Click on the links to navigate through this page. Chapter Fourteen Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen I found this to be another inspiring chapter. It encouraged me to desire to have Hudson Taylor's secret mine: "I saw Him and I sought Him, and I had Him, and I wanted Him". I appreciated the reminder that no one of us has any more of an "in" with God than another. He's there waiting for all of us, waiting to be wanted. " God leads us onward with the intensity with which we are willing to come". I know that life with God is so much more worthwhile when I am in close fellowship with Him. Dr. Jeremiah has lots of good things to say, good stories to tell, but it was his quote from God's word that gave me encouragement. This is my desire: that I might "press on......reaching forward.....press toward the goal" That's Paul, from Philippians 3. Oh that we might all have this desire. Think how we could affect the world for Christ! Think how wonderful our fellowship with Him will be! I liked the comparisons between spiritual and physical hunger. And the "force-feeding". We all need that at times, just to keep on keeping on with God, reading the Bible, praying, with the promise that God is going to show up again. If you lose God, you lose everything. Looking forward to hearing from you. Don't let up now. Only three more chapters. First...our homework from last week: Taking the verses in Matthew 22:37-39: 37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ In the week ahead, how will you fulfill these commandments? Find out what God wants you to do this week that will fulfill each of these commandments, then go ahead and do it, and write about it at the end of the week. God taught me about prayer this week. I was reminded that I need to spend more time listening to God during prayer and less time talking. God knows my needs before I even say anything (Matthew 6:8). Doing this will bring me more in line with Matthew 22:37. I was also reminded how to pray for others (thanks to Keith on Wednesday night). Remembering someone's spritual need will bring me more in line with Matthew 22:39. Now, on to Chapter 14... "We all have as much of God as we truly want" (page 153). What an indictment! I'm not where I want to be in my spiritual walk, but am I willing to do what it takes to get to the next level? Have I become too comfortable where I am? Am I seeking God with my whole heart? I love taking Communion each month. There's something about the service that makes me more open to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Yesterday, I became aware of a part of my Christian service that I was doing because I felt that I had to, not particularly because I want to. I gave it over to God, and am looking forward to seeing what He will do with it. I want to be a Matthew 5:6 Christian, hungering and thirsting after righteousness. I don't want to get comfortable where I am, I want to keep moving along the path. I know that I need to be in the Word more than I am. I'm looking forward to the challenge of reading the Bible through in the coming year. Where are you on your Christian walk? Where to you want to be by this time next year? I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts. We're coming down the homestretch on this book. Only 3 more chapters to go! As I read this chapter, I had to process the idea of "losing God" in my own mind. I am not sure that is possible. Although, I do believe that we can lose our desire for God, as Dr. Jeremiah begins to speak about on page 150. As the pleasures of sin creeps into a person's life, it can become a stumbling block in his spiritual journey and lead him astray, but God is not "lost". How can you lose someone that is Omnipresent--holding out His arms--patiently waiting for you to open the door? You can't. The story of the prodigal son is a good example of this. The father was not lost, but rather the son's desire to be with his father was cut off by his desire to enjoy the pleasures of sin--which only brought his life down. Did the father go away? NO -- He watched for his son to return...right back to the place he left. The prodigal new right where he left his father. So it is our desire that may be lost. Our prayer should be not that we don't lose God, but that we don't lose the desire..or passion to seek Him and glorify Him in all things. Like Sandra, I would have to disagree with Dr. Jeremiah's semantics on "losing God." I don't think that is possible. Being a good Calvinist, I would have to assert that salvation, and therefore God Himself, cannot be lost or shaken. I would have to agree with Dr. Jeremiah, though, as he discussed losing the passion and hunger we have for growing closer to God. God has saved us and has worked miracles in our lives and is the best thing that will ever be in our lives, so it's hard to understand how we lose the excitement to read His love letter to us and to do all we can to please Him. Of course, I am preaching to the choir here!! There was a lot of conviction in this chapter! The question of "Have you ever lost God?" seems ridiculous, but, if I change it to "Have I ever felt like I lost God?", then