Kent P Jones

Help bring our daughter home from Ethiopia!

2010-12-07T11:40:00.005-06:00

This very cool shirt comes in sizes Adult Small, Medium, Large and X-Large. We also have a some child sizes, youth Small and Medium. We are asking $20, and all profits will go towards our adoption travel expenses to bring our little girl home from Ethiopia! It's no problem if you need your order mailed to you, but just add $3 for each shirt.

Let us know if you would like one OR MORE! :)
(email me or my wife, Tammy at ... heytams AT gmail.com)

THANK YOU!

Auction Item for our Adoption!

2010-09-16T21:09:00.003-05:00

Mrs. Martin will beautifully HAND ADDRESS your Christmas cards, baby announcements, etc... whatever style you like best!! This lady is amazingly talented and her handwriting is beautiful... you will be amazed! She can do it however you like - print, scrolly, fancy, fun, whatever. She can write your return address or you can provide labels. You will just need to provide us the envelopes and the addresses.
She can do it super early if you want to get it checked off your list! How NICE to not have to worry about this during all of the craziness surrounding the up and coming holidays!!

If you live in our area, we can deliver the envelopes to and from Mrs. Martin. If you don't, you can still bid, and we can ship them back to you, envelopes beautifully addressed and ready to stuff and mail!

Here are some examples of her work..

Send me an email with your bid (kentpjones at gmail.com), or a message on FB.

Remember, not only do you get this service, all proceeds go towards the travel expenses to bring our Ethiopian daughter home!!!!

Our Adoption

2010-09-16T16:30:00.003-05:00

As you may know, we are adopting a little girl from Ethiopia (God knows her face and name) and one of the ways we want to try and raise some money is through a silent online auction. You may have seen it before through friends, but it is kind of a new idea since technology has become so easy to use and communicate with mass groups of people! We are blessed to know so many people that have something valuable to offer others (skill/talent/product) and have a compassionate heart for children/Christ/the orphan, and/or our family. God has surrounded us with tremendous friends/family!

I have already asked many, and so many are excited to be a part! We are extremely grateful for their generosity and willingness to help bring our little girl home!! Thank you! God has been SO good in providing what we need thus far, and we KNOW He will continue to do so, hopefully using our fundraisers! :) There are still pending expenses surrounding the adoption, but a BIG one is travel since we have to make two trips to Ethiopia. The projected expenses are approximately $8,000 - $10,000. So, our goal is to raise the funds for travel. We know it is huge, but God can do it!
Our first fundraiser is this Silent Online Auction.

So, this is how it will work... I am sending an email/message/post to all of our connections near and far of the item up for auction, and give it a certain amount of time. Whoever has the highest bid wins the product!! If you want to bid, just shoot me an email (kentpjones at gmail.com), message me on FB, or respond to an email I send and we will mark your bid down. When the allotted time is up, we will make the announcement of the winning bidder!!

Thank you so much for considering bidding and helping us bring our daughter home!

The Consecration of Jonathan Edwards

2010-05-17T12:22:00.003-05:00

So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:33

I’m confident that I didn’t understand all that was required when I came to faith in Christ at the young age of six. All I knew at that time was that I wanted the benefit of knowing for sure I’d be in heaven one day. I had no clue what Jesus was demanding from me if I was to be a follower of His, and not sure a six year old even can really comprehend all the implications of surrendering a life to a God who requires everything from me. Renouncing everything then and now—all my dreams, all my plans for life, all my money, all my comforts, all my security, all my possessions, all of me. Even a quick glance at even a few passages in the Gospels will lead to an understanding as to why so many people turned away when Jesus listed what was required to be a follower of His.

Following Jesus is so much more than praying some superstitious sinner’s prayer, hoping to get out of hell. If that’s all there is to following Jesus, well, then that’s a cheap Gospel. In fact, based on scripture, that’s a false Gospel. The true and and Biblical Gospel calls for unconditional complete abandonment of all that I am and all that I have for all that He is and all He’s done. Plain and simple, that’s it. It’s all or nothing.

