Book Review: North or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson

In this novel, Andrew continues his tale of the Igiby’s and their flight from the hands of Fangs of Dang. Having had the truth of their identities revealed to them at the end of the first novel, Janner, Tink and Leeli must now come to grips with their roots. The growing tension between Janner and Tink is especially intriguing to watch. Neither seems that comfortable with their new found positions in life. It reminds me of how the kings of Israel and the apostles were not always fond of the responsibility that came with their posts. This is a good message to me and the members of my generation. I have seen in myself and my fellows, a hesitancy to take positions of authority and an uncertainty about taking responsibility for the consequences of the choices we have made. 

I remember at the end of the first novel being a bit disenchanted when everyone made it through to the end. Where’s the intrigue if it all ends happily at the end? Yet in this novel, Andrew brought the Igeby’s through even more struggles and tribulations, making the story richer for it. I was sorry to see Leeli’s beloved Nugget, but I knew her character would grow stronger through the tragedy. Andrew, if you read this, I thank you foe another great novel and I look forward to reading the next.  

Book Review: On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson

I have been a long time fan of Andrew Peterson’s music, all the way back to his tour with Caedmon’s Call in the ’90’s. His music and lyrics are always rich and full of meaning. So, when I heard he was writing books I thought I might pick up a copy. I read through On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness in less than a week and found myself eagerly waiting for more. Andrew’s use of humor along with adventurous and character rich storytelling makes for a wonderful read. It reminded me much of another favorite series of mine, C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia.

Another part about this novel I enjoyed was Andrew’s subtle spiritual undertones. Like the Janners being the very Jewels of Anniera they had heard so much about their whole lives. It reminded me of how Paul describes us as God’s treasure in earthen vessels. The fact that Andrew was subtle in his sharing of his faith through writing makes it an even more compelling read. So much of Christian literature is right in your face with it’s symbolism and preaching, yet I have always enjoyed the softer, somewhat secretive voice of subtleness.

Meaningful Words (9/13/09)

As I ponder all that God has brought me through these past few months a couple of my poems come to mind, as well as a song by a secular group:

He is Bigger

I sit on the riverbank and rest awhile.

The water comes to rest and bumps on the sand.

I sit there contemplating I do not know what.

Believers and Atheists alike search for a meaning to life, to love, to death.

And it's standing right there before them,

With its crown of thorns and nail-pierced hands and feet.

The Atheists look and what do they see?

They see nothing for they do not know how to look,

And some don't care to look at all.

The Believers look and what do they see?

They see what they want to see, and nothing more.

But there's more to this life,

More to this love,

More to this death,

And more to this God.

This God is bigger. (2x)

No matter what your sin,

No matter what you've been through.

No matter what you've done.

No matter where you've been.

This God is bigger. (2x)

Jesus is bigger. (2x)

Yes, our God Jesus is bigger. (2x)

Bigger then we will ever know. (3x, fade 3)

There is a White

There is a white for this black of ours.

It will show itself in its hour,

But we who hold it in our hearts,

No ray of dark can penetrate our parts.

But what of this light?

What use is it, if it cannot shine bright!

Too often we turn away its source.

We take out our swords,

Made by the hand of Satan,

And slash it into oblivion.

But this light cannot die.

It cannot be swept away.

There are those who have claimed it

And the light lives on in them.

The light has a place in all of our hearts.

Every single one must play its part.

Through them this world will change.

Through them it will exchange

Its darkness for the EVERLASTING LIGHT!

A-men

Everything You Want

Somewhere there's speaking

It's already coming in

Oh and it's rising at the back of your mind

You never could get it

Unless you were fed it

Now you're here and you don't know why

But under skinned knees and the skid marks

Past the places where you used to learn

You howl and listen

Listen and wait for the

Echoes of angels who won't return

[Chorus]

He's everything you want

He's everything you need

He's everything inside of you

That you wish you could be

He says all the right things

At exactly the right time

But he means nothing to you

And you don't know why

You're waiting for someone

To put you together

You're waiting for someone to push you away

There's always another wound to discover

There's always something more you wish he'd say

[Chorus]

But you'll just sit tight

And watch it unwind

It's only what you're asking for

And you'll be just fine

With all of your time

It's only what you're waiting for

Out of the island

Into the highway

Past the places where you might have turned

You never did notice

But you still hide away

The anger of angels who won't return

[Chorus]

I am everything you want

I am everything you need

I am everything inside of you

That you wish you could be

I say all the right things

At exactly the right time

But I mean nothing to you and I don't know why

And I don't know why

Why

I don't know

- Vertical Horizon

God is everything we desire, even if sometimes we want nothing to do with Him. He loves us and He wants to use us to change the world in ways we cannot even imagine, or may not even really want to. I pray that God will open each one of your hearts to the work that He is doing in and through your lives. God wants you to be with Him in this. He is inviting you to work with Him to redeem and change this world. Will you heed the call?

