Stay tuned for Monday’s post. I will be releasing a special conference message from 2012 on the Lord Jesus Christ. I’m confident it will bless you.

In the meantime, check out my recent discussion with Dr. Michael Brown. It was a rare and touching moment in talk radio.

Here is a special note from my publisher.

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Sheila Cragg’s new book, A Woman’s Heart for God, explores how women can draw closer to the Lover of their souls. I caught up with Sheila recently to interview her about her new book. Enjoy!

Tell us a bit about the experiences that shaped the insights in the book.

Sheila Cragg: For thirteen years now the Lord has been teaching me about His sovereignty and His plans for my life that I would never have chosen. Between serious illnesses, my husband becoming suddenly blind, and other family struggles, nothing has seemed to go right. I have begged God to answer prayers and deliver us from our difficulties. Yet God hasn’t answered my way or in my timing. Instead, He has been teaching me to watch for Him working in our trials, in the unchanging circumstances. He has revealed His Sovereign plans and called me to serve Him in ways that I had never imagined doing.

There are two Bible passages that stand out to me and have helped me realize: “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps” (Prov. 16:9 NLT).

I feel like Job did when he wrote, “He [God] is singular and sovereign. Who can argue with him? He does what he wants, when he wants to. He’ll complete in detail what he’s decided about me, and whatever else he determines to do. Is it any wonder that I dread meeting him? Whenever I think about it, I get scared all over again God makes my heart sink” (Job 23: 13-15 MSG)!

Instead of asking, “what is your book about,” I’m going to ask the question that’s behind that question. And that unspoken question is, “how are readers going to benefit from reading your book?”

Sheila Cragg: Many Christians have a misconception about how God works in our lives. We expect Him to answer our prayers based on what we believe He should do for us. When our problems continue without answers or change, or one hardship comes upon another, we question God and wonder why He doesn’t intervene and supply our needs. It’s our expectations of what God should do that defeat us, and it’s at this point many feel abandoned and turn away from God.

I have come to realize, “How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!For who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice?” (Rom. 11:33-34 NLT)?

My prayer is that readers will benefit from reading my book by surrendering their plans to God and discovering His purpose for their lives, which is a daily exercise of being open to His guidance. I pray they discover how to trust the Lord to hang onto them when they cannot hold on any longer. I pray they surrender to God’s working in and through them in places and with people in ministries they would never have chosen or even imagined doing. I pray they learn to see how He redeems our most painful experiences for His glory. I pray they see the gifts that come from their willingness to do what God desires and how He can use them to encourage others in their walk with the Lord.

How is your book different from the many other books on the topic of drawing closer to God?

Sheila Cragg: Many books are about how we must draw closer to God and that we are responsible for the quality of our spiritual life. But what I hope to convey is that the spiritual life is much more about what God does for us and about how He draws us closer to Him. Closeness with the Lord begins with recognizing the initiative He takes toward us. That’s why God longs for our commitment to Him to flow from our love relationship with Him, not out of obligation. He wants us to lean against Him, to turn to Him even when difficult circumstances press in from all sides.

I used to believe, “It was all up to me.” My relationship with God. My commitment to spiritual disciplines. Even whether or not things were going “right” in my life.

I used to believe that the way to a deeper relationship with God was to have personal objectives that I worked toward every day. I set monthly, yearly, and lifelong goals and tried to develop habits that I believed would help me grow in my relationship with God.

I was basing everything on my efforts, my plans, and my determination to please God with my devotional life. All well meaning, but it was all self-driven, not God-driven. It was based on my working to get closer to God rather than daily waiting on His guidance and listening for what He wanted to teach me during my time with Him and throughout the day. And I kept failing!

Instead of helping me, the goals I set for myself made me feel like a disappointment to God when I didn’t achieve them or even work toward them. Those goals kept me from realizing that God is Sovereign and He has plans for my life and to bring about spiritual growth that I had never imagined.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9 ESV).

Give us two or three of the most important pieces of advice for people who are asking, “How Do I Get Closer to the Lover of My Soul?”

Sheila Cragg: First, loving us is God’s idea. “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19 kjv). Because He loves us He takes the initiative to draw us to Himself, so we need to open our hearts and receive His outpouring of love through Jesus at our Savior.

