are his child. Yet you still don’t want to obey, to allow yourself to transformed into his image through your obedience.
The heart of Kathi Macias’ new book Beyond Me – Living a You-First Life in a Me-First World balances tenuously on this question. When the honeymoon is over – What Then? Inspired by a cosmetic line marketed as “It Is All About Me,” Kathi digs deeply into her 30 year personal Christian history to grapple with the issue of discipleship.
“Jesus didn’t call us to make converts,” Kathi said during our interview. “We aren’t called to sit and listen to teaching, or (passively) expect to be blessed. He called us to make disciples. . . When you are all wrapped up in yourself, you make a pretty small package.” According to Kathi, making disciples is about modeling a changed life. When we become a Christian, we learn how to live for Christ. The next step is modeling a changed life, living you-first in a me-first world.
As Kathi and I talked for nearly 30 minutes, she returned to a number of themes which are woven throughout the text. As people, we often have layers of emotional issues, learned habits which run counter to a discipled, disciplined Christian lifestyle. Living ‘you-first’ means allowing Christ to remove the layers in order to reveal the person he has called and equipped you to become.
As Americans, we often hold onto an “I can do it, and have to do it myself” kind of attitude. Yet Jesus calls us to participate with him. WE have the choice to allow Him to participate in our lives. When we do, we build his kingdom, not our own.
A third theme is that Christians expect that they are now members of God’s “Bless Me Club.” Too often Kathi has seen that Christians’ thoughts and prayers revolve in a fixed orbit around our own desires. Kathi’s book is an encouragement, and a challenge to take the message of the gospel and make it personal. It’s not about being served, but serving others.
Toward the end of our interview, I asked Kathi what she believed opened the door to this kind of lifestyle. I have often heard these words from a church podium, yet not taken up the charge to change? She responded, “The bottom line to every sin, everything that takes us away from God’s call on our life is a broken relationship with Him.” The external sermon becomes an internal motivation when we understand God’s heart toward us. He takes upon himself the shame of sin, he doesn’t give it. He reaches and forgives rather than standing aloof and demanding of us. For Kathi, as she writes in this book, God so loved that he gave. He calls us to do the same.
I want to thank Kathi for writing this book, and highly recommend it for anyone tired of living an average Christian life. We aren’t called to be average. we are called to be disciples, to live you-first in a me-first world. You can find more about Kathi, and her writing and speaking ministry at http://www.kathimacias.com/
Posted by:
Timothy Burns, Associate Editor Ministry in Motion Blog
Author, Forged in the Fire – Shaped by the Master
http://www.timothyburns.com
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