I would have to say that happens far too often to me. What usually happens is that I'm going along just fine, then I get real busy, and suddenly I'm feeling spiritually detached. The idea that we have just about as much of God as we want is interesting, convicting, and true. God would not continually hide Himself from someone who truly wants to draw near to Him (James 4:8 "Come near to God and he will come near to you. . . ." I need to ask God to increase my desire for Him and then discipline myself to focus my mind and heart on Him and obey Him. Well it is certainly true that we have no idea what it means to be hungry! Both physically and spiritually I am afraid. We all know why we don't experience true, severe physical hunger, no need to explain that! Why are we rarely starved spiritually for God? I personally think there are so many substitutes in this world, that we can easily deceive ourselves into thinking that "they" (the substitutes) will be our 'fix'. I see this in unsaved people, but unfortunately, I think we Christians are also guilty of this, too. There was so much good brought out in this chapter I don't know where to begin. "The lack of spiritual hunger is the reason for your spiritual failure". That statement reminds me of the verse "Taste and see that the Lord is good." Whenever we have a taste of God (I don't mean His blessings, but God Himself) and taste how sweet He is to our soul....we truly do want more of Him....a poor example, but nevertheless an example would be....you know when you have a little bit of chocolate (me anyway) you want more?? When we do experience the sweet fellowship of God in a deeper way, we do want more of Him. Unfortunately, even though it is a sweet fellowship at His table with Him, I am so quickly distracted, and forget to keep coming to His table, and before you know it....I am satisfied eating the crumbs with the dogs! It is true, what someone else wrote...we don't lose God...we find a substitute. However, I do believe sometimes, God may choose to withold His presence, His blessing, His answer to prayer for a better reason. Perhaps to strengthen our faith, to allow us to yearn in a deeper level, to pant harder. To show His glory in a better way. Think of how Jesus chose to wait until Lazarus was dead, before He came. He could have prevented His death...but He had something better in mind. He could have released Paul from prison, but He had something better in mind. I need to remind myself of this, so when God is silent and may appear distant from me, it is because He has something better in mind, to teach me, to see Him in a better light, etc. "God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform" - William Cowper sorry I am late with my reply. our computer should be in the Smithsonian!!!!( I need LOTS of time to get this together! ) I can say, I don't think I have ever said I want to be uncomfortable....thirsty for the Lord yes, but why would I want to be uncomfortable?? Why would I want to lose my complacency?? I was truly convicted by how much I am complacent. I really do want to hunger for the word and my time with Him. I missed out on a blessing yesterday by not going to church in the afternoon........because I was was caught up in MY stuff. I need to have my eyes on the spiritual food and find the proper place of every other passion and concern. Pg. 151 David has a hunger for God. I found myself praying that way today. There have been times where I yearned for Him so much. Right now I am just trying to get through each day, not yearning for Him. I pray for that to be consistent in my life. Oh how I truly do want to be like Him. Pg. 153 "We all have as much of God as we truly want"- It is so true, praise the Lord we can change. May we hunger and thirst after Him. May we desire to be Christlike not comfortable. Chapter Fifteen Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen This was a good chapter. Of his 5 ways to keep the fire burning, I liked #2 the most--probably since most of my time is spent with kids:) The only exception is my kids don't usually wake up excited in the morning--unless it is a day that they have no school, or special activity going on. "We don't want to be childish, but we do want to be childlike." (pg 168) It is true. How often are we faced with situations in life when we act childish? More than the times we act humble with the faith of a child. My kids teach me so much about this. I am thankful that the Lord has blessed my life with these little reminders/ teachers of how to trust in the Lord and not let life overwhelm me. They also teach me about #5--seeing the big picture. My son is a dreamer--always thinking of another new invention or what he will do when he is older. He has many plans, but thinks deeper--just in case God wants Him to do something different.His fire is burning and is an encouragement to me to keep my flame going--to remember the vision/goals the Lord has put in my heart. I hope that even if you are not writing responses, that you are reading the book. I know that this is a very busy time of the year, but it means so much to the group to hear everyone's thoughts on the