What I've Read in 2017

Photo Credit: Goodreads

Saint John Paul the Great: His Five Loves -Jason Evert ♥
Closer: Pray Your Way to Intimacy with God - Fr. Bob McConaghy ♥
Live Loved - Max Lucado ♥
I'm Not Being Fed - Jeff Cavins

The Shack -WM. Paul Young
Fearless - Max Lucado
When God Whispers Your Name - Max Lucado
The Old Path of Loving Relationships - Bo Sanchez

Confessions of a Happy Christian - Zig Ziglar
The Little Prince -  Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
The Valkyries - Paulo Coelho ♥
The Moon Smiled at Me - Ems Sy Chan

How to Find Your Soulmate Without Losing Your Soul - Crystalina Evert & Jason Evert ♥
Pure Womanhood - Crystalina Evert
Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus - John Gray
Why Men Love Bitches - Sherry Argov

Excerpts: Miracle at the Higher Grounds Cafe by Max Lucado

Chelsea scanned the crowd for some glimmer of light, but all she saw was darkness.  Then out of the black came a fearsome cry that silenced the clamoring crowd.

"My God, my God, why have you abondoned me?"

His language was foreign to chelsea, but Manny had given her access to his eyes and ears,  so she understood the words.

Chelsea watched in horror as Christ's head fell limp for several moments. Then he pressed himself up on the nails and cried out, pausing between each word: "It is finished!"

Bitter tears stung Chelsea's eyes. She couldn't bear another moment of the cruel struggle. "Why did you bring me here, Manny?"

"This is the loneliest point in history. The last moment of true abandonment. From here on,  abandonment is nothing more than a myth. And loneliness? A choice."

As Manny spoke, their bleak surroundings melted away. Dark, heavy clouds shifted in the sky,

revealing a brilliant morning sun that chased away the shadows. The hard rocky ground bloomed and flourished beneath her feet. Chelsea now stood in a bright garden. Vines worked their way up a stony wall. Flowers were lifting in the morning sun. The sky was brilliantly blue. On thee other side of the garden, a large rock sealed on the entrance to a tomb.

"There is no separation. There is no chasm between you and the heavens. There is no divider,  no veil between you and God's love."

That's when Chelsea saw him. Jesus. Fully alive. His robe was as ray of sunshine, each thread radiant. His face shone like a full moon, the perfect reflection of his Father in heaven. The very sight of Jesus brought passersby to their knees. But for Chelsea, that moment when she caught a glimpse of his eyes, like blazing stars. The same light that was present in her darkest hours was shining back at her. 

"You wanted to know how you'll make it on your own?" Manny asked as the sights and sounds of the lush of Jerusalem garden gave way to the sterile hospital chapel. "You'll never know. Because you never will be."

Moving Forward

en.wikipedia.org

Excerpted from Manual of the Warrior of Light by Paulo Coelho


The warrior of the light does not always have faith. There are times when he does not believe in anything at all.

And he asks his heart: “Will all the effort be worthwhile?”

But the heart remains silent. And the warrior must decide for himself.

So he seeks an example. And he remembers that Jesus endured something similar – in order to live the human condition in all its fullness.

“Take this cup away from me,” said Jesus. He too lost heart and his courage, but he did not stop.

The warrior of the light remains faithless.

But he moves forward nevertheless, and his faith will return.

Excerpts: Live Loved by Max Lucado

So make friends with whatever's next. Embrace it. Accept it. Don't resist it. Change is not only a part of life; change is necessary part of God's strategy. To use us to change the world, he alters our assignments. Gideon: from farmer to general; Mary: from peasant girl to the mother of Christ; Paul: from local rabbi to world evangelist. God transitioned Joseph from a baby brother to an Egyptian prince. He changed David from shepherd to a king. Peter wanted to fish the Sea of Galilee. God called him to lead the first church. God makes reassignments. But He wants you to know: you'll never face the future without His help. 

~Fearless

Excerpts: Saint John Paul the Great: His Five Loves by Jason Evert

"...love is ignited within us, love is renewed within us. Therefore, these are not

hours spent in idleness, when we isolate ourselves from our work, but these are moments,

hours, when we undertake something that constitutes the deepest meaning of all of our work.

For no matter how numerous our activities, our ministries, however numerous our concerns, our

exertions —if there is no love, everything becomes meaningless. 

When we devote our time to ponder the mystery of love, to allow it to radiate in our 

hearts, we are preparing ourselves in the best possible way for any kind of service, 

for any activity, for any charitable work."

-Pope John Paul II

Excerpts: The Valkyries - Paulo Coelho (Part I)

Photo Credit: Amazon

In The Brothers Karamazov, Dostoyevsky tells us the story of the Grand Inquisitor, which I

paraphrase here:

During the religious persecutions in Sevilla, when all who did not agree with the Church were

thrown into prison, or burned at the stake, Christ returns to earth and mixes in with the

multitudes. But the Grand Inquisitor notes his presence, and orders him jailed.

That night, he goes to visit Jesus in his cell. And he asks why Jesus has decided to return at that

particular moment. “You are making things difficult for us,” the Grand Inquisitor says. “After

all, your ideals were lovely, but it is we who are capable of putting them into practice.” He

argues that, although the Inquisition might be judged in the future to have been severe, it is

necessary, and that he is simply doing his job. There is no use talking of peace when man's heart is always at war; nor speaking of a better world when there is so much hatred in man's heart. There was no use in Jesus' having sacrificed himself in the name of the human race, when human beings still feel guilty. “You said that all people are equal, that each has the divine light within, but you forgot that people are insecure, and they need someone to guide them. Don't make our work more difficult than it is. Go away,” says the Grand Inquisitor, having laid out all of his brilliant arguments.

When he is finished, there is silence in the cell. Then Jesus comes to the Grand Inquisitor, and

kisses him on the cheek.

“You may be right,” Jesus says. “But my love is stronger.”

The Choice

Excerpted from When God Whispers Your Name by Max Lucado

It’s quiet. It’s early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming.

In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met. For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day’s demands. It is now that I must make a choice.

Because of Calvary, I’m free to choose. And so I choose.

I choose love. No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.

I choose joy. I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical… the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I choose peace. I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I choose patience. I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I’ll invite Him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I choose kindness. I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I choose goodness. I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.

I choose faithfulness. Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.

I choose gentleness. Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice, may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I choose self-control. I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithful-ness, gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek His grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.