Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller (April 2006)

[mercyGurl]

I just read that the first book we'll be reading together here is that Max Lucado book, but I didn't want to let April's mid-month selection, Searching for God Knows What (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0785263713/sr=8-1/qid=1147066870/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-2571899-1828649?%5Fencoding=UTF8) , to get by without some sort of mention.

I'm not sure how exactly this is supposed to work, so I'll just start it off by rambling about it. This was my second time reading this book. I haven't read "To Own a Dragon", but so far this one is my favorite out of Donald Miller's writings. I absolutely adore his writing style, and his sense of humor is so amazingly unforced. He's just self-deprecating enough to make you feel relaxed, to put you at ease so you don't feel like he's preaching at you.


-Sarah

And I have my last Critical Thinking class in the morning so I'll type out the other things of notice tomorrow. That's why it's so oddly short.

[SirMax]

I am half way through this book since Mark told us half way through April what the book of the month was;) .....I'm enjoying it. I do like Miller's style of writing-it's quite refreshing. I find myself laughing and nodding my head in agreement alot. I'll be sure to come back and comment soon. Gotta go read some more now.

[Melodeon]

I was wondering if you guys had already done a discussion for this book. I am reading it now with my Community Group. We're about halfway through now (we only read 2 chapters a week). I read "Blue Like Jazz" and I liked it, but didn't get as much out of it as a lot of people I know. I am really enjoying "Searching for God Knows What", though.

I'm normally one of those people that doesn't like writing or highlighting in books, but with this one, I've done a lot of highlighting and I'm finding that things stick with me more when I do that. Like Sarah said, I'm not sure how this is supposed to work, but here are a few of the things that I highlighted:

Chapter 1:

..."formula books, by that I mean books that take you through a series of steps, may not be all that compatible with the Bible."

"All of the promises of fulfillment really didn't work."

"It made me wonder, honestly, if such a complex existence as the one you and I are living can really be broken down into a few steps. It seems if there were a formula to fix life, Jesus would have told us what it was."

"...but the formulas seem much better than God because the formulas offer control; and God, well, He is like a person, and people, as we all know, are complicated."

"It makes me wonder if what we really want is control, not a relationship."

"In this way, formulas presuppose God is more a computer or a circus monkey that an intelligent Being."

That stuck out because I had been working through some forgiveness issues and found myself remembering a Pastor telling me to work through a "7 step" formula that I found just didn't work. That program led me to believe I was going to feel happy and all warm and fuzzy toward those people that had hurt me since I'd prayed that prayer. When that didn't happen I felt like I had failed at forgiveness, which is a pretty bad way to feel. It wasn't until I was able to just talk it out with God and trust that what He was doing in me wasn't formulaic, but much more powerful, that I began to understand the act and role of forgiveness in my life.


"... nobody he knows who is successful gambles; rather, they work hard, they accept the facts of reality, they enjoy life as it is."
"Reality is like a fine wine.... It will not appeal to children."

"...the only thing that truly changes a person is God's truth, that is, His Word and His working in our lives through the Holy Spirit."

"The truth is there are a million steps, and we don't even know what the steps are, and worse, at any given moment we may not be willing or even able to take them; and still worse, they are different for you and me and they are always changing. I have come to believe the sooner we find this truth beautiful,the sonner we wil fall in love with the God who keeps shaking things up, keeps changing the path, keeps rocking the boat to test our faith in Him, lteaching us to not rely on easy answers, bullet points, magic mantras, or genies in lamps, but rather in His guidance, His existence, His mercy and His love."


Sorry that was all so long, but chapter 1 really had a lot of things that I guess I needed to hear and/or be reminded of. I'll post more in a little while, but don't worry, I didn't highlight as much in every chapter. :)

[Melodeon]

Chapter 2:

"...the more you let somebody know who you really are- the more it feels as though something is at stake."

