The Pursuit of God - Review

This entry was originally published at GlobalYawning.com

On some level, it is foolish to attempt to pen a review of Tozer’s The Pursuit of God, since I’ve already spent thousands of words covering just a few chapters.  If you’d like to peruse those thoughts, you’ll find them here.  But ignoring the obvious, I’ll attempt to cover a concise review that will just be a wordier version of “You should read this book.”

So… you should read this book.  But as to why, I think Tozer says it the best in his description of the book, “A modest attempt to aid God’s hungry children to find Him.”  In one sense this book serves as a practical guide, a road map of sorts, for communion with God.  And yet, it is so much more, primarily because I do not believe Tozer would be content with recommending a three or 10 or 12 or however many step plan in connecting with God.  It is not a math problem, but a dance, and Tozer is one of the best dance instructors on the block.  Even this is a misrepresentation, though, because much as with dancing where one partner leads and the other follows, God is continually directing our path.  As such, Tozer’s insight is the obvious (though rarely easy) admonition - follow Him.  Practice hearing His method of communication, and go as He leads.

In speaking on pride, Tozer penned the following: “A whole world of literature has been created to justify this kind of life [pride, self-importance] as the only normal one.  And this is the more to be wondered at seeing that these are the evils which make life the bitter struggle it is for all of us.  All our heartaches and a great many of our physical ills spring directly out of our sins.” (110)  We only get our toes crushed when we are out of step with our dance partner.  Tozer is a man that understands man, and with that, he grasps man’s self-destructive tendencies, while also realizing that man longs for His Creator.  It is in walking this balance that Tozer merges the head and the heart in, well, in pursuit of God.

This book is short, inexpensive (you can easily find it free online if you can stand reading long passages on the screen, or have an ereader), and spirit-filled.  If you’re still on the fence, please read some of my other pieces of this book.  If after all that, you still decide not to pick up this book… I’ll pray for you!

In Brussels, We Just Call Them Sprouts

This entry was originally published at GlobalYawning.com

Always seeking ways to further my skill set in my pursuit of becoming a House/Trophy Husband, I figure I might as well share some tips for all the fellas out there with similar aspirations.  Today’s tip comes in the form of cooking.  Specifically that much maligned veggie, the Brussels Sprout.  Now some of you may not know, but that little mean green delicacy is actually a nutritional heavyweight - 3g of protein and fiber, and a heaping dose of Vitamin C in ~6 of the lil guys.  But, we’re going to negate those effects a little today with what I like to call Campfire Brussels Sprouts, mainly because I discovered this delicious “marinade” while camping (they say necessity is the mother of invention, but I would surmise that surplus is at least the cousin - when you have 8 lbs of peanut butter and two bottles of syrup for 8 people over one weekend, you find ways to use it).

First, cook up some Brussels sprouts, browning them off in a skillet.  Fresh/raw ones aren’t always available in store, so frozen may have to suffice.  If you go this route, do your best to dry them as much as possible before sauteing them, so the sauce sticks better.  As you can see, these sprouts are what one might traditionally call “charred,” (I had to momentarily leave the kitchen to help a granny cross the street, and then rescue her cat from a burning building tree, so I let them get a little “well done”) but Brussels sprouts are very forgiving for two reasons - 1) If you wanted to, the outer layer comes off easily, and 2) They tend to taste the same whether they’re charred or not, and we won’t be eating them plain anyway.

"Burnt," you say?

Now that our sprouts are ready, get your peanut butter (I prefer chunky) and your maple syrup (I prefer lite).  Combine equal parts to the point that the PB has a molassas-like consistency; you don’t want it too runny.  Toss it all into a ziplock bag and shake and bake (yes, you helped).

Try to keep your guests from just eating them out of the bag

And there you have it.  Simple and delish, the ideal combo.  And here is the final meal - turkey burgers and brown rice.  Who says a good meal has to go straight to your hips?

Wow, this is such an unappetizing plate presentation, sorry. My excuse - I was hungry!

Oh, Sacred Is Sacred, And Secular Is Secular, And Always The Twain Shall Meet

This entry was originally published at GlobalYawning.com

“This tends to divide our total life into two departments.  We come unconsciously to recognize two sets of actions.  The first are performed with a feeling of satisfaction and a firm assurance that they are pleasing to God.  These are the sacred acts and they are usually thought to be prayer, Bible reading, hymn singing, church attendance and such other acts as spring directly from faith.  They may be known by the fact that they have no direct relation to this world, and would have no meaning whatever except as faith shows us another world, ‘an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.’
     Over against these sacred acts are the secular ones.  They include all of the ordinary activities of life which we share with the sons and daughters of Adam: eating, sleeping, working, looking after the needs of the body and performing our dull and prosaic duties here on earth.  These we often do reluctantly and with many misgivings, often apologizing to God for what we consider a waste of time and strength.  The upshot of this is that we are uneasy most of the time.  We go about our common tasks with a feeling of deep frustration, telling ourselves pensively that there’s a better day coming when we shall slough off this earthly shell and be bothered no more with the affairs of this world.
     This is the old sacred-secular antithesis.  Most Christians are caught in its trap.  They cannot get a satisfactory adjustment between the claims of the two worlds.  They try to walk the tight rope between two kingdoms and they find no peace in either.  Their strength is reduced, their outlook confused and their joy taken from them.” (118-119)

“Let us think of a Christian believer in whose life the twin wonders of repentance and the new birth have been wrought.  He is no living according to the will of God as he understand it from the written Word.  Of such a one it may be said that every act of his life is or can be as truly sacred as prayer or baptism of the Lord’s Supper.  To say this is not to bring all acts down to one dead level; it is rather to lift every act up into a living kingdom and turn the whole life into a sacrament.” (121)

“We can meet this successfully only by the exercise of an aggressive faith.  We must offer all our acts to God and believe that He accepts them.  Then hold firmly to that position and keep insisting that every act of every hour of the day and night be included in the transaction.  Keep reminding God in our times of private prayer that we mean every act of His glory; then supplement those times by a thousand thought-prayers as we go about the job of living. Let us practice the fine art of making every work a priestly ministration.  Let us believe that God is in all our simple deeds and learn to find Him there.” (123)