Primal - by Mark Batterson, Chapter two - The Tribe of the Transplanted

I am enjoying the book PRIMAL - A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity by Mark Batterson.

Have you ever had a sympathy breakthrough? A moment when your inclination to hate was overcome by your will to love? A moment when proactive compassion overrode reactive anger? A moment when you cared more about someone else's pain than your own? I recently dealt with an issue in our School District that hit real close to home and when I saw the student and the Dad it brought tears to my eyes. I had one of those moments!

I believe that God is calling us to a new level of compassion. You see, if we have the heart of God in us, our hearts have been transplanted. We now have His heart and our old selfish heart has been removed and is no longer beating.

I love this quote from Mark's book Primal - "In my experience, it's much easier to act like a Christian than it is to react like one. Anyone can put on an act. But your reactions reveal what is really in your heart. And if you love God with all your heart, you won't just act like it. You'll react like it."

Inside each of us is a God-ordained passion that makes you glad, sad or mad. There is something that breaks your heart because it breaks the heart of God.

The question is this: what are you going to do about it?

I'd love to read your comments on your breakthrough sympathy moment and what you are going to do to be more compassionate.

Talk with you soon,

Pastor John

Thankfulness vs Happiness

Sunday evening we decided that Brenda needed to go to the ER for the pain she was having in her abdomen area. While we were in the ER I begin to reflect on the faithfulness of God. I had just come home from our "Hour of Thanks" service and was so grateful for what God was doing in and through us individually as well as a church. Only to find my bride doubled over in pain and needing to go to the hospital! I was thankful but not happy!

We prayed that God would bring healing to Brenda and that He would use us during this hospital visit reach others and that He would give us opportunities to share His love... I have to admit I am not happy to have Brenda in the hospital but I am thankful for a God that loves us!

Well last night, in the middle of the night Brenda had the opportunity to share her thankfulness for family and friends that are praying for her and to share her thankfulness for God's love. Bren's nurse came in to do the "vitals" check and she asked Bren how she was doing. Brenda replied; "I'm sleeping better than the night before because I have a lot of people praying for me." Then Brenda did her "vitals" check and asked; "Is there anything I can pray with you about?" After a long reflective pause... the nurse said "Well, yes there is... we are having some problems in our marriage so you can pray for my marriage." Brenda said can I pray with you now? The nurse was so taken back that a patient in the middle of night would take an interest in her and offer prayer that she didn't know what to say...

You never know how or when God will use you. So as you reflect on where you are today. Are you happy? Are you Thankful? Are you both? Or are you neither? God loves you and wants to show you His love, open up and let Him change the state of your mind (happiness) and change the state of your heart (thankfulness) and fill you with you His love, His grace, His comfort and His peace... He as done that in me.... even in the midst of Brenda being in the hospital!

Pastor John