book (and not just mine!). Don't forget, you can go out to the church website and read everyone's responses at: http://www.gracecommunityallentown.org/lifewideopen.html This chapter also talks about stretching yourself, "pushing the envelope". I can think of so many times in my life, both Christian and secular, where I had to do something that I had never done before, and that I didn't think I could do. The first time I sang solo was in church (age 13!). Sitting and talking to an elderly woman in a Nursing Home (the first time I did this was as a high school student). Teaching Sunday School. Playing the Hymns for Church (this was one of those times where I stumbled rather badly, I might add). Leading a Bible Study. Leading an internet book study! In all of those things, I have been richly blessed, and uncomfortably stretched. Sometimes, I don't feel passionate about starting something new. This is one point where I disagree with David Jeremiah. I'm not a particularly passionate person. For me, the driving force is just as likely to be obedience, rather than passion, especially at the outset. I like the story about walking on the 2x4 on page 166. I've been there. In high school, we had gymnastics as one of our sports rotations. I spent a couple of class periods standing on the balance beam, trying to get up enough nerve to do a cartwheel dismount. Somehow, that 4 inch beam looked alot smaller 4 feet up in the air than the one that was only 1 foot up in the air! 2 Timothy 4:7: I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: I challenge each of you (and myself too!) ... Finish well, both this book study, and life in general. You said you would participate in this book study. Stretch yourself. Listen for God's voice, then allow him to "direct your steps". As we move forward in the Christmas season, what will be your gift to the Christ Child? What Can I give Him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I'd bring Him a lamb If I were a wiseman, I would do my part But what can I give Him? I'll give Him my heart Have a good and Godly week. Hi everyone. Several thoughts jumped out at me as I read this chapter. First, I remember as a new Christian, at age 13, my parents saying, "don't worry, you'll grow out of it". They meant that this excitement I had would "settle down". Well, maybe it did level out for some years, but I'm so thankful that God has given me a new enthusiasm for Himself and for His work. Serving God is exciting! There's always something new on the horizon. Secondly, "the Lord doesn't give retirement parties and gold watches". My husband and I are looking forward to our social security years so that we can serve God in a new and different capacity. We know many others who have gone overseas after age 65 and are doing wonderful works for Him. Dr. Jeremiah gives a good reminder that taking risks for God is no guarantee that we won't fail. God calls us to obey Him, but obedience doesn't guarantee success. But I'd rather be obeying God in the midst of a hard time, than sitting complacently, doing nothing for Him, just so that could feel "safe". "Surround yourself with passionate people". Certainly we want to keep in touch with unsaved and needy folks, but isn't it encouraging to spend time with Christians who are enthusiastic, talking about Him, just being on the "same wavelength"? Be encouraged and be an encouragement to someone today. chapter 15. "Fear and hesitation will douse the passion within you" page 164. Fear of failure is one of my fears......so I don't want to come out of my comfort zone, so I don't feel like I am a failure. Page 166, asks what am I hanging on to? Thinking about that, (not long I might add) I realized it's all pride. Renee and I have talked about pride, and how it's like the root of most of our issues as Christians. I need to cling to my favorite verse Phil. 4:13 I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME. Not just believe it when I want to do something, but stepping out of my comfort zone. That is a challenge. This has been a rough week for me. I'm exhausted, and maybe that's why this chapter affected me the way it has. OK, to start with, once again I'm convicted. I admit it - I don't like to be stretched. That list of hymns the author thinks we shouldn't sing so much of include many of my favorites, and it's not that I just like the way they sound. I like those hymns because in my own strength there is no way that I'm going to make it - to do the run-of-the-mill things in life and especially the more difficult things God sometimes calls me to do. The idea of seeking out exciting experiences is difficult for me. I'm sure the idea is not for us to do so just for the sake of excitement. I have always found it difficult to determine whether ideas are from the Lord or simply a whim. Next point: Surround yourself with passionate people (p. 169). Yes, we have to be careful about the attitudes we pick up, but this doesn't sound to me like an attitude that Jesus had. He surrounded Himself with sinners of all sorts. This idea sounds sort of elitist. But, I do get the main point of the chapter. I need to ask the Lord to make me aware