Second, we need to realize that the Lord initiates a relationship with us. Once we recognize this we are relieved of the burden of feeling it is all on us. We begin to see that He is drawing us closer to Himself through His Word.

Third, God has plans for our lives that we would never imagine, and once we surrender to His will and do what He desires, He draws us closer to Him. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you” (Jer. 29:11-12 ESV).

Fourth, we discover the “gifts” that come out of the difficult challenges we may daily experience and that is to minister to others even in the midst of our own trials. “The Sovereign Lord has taught me what to say, so that I can strengthen the weary. Every morning he makes me eager to hear what he is going to teach me” (Isaiah 50:4 GNT).

What do you say to the person that they have trouble spending time with God? They don’t really know what to do and it’s not very exciting?

Sheila Cragg: My book offers practical ideas and creative ways to spend time with the Lord and be open to Him. But I also struggle with having devotions and setting aside the time. I have come to realize that even when I don’t get anything out of my Bible reading, the Spirit of God is still imprinting the Word on my heart and mind. Then the Spirit speaks through those passages at other times when He is working in me. Once I shift my focus more on God and not on my expectations what I’m going to get out of devotions, I can see more clearly what He is teaching me and how He is working. Once we realize that God initiates a relationship with us, and we open ourselves to watching for Him at work in our lives and listening to how He is guiding us through Scripture, our time with Him becomes more genuine and real and, yes, exciting.

You discuss being open to God’s presence. What does that mean? And who do you say to the person who says, “I don’t know what God’s presence feels like”?

Sheila Cragg: We become so consumed in thinking about our own needs and what we want from Him that we do not feel His presence. We experience God’s presence through his Word as we listen to it, how it applies to our life, and then act upon it. The Holy Spirit is also present within us, and He makes Himself known to us whether we realize it or not. So we need to be intentional about watching for the Spirit of God working in our lives and how He daily desires to guide us. He prompts us to do certain things and convicts us of sin. My greatest caution is that the Spirit of God never tells us to do wrong or to twist His Word. Pray and memorize Psalm 139, which is a promise of God’s presence in our lives.

What has the response been to the book so far?

Sheila Cragg: My book seems to resonate with readers because I have been transparent about my own personal and spiritual struggles. I question why God works the way He does and why He takes so long to answer. I even become angry at times when our trials are so horrible, such as the abuse and severe neglect of our foster grandchildren by their birth mother. I wondered why those in authority refused to intervene. Where was God? Even during that time God revealed Himself to me through His Word and in many other surprising ways.

I try to help readers understand that it is okay to question unrelenting hardships and that some heartaches like what we went through will make no sense this side of heaven.

Here is what readers wrote about A Woman’s Heart for God.

“Sometimes I think to myself, ‘How does this woman know my exact thoughts and fears???’ I love that you admit that there are times you feel like you pray the same things over and over…I have been going through the same thing myself. I also love that you say it is OKAY and show me ways to break out of that pattern.”

“I just had to let you know that I have finished A Woman’s Heart for God, and I have never been so sad to finish a book! I read one chapter a day (most days) and learned SO much from you. I am now going back and reviewing the highlights I made just to reinforce what I learned. I admire and respect the way you have handled difficulties in life. Your story has reminded me that God uses trials and difficulties to get us where we need to be. I need to remember what the ultimate goals of this life are….. to stay in God’s will, serve Him, and to join Him in heaven when this life is over. We lost our youngest daughter 8 years ago to ovarian cancer (she was just 17 years old) and I have been floundering around ever since. I haven’t lost faith, but I haven’t been actively serving either. I’ve just been in a waiting pattern. I know there is something more God would have me do and you have encouraged me to continue watching, waiting and praying in the meantime.”

Faith Farrell wrote this review:

“I loved every chapter of this book!

All the topics addressed lie so close to a woman’s heart.

Don’t we all feel that our relationship with Jesus is sustained by our own efforts?

Don’t we all feel that once we are saved by Grace it is up to us to strive harder to grow in Grace?

Have we ever lost sight of this truth: “My deeper relationship with God is up to Him, not me: He will guide me and instruct me in His ways?”