Sharing My Life (9/13/09): Working with Others

These past few months I continue to work as a Personal Care Attendant, physically caring for people with disabilities. One of the lessons God uses this work to teach me is how to work with others, whether they be my fellow employees, clients, family members or friends. During this time God is really brining my passiveness to light. Most people who know me would say that I am a laid back guy. Not much seems to ruffle my feathers. Yet underneath, my mind is spinning with thoughts and my heart is teaming with emotions. Most of the time when I am frustrated, I have learned to keep quiet and pray about the situation. God has brought me through much in the past and this has taught me to trust Him. Yet, at times I see others who are not so silent or peaceful. They make their demands and frustrations known to the world and things change. At least for a time.

As I share my own desires and struggles with those around me, I endeavor to do so with gentleness and grace, so as not to create burdens for them or obligate them to respond in a certain way. Sometimes I get what I want, other times, I do not. Yet many of the times I do not get what I want, I come to see, in retrospect, that I am really better off without it. Life is not about getting what you want, or even wanting what you get. It is about using what God gives you to do His work in your life and those around you. In the end you probably will not get everything you want or think you need, but then do we really know, for sure, what we need and want? If we had everything we wanted, would we really be satisfied?

Life Update (9/13/09): Romania Trip

I know it has been a while since I last wrote. This newsletter is going from a monthly, to a bi-monthly, and now to a whenever I find the time publication ;-) Not intentionally, mind you, it just happens that way, I guess. My apologies to those who crave structure ;-) Anyway, the most exciting event of the summer was definitely my trip to Romania. As I mentioned in my last letter, I have recently finished Greg Bourgond’s Heart of a Warrior, a men’s spiritual formation journey. During the last few sessions of that journey, Greg mentioned that he was heading to Romania this summer for a second time to led Men’s Advances there and wanted to take one of us. I volunteered and at the end of August, off we went.

We spent nine days there and helped Greg lead two Men’s Advances during which he taught about how men can grow in their relationships with God, each other and their families through blessing and instilling values in those we love. During the second conference, I met a Romanian man by the name of Voyku. He is the one pictured with me in the photo to the left. Voyku is, without a doubt, one of God’s walking miracles.

A year or so ago, Voyku was in a terrible car accident here in the States. He and his brother, Cosmin, were visiting friends here. The accident left Voyku in a coma, which lead to him being diagnosed as brain dead and thus unable to live without life-support measures. Neither Voyku nor his brother had the money to do this, so the doctors decided to take Voyku off life-support, indicating that he probably would not live much longer after they did so. Cosmin, however, did not believe God was through with Voyku yet. He walked into Voyku’s room and called out his name three times. On the last call, Voyku’s eyes opened and he even tried to get up out of bed. The doctors were amazed! Six months later, Voyku returned to the hospital able to move the right side of his body and speak with pauses. The doctors were speechless and prescribed physical therapy. When I met him, he was able to walk without assistance and his left side was getting stronger every day. The last day of that conference Greg, a few other men and I gathered around Voyku to honor his strength, to praise God for His mighty work in Voyku’s life and ask His blessing and continued healing for Voyku. As for me, my faith was strengthened just by meeting Voyku. I am definitely returning next year to see his progress and to help in whatever way I can to further God’s work there in Romania. All the money I received for my birthday yesterday is going towards funding that trip and you are welcome to contribute as well, if you like.

Personal Life Mandate (developed by Michel J. Willard & Greg Bourgond

LIFE PURPOSE

My vision is to work with people and churches that have been wrecked by the world to help them see how God has been present with them even in the midst of their tragedies and He is inviting them to turn these tragedies into spiritual laboratories where God can hone and shape them into the men, women and churches He has designed them to be and connecting them with stronger Christians and churches that can support them along this journey.

COMMITTED PASSION

My committed passion is to help facilitate a journey to wholeness for people buffeted by the difficulties of life, people who have suffered debilitation, people who have been scarred by their experience, people who have experienced devastating loss, people who have been marginalized or disenfranchised, and people, by their own action, who have become addicted in one way or another seeking to cope with the struggles in their lives.

ROLE CHARACTERISTICS

The characteristics of a role that will support my life purpose and committed passion include the following:

• Opportunities to nurture and develop deep and meaningful relationships.
• Flexibility to take the time to invest in those meaningful relationships.
• Ability to share my relationship with God in Christ as the source of all real meaning in my relationships.
• Ability to network resources to finance those I'm working with who need it and know how to use it well.
• Ability to network struggling people with more developed ones who can help them grow.
• Ability to network struggling churches with stronger ones in mutually beneficial relationships.
• Availability of training in personality, strength and skill compatibility.

UNIQUE METHODOLOGIES

I intend to act faithfully through a commitment to acting in accordance with my ministry principles and core values, by leveraging my natural strengths, by finding appropriate expression for my personality temperament, by exercising my leadership style in appropriate and life-giving ways, and by applying my innate abilities and acquired skills.

My unique methodologies find their roots in essentially five major ministry insights that have thematically repeated themselves over time in my ministry experience.

