life beyond the well…

Tag Archives: growth


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Book Review: Altar Ego

I was excited to get my hands on a copy of Craig Groeschel’s latest book Altar Ego, and eagerly waited to request it from BookSneeze.  I had heard lots of good things about Groeschel as a pastor, leader, and author, so the anticipation was high.

I have to say that Altar Ego did not disappoint.  I really appreciated the practical wisdom shared by Groeschel, but I also valued the transparency that came in the book, as he shared testimonies from his personal life and the that of his family.  In addition to that, I enjoyed the conversational tone of the book- after reading many of the chapters, I felt that I had just finished engaging in a conversation with a friend.  Groeschel’s ability to infuse a sense of comfort and familiarity into his writing is truly a gift.

This book challenges to move from where you are, to where God desires you to be by gaining a full understanding of who you are in Him.  The concepts are simple, but thought provoking.  Groeschel organizes the book into three sections:

  1. Sacrificing Your False Self for Your Sacred Identity in Christ
  2. Sacrificing Cultural Relativity for Eternal Values
  3. Sacrificing Self-Justification for Passionate Obedience

In each section, he outlines the challenges and competing values one may face that are contrary to the identity God desires for us to have in Him.  I like that he provides practical ways to change that one can implement immediately to help them shift perspectives and grow.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to others.  I think it could be excellent for personal use and growth, but easily adapted for small group study.  Definitely worth checking out, and I’ve already put it on my list of books to reread when I need a refresher course in the basics of my faith!

 


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Am I Mature?

A few weeks ago, my pastor preached a sermon entitled “Are You of the World or of the Word?”  As with all of his sermons, it was GREAT, but this one really left me thinking about where I am in regards to my maturity.

Most of the time, I feel like I am a mature, responsible person.  As a wife, I take care of my husband and our home; as an employee, I manage my responsibilities to my students, my coworkers, and my colleagues in other offices.  I do all these “responsible” “adult” things like pay bills and be at work on time, help take care of our daughter- so that HAS to mean I’m mature, right?  Do I always get it right?  Not exactly.  But more often than not, I handle these things pretty well.

And then my pastor shared these three signs of maturity:

  1. What You Say: Am I saying immature things?  Do I still speak like a child?
  2. What You Think: How is my thought life?  What do I allow my brain to think?
  3. What You Reason/Calculate: Are my calculations mature?  Am I assigning the right value to things?

So looking at this a little closer and reflecting on things, I realized that I may not be as mature as I thought.  While I may not speak like a child, there are times where my reactions are child-like, because I feel that something is unfair or unjust.  Don’t believe me?  Just ask Preacherman.  And because our responses are just as important, if not more important than our calculated thoughts, I have know that I have room for growth in the things that I say.

While I have definitely been working on my thought life this year, I know that this is another area where I could stand to improve.  One of the things that my pastor said that really stuck out was, “You can tell what your thoughts are by what your mouth says.”  This is true.  Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.  So those things that I’m thinking, those things that are stored up, will eventually be revealed by what I say.  In order to be mature, my mind and my heart must be right.  Or as my pastor says, “Get your mind working for you and not against you.”

Finally, I think that I’m strongest in what I reason and/or calculate.  This doesn’t mean that there isn’t room for growth; however, I have worked over the years to make sure that my motive and reasoning for my actions is Christ-like.

When I think about this lesson in maturity, I’ve realized a couple of things.  The first is that mastering these three items (what I say, what I think, what I reason) is crucially important because it can affect my witness.  In conjunction with that, as a believer, I don’t ever want to misrepresent Christ.  I’m extremely aware of the fact that many people struggle with their faith because they see so many people misrepresenting Christ.  I don’t want that to be me.  Mastering my maturity and continuing to grow in wisdom in regards to what I say, think, and reason can surely help make sure that I’m a positive reflection of Christ, His grace, mercy, and love.

How’s your maturity?  Where do you need to grow?

Be encouraged!  Peace and Blessings