Ok, this totally hits me where I am. A simple example is even posting my thoughts on this book here is, in a sense, letting others in. Not so easy, but good, I think.

"I realize a lot of people don't like Jesus, or just ignore Him or have no use for Him, but I think the best thing a person can do is to read through the Gospels in the Bible and really look at Jesus, because if a person does this, they will realize the Jesus they learned about in Sunday school or the Jesus they hear jokes about or the skinny, Gandhi Jesus that exists in their imaginations isn't anything like the real Jesus at all."

"...we are all guilty of changing Jesus around in order to make Him more like ourselves."

"The guys on the team were very kind and gracious, and they loved the film (the Jesus film) because in the end they felt it didn't matter what Color Jesus is, but that He loves them and invites them to love Him back."

"The very scary thing about religion, to me, is that people actually believe God is who they think He is."

Seriously, how true is that? How many people don't want anything to do with Jesus simply because of what they've heard from other people about who He is (good or bad). But really He just wants us to get to know Him so He can show us who He is.

"...it makes me wonder if God created us in His image or if we created Him in ours."

Although I've never thought of it that way, I think he's totally right. From a physcial standpoint: think about how many people argue over what Jesus looks like, and how most of us want to believe He looks like someone we know or someone that resembles us personally.

From a spiritual standpoint: I think so many times people (me included) give advice or counsel based on what we think (or say we know) to be true about the way Jesus thinks or feels about a particular subject, but really we're imparting our own thoughts or feelings. It's natural, I'm sure, but it makes me want to stop and rethink what I tell people and to be aware of it as especially I work with the youth in my church and go back to school to be a Counselor.

ok, I guess I have more thoughts than I thought I did... lol

[mercyGurl]

I'm normally one of those people that doesn't like writing or highlighting in books, but with this one, I've done a lot of highlighting and I'm finding that things stick with me more when I do that. Like Sarah said, I'm not sure how this is supposed to work, but here are a few of the things that I highlighted:


If I typed out what I underlined in every chapter I'd be here for forever! I'll try to touch on the major points that impacted me. Also, exactly how far along are y'all? I don't want to ruin parts of it by talking about them when you haven't read it yet!!


That stuck out because I had been working through some forgiveness issues and found myself remembering a Pastor telling me to work through a "7 step" formula that I found just didn't work. That program led me to believe I was going to feel happy and all warm and fuzzy toward those people that had hurt me since I'd prayed that prayer. When that didn't happen I felt like I had failed at forgiveness, which is a pretty bad way to feel. It wasn't until I was able to just talk it out with God and trust that what He was doing in me wasn't formulaic, but much more powerful, that I began to understand the act and role of forgiveness in my life.


I'm very much a process person. In some ways I'm very creative, and very artistic and I like innovation; but even in my innovation I like order. I like some sort of logical steps to follow. I need some sort of form to follow, lists to do. Anyone who has ever seen me make a list understands how OCPD I can get about life.
Well, unfortunately I have a hard time leaving the formulas and order alone when it comes to my spiritual life. I like lists, I like it when someone tells me I can take a few steps to solve my problems, and I like formulas. But this past year God has taught me SO much about how He wants relationship with me, and how Christianity has so little to do with sermon points that start with the same letter and bulleted lists, and more to do with Christ and how He died so I could live, not just a life trying not to sin, but a life full of grace and love and power.

Anyway, that was a long roundabout way of saying that the first chapter of this book really struck me hard. I needed someone to break it down into "The Gospel of Jesus isn't a formula". And it just so happened that Don Miller was the one to do it.

You said you highlighted this part, but I wanted to go back and mention it since I double-underlined it and wrote something beside of it in the margin:


...it makes me wonder if secretly we don't wish that God were a genie who could deliver a few wishes here and there. And that makes me wonder if what we really want from the formulas ae wishes, not God. It makes me wonder if what we really want is control, not a relationship.