• Living a Holy Spirit empowered life in dependence upon God in the model of His Son Jesus Christ is the only way to truly live life to it’s fullness. (Rom 5:1, Rom 5:5, Rom 6:4-11, 1Cor 12:3, Gal 2:20, Gal 5:5)
• God loves every person on this earth and desires him/her to be in intimate relationship with Him. (Jn. 3:16, 1Pet 3:9)
• We were not meant to live this life on our own, but in community with God and His people. (Ecl. 4:9-12, Matt. 18:15-17, Jn. 15, 1Jn 1:5-7)
• No one is perfect, but Jesus Christ. (2Cor 5:21, Heb 4:15)
• Prayer is foundational to everything else. (Phil 4:6-7)
• Honesty is always the best policy. (Prov 14:5, Lk 8:15, Eph 4:25, Col 3:9)
• Trust is earned, not given. (Ps 25:2, Ps 111:7, Ps 115:9, Ps 118: 8-9)
• Trust precedes intimacy. (Jn 15:4)
• Love is the most powerful force in the universe. (1Cor 13)
• Relationships are where real life happens. (1Jn 3:10-12)
• Good relationships take time to develop and require two-way effort. (Jn 15:4, Jesus relationship w/ Peter)
• Humility and integrity are the keys to true authenticity. (Rom 5:3-5, 2Cor 4:7-9)
• Humility and character come through suffering. (Rom 5: 3-5, 2Cor 4:7-9)
• Compassion and trust are the keys to a good relationship. (Jn 21:15-19)
• Community is built through loyal friendship. (Ecl 4:9-12, Matt 18:15-17, Jn 6:66-68)

Core Values:

• Authenticity: To let the light of my true identity in Christ in show through with every person I interact with in all situations I find myself in. (Prov. 11:3, Eph 2:10, Tit. 2:6-8).
• Compassion: To see and care for others in a Christ-like manner. (Isaiah 54:7-8, Matt. 9:36, Matt. 25:31-46, Lk. 15:11-31, 1Pet 3:9).
• Growth: I am not the same person I was yesterday and am daily being formed into Christ’s likeness by the power of His Holy Spirit at work in my heart. (Rom 5:1-5, 2Cor 4:7-9, 16-18).
• Faithfulness: To stay true to my friends and my convictions. (Josh. 24:14, Matt 5:33-37, Eph. 4:1-16, 2Pet 1:5-9).
• Community: To live in true fellowship with my fellow Christians and non-Christians by caring for them as Christ does and receiving their care as a manifestation of God’s love to me. (Ecc 4:9-12, Matt 18:15-17, John 13:34-35, John 17:20-26).

Spiritual Gifts:

I intend to use my spiritual gifts to further God’s redemptive purposes in alignment with His leading in my life. These gifts will be cultivated and matured as I exercise them faithfully through service opportunities provided by Him. These gifts include Mercy, Shepherd, Knowledge, Teaching, and Exhortation.

Natural Strengths:

• Empathy – I sense the feelings of others by imagining myself in their lives or other situations.
• Connectedness – I have faith in the links between all things; there are few coincidences and almost every event has a reason.
• Individualization – I am intrigued with the unique qualities of each person. I have a gift for figuring out how people who are different can work together productively.
• Developer – I recognize and seek to develop the potential in others. I can spot the signs of each small improvement and derive satisfaction from these improvements.
• Belief – I have certain core values that are unchanging. Out of these values emerges a defined purpose for my life.

Personality Temperament: INFP - introversion (I), intuitive (N), feeling (F), perceiving (P)

I am idealistic, loyal to my values and to people who are important to me. I want an external life that is congruent with my values. I am curious, quick to see possibilities, and I can be a catalyst for implementing ideas. I seek to understand people and to help them fulfill their potential. I am adaptable, flexible, and accepting unless a value is threatened.

Leadership Style: primary - partner; secondary – coach; I work best coming alongside others and working together to reach goals and objectives. I also enjoy coaching others so that they realize they can do more than they think.

Aptitudes: I possess the innate abilities of listening, observation, analysis, and creativity.

Acquired Skills: I have acquired competency in counseling, writing, singing, and story telling.

ULTIMATE CONTRIBUTION

I realize that I am still growing and being developed as a man of God, so my vision of what God is calling me to accomplish is still very much in process. As I look towards the future and reflect about what I feel God desires me to do with my life, I see people working together in mutually beneficial partnerships, helping each other to growing Christ. This was made possible through people seeing how I partnered with others in their spiritual development and feeling led to do likewise. In a similar way, I envision churches partnering with each other to help each other grow into the churches God designed them to be. I see people encouraging each other to focus on and grow in their strengths, while also watching out for when their weakness become their downfall. As a platform for all of this, I see a foundation called Lazarus Developments that works to partner with individuals and churches to empower them financially, spiritually and any other way they feel led to in order to help their partners grow in Christ. Resources are not just given away, they are given to promote the development of God’s kingdom here on earth.