We’ve been busy here lately. My parents were here this past weekend to help with some things that I wanted to get done before my upcoming trip in February. Some cleaning, some organizing, some errand running… Now I need to start packing. Yes, it will take me two weeks to get everything organized and folded the right way to fit into the bags that I am going to be taking. I am getting very excited…and a little anxious…about leaving. I am very excited for what God is going to do in my life and everyone else’s who is going.
We are reading a book before we go on the trip called Unveiled At Last by Bob Sjogren. It has really opened my eyes to some things. He talks about a top line (being blessed by God) and a bottom line (turning around and blessing others through God), and how a lot of teachings only emphasize the top line, and not how to be a blessing.
“Obviously, if I’m focusing on the top line of the covenant only and saying, ‘I repent and receive the blessings of salvation, so God bless me, God bless us, God bless my family, God bless our church, God bless my community,’ I’ve missed half of Christianity. The other half of Christianity is turning around with that blessing and reaching out cross-culturally to the world.” Sjogren ***and in my opinion, reaching out to a neighbor right next door or down the street
“Fill in the blank. ‘Be still and…’ That’s right, ‘know that I am God.’ Most Christians know that pretty well. That’s because it refers to what part of the covenant? Of course, the top line. But how about the next half of the verse; do you know what it is? ‘I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.’ As we should have expected, the bottom line. Most Christians can easily quote the beginning of Psalm 46:10, but they have no idea what the rest of the verse is. Why? They have been brought up under an A>B Christianity…a Christianity that emphasizes how God has blessed us but leaves off the bottom-line responsibility ‘to be a blessing’.” Sjogren
Stuff to think about…
pambuller
January 29, 2008 | 3:01 am hloved that book!
amy s.
January 24, 2008 | 3:55 pm hisn’t it amazing how god is revealing this truth to us, as a church body? it seems like the reality of this ‘be a blessing’ is going to have such a huge impact around the world, all because a little church in iowa, with little people, decided to trust and believe….. and act.
shelly
January 24, 2008 | 1:15 pm hI hope Iam doing this right. Iam not very good with this thing yet. Thank you for the card. I love it. I showed Kelly the pic of Harrison. She said he has kellys eye’s. I say he looks like you. It was neat to look back at all his pics. and watch him grow. We are doing well. And I hope the same for you. Write soon.
Love, Shelly