Does the Christian life ever confuse or frustrate you?
This week in the Dispatch:
A review of Bob Goff’s newest book
A look at “A Better Man Podcast”
My top five pastors’ podcasts
In “Insights” I reveal some my frustrations and confusions as a Christian
This week’s challenges bring you face to face with God
A final thought to take a deeper look at your relationship with God
Books:
I’m a big Bob Goff fan. I’ve heard him speak and Love Does and Everybody, Always are two of my favorite books. The title tells the story. Bob is a person who dreams big and probably always has. From owning his own airline (of sorts) to wrestling an alligator, he is always adding to or checking off items on his list. In Dream Big, Bob’s goal is to help the reader rediscover their dreams and to turn them into reality. What are your dreams? What has held you back? What is your plan? What do you need to help you accomplish your dream? As always, Bob shares some incredible stories from his own life experiences. I’ve always had a dream list in my head. Now, I’m writing them down. I will probably steal a few from Bob’s list that sound like a good fit for me. Maybe even the “wrestle an alligator” one.
Dr. Kim’s Rating: I’m either changing my rating system or doing away with it. If I share a book, you know I liked it. I’m not going to waste your time or mine talking about a bad (from my perspective) book. So Dream Big gets a 10, a thumbs up and the distinction of being the last book I gave a rating to in the Dispatch.
Podcast:
The Awesome Marriage Podcast is taking our annual two-week summer break. While we are off, here are a couple of podcasts that are on my regular list.
A Better Man Podcast is part of the Awesome Marriage family. On the second Thursday of every month we release a new episode. You can find it on iTunes or wherever you listen to podcasts and the video version is up on the Awesome Marriage YouTube Channel. Colby Taylor and I talk to men, covering topics relevant to men with the hope it challenges them - and us - to be better men. We also have a set of questions for each episode so men can take a deeper dive into the topic with a best friend or a small men’s group. July’s topic is “Is Marriage Still Relevant?” and August’s will be “What about Ego?”
Each week I listen to the weekly messages from my favorite pastors. I would highly recommend each of them. They are relevant and great communicators. Here is my list:
Insights:
Does the Christian life ever confuse or frustrate you? It does me. Here are some of the questions that fall into those categories for me.
What do I need to do and what do I need to leave in God’s hands?
If I pray and don’t get a response pretty soon, how am I to take that?
How do I know if I am following God’s lead in my life?
Why was I born where I was born?
Does prayer really make a difference?
Why do kids die?
Why is the Corona virus still around?
Why are we still fighting each other when we are all the same in God’s eyes?
I’ve got a ton more but this should give you an idea of the things I can struggle with. Over time, I have some answers, but there are still a lot of questions. Here is what I have learned:
What do I need to do and what do I need to leave in God’s hands?
In general, if I can do something that needs to be done, I do it, but I still pray for God’s wisdom and leading. If there is something that I can do absolutely nothing about, I pray and leave it in God’s hands. Do I always do that? No, but I know that is the best response. I don’t need to worry or fret over something that I can do nothing about!
If I pray and don’t get a response pretty soon, how am I to take that?
I think God always responds. My problem is that He does not always respond in the way I want Him to respond. Looking back over time, His response was always the best answer even though I could not see it at the time.
How do I know if I am following God’s lead in my life?
This is a tough one for me. I pray. I talk to other Christians. I talk to Nancy. We pray about it together. If I don’t get a no, I move forward.
Why was I born where I was born?
I think this one will always baffle me. There is no reason I was born into the loving caring family that I was blessed with. Warren Buffet calls it “the pregnancy lottery.” I won’t go that far because I think that there is nothing that surprises God. No lottery with Him, but I still don’t have an answer to this one.
Does prayer really make a difference?
Yes. I really have come to believe that. One, because Jesus tells us that it does and two, from my life experiences. Prayer connects us to God and that alone makes a difference.
Why do kids die?
I don’t know. The death of a child always haunts me. It is every parent's worst nightmare. I do know this from people I have observed. God is there in the pain and ultimately He brings healing.
Why is the Corona virus still around?
I don’t know this one either. Is it part of the end times? Maybe. Maybe not. Remember, Jesus told us we would not know that answer. I do agree with people that think we will know some of the signs that indicate the end times are coming. My thought is that I need to live each day getting everything that I can out of life. The rest will take care of itself and I can’t do anything about it anyway.
Why are we still fighting each other when we are all the same in God’s eyes?
I don’t get it. Why the anger and hatred? The answer lies in the fact that people do bad things. I love this answer from the Message version of 2 Corinthians chapter five. “God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you.”
Jesus never promised us all the answers and I believe He is okay with all our questions, doubts, confusions, and frustrations. It’s part of our growth as a Christian. He wants us to turn to Him. He truly has all the answers. Our role is to get through the muck while keeping our eyes on Him.
Challenge
If you could ask God any question, what would it be? Why?
If God only answered one prayer in your life, what would you want it to be?
Final Thought
What is the obstacle in your life that keeps you from truly and completely trusting God? What is your first step in removing that obstacle?
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