This past week I was reminded again of the words of Jonathan Edwards that relates to this subject. I’ve been encouraged and challenged when I read this, and desire to confidently say in unison with Edwards, “I have given myself wholly to Him”. So easy to say, but an entirely different thing to actually do. The demands of Jesus are heavy and costly. But in light of what Jesus did at the cross, no matter what He demands, He’s so obviously worth it.

“I claim no right to myself—no right to this understanding, this will, these affections that are in me; neither do I have any right to this body or its members—no right to this tongue, to these hands, feet, ears, or eyes. I have given myself clear away and not retained anything of my own. I have been to God this morning and told Him I have given myself wholly to Him. I have given every power, so that for the future I claim no right to myself in any respect. I have expressly promised Him, for by His grace I will not fail. I take Him as my whole portion and felicity, looking upon nothing else as any part of my happiness. His law is the constant rule of my obedience. I will fight with all my might against the world, the flesh, and the devil to the end of my life. I will adhere to the faith of the Gospel, however hazardous and difficult the profession and practice of it may be. I pray God for the sake of others, to look upon this as a self-dedication, and receive me as His own. Henceforth, I am not to act in any respect as my own. I purpose to be absolutely His.”

-Jonathan Edwards

One Line Connects History from Creation to Eternity

2010-04-02T14:53:00.003-05:00

The Line Video from Jonathan Culp on Vimeo.

John Piper & Rick Warren

2010-04-01T20:43:00.009-05:00

Interesting clip of Piper talking about Rick Warren...good stuff.

Husbands Love Your Wives

2010-03-02T14:14:00.003-06:00

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her... Ephesians 5:25

I’ve been teaching on the subject of marriage the last three weeks and while studying, thought much about what Paul says about how I’m to love my wife. If I’m to love Tammy as Christ loved the church, I have to look to the example of Christ and His relationship with the church.

So, how did Christ love the church? He made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant. He was full of grace, full of unconditional love, love without strings attached, love that would always be there, love that would never leave. Much, much more could be said here about the way Christ loved the church, but the few I’ve listed above are the ones I’ve been thinking about most.

And so, when I consider the many ways Christ loved the church and the implications it has on me and how I am to love my wife, I’ve got a lot on my plate if I’m to live up to the calling God has placed on me as Tammy’s husband. I’m far from being the perfect husband, but the model Christ has given is definitely something to strive towards.

Random Thoughts I’ve Had Recently

2010-02-26T21:34:00.002-06:00

*Almost all things Google are awesome. Not sure about Google Wave, but everything else I’ve tried is really good.

*I recently got a new ESV Bible for my birthday. I recommend the ESV.

*The Nacho Cheese Dorito is the best chip ever known to humans.

*Mat Kearney’s music is something I seem to never get tired of.

*I might be as tall as Mavericks back up point guard JJ Berea.

*The internet is not a phase, but seems to be here to stay.

*The shopping carts at Wal-Mart are about the worst ever made. I rarely go in a Wal-Mart anymore, but when I do, it takes me 5 minutes to find a cart that when I push it, doesn’t want to immediately go into a hairpin turn. Almost all of them rattle, squeak, or have wheels that have rocks for ball bearings. Among the many things Target does to dominate Wal-Mart, their shopping carts are Cadillacs. Wal-Marts are Yugos.

*Speaking of shopping carts, all the ones I’ve seen in my travels overseas are 4 wheel drive…meaning, all four wheels swivel, not just the front two. Manueverability is amazing on those things. I wish all four wheels of my truck would swivel.

*Still on the topic of shopping carts, the ones overseas require a deposit. You put in the equivalent of about a dollar, and it unlocks a cart. You return the cart to where you got it, you get your coinage back. Why do we not do this here?

*How did Curling ever make it into the Olympics? Those people cannot be considered athletes.

