life beyond the well…

Tag Archives: Religion


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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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Press Reset

I’ve been hoping and praying all year that it wouldn’t come to this.

I started this year out with the best of intentions, and was fairly faithful in my progress- at least initially.

But then, I just got swamped. Late nights and early mornings, trying to balance family life, work life, regular life, and my school life. Finally, the moment came where I’d have to do what I’d been hoping all along would NOT have to happen: I had to press “Catch me up” on my bible reading plan app.

I know for some of you, this may not be that serious.  But for me, it was an immediate and striking reminder of how I had become too busy; of how the “urgent” began to crowd out the “important”.  And the thing is- I recognized it when I was just a few days behind in my reading plan, but instead of taking immediate action to fix it (i.e.: devote some extra time to reading and studying the word), I just kinda casually dealt with it- reading a little extra here, a little extra there; but not enough to be significant or to make any real progress or to see any real results.

The truth is that I viewed pressing that “Catch me up” button as a failure, instead of as an opportunity to learn, grow, and recalibrate myself to prioritize the items that I feel are most important.  By being bound to this mindset, I got further behind instead of making even the slightest hint of progress.

Life is kind of like that.  We hate to press the reset button.  We never want to have to catch up, because having to catch up means having to admit that we were behind instead of “on par” or “ahead”.  But what I learned is that it’s okay to press the reset button.  It’s okay to have to catch up and reorganize your priorities.  It’s better to take the steps necessary to move forward and progress than to stay stuck because you have too much pride to admit that you were behind in the first place.

In what areas of your life do you need to press the reset button?  Let me encourage you to JUST DO IT!  You’ll feel better afterwards- I promise!

Be encouraged!  Peace and blessings!