I wrote in the margins: "I don't want too much God: I want enough of Him so that my wishes can be granted, but not enough so that I need to surrender control of my life. I want just enough so it's convenient for me.

Probably my other favorite part of chapter one (Besides that wonderful beginning that engaged me from the start) was near the very end, that same thing you quoted:

The truth is that there are a million steps, and we don't even know what the steps are, and worse, at any given moment we may not be willing or even able to take them; and still worse, they are different for you and me and they are always changing. I have come to believe the sooner we find this truth beautiful, the sooner we will fall in love with the God who keeps shaking things up, keeps changing the path, keeps rocking the boat to test our faith in Him, teaching us not to rely on easy answers, bullet points, magic mantras, or genies in lamps, but rather in His guidance, His existence, His mercy, and His love

[Melodeon]

If I typed out what I underlined in every chapter I'd be here for forever! I'll try to touch on the major points that impacted me. Also, exactly how far along are y'all? I don't want to ruin parts of it by talking about them when you haven't read it yet!!

I'm not going to type out everything I highlighted, but those were the things in the first 2 chapters that stuck out the most, things I needed to read and process. :) I think the first 2 chapters have had the most impact on me so far. I'm reading chapter 9 now, we're doing 9 &10 tomorrow night in my small group.

Anyway, that was a long roundabout way of saying that the first chapter of this book really struck me hard. I needed someone to break it down into "The Gospel of Jesus isn't a formula". And it just so happened that Don Miller was the one to do it.

I definitely agree. I'm the same way, I have a list for everything. But it's refreshing to know there isn't a formula for everything and that relationship with God is personal and relational, not "by the book".

I wrote in the margins: "I don't want too much God: I want enough of Him so that my wishes can be granted, but not enough so that I need to surrender control of my life. I want just enough so it's convenient for me.

I can definitely relate to that. Thanks for being so honest and sharing what you wrote.

[mercyGurl]

Chapter 2:

"I realize a lot of people don't like Jesus, or just ignore Him or have no use for Him, but I think the best thing a person can do is to read through the Gospels in the Bible and really look at Jesus, because if a person does this, they will realize the Jesus they learned about in Sunday school or the Jesus they hear jokes about or the skinny, Gandhi Jesus that exists in their imaginations isn't anything like the real Jesus at all."

"...we are all guilty of changing Jesus around in order to make Him more like ourselves."

"The guys on the team were very kind and gracious, and they loved the film (the Jesus film) because in the end they felt it didn't matter what Color Jesus is, but that He loves them and invites them to love Him back."

"The very scary thing about religion, to me, is that people actually believe God is who they think He is."

Seriously, how true is that? How many people don't want anything to do with Jesus simply because of what they've heard from other people about who He is (good or bad). But really He just wants us to get to know Him so He can show us who He is.

When I was going through this chapter this time I read it, I was struck at how much that reminded me of Anne Rice's author's note from Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, where she talked (in white as to not ruin it if you haven't read it. Don't highlight if you haven't read it because it's the best part of the book) about how the challenge wasn't to write about a liberal Jesus, or a conservative Jesus, or a wussy Jesus, but the challenge was to write a book about the the Jesus of the Gospels. Now I know I was paraphrasing that, because I only borrowed Christ the Lord from the library, but yeah..

The second chapter was a good chapter for me to be able to absorb it all. It took me forever to get through this book the first time, because I had to stop and think about all of it!

[RevZeek]

Sarah turned me on to this book...I'll tell you all, I am seriously enjoying it.

I'll post my thoughts later.

[imperfect]

My best friend and I are reading it together and then we get on the phone to do our book club thing.
We did the same with Jazz.
I had a hard time will Miller's style of writing but I adjusted with the first book and love it now.
He and I have parallel views on faith and the Church.
I too laugh out loud and write my comments in the margin. After I finish my book I mail to another gf and she comments then mails it onto another and ti finds my way back to me in a year. Then I read all of the comments, critiques, etc.
It's fun.