of how I can be more passionate for Him. Sorry to be so negative this week, Let me say first off...I am NOT a high achiever. I sure wish I was. But by God's grace may I be a God-Achiever! I truly do want to achieve what God wants me to achieve. Partly why I am not a high achiever is because of #1. That is I am afraid to be stretched beyond my comfort zone, which is small to begin with. And as it is mentioned, fear and hesitation because of the fear are the major reasons why I do not press on and go beyond. I want to know everything from God before I proceed. Pg. 170...."God is always looking for someone available"...it made me think...I am not much. I can't do much, I am not a smooth talker, a sophisticated person, full of talents and abilities, but I can be available as long as God gives me breath. #5 also hit me... the importance of seeing beyond the big picture..."see beyond the temportal to the eternal." I heard a friend of ours preaching on that very subject...he said most Christians have near-sightedness instead of far-sightedness. They can only see what is in front of them and not looking beyond, into the eternal. How vital it is for us to see as God sees things...or at least in that direction. pg. 173...there again is that important question....What dream beats within your heart? What would a life wide open look like for you?" First, we need to make sure "our" dream is really God's dream - -thats got to be the first priority. So what has God placed in YOUR HEART??? Remember..My plans are not your plans says the LORD. May God put in each of our hearts HIS PLANS! Pg. 165 I am all about taking risks. This life is not worth holding onto myself. I want to live radically for Him, cause this life is short, nothing brings more peace, hope or joy. Pg. 168 It takes on passionate man to get a fire started, what kind of fire if any do I start? Pg. 173 Proverbs 16:9- God is certainly setting goals before us, but they are not unfolding the way we planned. But I want His timing and His ways. I praise him for His sovereignty. Chapter Sixteen Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen This chapter is about finishing well…not coasting to the end. I liked his story about Caleb. It’s funny that he’s not the one we think of when we hear stories about Israel entering the promised land, we think about Joshua. That doesn’t diminish Caleb’s role in the whole matter. There’s so many people, like Billy Graham, who have served God for so long and are still striving to do their best. There’s also those, like Eric Liddell that served whole heartedly to the end of their life, even though that life was cut short. We don’t know how long we have on earth, so we need to make the most of every day. I disagree with Bruce Larson’s quote on page 184. I think that pension and retirement funds are important, but that we shouldn’t look at retirement as an end. I see retirement (which is still very far away) as a time to do something new, free from the constraints of a “day job”. Having a good income from pension and retirement funds will enable me to serve the Lord better. Bill’s grandfather was a remarkable man. Even though he had only an eighth grade education, he held several international photo-finishing patents through his job as a research chemist at Dupont. He lived to be 98, and even at that age, he told us that he had more things to do each day than he had time to complete. That’s where I want to be. I’m busy now, serving the Lord where I can, but I’m limited because of time constraints. Once I retire, I’m looking forward to seeing what the Lord will have me do! Have a good week. Don’t let the busyness of the Christmas season get in the way of celebrating Christ’s birth. I think this chapter added some balance to this book. It seemed to me that much of the book had to do with beginning things (taking risks, trying new things, etc.). Although that is important (and is very challenging to me personally), finishing well is also important. In order to finish well we need perseverance, and this chapter dealt with that issue to some extent. I liked the challenge the book presented to us to avoid the youth-obsessed mindset of the world which is part of living out Romans 12:2. We need to remember where we’re headed – into Christ’s presence when we reach heaven. Even before we get there, we are headed more and more toward Christlikeness (Romans 8:29) as God works in us. These are things we can truly look forward to as we age. Merry Christmas to all of you. "Hold Fast Your Dreams" by Louise Driscoll "Hold fast your dreams! Within your heart Keep one stilll, secret spot Where dreams may go, And, sheltered so, May thrive and grow Where doubt and fear are not. Oh keep a place apart, Whithin your heart, For little dreams to go! Think still of lovely things that are not true. Let wish and magic work at will in you. Be sometimes blind to sorrow. Make believe! Forget the calm that lies In disillusioned eyes. Though we all know that we must die, Yet you and I may walk like gods and be Even now at home in immortality. We see so many ugly things - Deceits and wrongs and quarrelings; We know, alas! we know How