Don’t we all want to respond to God as the Lover of our Souls? Don’t we all forget He is the one who initiates this Love relationship?

Don’t we all worry that our flaws are too much for God to Love?

This book begins with a foundation of rich theological truth, an overview of God’s Perfect, Divine Nature.

Our heart sings as we read about His Glory, His Love, His Holiness, His Mercy and Long-Suffering Kindness toward us; His Ever Present Care for us. . . .

Reading this book causes us to celebrate our Lover, and to look into His heart of Care for us, and to look into our own heart that needs His Love, and to see He is there to pour it out upon us.

The chapters on knowing we are God’s, and that He will never turn us away work to heal our frail hearts. Our hearts fear being unloved, or unworthy of love, and this cripples our relationship with God. We fear being rejected.

“God’s beloveds include those who feel flawed, frail, handicapped; who are hurting and wounded; who have emotional and mental illnesses; who have personality quirks and physical imperfections. But, far more importantly, these men and women have a heart for God and great worth in His eyes–and they are spiritually beautiful.”

“The truth is, you are one of God’s beloved. As you receive His love and understand the worth you have in Him, you will radiate His beauty. You will be a woman after His own heart.”

In the chapters on loss and affliction, being crucified with Christ, every observation she made struck a chord with me. It was so heartening to hear some of Sheila Cragg’s personal story, and her reflections on life.

“Life’s uncertainties can definitely challenge my confidence in God. I know in my mind that God is faithful and reliable, but I waver emotionally. I would rather not go through the wrenching process of my faith being tried and stretched. I’d like to be a spiritual super person, but I’m not. And I suspect I’m not alone. Yet as I persevere by faith, my trust in the Lord grows stronger.”

Looking at our afflictions honestly and trusting God to hold us in Him when we would run away leads to hope: “Even in our brokenness, a tiny seed of confidence in God will grow deeper spiritual roots. We can cling to our Lord no matter how terrible the heartaches, despite our inability to handle the painful circumstances, and regardless of our doubts about God and our wavering faith. We can ask God to hold on to us when we can’t hold on to Him any longer, and He will.”

The chapters on the devotional life are the best I have read so far in my Christian reading.

“God is the One who helps us embrace the beauty of a life devoted to Him. As we faithfully meet with Jesus, He enables us to face trials of all kinds, He guides our steps and strengthens our faith, and He uses us to comfort others with the comfort we have received from Him.”

“I used to think I’d failed when I came away from my quiet time still feeling spiritually empty. I now realize that my feelings have little to do with what God is doing in my life. I now want to spend time with God to build our relationship just as I want to spend time with my husband, sons, and grandchildren to build our relationship–and simply because I love them and enjoy being with them.”

Reading this book a woman comes to understand that an intense season of giving care to a suffering loved one or raising children does not make her a failure at prayer and the disciplines. We need to draw closer to God in an intense season, but every season of Seeking God will not look the same.

“Seeking after God in every season of life will allow Him to cultivate the soil of our hearts, prune sin, cut off dead branches, and tenderly nurture our growth. He yearns to meet with us in a simple, sacred place where we can flourish in His watchful, protecting presence.”

What else do you want readers to know about your book?

Sheila Cragg: Our life here on earth is not all about us or what we want. It’s all about the Lord and what He wants to do in and through us. I have come to realize that we cannot possibly become committed to God or lead a disciplined life or form fixed spiritual habits by our personal efforts. We fail every time. Developing good spiritual habits means surrendering to the God-directed life. It means listening to the Holy Spirit directing us in each season of life—whether it’s an exhausted season with young children demanding our time, an intense season of finding our place in our vocation, or a lonely season of waiting and reflecting.

Related:

God’s View of a Woman

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So I’m writing this candid post for two reasons:

1) to give you a back-stage peek into the life of an author.

2) to give you an update on what’s happening with God’s Favorite Place on Earth.

Seeing that you all helped the book hit the Amazon bestseller list, I thought you’d be interested.

(If you’re new to the blog, God’s Favorite Place on Earth hit #13 on Amazon and stayed below #50 for 8 days straight. The chances of a book hitting the top 15 on Amazon are slim to none. And slim left town. The thanks and credit goes to all of you who bought a copy.)