[mercyGurl]

Chapter 3

(page 36)
...in a way, I left the god of easy answers, the god who was always wanting me to be rich or wanting my country to be better than the other countries or, for that matter, for me to be better than you. I left that god the preachers talk about on television and the politicians mention in their prayers. But I left room open for another God, a God who might explain my existence, explain the complexities of my hands and feel and feelings and the very strange and mysterious fact that even as I type this I am breathing.

I loved when he talked about that, not only that quote, but all the stuff about god-imposters. I was completely engrossed in chapter 2, when he told God that He didn't exist, and I loved the way it followed up. I think this part really hit home for me because God has taught me so much about not letting my ideas of who He is get in the way.

I think as a Christian who grew up in church, I have a hard time letting God show me who He is. A guest speaker we had at church once said something about how all the time she's telling God who He is, and God once stopped her and asked her to let Him show her who He is. And of course, that really gripped me. I have this American Christian idea of God, even more than that, a Southern idea of God, even more than that, a charismatic non-denominational view of God, and in all of that I tend to lose the hugeness of God. I limit God to only how I want to see Him. Instead of truly wanting God to be real in my life, I want to put Him in my little box. And that is really making God into little more than an idol that I pull out and worship where and when I want to. And that's not who He is. He is I AM.


(page 43)
Now as I was saying earlier, by doing things to get other people to value me, a couple of ideas became obvious, the first being that I was a human wired so other people told me who I was. This was very different from anything I had previously believed, including that you had to believe in yourself and all, and I still believe that is true, but I realized there was this other part of me, and it was a big part of me, that needed something outside myself to tell me who I was.

I wrote in the margins the first time I read this:
If our identity is not meant to be wrapped up in the person and character of Christ, why is it that we are all wired to have someone else tell us who we are? At first a life surrendered to what God says about me seems limited, but truly it is freeing. After all, God knows what He's talking about.

[mercyGurl]

I know I should have put this on the last post, but it was probably the part of the book that has impacted me the most, so I want a separate post.

(Page 45)
If the Gospel of Jesus Christ is just some formula I obey in order to get taken off the naughty list and put on a nice list, then it doesn't meet the deep need of the human condition, it doesn't interact with the great desire of my soul, and it has nothing to do with the hidden (or rather, obvious) language we are all speaking. But if it is more, if it is a story about humanity falling away from the community that named it, and an attempt to bring humanity back to that community, and if it is more than a series of ideas, but rather speaks directly into this basic human need we are feeling, then the gospel of Jesus is the most relevant message in the history of mankind.

I can't tell you how many times I've quoted that particular quote. At least once a week a situation comes up where I'm talking to someone, and we're talking about the Gospel or about relevence, or human brokenness, or some song or book or poem or artwork gets me thinking, and I remember this quote. And I say it to whomever I'm talking to or say it to myself.

As someone who is going to be involved in full-time Christian ministry, this is a big issue. What is relevance? And how should it impact our ministry, and how should it impact our lives? How can we be unwavering in our beliefs and yet reach people where they are? How can the great paradox of being in the world but not of it really be lived out? Where does "seeker-sensitive" just become a means of entertainment?

The Gospel is the most relevant message ever. Everywhere people are seeking love, peace, hope, and joy. They need healing, and they need a Savior. Light shows bring people in, sure, but they don't help someone's life. Pretty graphic designs are aesthetically pleasing, but they don't reach people's deepest needs. Friendly folks sure make you smile, but they can't heal one's hurts. Now are those things bad? Of course not. I love all of them. But to say those things are being "relevant" is a joke. The fact that Jesus Christ lived the life I couldn't live, died the death I should have died, and is now offering everyone complete, total, and final acceptance and fellowship with God is real relevance. That's what will heal your hurts, provide peace, and offer love at the place of your deepest need.

