David Benner, The Gift of Being Yourself, The Sacred Call to Self-Discovery, IVP, 2004

 Benner contends that: “Christian spirituality involves a transformation of the self that occurs only when God and self are both deeply known… Leaving the self out of Christian spirituality results in spirituality that is not well-grounded in experience [or reality].  Focusing on God while failing to know ourselves deeply may produce an external form of piety…a public self of one’s own creation…but not ‘transformational knowing’ (pp. 20-21, 24).  His book describes transformational knowing about God and about our false and true self.

“Transformational knowing  of God comes from the intimate personal knowing of Divine love…This is why Paul’s prayer is that we may know the love of Christ and so be filled with the utter fullness of God (Eph.3:19). .. Knowing God also requires surrender…To surrender to Divine love is to find our soul’s home – the place and identity for which we yearn in every cell of our being” (p. 34). “God created you in uniqueness and seeks to restore you to that uniqueness in Christ. Finding and living out your true self is fulfilling your destiny…The Spirit calls us home to our place and identity in God” (p.16).

“Jesus… is the image of the invisible God. Thus he is the filter through which we need to pass all our ideas about God as we seek to move from knowing about God to meeting God personally in Jesus…Spending time with Jesus allows us to ground our God-knowing in the concrete events of a concrete life” (pp.36-37).  Therefore Banner suggests one take a specific concrete event from the life of Jesus, read it aloud and then begin to picture the situation and the people in that event.  “Be present to Jesus and open to your own reactions.  It is a way to get to know Jesus better by sharing in His life” (p.39).

 

Genuine self-knowledge begins by looking at God and noticing how God is looking at us…God sees you through the eyes of love” (pp. 47-48).  “In order for our knowing of God’s love to be truly transformational, it must become the basis of our identity. Our identity is how we experience ourselves to be…An identity grounded in God would mean that when we think of who we are, the first thing that would come to mind is our status as someone who is deeply loved by God…That is at the core of spiritual transformation” (pp. 49, 51).  Questions he suggests the reader ask oneself are:

1.      How much does this knowing [that you are deeply loved by God just as you are] form the foundation of your identity? 

2.      In what ways do you experience Divine love?

3.      How do you know it to be true when you don’t experience it?” (p.52).

“Genuine transformational knowing of self always involves encountering and embracing previously unwelcomed parts of self. “Any hope that you can know yourself without accepting the things about you that you wish were not true is an illusion. Reality must be embraced before it can be changed…Until we are willing to accept the unpleasant truths of our existence, we rationalize or deny responsibility for our behaviors” (pp. 53, 56-57). We have an illusionary or false self.  “Our false self is based on how we think of ourselves and how we want others to see us and think of is…it is part of the art of packaging our self” (pp. 76, 78).  We become defensive to protect this false self.  To uncover your false self “ask God to help you see what makes you feel most vulnerable and most like running for cover…Then allow God to embrace you at that place just as you are.

In Christ we must “see our self as in the process of being redeemed and restored…The discovery of our true self (hidden in Christ who is the source of our being and ground of our true identity p. 92) does not simply produce freedom.  It also generates vocation or calling.  “Our vocation is always a response to a Divine call to take our place in the kingdom of God. Our vocation is a call to serve God and our fellow human beings in the distinctive way that fits the shape of our being…We discover our calling in community. Here through the help of others who know us well, we learn to discern our gifts and find our authentic voice and vocation” (p. 97).  “Our calling is the face of Christ we are called from eternity to show to the world…If I really believe that I am created by God and invited to find my place in His kingdom, I have to take seriously what God has already revealed about who I am” (p.101).

 Reviewed by ML Codman-Wilson Ph.D. 6/28/12

Matt Batterson, Wild Goose Chase, Multnomah Press, 2008

Book Review Batterson Wild Goose Chase

Matt Batterson’s Wild Goose Chase is a sequel to his first book In the Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day.  It has the same ethos and principles as its prequel but in this book Batterson describes 6 cages that keep many believers from the adventure of completely, passionately following the Holy Spirit.  Here are a few excerpts from each of the six “cages”:

1.      Responsibility – “We turn our responsibilities into excuses…that keep us from chasing the Wild Goose…Sometimes the will of God feels downright irresponsible.  You are called to make a decision or take a course of action that seems to make no sense…Agnes Bojzxhiu (known as Mother Theresa) told her superiors, ‘I have three pennies and a dream from God to build an orphanage.’  Her superiors said, ‘You can’t build an orphanage with three pennies. With three pennies you can’t do anything.’ Agnes smiled and said, ‘I know. But with God and three pennies I can do anything’...At the end of her life her advice to her admirers about how to make a difference with their lives was ‘Find your own Calcutta.” (pp. 18, 38-39).  Our greatest responsibility is to fulfill God’s calling on our lives.