However, there is something that has hurt the book big time. And it continues to hurt it. For an author who regards this little volume to be his “life’s work,” the problem is beyond frustrating. Let me ‘splain.

Many readers buy their books from Amazon.com. Three main reasons. Amazon has very competitive prices, they grant free shipping for purchases over $25 (= 3 copies), and their customer service is without peer.

As soon as the book released, the Amazon book page said – Ships in 7 to 12 days. That immediately hurt sales. Some people waited until the book was in stock.

I’m now getting emails from people who bought the book the first week of May telling me that they are just now getting the book!

Sigh.

Even worse, about 5 days ago the book page gave the dreaded Temporarily out of stock notice. And it’s still there.

“Why?” . . .  you ask. “Can’t this be fixed? Just get your publisher to ship more books to Amazon.”

Well .  .  . we’ve alerted both Amazon and the publisher since release week. More than once.

And thus far . . . the problem remains.

The result: the book has dropped to the 2,000s on Amazon.  If a book is in the top 5,000 on Amazon, it’s still doing very well (note that Amazon carries over 7 million titles). But it’s not getting the attention or the readership it deserves.

If this book was “In Stock” from day one, I am confident it would still be in the top 100 of Amazon’s books.

What is more, as I shared in my Something That Concerns Me post, momentum for a book only happens by word of mouth. Well, it’s kind of hard to spread the word about a book that you’ve never read because you are waiting on Amazon to ship it.

Double Sigh.

So here’s what I’d ask.

1. If you are dead set on getting God’s Favorite Place on Earth from Amazon, order it anyway. They will get the book in stock eventually. Hopefully sooner than later. Once they get the book, they will ship it to you immediately.

2. If you bought the book at local bookstore (LifeWay and Family Christian both carry it as well as some independent Christian bookstores) and the book ministered to you, please tell your friends about it. They won’t know about it unless someone tells them.

3. You can order the book from any of these  stores:

LifeWay (local)

Family Christian (local)

Other local Christian bookstores carry it. Just call them.

Online Stores:

ChristianBook

Family Christian

Barnes and Noble

So if you’re an author and your book does really well on release week, this is some of the frustration you can expect.

I’d hate to see this book lose momentum because Amazon is waiting for the next shipment.

So thanks for keeping it alive.

Update: See the note from the publisher of the book.

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But more than her flare for the writing craft, Mary’s insight into Jesus Christ is beyond that of most contemporary writers. She’s also accessible (something I highly value in authors), friendly, discerning and generous.

In other words, she exhibits the Lord Jesus.

I caught up with Mary recently to talk with her about her recent book, Everything: What You Give and What You Gain to Become Like Jesus.

Enjoy the interview and pass it on.

Mary, instead of asking, “what is your book about,” I’m going to ask the question that’s behind that question. And that unspoken question is, “how are readers going to benefit from reading your book?”

Mary DeMuth: They will be able to see their difficult circumstances not as intruders but as friends and companions to lead them to deeper, more meaningful growth in Jesus. We are a pain-averse folk, but the reality is, this crazy life brings pain. Instead of avoiding and denying that reality, why not lean into it and glean everything we can from our difficult place? As I look back on my own journey of growth, it’s always been the hard circumstances that brought me the greatest, deepest growth.

I was on the treadmill while reading your book and almost had an accident when I read your references to T. Austin-Sparks and Keith Green! Both of these men – especially Sparks – were profoundly instrumental in my Christian journey. I never hear authors mention them today, especially Sparks. (I dedicated Jesus: A Theography to him, in fact, with the hopes that readers will rediscover this luminous soul whose words are still steadfastly anointed.) I’m very interested in how you heard of these two brothers in Christ and what impact they’ve had on your own spiritual journey.

Mary DeMuth:  Sorry to hear about your near-accident! I’m a child of the 80s (just ask my poor kids about my 80s playlist I torture them with). And during the 80s, Keith Green reigned. His music came to me right after I met Jesus, and it remained with me after he died, reminding me that Christianity wasn’t about my comfort but about His lordship. In the late 80s while I attended college, I met with a group of students who studied revival and movements of God. T. Austin Sparks came into that discussion/longing. We were on fire for God!