Ok, that was a really long thing. But I'm telling you, that's what this book got me to thinking about. I started reading the Bible not as an "answer book" or "road map", but instead as a story. A story that ultimately is about redemption, about the cross, and about eternal fellowship with God.

I lent my best friend this book a few months ago, and she and I one day sat on her bed for 5 hours just discussing it. One of the subjects we spent a long time on was how Miller explored the idea of approaching God like He's Santa Claus. I had never ever though about it, but it made perfect sense. I treat God like he and I are trading favors.
After all, aren't we taught that if we read our Bible enough and pray enough and sin as little as possible, then we'll have a happy life and God will like us and grant all our wishes? We're not taught to live lives that are compelled by His love, we're taught to live lives that are compelled by the need to be a good little Christian, or we won't get any presents!


This chapter took me a good week to think through constantly before I could even move on to chapter 4. I loved this part at the end:

(Page 46-47)
If the gospel of Jesus is relational; that is, if our brokenness will be fixed, not by our understanding of theology, but by God telling us who we are, then this would require a kind of intimacy which only heaven knows. Imagine, a Being with a mind as great as God's, with feet like trees and a voice like rushing wind, telling you that you are His cherished creation. It's kind of exciting if you think about it. Earthly love, I mean the stuff I was trying to get by sounding smart, is temporal and slight so that it was to be given again and again in order for us to feel any sense of security; but God's love, God's voice and presence, would instill our souls with such affirmation we would need nothing more and would cause us to love other people so much we would be willing to die for them.

Jesus came only once because once was more than enough to satisfy my need for love. What a beautiful thing.

[jabob]

This is the second time I have read this book and I loved it even more. I agree with Miller that we need to look at our Christianity as a relationship rather than as a process. I think the problem started when the church felt the need to fight science and adopted their methods to do so. As a bible teacher, I sometimes bore myself with numbered outlines and alliteration. Here is the problem: most people learn quicker that way. I realize it is because we have been programmed to do so in school. The numbered outlines and bulleted points are easier to prepare and the fill-in-the-blank outlines I give out keep people’s attention. So how do I move away from a scientific teaching style to a relational style without losing people or missing the practicality of the scripture? Maybe someone can give me a three point process that will help me switch from…nevermind.

[Melodeon]

I'm home sick today so I have a little time to catch up.

From chapter 3:

I think one of the things that struck me most about this chapter was when he was talking about how, after he told God that He didn't exist, he became more scared than ever before. He says:

"But I wasn't scared because God was there; I was scared because I felt like He wasn't."

That struck me because I think sometimes I take for granted that God IS there. And although I can't imagine life without Him, I don't always take the time to acknowledge that He's there, and thank Him for being there. I don't have to fear the dark, because I know I'm not alone and I'll never be alone. Wow.

Going back a page, he says:

"It seems like, if you really knew the God who understands the physics of our existence, you would operate a little more cautiously, a little more compassionately, a little less like you are the center of the universe."

Again, ouch. As a single person who has been pretty independent since I was 13, it's easy for me to get wrapped up in myself and what I want out of life. This was a great reminder, that I'm not the center of the universe, God is, and He needs to be the center of my universe. And when He is, I will see others with more compassion and understanding.

"I began to slowly realize that the God of the Bible, not the God of formulas and bullet points that some have turned the Bible into, but the God of the actual Bible, the old one before we learned to read it like a self-help book, had a great deal to say to me."

"I began to wonder if becoming a Christian did not work more like falling in love than agreeing with a list of true principles."

"What if the gospel of Jesus was an invitation to know God?"

I am going through the process of learning this now. I grew up in church, but it was like a lot of the teachers taught that God was a God of instruction and rules. He wasn't personal, He wasn't someone that had something to say to me, everything He said was general, directed to everyone in the same way. Now I'm learning that He does have something to say to me and I'm really excited to get to know Him better and learn what He has to say to me.

