Crazy Love

I started Crazy Love by Francis Chan last week. Our Sunday School class has decided to go through it on Wed. nights as a small group bible study. I wish I was better at this blogging thing-truth is-it makes me nervous and it takes me forever to write one little blog post... not so much the part where I'm just typing the quotes but when I feel like adding my own words or this part at the beginning when I type to whomever may be reading... i reread it over and over! sometimes I wish I was a natural writer (funny thing is when I was little little I wanted to be a writer-that quickly went away as reality set in when I got just a little older) =) But this blog- almost like a journal is very freeing.. being able to express your thoughts even if they arnt very articulate.
I wish i would have blogged last week about the beginning of the book- its pretty good... its another book I would recommend to everyone! The website has videos that go along with it... Theres just something about watching and listening to Francis Chan speak and there is one video in particular that is really interesting and makes you think about how BIG God is. http://crazylovebook.com/videos_awe.html

"I hope reading this book will convince you of something:that by surrendering yourself totally to God's purposes, He will bring you the most pleasure in this life and the next."
"the core problem isn't the fact that were lukewarm, half hearted, or stagnant Christians-the crux of it all is why we are this way, and it is because we have an inaccurate view of God."

"This is why we are called to worship Him. His art, His handiwork and His creation all echo the truth that He is glorious. There is no other like Him. He is the King of Kings, the Beginning and the End, the One who was and is to come. "
"In our world, where hundreds o things distract us from God, we have to intentionally and consistently remind ourselves of Him."
"To say that God is holy is to say that He is set apart, distinct from us. And because of His set apart-ness, there is no way we can ever fathom all of who He is"

God is eternal.
"everything, that is, but God. He always has been, since before there was an earth, a universe, or even angels. God exists outside of time, and since we are within time, there is no way we will ever totally grasp that concept.

God is all-knowing.
"Hebrews 14:13 says' Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.' This is the God who takes the time to know all the little details about each of us. He does not have to know us so well, but He chooses to."

God is all-powerful.
"Collossions 1:16 tells us that everything was created for God:'For by Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him."
"Don't we live instead as though God is created for us, to do our bidding, to bless us, and to take care of our needs?"

God is fair and just.
"God never excuses sin. And He is always consistent with that ethic. Whenever we start to question whether God really hates sin, we have only to think of the cross, where His Son was tortured, mocked, and beaten because of sin. Our sin."

"He cannot be contained in this world, explained by our vocabulary, or grasped by our understanding"

If you haven't already- go check out the awe factor video.

Ch 2
"On the average day, we live caught up in ourselves. On the average day, we don't consider God very much. On the average day, we forget that our life truly is a vapor"
James 4:13-14
'Why, you don't even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.'

Frederick Buechner writes "intellectually we all know that we will die, but we do not really know it in the sense that the knowledge becomes a part of us. We do not really know it in the sense of living as though it were true. On the contrary, we tend to live as though our lives we go on forever."

"When I am consumed by my problems-stressed out about my life, my family, and my job- I actually convey the belief that I think the circumstances are more important than God's command to always rejoice. In other words, that I have a 'right' to disobey God because of the magnitude of my responsibilities."

"Both worry and tress reek of arrogance. They declare our tendency to forget that we've been forgiven, that our lives here are brief, that we are headed to a place where we wont be lonely, afraid, or hurt ever again, and that in the context of God's strength, our problems are small, indeed."

"so many of us think and live like the movie of life is all about us"
1 Corinthians 10:31 says 'So whether you ear or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

"to be brutally honest, it doesn't matter what place you find yourself in right now. Your part is to bring Him glory-whether eating a sandwich on a lunch break, drinking coffee at 12:04 a.m. so you can stay awake to study, or watching your four month old take a nap."

"THE POINT OF YOUR LIFE IS TO POINT TO HIM"

"Whatever you are doing, God wants to be glorified, because this whole thing is His. It is His movie, His world, His gift."

Im debating on if I should keep typing or not... I have a million thoughts running through my mind- Am I pointing others to Him? Am I doing what He wants me to be doing? Should I be serving over seas as a missionary in order to serve Him better? Does my life as a photographer point to Him? Has growing up in church made me ungrateful to how big God is after hearing it my whole life?
For what I think is the first time ever Ive had doubts in my mind- not my heart but in my mind.. His vastness and the fact that He has been since before time is mind boggling and incomprehensible and for the first time I find myself saying-how can this be? is God real? it just doesn't make sense that He would create us on this tiny little planet where all we do is sin and forget about Him and that He would even desire to know us personally and when we are just a vapor that He spent time with us, caring for us, comforting, protecting, guiding us....it just doesn't make sense!! then I hear His still small voice reminding me of His love, His Spirit inside me-speaking to me-how Ive felt Him hold me and have seen Him work in ways that cannot be explained by any other way. How grateful I am for His peace that surpasses understanding!