We wanted to see Him move mightily on our campus. Sparks (through his book) reminded us that a movement starts with our personal connectedness to the Almighty. Another book I read during that time that I tend to read every year is The Calvary Road by Roy Hession. Again, this book reminded me that Christianity wasn’t about me being perfect on the outside, but broken on the inside. There is no room for playacting or for spiritual pride. Hearing George Verwer speak about brokenness at the Urbana ’87 conference cemented a lifelong belief that the kind of Christian I wanted to be was a teachable, humble, broken, dependent one.

Give us two or three of the most important pieces of advice you have for people who want to surrender everything to Jesus and be more like Him?

Mary DeMuth: One. You can’t change the world when you try to make it happen through control. Control freaks (of which I am one) cut off God’s ability to get a word in edgewise, and negates His power through us. Only a surrendered heart welcomes the power of God. But we so worship the idol of control, I doubt many of us even know we do it.

Two. We cannot worship God and money. For many of us, we can turn to money for the help we need. If we are sick, we call the doctor and make an appointment. If we are sad, we buy something to fill a hole inside. I learned by hanging out with my friends in Ghana that there are places in the world where money cannot fill a hole because it does not exist. My friend Paul’s first instinct when he gets sick is to pray. Mine is to call. I don’t think we realize just how much we fill our lives with finances rather than God.

Three. There is exponential joy in the word SURRENDER. But we don’t think so. We’re duped into believing it’s a painful, awful word. But I can honestly attest that learning to surrender brings such peace. It’s like believing that if you share your terrible childhood secret, the world will implode, people will judge you, and you’ll face rejection. The secret has eaten away at you for years, festering in the dark. And then you share it, surrendering it to the light, so to speak, and all those fears wash away. You’re set gloriously free. I believe Satan wants us to hold on to secrets, to control, to fear. He’s duped us into thinking living an authentic life is too risky or dangerous. Only to find out he’s a big, fat liar, and he knows that if we surrender, God does amazing, joyful, wonderful things. Surrender is not a dirty word; it’s a beautiful avenue toward a peaceful life.

You talk about the importance of death occurring in order to bring about significant things in the Kingdom of God. Can you elaborate on what that means?

Mary DeMuth: Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” John 12:24 It’s the paradoxical ways of the kingdom that death brings resurrection. We push against it—death of a dream, death of a ministry, death of a relationship—worried that death means finality, a period at the end of a painful sentence. But Jesus is in the planting/reaping business. It’s when we experience death that we can finally see resurrection.

A tangible example: When we planted a church in France, nearly every bad thing that could possibly occur happened. I remember lamenting to my husband, “Why would God bring us here to fail? What is the point of this?” I gave into despair, lost myself for a bit, and wondered why-why-why. I still don’t know all the whys, but I can say this: the most significant growth in my heart came on the soil of France where most of my dreams died. Paradox!

Today there are several very large movements that are attracting tons of Christians in their 20s and 30s. One of them speaks mostly to the head, the other mostly to the emotions, and the other mostly to the will (the three parts of the human soul). While God is certainly using these movements (as He does with most things), there’s very little spiritual depth in each of them and very little understanding about the fullness of Jesus Christ. This is a problem that concerns me greatly as I write mostly to this age group. What sorts of things do you think will help the 20s and 30s in these movements to get exposed to the deeper things of God? I’ve found that many of them don’t even know that a deeper message of Christ exists because they basically listen to all the same voices. (That’s their testimony, anyway, after they do get exposed to it). I call it the echo-chamber phenomenon.

Mary DeMuth: First and foremost is this: a celebrity is not your discipler. Sure, we can learn from folks, but they are just folks, and they are not in our lives 24/7. Unfortunately, I sometimes see the seedy side of movements as an author and speaker. I grow disillusioned at the disconnect between fame and daily life.

I love what Michael Card writes in Scribbling in the Sand: “Never cease praying that you will not become a star or celebrity. Donald Davidson has said, ‘Our culture places an absolute premium on various kinds of stardom. This degrades and impoverishes ordinary life, ordinary work, ordinary experience.’” That being said, we live in a guru-driven culture of folks running after famous gurus, nabbing spiritual blessings and nuggets of wisdom. We forget that true, deep growth comes in the context of our real-life, non-cyber, non-conference-attending community. To engage the heart, soul and mind, we have to rub shoulders with folks without pretense. We have to be vulnerable and willing to listen to the hard stuff. We have to sacrifice. We have to let real people into our lives.