2.      Routine – [When] “the sacred becomes routine, we not only forfeit spiritual adventure but we also start losing the joy of our salvation…We need to change our routine, take some risks and try new things when God shows up to lead us in a new direction” (p.44, 46).   “If you want to come out of your cage of routine, change of place [as in a mission trip] is half the equation. The other half is change of pace…The Sabbath is one way we let go and let God. It’s a healthy change of pace. And it keeps what is sacred from becoming routine…When we don’t pace ourselves, we tend to miss divine appointments” (pp.52, 54, 55).

3.      Assumptions – “We pick and choose the truths [in the Bible] we want to accept. We become trapped by our own logic…We end up in the cage of our own assumptions…God took Abraham outside and said, ‘Look at the heavens…So shall your offspring be’…Abraham was holed up inside his tent. He was staring at an 8 ft. ceiling, so to speak.  God gave him an object lesson he would never forget as he tried to count the stars” (pp.72-73). “Faith is not logical. But it isn’t illogical either. Faith is theological...It adds God into the equation….Faith questions assumptions…It is trusting God more than you trust your own assumptions” (pp. 78-79).  “Faith believes God is able” (p.85). 

4.      Guilt – “False guilt is a conditioned reflect like a psychological straitjacket that immobilizes us emotionally, relationally and spiritually…If we don’t allow the grace of God to saturate and sanctify our sinful memories [after we have confessed our sin to God], we continue to experience false guilt over confessed sin.  We become so fixated on past mistakes that we forfeit future opportunities” (p 95).  “Guilt has a shrinking effect. It shrinks our dreams. It shrinks our relationships. It shrinks our lives to the size of our greatest failures. Grace has the opposite effect. It expands our dreams. It expands our relationships. It expands our hearts…When your spiritual reflexes have been reconditioned by the grace of God, it frees you up to come out of the cage of guilt and chase the Wild Goose” (pp.114-115).

5.      Failure – “Failure can become a cage if you let it. It can keep you from pursuing the passions God has placed in your heart. But there’s life after failure. The door of the cage swings open and the Wild Goose calls you to a life of new adventures” (p.119).  “How we handle the shipwrecks in our lives will determine whether our lives become a tragedy or comedy. We can’t control what happens to us. But we can control our response” (p.123). “Give Jesus complete editorial control over your life...Accept Him not only as Lord and Savior but also as Author...Allow Him to begin writing His-story through your life” (p.125). “God can make delays and detours work together for good” (p.142).

6.      Fear – “Most of us are far too tentative when it comes to the will of God. We let our fears dictate our decisions…Too many of us live by default instead of by design. So we go through life playing defense instead of offense.  But you won’t accomplish any of the goals you do not set…I’m not talking about goals that are manufactured in the human mind. I’m talking about faith goals that are inspired by God in the context of prayer.  The driving motivation has to be maximizing your God-given potential. And the ultimate goal has to be to glorify God” (pp.144, 159-160).

Given Batterson’s passion about pursuing God with all the risks and uncertainty that entails, these principles are wise correctives for any church or “Christian” group lulled into a comfortable Christianity that has a “form of religion but denies its power” (2 Tim. 3:5). Jesus said the Spirit had to come to give Christians adequate power to be God’s witnesses and live to please and glorify God (Luke 24:48, Acts 1;8, John 15:8).  Batterson is right.  Christians are called to follow the Spirit, not ask the Spirit to follow them (p.4).  Risk and adventure are part of that package of complete obedience.

Reviewed by ML Codman-Wilson Ph.D. 6/19/12

In the Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson

Book review edited: In the Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day Mark Batterson, Multnomah Books, 2006

The book title and theme for In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, by Mark Batterson, Multnomah Books, 2006, comes from the story of Benaiah from 2 Samuel 23:20-21. Benaiah was “greater than any of the other” of David’s 30 mighty men of valor.  “He performed great exploits.”  His model becomes Batterson’s standard for valiant Christian disciples.  Batterson is an innovative Christian minister in Washington DC.  He is known for his risk-taking and non-traditional approaches to discipleship and some will be put off by his challenge to the kind of risk-taking Benaiah exhibited.  But Batterson’s “divergent thinking,” which he defines as “intellectual originality, creative counterintuitive thoughts and thinking outside the box” (p.150) should be given serious consideration by Christian leaders and lay people today.