quickly fade The color in the west, The bloom upon the flower, The bloom upon the breast And youth's blind hour. Yet keep within your heart A place apart Where little dreams may go, May thrive and grow. Hold fast hold fast your dreams!" These dreams are to be positive visions - not a negative, wishy-washy "I hope . . ." pg. 180 "The truth is that as soon as we stop living, we begin dying." Let me be a Caleb, not a nay-sayer who doesn't make it through the desert! Caleb's life is truly a good example of one that is passionate for Christ. pg 177 --Caleb based his recommendations not on problems but on the provision and power of God. How often do we focus on the trials we face, rather than seeking how to glorify God through them? pg 183--the following sentence stood out to me... "The truth is that if you are being molded into the image of God every day, and if the Holy Spirit is doing His ongoing work in you, and if you are doing all that you can to serve God as the days and months and years are piled upon one another, then you're going to shine." May we strive to live a holy life and shine for God more and more each passing day. "Oh, if only the people had listened to the voice of faith instead of the voice of fear." (pg. 178) If I could, I would change that to..."Oh if only WE would listen to the voice of God instead of ourselves." So why don't we want to listen to the voice of God? Dr. Jeremiah asks this question on pg. 180..."Why is it that we fear growing old? Prov. 16:31 tells us, "The silver haired head is a crown of glory." BUT our youth-obsessed culture has taught us to consider it a thorny crown indeed." WHY do we cling to a youth obsessed culture? If we really were focused on God...would we be obsessed with ourselves?? I like what it says in Joshua 14:14..."because he gave himself totally to God, the God of Israel." Yup, Caleb was obsessed....obsessed with God...totally! Oh, that people would say that of us!!! This reminds me of a biography I read on Eric Liddell. At one point, when he was winning big time in running competitions, and the Olympics would begin soon, he was criticized. An article in the newspaper questioned...whether Eric was "running for Scotland, or running for God." what they saw in Eric was that he was so sold out, obsessed with God that it seemed to put his running in as a second to God! Do people ever see that in me? I have never heard it. Have people said that about you? What do people say when they describe a church? This is what I hear...they describe their service, their worship style, their youth activities, the number of people that attend, the number of pastors. Has anyone ever heard a church described as a church obsessed with Jesus Christ? A church that is passionately in love with Christ? That almost sounds silly to even pose such a question.(Let me know if you have ever heard that as a description of a church - seriously!) I love Jeremiah's description on pg. 18..."We should call those years (as we grow older - which in all reality is the next day!) harvest years, when the best, sweetest things in your life become ripe and delicious." But what do we do? We complain that we are getting older. And we are. And if we are getting older, we should be getting more Christ-like, isn't that what God's word says? A friend of mine had turned 50 yrs. old. Someone commented about it to her. I loved her response..."I am not ashamed that I am 50 years old. I look at it this way...God has been faithful to me for 50 years!" I like that, because she was putting her focus on God, and not her self. As we get older every day, and as every day, we see it piling up....the greatness of God's faithfulness..we should be willing to step out more readily in faith, be obsessed with Him and not seek a safe and secure life ahead. But that I confess, is very appealing. Why? Because I am focusing on myself and not on God! "Don't even consider shutting down your life as you hit the years of culmination." Are we hitting the years of culmination? We don't know. I am middle aged. But then again, I may not be, I may be drawing near to the end of my life right now! None of us know. Really...the safest place is to be God obsessed, NOT Me obsessed. What an encouraging chapter! This talk about the future made me think of being flexible------something that's very hard for me, but I am trying to learn to be better about it. Dr. Jeremiah said that a lack of passion seems to cause low energy. I think the opposite is true too. If we have a vision, if we have a passion for life, then God will provide the energy to live out those plans for Him. I look forward to serving God all my days. Retirement from my present job just means more time for that. I checked my Bible (NASB) for the verses about Caleb. They all say "he followed the Lord fully". That's what I want my life to look like. That's how I want to be remembered after I'm gone. "Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful". That's one of my favourite Steve Green songs, and the desire for my life. I like what I heard in a recent sermon describing notes from William Borden's journal after he'd died: no reserve no retreat no regret