Instead of flocking to Christian celebrities or movements, it’s better for our souls to flock to the manner in which Jesus conducted His life. He had friends, close friends. He lived simply. He often avoided fame and crowds.

I also think it’s instructive to see that when Jesus bid someone to follow Him, He asked the person to DO something. Wash in the pool of Siloam, sell everything, drop the nets. Sometimes we think that growth will just happen to us, but there’s an element of us choosing to pursue, choosing to do. We had to choose to follow God’s voice and move our family to France. That one painful choice resulted in amazing growth. It involved connectivity to Jesus (being able to hear His voice), a willingness to obey (actions), and an overcoming of our fears (emotions).

What else do you want readers to know about your excellent book?

Mary DeMuth: Well, first, thanks for the sweet compliment of “excellent.” My hope is that every book I write be better than the one before. I don’t want to settle. So as an author, your words are salve.

What I’d like readers to know: This is a dangerous book. It’s not a self-help tome with ten easy steps to the happy life you’ve always wanted. It’s an honest book about longstanding growth, the kind that lasts through your years. It’s not about fly-by-night spiritual success or surface-y gimmicks. It’s about the heart, which is why the cover has the word “Everything” in a heart. The Christian life is not about decorating the outside of our hearts and lives with Jesus junk. It’s about letting Jesus deal with the junk in our hearts.

Order Everything by Mary DeMuth in paperback

Order Everything by Mary DeMuth in Kindle

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Dallas Willard – I never met Dallas. We had a few email exchanges, but he was getting too sick to continue them. Dallas Willard was the salt of the earth. His passion to know Christ in the depths and his high-voltage intellect made him a bright and shining light.

Brennan Manning – I’ve already written about Brennan elsewhere and mentioned the personal advice he gave me on writing that I shall never forswear. I was privileged to meet this wonderful brother in Christ and spent several days with him back in 2007.

Bill Freeman – Less known, I got to know Freeman to some degree. I spent time with him a number of years ago at a conference in which he spoke. A magnificently gifted man with a passion for Christ’s supremacy and all-inclusiveness as well as a solid understanding of God’s Eternal Purpose. Freeman’s book The Supplied Life made my top 100 books ever written list.

One of the outstanding marks demonstrating that all of these men were making a profound impact on the Kingdom of God is the fact that all of them were slandered, misrepresented, lied about, and attacked by fellow “Christians.”

I talked about this problem recently in my defense of Rick Warren. But it bears repeating.

If you are doing something significant for the Lord, expect the worst kinds of sordid attacks to come your way. Not just from the world, but from so called “brethren.”

Jesus promised so much.

Remember the words I spoke to you: “No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.” John 15:20

It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub [the head of devils], how much more the members of his household! Matthew 10:25 

Woe to you when all men speak well of you . . . Luke 6:26

Consider what Jesus was referring to here. And Just imagine if the Internet existed during His day:

*He was accused of being an illegitimate child (John 8:41).

*He was accused of being a deceiver(John 7:12).

*He was accused of being mentally ill (John 10:20).

*He was accused of being demon possessed (Matt. 9:34; John 7:20).

*He was accused of being Beelzebub [Satan] (Matt. 10:25).

*He was accused of being a blasphemer (Matt. 9:3; 26:65; Mark 2:7)

*He was accused of being an enemy to the Law of Moses. (To put this in modern terms, His teachings and practices went against the Bible).

*He was accused of saying that he would destroy the Temple in Jerusalem (Mark 14:58).

Jesus’ warning about what would happen to those who followed faithfully in His steps was exhibited in the life of Paul of Tarsus in living color. Here are the accusations leveled against Paul during his lifetime:

*He was accused of being a man pleaser and a coward (Gal. 1:10; 1 Thess. 2:4).

*He was accused of being a false apostle (Gal. 1:11-2:10; 2 Cor. 11:16-12:12).

