Refuel Book Report #3

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

I've been steadily reading through the book, I just haven't had time to blog in the past few days.  

To get a better picture of what Refuel is all about check out this post.

Chapter 3 is all about Stopping.  

"It doesn't have to be a long stop . . . just stop for five minutes.  Or three.  Or one.  Or thirty seconds.  That's right . . . seconds!"

Refueling doesn't require me to spend 3 hours each morning in the word.  I can stop and take pauses throughout my day and refuel my soul.  Don't misunderstand me, if a person can spend a long period in the morning or night or during the day in the Bible and prayer then that's fantastic.  There are times I spend an extended period with God, but those are few and far between, usually it is a half hour max.  I would be spending more time with God if I created stopping points throughout my day to pray or read some scripture.  We get so busy we don't take time to stop.

"Just as you don't refuel your car while it is in motion, you can't refill your soul while you are in a flurry of activity."

Doug shared some obstacles to stopping:

Lie:  There's just not enough time to do everything

Lie:  I'm just in a busy season right now  (I highlighted this one because this would be the lie I use often to cover for not stopping)

Lie:  But this is really, really important  (when you say yes to everything.  we need to learn to say "no")

Lie:  Success and busyness are synonyms

Favorite quote from chapter 3:

"Stop saying yes to everything.

Stop occupying your life with trivial things.

Stop filling your life with too many good things and living a busy life with no margins and no space for God and what really matters.

     Stop so you can refuel your soul and have the spiritual depth to battle the superficiality of busyness."

Refuel Book Report #2

Chapter 1 report

I'm reading through chapter two of Refuel.  The chapter is entitled Ditch the Guilt.  The idea is that many people feel God is angry or even disappointed in them, that's their view of God which of course directly effects their relationship with him.  Having a quiet time, spending time with God shouldn't feel like you are having religious requirements and laws heaped on your shoulders. Doug Fields says in chapter 2, "I don't want to crush you with impossible religious demands."  Sad thing is that many people feel this way about their faith and relationship with God.  Perhaps they are more into religion than relationship?  I know there were many things taught to me in the "name of God" growing up that just weren't true.   Hey, blue jeans aren't of the devil, playing cards won't send your life into a sinful tailspin.  I did hear a lot what God was against and not what God is for.

My favorite paragraph thus far in chapter 2:

"To minimize the guilt and maximize your connections with God, I'm convinced that you have to fight against compartmentalized faith.  What is that?  A compartmentalized faith is a pick-and-choose lifestyle in which a person basically wanders between Christlike life and Christless life.  Typically such a person chooses to live God's way when the church lights are on and Christian friends are looking, but behind closed doors,  when no eye can see him, all bets are off."

More on chapter 2 later. . .

Refuel Book Report

I have finished chapter 1 of Refuel.   I know that I'm not the only one that struggles with consistency in having time alone with God on a daily basis  in prayer and in reading the Bible.  Refuel is a great book that deals with that very topic.  I know if you have the book or get the book you will say, "Andy sure is a slow reader."  The book is a small book.  My plan is to take it very slow and to really think about what I'm reading and not rush through this book that I could easily read in a day.

Here are a couple of things that Doug Fields wrote in chapter 1, I'm a Spiritual Loser, that stood out to me or made a connection with me:

"I've become very aware that if I don't connect with God on a regular basis, I run out of passion and become spiritually empty."

"Please stop comparing.  You're not Mother Teresa or Martin Luther.  Neither am I.  You're you!   God designed you to be in your faith too.  I'm not sugesting that you can't have an intimacy with God similar to that of other heroes of our faith; of course you can.  But I'm asking you to quit comparing, and instead be challenged to learn how to be spiritually refueled in realistic ways that fit with how you're wired,  You can to this!  I know you can.

I certainly can relate with the first statement.  Sometimes I allow myself to get so busy (don't make excuses for your busyness) that I fail to take time, some time, any time, during the day with God.  It is also a danger for those that teach for a living in the church to get so wrapped up in reading and studying for a lesson or sermon prep that we forget how important it is to just spend time in the presence of God.

I love the second statement that I put in "bold".  We are all wired differently.  We learn differently, some are morning and some are night time type of people.  What's wrong with praying in the car? (please make sure your eyes are open if you are driving)  Doug wrote about the reading the Bible through in a year plan.  That's nice and I'm proud of those who can do that.  My mind just doesn't function that way.   I started to attempt that again this year and have already failed.  

This week is going to be a very hectic one.  We have The Call on Friday and Saturday.  Due to circumstances beyond my control I have become (reluctantly but realizing this is what God wants) the speaker in the main sessions.  This means I have two more messages to prep this week as well as one break out seminar for leaders.  I also have the other stuffs that go along with prep for the event, good thing we have a ministry team for The Call, it's going to be a busy week.  The danger is that I don't spend time with God, just me and him, then step up to speak to hundreds of students and be "empty, have no passion". 

So why am I sitting here typing this?  I gotta go get some refueling!