Learning Lessons

My wife just finished reading a book entitled Humility: True Greatness — by C.J. Mahaney

It had impacted her, she said. Which made me curious. Finally, the other day, I got around to asking her about it. I found her at the sink, up to her elbows in dishes. Singing along with the music in the background.

"Well, it's the reason I have the music on," She told me. "That book has helped me to see that staying in the discouragement of my situation is really just pride, and if I stay in my selfish pride — then God resists me," She set a dish in the drainer and continued.

"I put the music on so I would stop being discouraged and begin to share His thoughts."

I could hear "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet," playing softly. And I marveled at the lessons the Lord had been teaching her.

They seemed somehow familiar.

seeing The Man about a horse

With an uncooperative computer and whiny kids, I was smack in the middle of a frustrating morning when it took another turn for the worse.

Honey was out. And I put my work on hold to go catch a horse.

As I searched for her, I shared my list with the Lord. That sweet honey of a thing is anything but. She's mean. Unruly. Unsubmissive. I aired my feelings of injustice, self-preserving righteousness, and why me? Complaining.

My self-talk went nowhere. If I wasn't careful this was going to set the mood for the rest of my day. All because of a stupid horse!

"She's a lot like you."

The thought came out of nowhere. Certainly not the Holy Spirit.

"She is, you know. She wants to do her own thing. She doesn't want to be fenced in. She doesn't want to submit. Do you?"

"Lord?" the truth of what He had whispered slowly dawning.

"Yes, I'm a lot like her," I agreed tentatively, shaking the bucket of grain I was carrying and calling to her.

Where was she? I didn't know. But as I searched, I also recognized that the Lord was also searching for me. Calling out to me. Caring. Wanting me to come.

"Lord?" I began. "I'm consciously thanking you in the middle of this. It was tentative at first, like priming a pump. Pulling and pushing, until praises spilled forth and worship began. Soon I recognized that I was no longer under the situation. But far above it.

All because I saw The Man about a horse.

Destroying Passivity

I'm the typical guy. I love to channel flip. If I don't have to sit through seven minutes of commercials, I'd rather not. That being said, why is it that on any given evening, guys can and will do absolutely nothing but channel flip? Nothing interests us. We're bored. We're lazy. And we're prone to passivity. 

I have read articles by researchers who have hooked monitors up to guys while they watched television. You know what they found? Not a lot of brain activity. In fact, about as much as someone trapped in a coma. So when asked what we did last night, it makes sense a lot of sense to say we vegged. 

So how do we kick the habit? Stirring up a little enthusiasm to get out and do, sometimes lasts about as long as the thought. But lately I have been viewing my own tendency toward passivity as a trouble light, an indicator that I am spiritually hungry. Instead of reaching for the remote, I have determined to reach for my bible or a christian book. And it has worked.

The takeaway I offer from this post is a list of five books that have challenged me over the last couple of years to pursue real life and true godliness. And I suspect that they will challenge you as well.

Not in any particular order:

1. Wild at Heart, by John Eldredge
2. The Search For Significance, by Robert S. McGee
3. A life God Rewards, by Bruce Wilkinson
4. Our Jealous God, by Bill Gothard
5. Experiencing Spiritual Breakthroughs, by Bruce Wilkinson

As usual, comments are welcome, and warmly encouraged. Feel free to add to my list of five. What books have influenced your life? Please share them here.

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