My desire is to follow the Lord like that. I hope you're able to finish reading the book sometime in the next two weeks and will join us after church January 7th to discuss it. Thanks to those who live farther away but have joined us via email. It is so true, I do sometimes look at this time in my life as prime. Yet I am just building up to. I do underestimate what God can use me for an how long. May I not doubt His power. Chapter Seventeen Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen I hope everyone is enjoying Christmas week. As we have been enjoying Christmas gatherings with family we don't get to spend much time with, I have learned of God's working in people's lives and also been made aware, once again, of the tremendous spiritual need in the lives of others. Chapter 17 really spoke to a need in my own life. Over the past few months I've come to realize that I need to learn to just simply have fun. Having been brought up in a Pennsylvania Dutch home where the value of hard work was emphasized, I don't often have to deal with the issue of laziness in my own life. However, I need to learn to enjoy things more without feeling guilty. Sometimes I'm irritated with or even envious of other people who will simply take a break and relax. I get a lot of satisfaction out of accomplishing things and being able to "check things off of my to-do list", but I know that God wants more from me than that, and I know He wants to give me more than that, too. All we have to read is the epilogue. pg. 188 "True passion, godly passion, is lit by the sunshine of delight rather than the darkenss of obsession." "Pursue your passion, but don't forget to have fun!" I feel like I'm stuck in a very "un-fun" rut right now. This was a good reminder. Another good reminder from pg 190 was to enjoy the journey because perfection is an unattainable goal. Have a wonderful Christmas all!!! Our final challenge: to enjoy the journey! But I'm glad Dr. Jeremiah reminded us to "be careful how we tend those flames". Not just to be passionate for passion's sake. Not just to have fun, but to enjoy God and enjoy our service for Him. So one of my goals for 2007 is to read through the Bible. Another is to keep on with my passion. Do you remember yours? The things we discussed at the beginning of our study? We can talk about this at our face-to-face meeting in January. Hope to see as many of you as possible January 7th. God bless you all. I hope all of you had a Merry Christmas. I certainly did. Our last "Christmas" celebration was tonight, with my parents, so Christmas is officially over. This was a busy Christmas season for me, and I wasn't always in the Christmas spirit as I did all the "Christmas" stuff -- decorating, baking, shopping, cards, wrapping. I really enjoyed the Christmas Eve service at church. Now, this week, I'm off work, and I can enjoy the Christmas decorations (and Christmas cookies!), and reflect on the birth of Jesus. The Christmas season is a picture of my life. I need to "enjoy the journey" more, and not be as concerned with the end goal. I want to grow in my walk with the Lord, but I also want to enjoy my journey, and enjoy the process. I'm looking forward to reading the Bible through this coming year. I hope that your journey through this book has been a good one. It has been for me. I appreciate all of the feedback I've gotten from you, and from the other groups. It has truly been a blessing. I hope those of you who are local can come to our gathering on January 7. Have a Happy New Year! A few things spoke out in this chapter. The first was on page 188-- "The real issue is what drives the passion inside us." Throughout this whole book, I believe the key to a truly passionate life lies behind the driving factor. Also on the same page and onward, Dr. Jeremiah points out the fact that you need to have fun and look deeper at detail surrounding our lives!! Golf was never something of interest to me--actually seemed kinda boring. After reading this chapter...I will never see golf the same again. Lastly, on page 195, about passionate people-- they are ..."always changing,always transforming, always between where they were yesterday and where they plan to be tomorrow." How true is that suppose to be of God's children. We need to be trying to become Christ-like more and more every day--growing in His love for His glory. May we not be..."conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12:2)..and let that be what drives the passion inside us! Pg. 188 "Pursue your passion but don't forget to have fun". I realize from reading this book, I need to have fun, it's not wrong to have fun. I get so caught up in accomplishing the task that I forget God wants me to enjoy the journey. Pg. 192 I Like this quote " Every high vista and every challenging valley is part of the tour laid out by God, a journey of transformation that will make you resemble Christ a little more each day". How true!! pg. 194 I want to " become more intimate with prayer and more intense with Bible Study". I realize this won't just happen, but I want Jesus more than ever! Great book, encouraging, thanks ladies for reading it together!