"Earthly love...is temporal and slight so that it has to be given again and again in order for us to feel any sense of security, but God's love, God's voice and presence, would instill our souls with such affirmation we would need nothing more and would cause us to love other people so much we would be willing to die for them."

Again, wow. To someone like me, who hasn't ever had a father, and had a mother that walked away when I was a teenager, learning to feel secure in any kind of earthly love (friends, family, ect.) is hard. But, in the last year or so I have been learning how much God loves me, how much He wants to be what my parents aren't and how, in turn, that allows me to love other people and let them love me back.

I honestly wasn't expecting to like this book as much as I have and I'm learning so much more than I ever thought I would. Going back through and picking out the pieces I highlighted and talking about them again has helped to reinforce alot of what I've learned. :)

[Melodeon]

This is the second time I have read this book and I loved it even more. I agree with Miller that we need to look at our Christianity as a relationship rather than as a process. I think the problem started when the church felt the need to fight science and adopted their methods to do so. As a bible teacher, I sometimes bore myself with numbered outlines and alliteration. Here is the problem: most people learn quicker that way. I realize it is because we have been programmed to do so in school. The numbered outlines and bulleted points are easier to prepare and the fill-in-the-blank outlines I give out keep people’s attention. So how do I move away from a scientific teaching style to a relational style without losing people or missing the practicality of the scripture? Maybe someone can give me a three point process that will help me switch from…nevermind.

Have you heard of or read "Understanding God's Will" (http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=94266&netp_id=346323&event=ESRCN&item_code=WW) by Kyle Lake (David Crowder's pastor)? The sub-title is "How to Hack the Equation Without Formulas." I am reading it now and it seems to be a good follow-up to what Miller talks about in "Searching for God Knows What".

Description: Everyone struggles with questions like, "How can I know if I am pursuing God's will or my own?" In this book, pastor Kyle Lake suggests that God's will for a person's life isn't as formulaic as it's often often made out to be. This book alleviates ambiguities about God's desires for our lives. Through the use of scriptural metaphors such as discipleship, kingdom and fatherhood, this message empowers people to make wise decisions with the guidance of a God who is not a genie, an insurance policy or a dominator.

[MarkLee]

Formerly, the book club has consisted of me posting some questions in the form of a blog post and people responding (or not). I think we've all been a tad frustrated with that. As part of this new format, I'm going to experiment with just posting my thoughts along with everyone else and getting a discussion going.

This is my first time through Searching For God Knows What, and I'm only a couple of chapters into it. I saw Miller speak right around the time this one came out, so I already know a few cool things that I want to address later.

Right now, though, I'm focused on the idea of formulas. I'll be honest - there's a part of me who loves the idea of formulas. A few years ago I read an article in Rolling Stone about the singer from Weezer. Apparently he had come up with a formula for writing songs and had started a big database where he was analyzing rock songs and what made them cool. Then he would write songs based on these same elements. Through doing this he quickly amassed a huge catalog of new material. Being the songwriter that I am, I became obsessed with the idea of quantity and formula. You can probably see where I'm going. I did come up with a big quantity of songs, but most of them sucked. They were lacking something. They missed that spark that captures my heart and makes me want to finish it. And that same spark is what makes people want to finish it.

Since creativity is, for the most part, a spiritual exercise, this idea lines up nicely with prayer or scripture reading, or any other spiritual element. Like Miller eloquently points out, being a Christian is about a relationship. And that doesn't fit into formulas at all. Of course, in hindsight, you can place just about anything into a formula. And that's where they come in handy. When the dude came up with the "formula" for Coke, it was so he could recreate it a bunch of times and it's always the same. But do you want your faith to always be the same? I don't...

One other thought: I found his conversation with the writing seminar lady in the first chapter interesting. Lines up nicely with much of L'Engle's writings about truth vs. facts. It's pretty obvious which side that lady lands on when she talks about fiction books being "made up".

As you were...