*He was accused of being a flatterer (1 Thess. 2:5).

*He was slandered and his good was evil spoken of (1 Cor. 10:30).

*He was accused of being greedy (1 Thess. 2:5,9).

*He was accused of seeking glory from men (1 Thess. 2:6).

*He was accused of extorting God’s people (2 Cor. 2:17; 11:7-21).

*He was accused of being a deceiver and a crafty manipulator (2 Cor. 6:8; 12:16).

*He was given a bad report (reputation) by some (2 Cor. 6:8).

*He was the subject of insults (2 Cor. 12:10).

*He was accused of being a controller (2 Cor. 10:1-2, 9-11).

*He was accused of blasphemy (Acts 24:6).

*He was accused of being a “cult” leader (Acts 24:5).

*He was accused of being a criminal (Acts 16:20-21; 24:5; 2 Tim. 2:9).

I thank God for Dallas Willard, Brennan Manning, and Bill Freeman.

All of them were true servants of the Master. Choice vessels in His hands. And each of them bore the marks of unjust persecution to prove it.

Now . . . they have rested from their labors and from the bitter agony of personal attacks at the hands of professing Christians.

See also  Warning: The World is Watching How We Christians Treat One Another.

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50 Things the Holy Spirit Does

Rethinking the Baptism of the Holy Spirit: Part I

Rethinking the Baptism of the Holy Spirit: Part II

Rethinking the Baptism of the Holy Spirit: Part III

Rethinking the Baptism of the Holy Spirit: Part IV

Rethinking the Baptism of the Holy Spirit: Part V

Rethinking the Baptism of the Holy Spirit: Part VI

Rethinking the Gifts of the Spirit: Part I

Rethinking the Gifts of the Spirit: Part II

Rethinking the Gifts of the Spirit: Part III

Rethinking the Gifts of the Spirit: Part IV

Rethinking the Gifts of the Spirit: Part V

Rethinking the Gifts of the Spirit: Part VI

Rethinking the Gifts of the Spirit: Part VII

Rethinking the Gifts of the Spirit: Part VIII

Rethinking the Gifts of the Spirit: Part IX

Rethinking the Gifts of the Spirit: Part X

Rethinking the Gifts of the Spirit: Part XI

Rethinking the Gifts of the Spirit: Part XII

Rethinking the Five-Fold Ministry

The Finger or the Hand?

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Over the last week, the subscription to this blog has increased by 1,600 people. That’s rather amazing. So I’d like to welcome you all. (Frankie V. tips hat.)

Our book launch for God’s Favorite Place on Earth officially ended on May 7th. I want to personally thank all of you who bought the book. Because of you, the bit hit #13 on Amazon. That means it was the 13th bestselling book out of over 7 million books.

In addition, it hit #1 in Christian Living and #1 in Religion & Spirituality

And until late last night, the book stayed below #50 on Amazon. Now it’s starting to go up.

I’m deeply grateful to all of you who bought the book. As I’ve said many times, the ideas in God’s Favorite Place on Earth are my life’s work.

Something That Concerns Me

Before I unveil what’s on my heart right now, let me point out to all my new subscribers that I don’t profit personally from my book sales. Royalties for book sales goes to ministry expenses and my ministry to the poor, which I’m actively engaged in (see my FAQ page for details).

Someone wrote me the following email recently saying,

Frank, I feel guilty taking these free gifts. 25 free bonuses and then you’re giving away your seminar and e-book on God’s will to blog subscribers, not to mention all the free blog posts and podcasts. I really appreciate your generosity but I’m struggling with guilt. What can I do to bless you back?

I’ve received many emails like this one over the last week. Some of them don’t have the “I feel guilty” part, but they all have the “thank you” and the “what can I do to give back” part.

Part of me feels awkward answering this question. And I’m struggling right now. But I’m going to risk it and respond anyway.

There are four things that all of you can do that not only would bring joy to my heart, but it would bless thousands of other people. I say this because I keep getting emails from grown men telling me that God’s Favorite Place is causing them to weep. And women are telling me it’s touching them deeply as well.

Four Things You Can Do

1. A book can come out of the gate doing super well, and then in a month, fizzle out. The one ingredient that makes all the difference in the world is – High Recommendations via Word of Mouth.