Excerpts:

“God given opportunities often come disguised as man-eating lions…We can cower in fear and run away from our greatest challenges.  Or we can chase our God-ordained destiny by seizing the God-ordained opportunity” (p.14). The church has fixated on sins of commission – the don’ts, a holiness of subtraction.  This is ‘reactive’ Christianity.  But God is looking for people ‘who face their fears and chase their dreams…Lion chasers don’t let their fears or doubts keep them from doing what God has called them to do” (pp.15-16).  “Too often our prayers revolve around asking God to reduce the odds in our lives. We want everything in our favor. But maybe God wants to stack the odds against us so we can experience a miracle of divine proportions” (p. 24).

“Most of our problems are not circumstantial. Most of our problems are perceptual. Our biggest problems can be traced back to an inadequate understanding of who God is…The more we grow, the bigger God should get. And the bigger God gets, the smaller our lions will become…God is ordering your footsteps…God has considered every contingency in your life…That sense of destiny rooted in the sovereignty of God helps you pray the unthinkable and attempt the impossible” (pp. 28,29, 30, 31).  “God isn’t interested in our problem reduction (where most of our prayers are centered.)” (p.62).  “God just wants the opportunity through impossible situations or problems to show His character for His glory. “Sometimes the biggest problems present the greatest opportunities for God to reveal His glory and work his purposes…Maybe we need to quit praying safe prayers” (pp. 64-65). 

“Satan has 2 primary tactics when it comes to neutralizing you spiritually – discouragement and fear.  He wants you to focus on past mistakes you’ve made. That’s why he is called the accuser of the brethren.  He also wants to put you on your heels so you become reactive and defense. That’s why he’s described as a prowling lion” (p.51).

“Lion chasers are more afraid of lifelong regrets than temporary uncertainty…Embracing uncertainty is one dimension of faith (p.81). “Part of us wants God to take us to a 3 act play with a clearly defined plot that has a beginning, a middle and an end. But Jesus takes us to the Improv instead. We want the entire script up front but that would undermine our dependence upon the Holy Spirit.” (p.90).

“Two Cornell social psychologists (Tom Gilovich and Vicki Medvec) found that over the long term as people look at their lives as a whole, inactions and regrets outnumber action regrets 84% to 16% (p.116).  “Lion chasers refuse to live their lives in a defensive posture. They are actively looking for ways to make a difference” (p.121).  “Life is full of what I call ‘one small step, one giant leap’ moments. These are the experiences that forever change the trajectory of our lives” (p.105).  “Taking a risk to follow God’s leading will be that tipping point for all God can do.  Obedience is a willingness to do whatever, whenever, wherever God call us” (p.109).

“Dreams usually start out as mustard seed opportunities… Our ultimate destiny is determined by whether or not we seize the God-ordained opportunities presented to us” (p.128). “Yet most opportunities typically present themselves at the most inopportune time in the most inopportune place… They usually come as insurmountable problems” (p.132). “When my prayer life is hitting on all 8 cylinders, I can believe God for everything. But when I’m in a prayer slump, I have a hard time believing God for anything. Low expectations are the result of prayerlessness but prayer has a way of God-sizing our opportunities”  (p.133). “Prayer is an opportunity incubator.  We can have God ideas.”(p.138).

“If you’re going to defy the odds, face your fears, reframe your problems, take a risk and seize a God-ordained opportunity, you have to be willing to look foolish in the world’s eyes” (p.148).  “God wants ‘divergent thinking’ – i.e. intellectual originality, creative counterintuitive thoughts, thinking outside the box” (p.150).  “One of my favorite words is ‘neotony’. It means ‘new, fresh or youthful.’ Neotony is ‘the retention of youthful qualities by adults” (p. 154).  The child-likeness Jesus advocates is in their humility, limitless imagination and faith to believe anything can happen.  We lose that as we grow older and become increasingly self-conscious” (p.157). “Part of spiritual maturity is to care less and less about what people think and more and more about what God thinks about you” (p.160).  “He will enable you to fulfill the destiny [the workmanship, the plans] he has for you as you unlearn your fears, seize the opportunities He presents and keep yourself in tune with the Holy Spirit, listening to His still small voice prompting you” (p.168).

