so many BOOKS!

I've read a few books recently and am on a fourth.

The first was 'The Healing Gifts of the Spirit' by Agnes Sanford. I enjoyed her spunk and many of her stories and straight forward approach to scripture and healing. There were a few moments that seemed weird but I am unsure if I misunderstood them or if they were just plan outside of normal … but none the less I was encouraged to pray for healing for myself and others. I have been feeling led to pray over people and sometimes don't know 'how' to ask for healing … and this helped with some simple tips and lots of encouragement.

The second was 'The Critical Journey' by Janet Hagberg and Robert Guelich. This was a fascinating book on the stages of our faith. The women I met at the creativity conference had told me about it. She had listed out the stages and gave me a picture/word illustration for each of the stages. So then I got the book and was super excited to read some of the very things I have felt in this particular stage I am in.

Here are the stages:

Stage 1 - The Recognition of God
                This describes coming to faith … seeing your need … grasping the gospel

Stage 2 - The Life of Discipleship
                This describes learning in your faith … being taught by leaders … digging into the Word

Stage 3 - The Productive Life/Service
                This describes going out and living out the service that you were made for … being                 productive in the Kingdom - just getting a lot done

Stage 4 - The Journey Inward
                This describes a dramatic shift from the first 3 stages to the next. Its a time of confusion … of      learning things deeper than you have before. Lots of questions … lots of struggle. A movement toward deep healing and soul change.

     The WALL (part of stage 4)
      This is the time where healing happens … usually in your depths and usually you do not get to be privy to it. God is at work. It is a hard place to be. You feel stuck and useless… but the if you submit to the work being done - healing comes at the end.

Stage 5 - The Journey Outward
               This can look a lot like stage 3 - getting a lot done …. but its done from a whole new place of internal rest and peace on the inside with the Lord. He has healed and changed and now you get stuff done in His time and in His way - submitted to Him.

Stage 6 - The Life of Love/Intimacy
               This is an understanding of your Union with Christ … fully knowing You are His Bride. You are filled and overflow with the Spirit and you give and give without being bothered by the sacrifice. You know who you are and you know the mind and will of Christ freely and easily.

All of the stages are good and necessary. It is a progression just as getting older is. Although it is possible to stop in this process and not move ahead. In fact, it says in the book, that most do not move past stage 3 … and that that is where most churches are encouraging people to end up … because once you are serving - you are an active participant in the Body….. The only problem is - THERE IS SO MUCH MORE!!!


As much as I loved being in Stage 3 - because it feels awesome to get stuff done and see God move through you in amazing ways! I am not there anymore! And its good and OK to be moving to the next thing God is calling me into. It felt crazy amazing to read about the WALL - because I am smack dab in the middle of that freakin' thing. I finally felt like someone understood where I am and had encouraging things to say about it. And even more encouraging to know that at the end of this long journey in the wall - God WILL heal!!! And even though I may not understand it all - or even explain it all - God is at work - deep under my surface - effecting big change. Whew!!

The Third book was 'Hinds Feet In High Places' by Hannah Hurnard. I had never read this before even though its a Christian classic. I really liked it. It's an allegory in case you didn't know. It had many beautiful mind pictures for our journey with Christ that I will continue to think about. But - and here is my BUT, I felt that the journey lacked any real agony, or true picture of inward struggle. And whenever Much-Afraid called on Jesus - He came to her aid immediately and talked her down from her whiney ledge. Now I believe that God answers us when we call - but sometimes He makes us WAIT! And for a long time. And the journey takes a LONG time … this seemed to be a little too breezy.
But at the end of her book - at least in my copy - were her journals from a trip to Switzerland that inspired the book. I loved reading those as well -- super awesome to hear from anyone who heard from the Lord in such a profound way.

The book I am reading currently, 'The Dark Night of the Soul' by St. John of the Cross. So far this has been AMAZING. This describes The Wall … with so much depth and accuracy - wow. And the wall - or the dark night he says leads to a fuller understanding and living out of our UNION with Christ. That is the journey that the Lord has set me on for the last bunch of years … and now I am in the darkness trying to submit to that deep work within…. SO THAT I can live totally encapsulated inside my union with Christ. I asked for this … He has answered … He is still answering. Praise Jesus. Now I just need to keep submitting.