Blackaby and Alcorn

I must admit that I am a day late posting this because I was determined to finish the book I am about to share with you, however….I still have a little bit to read.  When I received the email about this opportunity to read and review a new book by Henry Blackaby and his Melvin, it was a no brainer YES!!!  You see in college I did the Bible study Experiencing God and it was spiritually lifechanging.  Mr. Henry Blackaby wrote that Bible study.  It was the first Bible study I had ever done with a workbook and I realized quickly that I loved, loved that format.

Blackaby’s new book is Experiencing the Spirit and I have so enjoyed it.  It speaks on the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives and honestly revealed to me how little I understand regarding the Spirit’s working in our lives.  It has challenged me in many ways.  Here are a couple of quotes to wet your appetite:

When it comes to serving God, we tend to look at what we’re good at and what we like to do, then serve according to our ability. The result: we don’t need the Holy Spirit because we think we have everything under control. The world therefore sees good pople doing good things for their God, but they don’t see the power of God working through His people to accomplish what only He can do.

So here’s a question: will God ever ask you to do something you’re not able to do? The answer is yes – all the time! It must be that way, for God’s glory and kingdom. If we function according to our ability alone, we get the glory; if we function according to the power of the Spirit within us, God gets the glory. He wants to reveal Himself to a watching world.

Hmmm…that’s challenging and a little scary.

Why then do many Christians fail to experience the depths of what God has purposed for their lives? The reason is their insufficient personal dealing with God. When our faith is based primarily on the wisdom of men and not on the power of God, we’ve just nullified most of what God intended for our lives. When our faith is built only on a collection of doctrines, we miss out on the Person who wants to be our life.

Gave me lots to think about.  These are some deep weeds.

Randy Alcorn’s book The Treasure Principle was also included in this blog tour. It is a short little book and I haven’t completed it yet either but it looks chock full of wisdom. He discusses the principle of giving and what Christ has to say about that. Interesting stuff b/c the Bible study I did this week was all about the many, many things Christ said about giving. Not easy stuff, but how different would my life look if I really lived a lifestyle of giving?
I have included below a description of each book and some bio on the authors. If you leave me a comment over the next week I will pick one of you and email you and get one of these books to you! If you have a preference about which book you would prefer, then leave that in the comment as well. Thanks for reading and don’t forget if you want to purchase one of these books for yourself or as a gift you can find them at http://www.amazon.com or your local bookstore!

Summary Experiencing the Spirit:

Serve God as never before

The first Christians “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6) shaking the gates of hell even in the face of severe persecution. The result: People all around “were filled with wonder and amazement” (Acts 3:10).What can give Christians today the same impact?

God’s Holy Spirit is ready to answer that for us in an awesome way, as Henry Blackaby and his son Mel Blackaby make clear in Experiencing the Spirit. You’ll see how the proof of the Spirit’s presence is our awareness of God’s personal assignments for us, plus our supernatural enablement to carry out those assignments. You’ll find essential clarification on the difference between natural talents and spiritual gifts. You’ll explore the dynamics of being filled with the Spirit through intimate relationship with Him, committed obedience, and radical departure from sin.

Instead of considering what you can do for God with your abilities and talents, you’ll be encouraged here to seek what God wants to do through you supernaturally by His Spirit, empowering you beyond your personal competence and capacities. Release the Holy Spirit’s work at the very core of your experience of the Christian life.

Summary The Treasure Principle

Flip-Flop Your Concept of Giving!

Bestselling author Randy Alcorn introduced readers to a revolution in material freedom and radical generosity with the release of the original The Treasure Principle in 2001. Now the revision to the compact, perennial bestseller includes a provocative new concluding chapter depicting God asking a believer questions about his stewardship over material resources. Readers are moved from the realms of thoughtful Bible exposition into the highly personal arena of everyday life. Because when Jesus told His followers to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,” He intended that they discover an astounding secret: how joyful giving brings God maximum glory and His children maximum pleasure. Discover a joy more precious than gold!
Story Behind the Book
After years of writing and teaching on the theme “God owns everything,” in 1990 Randy Alcorn was sued by an abortion clinic (for peaceful, nonviolent intervention for the unborn). Suddenly he had to resign as a pastor and was restricted to making minimum wage. Legally unable to own anything, Randy gave all his book royalties to missions work and need-meeting ministries. He and his family have experienced the reality of The Treasure Principle—that God really does own everything, takes care of us, and graciously puts assets into our hands that we might have the joy and privilege of investing in what will last for eternity.

Author Bios:

Dr. Henry Blackaby has devoted his life to the ministry. A multi-faceted talent, he has served as a music director, senior pastor, college president, missionary, and later as an executive in Southern Baptist Convention. Blackaby is the author of more than a dozen books with more than one million copies sold, including the best-selling Experiencing God. As the President of Blackaby Ministries, he is a vibrant speaker and the father of Dr. Melvin Blackaby. Melvin serves as the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Jonesboro in Georgia, where he lives with his wife, Gina, and their three children.

Randy Alcorn is the founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries (EPM). Prior to 1990, when he started EPM, he served as a pastor for fourteen years. He has spoken around the world and has taught on the adjunct faculties of Multnomah Bible College and Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. Randy is the best-selling author of twenty-seven books (over three million in print), including the novels Deadline, Dominion, and Deception as well as Lord Foulgrin’s Letters, the Gold Medallion winner Safely Home, and Wait Until Then.