*It’s possible for almost all nations to compete in the summer Olympics…rich or poor can win in the summer games. Not true for the winter Olympics. For the most part, only the wealthy countries can compete in the winter Olympics. Think about it. It’s true.

*“Words with Friends” app is a huge time waste.

*The most unbelievable app created thus far is Shazam. Amazing. How in the wide, wide world of sports does that thing do that?

*I’m all for supporting our local businesses and companies, but all the nickel and dime(ing) American Airlines continues to do, makes me wish all my airline miles were with Southwest. Charge for checked bags, charge $8 for a pillow, charge for a cracker. Sure wish Southwest was an international carrier.

*I wish The Unit wasn’t cancelled on CBS last year. I think it was one of the best shows on TV.

*The excitement and lure of Facebook has just about run it’s course. I love Twitter.

How To Start A Movement

2010-02-12T10:37:00.003-06:00

I saw this video on Tony Morgan's blog. Good stuff.

Seizing Opportunities to Share

2010-02-10T22:13:00.005-06:00

Evangelism, sharing the Good News, sharing the Gospel, sharing Your story of how Christ transformed your life is something all of as believers should be active in doing on a consistent basis. Opportunities abound every day, every week, yet so few of us actually take advantage of those opportunities, much less even notice them.

Not trying to cause guilt here, but I’ve written it to remind myself (and possibly you) to seize the opportunities we all have as Christ followers. Not one of us on the planet is so gifted in evangelism, or persuasive or eloquent enough to cause anyone to come to faith. Faith and Salvation are gifts of God, not gifts of Kent, or you, or anyone else. They are gifts of God (Eph 2:8-9). The Holy Spirit moves in hearts. I don’t, you don’t, Billy Graham in his prime didn’t either. It’s a privilege and honor that God chooses to use us though, and we get the chance to see Him move when we act and respond in obedience to share Jesus with others. What a privilege that God allows us to be a part, to see first hand Him moving in the hearts of those who don’t know Him.

This simple truth takes all the pressure off when it comes to evangelism, doesn’t it? After all, since I can’t convince anyone to come to faith, then I don’t have to worry if I mess up, say the wrong thing, or feel like I butchered it. Any words spoken on behalf of Christ, no matter how eloquent or how inarticulate they may seem to be, those words are never wasted! God can use us. He desires to use us. Share Christ, share what He did on the cross, share how the Gospel impacted your life. He will be the One persuading, He will be the One stirring and drawing a heart, and as He desires, He will be the One transforming a life.

143 Million Orphans!

2010-02-03T15:12:00.006-06:00

I love the phrase mentioned in this short video, "...begin an epidemic of adoptions within our churches". What would that look like in our home church of First McKinney if an epidemic of adoptions broke out? What would it look like if it happened in your church? How would it affect you personally?

There are approximately 143 million orphans around the world. 143 MILLION! That's utterly ridiculous, and it shouldn't be! But what if God called you to be a mom or a dad to just one of those children? Just ONE?

Maybe He isn't calling you to adopt, but then again, maybe you've never prayed about it either. So, why not pray? See if this isn't what God desires for you. Whether He leads you to adopt or just to care for and be an advocate for orphans, do anything but ignore the issue (James 1:27).

Adoption from Catalyst on Vimeo.

Thanks to my good friend, Tracey Fields, for calling my attention again to this video from Catalyst. Check out Tracey's blog at http://www.lazyfeet.blogspot.com/

Letters to our boys

2010-01-31T23:59:00.003-06:00

Something Tammy and I did with Brooks when he turned one year old was to each write him a letter that would go in his baby book. We’ve done this with Brayden as well. They will both hopefully have these letters all their lives and can look back on them periodically throughout the years. It seemed a great thing to do at the time, but this last year, I had the thought, why just one letter? Why not write more often to them, sharing the prayers I pray for them, giving them a glimpse of what my hopes were for them during each year or season in their lives. I want to share with them through their dad’s eyes how I see them growing, how I see their personality developing, qualities I see being formed within them. I want them to know what I think is so special about them at age 3, age 7, age 17. I want them to know what it is about them that brings a smile to my face, to know the things I love about them. They are incredibly special to me, and I intend to allow them to see what was and is in my heart and my love for them as they are grow and mature from little boys all they way until they’re full grown men.

