Think Differently

At Rootes link group this Thursday we’re going to be discussing our role models in Church and outside of our walls. Don’t forget to think of one person from each side!

I’ve been away on holiday this last week and started reading a book I’ve been meaning to start for a while, Steve Jobs: A Biography by Walter Issacson. It is the compilation of several years worth of interviews with Jobs as he was dealing with cancer and recounting the story of his successes and failures.

Steve Jobs, created the Apple computer company out of a garage with a friend of a friend who knew how to code computers and build small circuit boards. While the builder, Steve Wozniak, wanted to give away his ideas for free, Jobs saw a chance to change the world.

Abandoned and adopted from birth, Jobs was a rebel, a hippie, a drug taker, a father at 23 but in denial, awkward to work with, rude, argumentative, obsessive, emotional and unable to run and manage a company. But he managed to take this mess and coin it into a phrase, a philosophy: Think Differently.

Apple Computers were the pirates of Silicon Valley, a small band of misfits who dared to be different and invent the 21st Century. The mouse was created. A graphical user interface (like Windows) was created and made personal computers affordable and available to everyone.

Jobs later went on to start Pixar, which changed the way animated movies would work forever.
With the iPod and iTunes, Jobs changed the way we buy and enjoy music.
With the iPhone, what we consider a telephone to be capable of changed.
With the iPad, creatives are already inventing new uses by the day to bring powerful equipment into the hands of everyone opening up a whole new realm of opportunities.

Now, you may not be into Apple, or even computers – but one thing is undeniable – those who dare to dream and think differently are those who do make a difference. I can think of countless examples of people I admire who have changed their lives and those around them. I have even met a few of them and high fived them, at my own pleasure.

At the cinema earlier, I watched my 5 year old niece attempt to grab objects as she watched an animated film in 3D.

We cannot be limited by what we can see in this world. There is so much more to be created, so much more that is possible, and so much more that we can accomplish.

If this world is not different for us being in it, then what is the point?

Believe the impossible.
Imagine the possibilities.

Here at Rootes we want to enable and encourage you to have a vision and carry it out.
This starts with dreaming and realising what effects others have on us.

So, on Thursday, let’s share openly and be inspired afresh.

What ya reading??

Need refreshing, restoring, encouraging? Looking for guidance, growth, discipleship?

I cannot tell you how important reading is to your personal development. It literally is one of the most important, most influential skills you have, and it’s the skill everyone needs to develop. We’re not all natural readers, we don’t all like to work our way through book after book making notes as we go. But if you’re looking to move forward in your walk, realise your purpose and potential  and make steps to achieving your greatest dreams – Reading is your greatest ally!

Ask some questions!

I am always asking people what they are reading, I look for books that provide me with development in numerous areas, particularly those areas I am passionate about. I research authors and listen to their recommendations, I ask leaders about books that have transformed their way of thinking. I intentionally seek out blogs and articles by authors I respect and admire so I can challenge and disciple myself ‘outside of church hours’. There is such a wealth of knowledge, experience and wisdom out there and it’s up to us whether we utilise these resources.

Recommendations!

I’ve lost count of the number of books I have read that have touched, transformed and inspired me. But here is a list of great reads that I would highly recommend you read…

