Forgotten God, by Francis Chan

The subtitle to this amazing, life-changing book is "Reversing our tragic neglect of the Holy Spirit." I bought the audiobook version of this on iTunes last week and have listened to it twice thru already, and sections of it a third or fourth time. This is not a long, exhaustive book, but it is a succinct, bible-based examination of how many American Christians have -for all practical purposes- forgotten the third person of the Trinity. As Chan points out, Jesus Himself told His disciples, "It is for your advantage that I leave, so that I can send you the Spirit." (my paraphrase of John 16:7)
Let me just go ahead and share some excerpts with you:

"The phrases 'keeping in step with the Spirit' & 'walking with the Spirit' are most likely familiar, but do they affect your life in a practical and meaningful way? ...Dwelling on God's plan for the future often excuses us from faithful & sacrificial living NOW. It tends to create a safe-zone of sorts where we can sit around and have spiritual conversations about what God MIGHT have planned for our lives. Thinking, questioning and talking can take the place of letting the Spirit affect our immediate actions in RADICAL ways."

"I don't want my life to be explainable without the Holy Spirit. I want people to look at my life and know that I couldn't be doing this by my own power."

"Dwelling on God's plan for the future often excuses us from faithful and sacrificial living now...God cares more about our response to His Spirit's leading today, in this moment, than about what we intend to do next year. In fact, the decisions we make next year will be profoundly affected by the degree to which we submit to the Spirit right now in today's decisions."

"When people found out we were giving all the royalties away from my book "Crazy Love," they said we were foolish. They said we should at least put away some of the money in case of an emergency. My response: Is it not an emergency that children in Cambodia and Thailand and even the United States are being raped every single day of their lives?! Why is THAT not an emergency? I think the church often inadvertently teaches that the sex slave trade is not an emergency, and this i believe is sin. Is an emergency only an emergency if it affects me and my family?"

At the end of each chapter, he shared a short biography of an individual or couple that he sees obvious evidence of the Holy Spirit's filling. So encouraging! I'm sure i'll be adding a few more excerpts after i get my hardback copy of the book in the mail. It was so good, i want to be able to actually underline quotes! I found this book very similar to David Platt's "Radical," in that they aren't saying anything "new" exactly, but really just stating what is already in God's Word, but what we as the--mainly--American Christian church have disregarded for many many years.

Brokenness Aside, EP No.1, by All Sons & Daughters

So, it's time for a bit of a change-up. True, i read a lot of books. But, another genre of reading that greatly influences my life is the music i listen to. I'm going to start sharing some of my favorite albums and songs with y'all, hoping to get the word out on some lesser-known artists that i've had the privilege to discover. First off, is a worship duo, Leslie Jordan and David Leonard. You can find out more about them on their website, www.allsonsanddaughters.com

I bought their EP album a few days ago and have basically had it on repeat, just soaking up the words and music. Their sound is such a glorious mixture of folk, singer/songwriter, worship, just pure loveliness. Here's some excerpts: First, from the song "Alive." "This is a call to all the dead and disappointed, the ones who feel like they are done. This is a word to all the ones who feel forgotten: you are not. Oh, you are not. Cause we're alive, alive, alive and we're singing. We're alive, alive, alive and we're shaken. We're alive in You...We are soaked in all the grace that we've been given, unchained form all that we have done. Your mercy's rising like the sun on the horizon and we're coming home."

And one more (because i don't want to risk breaking any copyright laws). This one is titled "All the Poor & Powerless." "All the poor and powerless, and all the lost and lonely. All the thieves will come confess and know that You are holy, will know that You are holy. All will sing out, Hallelujah, we will cry out, Hallelujah! All the hearts who are content, and all who fell unworthy. All who hurt with nothing left, will know that You are holy...Shout it, go on and scream it from the mountains; Go on and tell it to the masses, that He is God! We will sing out, Hallelujah, we will cry out, Hallelujah, We will sing out Hallelujah God!"

So, there you go. Go find it on iTunes, or get it from their web store. It's worth every penny!