Asking for the Impossible

2010-01-26T20:18:00.007-06:00

My blog post from December 30th, “10 questions for a new year” has been something I have gone back to and thought through several times the last few weeks. As I’ve considered each question, I’ve been challenged. Specifically question #2 (“What's the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?”) has been on my mind a lot since that blog post. I spent more time on that question it seems than some of the others, and have come up with a number of answers to this as to what I’m praying for. Here are a few of those "impossible" things on my list for 2010...

1. If you don’t know, we are in the process of adopting a little girl from Ethiopia. We had anticipated that this coming fall we would be able to bring her home, but during our homestudy last month, we were told that adoptions had slowed down quite a bit in Ethiopia. In fact, we were told our timeframe is now 12-18 months. It was disappointing to hear this news, but we know God is in complete control. Our desire is to bring our daughter home before Christmas, and although we were told the likelihood of this happening is slim and none, this is something we are both praying for. It may seem impossible, but we all know God can make it happen. If He doesn’t, we completely trust Him. He’s sovereign, His timing is perfect, and He knows what He’s doing. If He decides to allow us to bring our little girl home by Christmas, then that’s awesome. If He chooses to do otherwise, we trust in Him and know He’s faithful.

2. Our oldest son, Brooks (pictured below), God bless him, he is not the biggest fan of school. He doesn’t even go to kindergarten yet, just preschool, yet he’s just not real fond of going to school. I completely understand though…I hated school from day one (although Tammy has made me promise to never let our kids know that!). It seems impossible to us that Brooks would ever like going to school, but we are praying that somehow, someway his transition to kindergarten is easier than expected and that he actually enjoys going.

3. I’ll just leave #3 as an unspoken (or unwritten in this case). I wasn’t going to write anything for #3, but in honor of the humans I work with at iGoGlobal, who always like to add lots of unspoken requests whenever we pray as a staff, I had to at least write it here. So yes, #3 for me is an actual request I’m praying for, asking God to do something that to me seems impossible.

So, what about you? What’s the most humanly impossible thing or things you will ask God to do this year?

Haiti Relief

2010-01-21T13:18:00.002-06:00

I’ve taken a few weeks off from blogging, but I’m back. Lots of thoughts rolling around in my head, and lots of things I want to write about, but just haven’t taken the time. As I’ve watched the news, seen the pictures and listened to stories coming out of Haiti the last week and a half, my heart has been broken. Seeing the pictures and hearing the stories about children, many of whom have lost their parents in the earthquake, is especially difficult.

What can we do? Most of us can’t physically go now, but we can certainly pray and we can give. No matter how big or small the amount, we can all give something. As has been said from numerous places, besides the need for medical personnel, money is the number one need right now. If you don't know where to give, Compassion International (compassion.com) is a great organization working in Haiti and 100% of funds given will go to relief efforts. No matter if you give to Compassion or some other organization, find a place to give and be generous.

10 questions to ask at the start of 2010

2009-12-30T21:45:00.003-06:00

Last year about this time I came across Don Whitney’s “10 questions to ask at the start of a new year.” Take some time to consider these thought provoking questions and how 2010 might be different for you than previous years…

1. What's one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God?

2. What's the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?

3. What's the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year?

4. In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it?

5. What is the single biggest time-waster in your life, and what will you do about it this year?

6. What is the most helpful new way you could strengthen your church?

7. For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year?

8. What's the most important way you will, by God's grace, try to make this year different from last year?

9. What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year?

10. What single thing that you plan to do this year will matter most in ten years? In eternity?

John Piper

2009-12-22T22:08:00.003-06:00

As one of the Christmas gifts to my mother, I plan to give her a collection of cd’s containing powerful messages from pastors that have impacted my life. If I’m honest, there is only a small number of pastors/teachers who I really love listening to. One such pastor in that short list for me is John Piper. The man has a gift…he can flat out preach, and I love to listen and learn from this man.

