Everyone is (spiritually) different...

If we really want to help someone flourish, we have to help them in a way that fits their uniqueness.

Our great model for this is God himself, for he always knows just what each person needs.

He had Abraham take a walk,
Elijah take a nap,
Joshua take a lap,
Adam take the rap.

He gave Moses a 40-year timeout,
He gave David a harp and a dance,
He gave Paul a pen and a scroll.

He wrestled with Jacob,
argued with Job,
whispered to Elijah,
warned Cain,
and comforted Hagar.

He gave Aaron an altar,
Miriam a song,
Gideon a fleece,
Peter a name,
and Elisha a mantle.

Jesus was stern with the rich young ruler,
tender with the woman caught in adultery,
patient with the disciples,
blistering with the scribes,
gentle with the children,
and gracious with the thief on the cross.

God never grows two people the exact same way. God is a hand-crafter, not a mass-producer.

The problem many people face when it comes to spiritual growth is that they listen to someone they think of as the expert—maybe an author or radio personality—talk about what he does and they think that's what they're supposed to do. When it doesn't work for them (because they are a different person!) they feel guilty and inadequate, and often give up.

God has a plan for the me he wants me to be. It will not look exactly like his plan for anyone else, which means it will take freedom and exploration for you to learn how God wants to grow you. Spiritual growth is hand-crafted, not mass-produced. God does not do "one-size-fits-all."

John Ortberg, Leadership

Cymbala: weakness

That evening, when I was at my lowest, confounded by obstacles, bewildered by the darkness that surrounded us, unable to continue preaching, I discovered an astonishing truth: God is attracted to weakness.  He can't resist those who humbly and honestly admit how desperately they need him.  Our weakness, in fat, makes room for his power.

Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire, p19

Just me and Him

Sometimes I wake up before dawn, and I love sitting up in the middle of the bed with all the lights off, pitch-black dark, and talking to the Father, with no interruptions and nothing that reminds me that there's anything in life but me and him.

Charles Stanley, CT

Quick-review: Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow

...by Peter Hoeg

I finally decided I would read a 'modern classic' no matter what.  So often I give up, because what actually transpires to be actually fairly ordinary is also laced with language and themes which I, as a benighted traditionalist, can't be bothered with (and such things generally have nothing to do with the story).  But this time I decided to finish it whatever....

Well, on the positive side he is a great writer: even in translation from the Danish, it's good prose.

Otherwise...it's, well, modern.  A very bleak book.  No one is happy (not for long anyway), pretty much most everything goes wrong, and most people have some kind of secret. The plot proves intricate as the reality of what has been happening is unfolded, but to be fair you could probably say that about Dan Brown - the gradual revealing of the big picture and who's connected to who isn't that unique I guess.  In that sense what sets it apart from Brownian stuff is the prose and the reflections on life and ice (there's a lot of ice).  But does it have a proper ending?  Not really;  and one can have enough of 'realistic' books that leave lots unresolved.  On top of this is the mandatory language issue - and the bizarre obsession with (often odd) sexual details which have absolutely nothing to do with the story.  But presumably prove you're a grown-up writer?

And though this is difficult to establish given I knew the writer was male:  to be honest I think you could tell Miss Smilla was being written by a bloke...

Sanders: strong leaders

The church has always prospered most when it has been blessed with strong and spiritual leaders who expected and experienced the supernatural in their service.

Spiritual Leadership, p17