1. The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson – I bought this book in January, and I have read it through back to back 3 times, it’s a must read for anyone who is ambitious with their faith, anyone who has big dreams or big expectations on their purpose in their world. This book will literally transform, inspire and encourage you to pray more! I get chills reading it still! This is what I would describe as a ‘constant’ read.
2. Jesus Culture by Banning Liebscher – This is the vision behind the youth and young adult ministry ‘Jesus Culture’ from Bethel Redding, California (and the well know band Jesus Culture). This is an incredible read, I have just started re reading this book for the third time because it cultivates a lifestyle that I want to see develop in me and those around me. It’s definitely a ‘culture’ book, you will be challenged but fully equipped to run with the vision of the Gospel!
3. The Divine Mentor by Wayne Cordeiro – Great book for those who are looking to learn from our mentors in the Bible. An inspiring read for those who are committed to personal discipleship.
4. Visioneering by Andy Stanley – This book is all about engineering your vision, how to recognise a God thought from a human thought, how to develop it within you, how to release it in its proper timing, and how to cultivate and establish this vision in the heart of your church, community, university, work place etc… I’m currently still reading this book as it’s a ‘process’ book, it gives you practical  application within each stage of development and gives you questions to answer at each stage. A great book for those wondering how to develop what God has placed inside of you.
5. God on Mute by Pete Greig – I have read all of Pete’s books because prayer is one of my big passions, but this one just hits home in a really relevant, unique way. He discusses unanswered prayer, how to react to it, what to do with the unanswered questions and how to keep your faith alive when things don’t go according to our plan. At some stage in everyone’s life this book will be relevant and life altering.
6. Drawing Near by John Bevere – This is a great resource to help fuel your daily walk with God, John takes us through a journey of creating that intimate lifestyle where we realise how God greatly desires a personal walk with each and every one of us. John’s writings are always very relevant, very easy to grasp and completely saturated with the Word of God. Brilliant read!
7. The God Chasers and The God Catchers by Tommy Tenney – These books changed the way I thought about spending time collectively with God as a church, and how important those times of worship and fellowship are to the atmosphere around our lives. He talks us through stories of how God invaded these meetings and challenged everyone present to seek Him, to respect Him and to stand in awe of how amazing He is. It leaves you questioning your approach to His presence and how you subsequently display your response to those you encounter in your world. These books are a must read!
8. Rees Howells Intercessor by Norman Grubb – This book floored me! I remember spending a considerable amount of time questioning whether I was even a Christian after reading about Rees Howell’s life. His stories, the way he discipled himself and fully submitted to God’s calling on his life, how he served as a missionary in South Africa and established a bible college in Swansea all flourished from an inspirational lifestyle of prayer. There’s miracle after miracle and story after story of how he impacted both the UK and South Africa through some of the worst times in history and in turn fuelled revival. Whether you are interested in prayer and intercession or not, I would highly recommend you read this even if it’s just to give you some incredible stories of faith to remember.

So those are just 8 out of the many influential books I have read within the last few years. I really encourage you to develop your reading skill, create a habit in your life that will not only sustain you where you’re at but that will equip you for where you are going!

Happy Reading!

Sammi

15.5 Billion Light-Years!!

If you haven’t guessed by now I am an avid reader! I tend to have several books on the go at the same time. Mainly because I like to have a variety of thoughts going through my head which are developing different areas of my life. I always start my day off with the Bible though, because without that inspiration my mind, heart and imagination wouldn’t be able to receive all the other things I read throughout my day.

My lunch time slot is currently being filled with one of the best books I’ve read in a long time, The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson. I’m likely to refer to this book a lot throughout this year, it’s one of those life changing books! So I won’t give it a review here yet, I’ll just give you glimpses along the way but if you’re after a book to transform your prayer life – this is it!

Today’s inspiration was MIND BLOWING! I just had to share it… We all need this sort of perspective when we’re busy stuck in the every day traffic of our lives.  

“While God’s power is technically measureless, the prophet Isaiah gives us a glimpse of God’s omnipotence and omniscience by comparing them to the size of the universe. The distance between His wisdom and ours, His power and ours, is likened to the distance from one side of the universe to the other.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

The universe is so large that it requires an awfully long tape measure. The basic unit of measurement is a light-year. Light travels at 186,000 miles per second, which is so fast that in the time it takes to snap your fingers, light circumnavigates the globe half a dozen times. To put the speed of light and size of the universe into perspective, the sun is 94.4 million miles away from the earth at its farthest distance from us. If you could drive to the sun travelling 65 miles per hour, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, it would take you more than 163 years to get there.