Well, tonight as I was looking through messages stored on my iTunes, I ran across some of Piper’s sermons, a few that I have kept because they were so impactful in my life. A couple messages stood out to me as I was looking and scanning through what I’ve saved. There are lots of messages I could pass on, but tonight, a few really stood out to me.

One such message that I’ve actually passed on to others in the past is a message Piper preached on the subject of evangelism titled, “I’m Sending You To Open Their Eyes”. I need to listen to this message a couple times a year, primarily as a reminder of my calling as a believer to be active in evangelism, as well as a motivator to develop intentional relationship for the purpose of sharing Christ. It’s a message where Piper gives very practical advice on sharing Christ with the lost. Great ideas, and great motivation to get out there and seize the opportunities God puts in your lap. You can download the audio of the message here: http://tinyurl.com/6f6h9b

A couple other messages that have impacted my life….“Doing Missions When Dying is Gain” and then the message he preached at One Day 2000, titled, “Boasting Only in the Cross”. You can find these messages along with hundreds of other’s at www.desiringgod.org.

Grateful for...

2009-12-21T11:18:00.005-06:00

With Thanksgiving in the rear view mirror and Christmas just a few days away, this time of the year is always a time that I cannot help but reflect on how good God has been to me and my family. I actually was going through files on my computer this morning and came across an email sent to me a few years ago by a friend of mine, David Robbins at The Aquila Project (www.theaquilaproject.com http://tapasia.wordpress.com). I thought I’d pass on to you some of what he shared in that email…

I am grateful for…

*Being born in this country (we had no say where we were born or to whom we were born--it was the gracious gift of God).

*Having a wonderful home (1.3 billion people around our world are living without adequate shelter).

*Our health and access to healthcare (there are 1.5 billion people who have no access to medical care).

*Adequate clothing (1.4 billion people are without adequate daily clothing).

*Clean, fresh water (an estimated 25,000 people die everyday due to dirty, polluted water).

*Freedom to meet with brothers and sisters in Christ in worship (3 billion people are denied freedom to assemble).

*God’s provision of an income to meet our needs through faithful giving of ministry partners (1.9 billion people live in absolute poverty).

*His Word (380 million people are still waiting to receive God's Word in their own language).

*Certainty of heaven (one third of our world population have never even heard the name of Jesus).

*Our family and friends.

When I read those statistics, I’m reminded of how fortunate we all are. As you continue through this Christmas season, may you be faithful to reach out to those who are in need around you. God’s purpose does not end at us being blessed, but that we will be a blessing to others. I hope you and your family pause in reflective gratitude to the God of good gifts this season.

Tip for Online Purchases

2009-12-18T10:52:00.002-06:00

It’s a little late to pass on a tip for Christmas shopping, but a site that could save you some money when you buy things online is www.ebates.com

The gist of it is, you open an account with ebates, click on the store you want to shop from, and then get a percentage of your purchase back. The price you pay going through ebates or straight to the store website is exactly the same, so it’s a no brainer if you buy absolutely anything over the web. Some stores give back 1%, some give upwards of 10% back. Ebates sends you a check 4 times a year, and there’s no catch to any of it. Pretty much any store you might buy something from works with ebates. Check it out… www.ebates.com

I'd beat that dog!

2009-12-18T10:21:00.003-06:00

We are blessed to live in a neighborhood where everyone has some space, meaning we don’t all have postage stamp backyards. Lots and lots of people have dogs in our neighborhood and while most of them are friendly, there are a few who are meaner than a snake. On occasion dogs get out and kind of roam the neighborhood and obviously that concerns me as a parent of small children. In fact, while I was out of town earlier this year, Tammy and the boys had a close call with one. Ever since that experience, when we take our boys and our man dog (Mo) out for a walk, I almost always take a 2½ foot pvc pipe with me just in case I might get the privilege of beating one of those mean dogs upside there devil heads. I haven’t had that opportunity yet, but I’m always looking.