[Yippy]

Since creativity is, for the most part, a spiritual exercise, this idea lines up nicely with prayer or scripture reading, or any other spiritual element. Like Miller eloquently points out, being a Christian is about a relationship. And that doesn't fit into formulas at all.
No, and if you ever see "God walk by", all your formulas go right out the window.:)

[SirMax]

The formula idea was exactly what I highlighted while reading the first chapter. I've learned that they don't work. It's like being told that we should have a set time and place for our quiet time with God. Well that has always been an issue with me because I work shift work. My work schedule changes every 4 weeks so setting a time and place to do ANYTHING regularly is not an option. Therefore, I've always felt a bit frustrated because I have to try so hard to find that time and place.

Interestingly enough though today's devotional in MY Utmost for His Highest states that sometimes making time with God a habit is only good for that habit. Here's what Chambers says "Your god may be your little Christian habit-the habit of prayer or Bible reading at certain times of your day. Watch how your Father will upset your schedule if you begin to worship your habit instead of what the habit symbolizes. We say, "I can't do that right now; this is my time alone with God." No, this is your time alone with your habit."

That eased my mind because I can't adhere to a formula or a set habit time but I do want my life so intuned with God that I just worship Him period. Then my "habit" is just me living in a relationship with my Father.

Is it wrong to quote other books while we are discussing a certain book?? :confused: ;)

[jabob]

I'll be honest - there's a part of me who loves the idea of formulas. A few years ago I read an article in Rolling Stone about the singer from Weezer.

Formulas can certainly be easier. This is interesting because just last night Traci was telling me about Paul Simon's new album and an interview he did about writing the songs. He said he has been told by others he writes songs "backwards". That certainly speaks of formulas. I wonder if you can have a "backwards" relationship with God.

[Corrine]

When the dude came up with the "formula" for Coke, it was so he could recreate it a bunch of times and it's always the same. But do you want your faith to always be the same? I don't...
*Light bulb* Explains why I can never manage to come up with a schedule, or formula, for my daily work. I cannot stand routine. Routine is the opposite of creativity. (IMHO) If I had a formula for my days, my spiritual life, for any part of my life, to fit it into those neat lines of the Franklin Covey time management products, it would lack the spontaneity of creativity. Or is this just my excuse? :p

We seem to be made to feel guilty if we do not have a formula for our spiritual life. We hear so many preachers and teachers telling us to get up and pray first thing in the morning. You almost feel as though you are doing it wrong if you do it in the evening instead.

[SirMax]

We seem to be made to feel guilty if we do not have a formula for our spiritual life. We hear so many preachers and teachers telling us to get up and pray first thing in the morning. You almost feel as though you are doing it wrong if you do it in the evening instead.


Thank you!!! That's how I have felt always. First I'm not a morning person so I would probably fall back asleep and I just can't always have the time in the morning. No formulas for me!!

[googledoll]

How could a formula possibly fit into a healthy relationship? Can you imagine living in a formula marriage? If your best friend behaved according to a formula? How horrible would that be?
I think many people get comfortable with a formula and they avoid the relationship. Step by step may not offer incredible results, but it doesn't involve much risk, either.
I have a friend who, when he prays aloud, begins his prayers with, "Hi, Lord. It's me, David". He often ends them with, "Thanks for talking to me. I'll talk to you again real soon". Say what you will about his lack of reverence, but I always felt like he KNEW the person he was talking to. That had a huge impact on me.

[Yippy]

Okay, guys...I'm not the laugh out loud type, but I didn't even get past page 3 when I actually laughed out loud startling the family & dog.

I think I have half of Mark's book of the month list on my nightstand and started reading this book last night. I'm in for a whole lot of fun if the rest of the book is as funny as this:

"We can't have literature running around doing anything it wants now, can we?"

Does anyone see a similarity between Miller, Crowder and LaMott? How refreshingly real they are. They live in my world. I just love it.