The light that warms your face on a sunny day on the other hand, left the surface of the sun only 8 minutes ago. So while 94.4 million miles may seem like a long distance by earthly standards, it’s our next door neighbour by celestial measurements. The sun is the nearest star in our tiny little galaxy known as the Milky Way. There are more than 80 billion galaxies in the universe, which, for the record, equates to more than 10 galaxies per person! I don’t think you have to worry about running out of things to do when you get to heaven. It’s an awfully big sandbox!

In one minute light travels 11 million miles. In one day, light travels 160 billion miles. In one year, light travels an unfathomable 5 trillion, 865 billion, 696 million miles. But that’s just one light-year. The outer edge of the universe, according to astrophysicists, is 15.5 billion light-years away! If that seems incomprehensible, it’s because it’s virtually unimaginable.

Yet God (I just love those 2 simple words!) says that this is the distance between His thoughts and our thoughts. So here’s a thought for you: Your best thought on your best day falls 15.5 billion light-years short of how great and good God really is. Even the most brilliant among us underestimate God by 15.5 billion light-years. God is able to do 15.5 billion light-years beyond what you can ask or imagine!   

Gives a whole new perspective to Ephesians 3:20 doesn’t it!!  

God = Awesome!!

Written by, Sammi

 

Persistent Prayer Shapes Culture!

I’m currently re-reading ‘Jesus Culture’ by Banning Liebscher, a phenomenal book describing the culture that is being expressed and developed within this generation. Revivalists that are marked by their honour for those who have gone before them, their passionate love for Jesus and their dedication to a life of prayer!

To say i am inspired every time i pick this book up is an understatement – it’s fuelling a hunger inside of me to see more people connect with and release their full potential in God’s purposes for their life!

This quote jumped off the page while i was sat dwelling on the amazing mystery of God’s plans for us and the potential for even greater exploits: “Persistent prayer shapes our character, reinforces our tenacity, focusses our trust on the Lord, and increases our capacity to carry the authority and anointing that the Father has given us.”

What an amazing sentence! Unpacked it looks a bit like this:

Persistent prayer – Knowing that prayer is all about communicating with God how can we walk in the fullness of his purpose on our lives without spending time with him? We can so easily make prayer out to be difficult or daunting, a task that is to be perfected and completed before we can declare in public that we can in fact ‘pray’!! Whereas the best way to get to know God is to talk to him. It really is as simple as that!

Jesus prayed persistently, in times of solitude and out amongst the crowds. His day was filled with prayer because he knew how important it was for him to be in CONSTANT COMMUNICATION with His Father! So if Jesus needed to do it, im even more convinced that we need to adopt his lifestyle!

Shaping our Character – This prayer then begins to shape our character! Those who you spend the most time with become your biggest influencers. So for us to become everything God intended us to be, we first need to make sure our greatest influence is in fact God Himself!

Reinforcing our tenacity – A tenacious person is someone who holds firm to what they believe, someone who is persistent in their character! So our constant communication with God forms our tenacious character to be able to hold firm to what God has asked us to do.

Renewed and Focussed Trust – We then gain a renewed, focussed trust in the Lord, because we KNOW Him! So we wake every day with a renewed trust that our God is for us, and that we can do immeasurably more than we could ever ask for or imagine, because we’ve spent time being empowered and strengthened.

Increased Capacity – And if that wasn’t enough we find ourselves capable of being this Kingdom hearted history maker, because God has increased our capacity to do more for him! We exceed even our own expectations because we have a limitless God living inside of us!

WOAH!!!!!!

All of these amazing gifts which will fuel EVERY area of our lives – all because of PERSISTENT PRAYER! No wonder 24-7 Prayer and Worship spaces are taking over the world! God simply needs us to spend time with him in order to release this MASSIVE potential inside of us!

Such an incredible, (yet simple) revelation!

Written by, Sammi