Back behind our house is a huge creek, full of flat, pancake like rocks, perfect for skipping. Brooks and Brayden, being boys and all, absolutely love to go down there and skip rocks. Well this week I took them down to the creek and just as we got down there, a certain demonized dog showed up, maybe 100 yards away. The dog started barking at us and I just muttered the comment under my breath, “I wish that dog would come over here! I’d beat that dog!” Immediately Brooks turned around to me with a smirk on his face. He paused for a second with the smirk still planted on his face, and said, “I’d like that very much.”

I busted out laughing, and thought, now that’s my boy! As much as I try to teach my boys to be nice, polite, well mannered and well behaved, I also want to bring out the warrior, the barbarian that I know is in both of them (can you tell I just read “Wild At Heart”?). I’m not sure beating a mean dog is the best way to do that, but I don’t guess it could hurt either. After all, Brooks did say it himself, “I’d like that very much”. So would I, son…so would I.

Life Happens While You're Busy Making Other Plans For It

2009-12-15T14:56:00.003-06:00

Time flies…whether you are having fun or not, time flies. In just a couple weeks, we will flip the calendar again and head into another year, and in fact, another decade all together. Seems like the other day we were all freaked out about Y2K, and now, just like that, it’s about to be 2010. It’s ridiculous, really it is. Life goes by so incredibly fast it seems like a blur. As I spend time with my wife, my boys, and those in my family, I often consciously tell myself to take it all in, to not miss “life” and all the blessings of God. I’ve heard it said, “Life happens while you’re busy making other plans for it”. Wow…that’s so true for so many of us. Certainly it’s been true of me at different points in my life.

I’ve always been a planner. I often think about the future, about being prepared, being ready for whatever is to come our way. Even in simple things like a family vacation, I spend probably too much time planning exactly where we’ll stay, what we’ll do, etc. I’m not sure being this way is always a good thing, but hey, it’s part of who I am. And as a planner, I’ve had to constantly remind myself over and over again that THIS IS MY LIFE. Instead of always looking ahead, I need to open my eyes, take a look around and enjoy this life and the blessings of God. Brooks will never be 4½ again, and Brayden will never be 2½ again. They are growing up and at some point soon enough, they will both realize that the Christmas gifts they get on Christmas morning are actually just gifts from mom and dad and not from some guy named Santa Claus. Tammy is my bride and never could I have imagined being so blessed with such a wife and mother to our boys as she is. Yes, I am a blessed man. And, I need to take it all in, not miss any of it. This is life…now. I can put the thoughts and plans for the future on hold for a little bit and just enjoy this life now.

Joyful Giving

2009-12-10T22:52:00.001-06:00

Few books have made as big an impact on my life (outside of the Bible) like Randy Alcorn’s book, The Treasure Principle. If there’s a book that I’ll read again and again, it’s this book. As the subtitle states, the book will challenge you to discover the secret to joyful giving. And…if there was ever a time of the year to read this book, it’s this season for sure.

Without question for me, I had the greatest example of what it means to be a joyful giver. As a child I watched my father, without any hesitation, give over and over and over. It never seemed to matter to him…if there was a need, he would do what he could to help meet it. Literally, he was the kind of man who would give the shirt off his back if someone needed it. On countless occasions, I watched him being obedient to what God asks all of us to do, to give joyfully. He gave to the church, he gave to people in need, he gave to people who weren’t necessarily in need. As a little boy, I remember a family of seven who were so incredibly poor that they didn’t know where their next meal was going to come from. My dad, when he heard about this family, went and bought hundreds of dollars worth of groceries, bought several sets of clothes for each family member, and then handed them a handful of cash. He walked away not expecting, and in my opinion, not even desiring that anyone noticed what he did. As I sit and write now, I can think of time after time, story after story of my dad giving. He was a man who had the gift of giving, and he put his gift to work as God brought him opportunity after opportunity.