I have a vivid memory of sitting in a car with a friend of mine when I was in my 20s. My friend was telling me about this particular book he read. He went on and on about it. Then he said, “Frank, you gotta read this book. Trust me, just get it and read it. You’ll see what I mean.”

Guess what? I got it and read it.

If he said, “I read this particular book and it was good.” I would have forgotten all about it. But when he said, “you GOT to read this book. Trust me.” I had to get it and see for myself.

The truth is, God’s Favorite Place will fizzle and die in a few weeks unless those who read it begin to strongly recommend it to all their friends. Not because I asked, but because they truly loved the book and got something valuable from it.

Consequently, if you read God’s Favorite Place on Earth, and it touched you, inspired you, challenged you, blessed you, or even entertained you . . . would you mind recommending it to all your friends? Feel free to send them to the landing page which has a sampler, recommendations, a video trailer, and a list of retailers where they can grab a copy.

This first ingredient is going to make all the difference in the world for the book’s future.

2. As I write this post, Amazon has the book under $10.00. Many people have written us and said they want to buy copies for friends. Now is a good time to do that because if you purchase 3 copies from Amazon, the shipping is free.

3. I’ve said this before, but some of my friends who are knowledgeable about book publishing warned me that God’s Favorite Place will never hit a bestseller list unless I had a select “launch team” of 100 – 500 people. I defied their conventional wisdom and made all of you my launch team. (So there was no “cut” to make!) Time will tell if this was a mistake or not.

Ranking high on Amazon is nice, but it’s not the same as being on a bestseller list. While being on a bestseller list means little to me personally, it’s huge for a book because it gives it major attention to thousands who won’t hear about it otherwise.

So here’s how you can help it hit some bestseller lists: Go into your local Family Christian, LifeWay, or independent Christian bookstore and buy a copy of the book. If the stores doesn’t carry it, raise a ruckus so robust that they have to physically throw you out! (Just kidding folks! ‘Tis humor.)

Cereally . . .  if they don’t carry it, ask them to order it in for you. This will help the book hit the bestseller lists and garner more attention to the book. You may pay a little more for the book this way, but consider the cost as a ministry gift.

4. Share this recent radio interview I did on the book with all your friends. Recently, Dr. Michael Brown had me on his show for 1 full hour to discuss the book. There were many surprising moments, and I almost lost it a few times. Click here to listen and share the link. It’s also on iTunes.

That’s really it.

These 4 ingredients are the only way that God’s Favorite Place on Earth won’t go the way of most of the 3 million books that are published every year — a few die-hard fans and obscurity for the rest of the Christian world.

Thanks so much for helping!

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These are the fruits of brokenness before God.

It’s not hard to spot a Christian in ministry who isn’t broken. Unbroken people don’t know how to lay their lives down and lose. They only know how to try to win.

If they’re criticized, they retaliate.

If they’re attacked, they return fire. If misunderstood, they defend in anger.

They are capable of doing all sorts of damage to others in order to save their own ministries and keep their reputations.

On the contrary, people who have been broken by the hand of God know how to turn the other cheek. They know how to go the second mile. They know how to give their coats when asked for their shirts. They know how to speak well of those who misrepresent them. They know how to return good for evil.

They know how to lose.

And in so doing, they exhibit the Spirit of the Lamb and allow God to win.

In the words of E. Stanley Jones, “The God I find in Christ is a God who overcomes evil with good, hate by love, and the world by a cross.”

Again, it is through the wounding and the breaking we experience that the life of Christ can be released through us.

And that is where the secret of fruit bearing lies.

The above post is an excerpt from God’s Favorite Place on Earth. Now until May 7^th, you can get 25 free books and audios by 19 different authors if you order the book. Click here to order and get your 25 free bonuses.

If you find this post helpful, you are free to ADD A LINK to it on your blog or website. But don’t copy and paste the post as this violates Google’s guidelines.

This story in Acts 5, following the divine judgment enacted upon Ananias and Sapphira, has always been both chilling and instructive to me.  It says,

Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death.

But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men.

Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered.

Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

His speech persuaded them.

Gamaliel’s wise words are filled with thunder and lightning for every human being today.

What say you?