Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Intimate Faith

from the mom

Not too long ago my friend Connie was out for a visit from Illinois. She was reading a book "Intimate Faith" and she read me a few snippets. It was enough for me to conclude that I too needed to read this book. So I convinced some girlfriends they wanted to do it with me and we had a little study group.

"Intimate Faith" looks at 17 spiritual disciplines exemplified in the life of Jesus. Some of them like study, prayer, and fellowship were nothing new for me. Others like secrecy, meditation and celebration were presented in such a fresh way they seemed like new information even though I know them from Scripture. Others like submission, humility, and worship were incredibly convicting.

The thing I loved about Jan Winebrenner's approach was her lack of legalism. This book was written for people who love Jesus and who WANT to know him better. She gives the analogy of wanting to be able to ride a horse effortlessly and all the work that goes into making it look effortless. Work goes into any great relationship and relating to the God of the Universe is no exception.

I've already read this book twice and I intend to read it again. In the meantime my friend Connie sent me this article on the Disorderly Disciplines, written by the mom of newborn twins. It was just a little reminder that God loves and understands when I miss my solitude with him and that motherhood brings with it a whole new way to relate to God and His love for us.

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