As Randy Alcorn states in The Treasure Principle, we are not the owners of what’s in our checking account, our savings account, our 401K, or even the cash in our pocket. God is. We are simply a manager of His money, of His possessions. He owns it all and He gives us the responsibility of managing what He places in our possession. My home is not my home, my truck is not my truck, my TV is not my TV, my clothes are not my clothes….all of it, everything, it all belongs to God. As the owner, God has the right at anytime to tell me, the manager, exactly what He wants to do with what He has allowed to be in my possession.

Having this mindset ought to be freeing for us as believers. It ought to cause us to live in such a way that we have a loose grip on all “our” possessions. It ought to cause us to be the first one to respond when there is a need. It ought to cause us to always be looking to set aside money so that we are able to give to special needs when God brings them our way. It ought to cause us to have a kingdom mindset, and radically change the way we spend money. It ought to cause us to be joyful and smile as we write a check to kingdom work, be it at your church or another ministry. It ought to cause us to be good stewards of what God’s blessed us with, not taking anything for granted, but treating every possession as being on loan from God.

My father was not perfect. In fact, he had his share of weaknesses, but the impact he made on hundreds, if not thousands of people he joyfully gave to was and still is profound. I’m thankful for His powerful influence on me, and even though he’s been gone for almost three years, I’m still challenged by the way God used His giving to impact my life even now. He discovered the secret of joyful giving, and I pray I’m on my way.

Chase the Goose!

2009-11-22T19:05:00.000-06:00

I have heard for a long time now that you will be the same person next year except for the books you read and the people you meet. I’m not sure who said that, and I’m not sure I completely agree with the statement, but I have to admit the quote does have some truth to it. I like what Shu has said, “Readers are leaders and leaders are readers”. It’s hard to argue with the truth of that statement.

Let me say first that I’m not a guy who just loves reading, but for the most part, I have to intentionally make myself read. Over the last several years, the practice and discipline of reading has become much easier and something I have come to enjoy more and more. I want to be a guy who is constantly learning, and one great way to learn is to read. So, as a result, I do my best to read at least one book a month.

A book I recently read that has made an impact on my life is “Wild Goose Chase”, by Mark Batterson. In fact, it was one of a few books God used as my wife and I prayed about and ultimately made the decision that God was leading us to adopt a little girl from Ethiopia. Many things stuck out to me as I read the book, but one specific thing that continued to come to mind as I read was simply, “What do you feel God calling you to do now that if you don’t do, you will regret later in life?” When I look back at my life thus far, I have had my fair share of regrets, especially regarding risks I didn’t take, times when I played it too safe. Yet, I was challenged as I read this book, that as a believer, God hasn’t called me to live a safe, comfortable, risk-free life. His desire is that I be a risk taker for Him, to not always look for the comfortable and easy way, but to trust Him and step out in faith and obedience when He calls.

The decision for us to adopt was one I wrestled with for a long time. But as I continued to go to the Word, realizing that’s God primary way of speaking to us, I asked for wisdom. As I was praying and seeking what God desired for us, I could not get away from the prompting and voice of the Spirit nudging us to step out in faith, to trust Him with this. And so, although we are uncertain of what God has in store for our family, we move forward with confidence and assurance that He has called us to adopt, specifically from an “unreached” people. No matter what may come our way, whether it be joy, whether it be pain, or likely some combination of the two, we are excited about what God has in store. We are determined as a family to strive to walk in obedience to Father, living our lives with no regrets.

As I mentioned, God’s primary way of speaking to us is His word, and that should always be the first and last place we go when we need wisdom. But, I’m so thankful for authors and books whom God also uses to challenge, stir, and inspire me. He used “Wild Goose Chase” in my life, and I expect He will use others as I take the time to read and learn from other authors.

I'm currently reading: “Killing Cockroaches: And Other Scattered Musings on Leadership” by Tony Morgan

Next up on my reading list: “Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters” by Tim Keller