Reviewed by M.L. Codman-Wilson, Ph.D.  6/15/12

The Red Sea Rules, Robert J. Morgan

The Red Sea Rules, Robert J. Morgan, Thomas Nelson, 2001

To those facing the seemingly impossible situation of being hemmed in on all sides, the small book The Red Sea Rules is like finding treasure.  It is a fairly simple but thoughtful exegesis of Exodus 13:17-15:2 applied to daily life.  “The Red Sea may roll before us; the desert may entrap us; the enemy may press on our heels. The past may seem implausible and the future impossible but God works in ways we cannot see. He will make a way of escape for His weary, but waiting, children” (pp. viii-ix).  The book reads like a devotional with examples and scripture principles that give hope and help to Christians in their faith crises. 

- Reviewed by M.L. Codman-Wilson, Ph.D.  6/4/12                                     

Here are Morgan’s 10 Red Sea Rules:

            Rule 1 – Realize that God means for you to be where you are. [God had led the Israelites to the very “cul-de-sac between hostile hills, to the edge of a sea too deep to be forded and too wide to be crossed…If you find yourself in a difficult spot, remember: you are there by God’s appointment, in His keeping, under His training, and for His time” pp.6,13.]

            Rule 2 - Be more concerned for God’s glory than for your relief. [The next time you’re overwhelmed, instead of asking, ‘How can I get out of this mess?’ try asking, ‘How can God be glorified in this situation?’…God deliberately orchestrated the Exodus events as an occasion for demonstrating the power He wields over His enemies and the elements” pp.19-20.]

            Rule 3 – Acknowledge your enemy, but keep your eyes on the Lord. [There are strong parallels between Pharaoh and Satan.  Satan “pursues you with the intensity of Pharaoh...He tries to trap you in difficulty, to entangle you in trouble, to corner you in impossible situations, to lure you into temptation… Acknowledge Satan’s activity but don’t be intimated by him. You can resist him in the power of God and by the blood of Jesus Christ” (pp.32-33)…“We always make a mistake when we acknowledge the Lord but keep our eyes on Satan… Keep your eyes on Christ…He will make a way” p.38.]

            Rule 4 – Pray! [“When we can’t press forward, move sideward or step backward, it’s time to look upward and to ask God to make a way...Focus not on your negative feelings but on God’s assurances and promises, pleading in faith for “God to grant mercy and imparts grace to help in time of need” pp. 40,48.] 

            Rule 5: Stay calm and confident, and give God time to work. [“Moses told the people: ‘Fear not, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord which He will work for you today…The Lord will fight for you’” (Exod.14: 14). The Lord still does that today.p.50]

            Rule 6: When unsure, just take the next logical step by faith.  [Day by day and step by step God promises to lead us…“Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand…When you don’t know what to do next, cast out fear and seek light for the next step” pp.63,65.]

Rule 7 – Envision God’s enveloping presence. [“For His children God serves as both Guard and Guide. He both precedes us and protects us” (p.71). The pillar of fire and cloud followed the Israelites through the wilderness. Then at the Red Sea the pillar moved behind the Israeli army, giving light to them and darkness to their Egyptian pursuers.]

            Rule 8 – Trust God to deliver in His own unique way. [“We must have God’s perspective on deliverance, for He doesn’t always view things as we do…There is deliverance by miraculous intervention, by ordinary providential ways and by God’s mysterious ways…Charles Spurgeon once quipped, ‘We believe in the providence of God but we do not believe half enough in it’” pp.80-89.]

            Rule 9 – View your current crisis as a faith builder for the future. [“We don’t know why God allows problems but we know he intends to use them to heighten our maturity and deepen our faith…Faith has a cumulative quality to it…We grow it and lay it in store for future times.”  God gives us a promise then takes us into a desperate situation “to see if we will apply His promise to our problem…Faith is simply finding and claiming the promises of God in every situation, and, based on those promises…being fully persuaded that God has the power to do what He has promised” pp.96, 102,104.]

            Rule 10 – Don’t forget to praise Him.  [“Our tough situations give us the opportunity to sound forth His praises. God expects our gratitude for His deliverance…Develop the perspective of praise…It’s our typical expression of joyful confidence and triumphant thanksgiving at what God has done, is doing, and is going to do” pp.107,110, 112.]