A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller

Have you ever watched a movie or read a book that left you with the feeling that you triumphed with the hero? Every good story has it’s ups and downs but in the end it’s all about the poor schmuck that you walked with during this point in their life. Do you have a good story? I thought I did. Sure, it’s a little boring at times but it works. Donald Miller caused me to ask some pretty hard questions about the path my life is taking. He made me wonder about how different things would be if I had a story that would captivate an audience. No, it’s not about getting attention from people, it’s about living the amazing tale that God  built for me. If other people want to enjoy the ride with me then they are welcome to come along. With artists like Big Daddy Weave writing songs like “What life would be like”  and authors like Donald Miller talking about “editing ” your life I think there’s a message from God to step out of our mediocrity and live a life that is not only a lot more fulfilling but God honoring. How can you edit your life for the better? Start praying for God to give you direction and read this book!

Max Lucado’s “Fearless”

I’ve been a fan of Max Lucado’s books for a while now, so when I had the chance to read and review his newest one I jumped at it. You don’t realize how many different emotions are connected to fear. This book has helped me see where my fear was and rail against it. Lucado is right on time with some terrific encouragements for out lives today.

They’re talking layoffs at work, slowdowns in the economy, flareups

in the Middle East, turnovers at headquarters, downturns in the

housing market, upswings in global warming, breakouts of al Qaeda

cells. Some demented dictator is collecting nuclear warheads the way

others collect fine wines. A strain of swine flu is crossing the border.

The plague of our day, terrorism, begins with the word terror. News

programs disgorge enough hand-wringing information to warrant an

advisory: “Caution: this news report is best viewed in the confines of an

underground vault in Iceland.”

It’s everywhere, this uncertainty of what is going to happen with the world around us, and more importantly, with us. Our enemy knows that fear and uncertainty can cause us to stop trusting God with everything and start trying to do things on our own. We cannot handle this on our own.

“What if faith, not fear, was your default reaction to threats?”

Instead of making a run on the bank or screaming at our neighbors at town hall meetings about health care, we should focus on God’s will for our lives. If we could only remember that God has everything under control then I think we can live the life we imagine, the life that is meant for us by the One that created us, a life without fear!