Posted on by nicholasv56

Radical, Ordinary, and United

This is a book I also came across lately, and the subject matter of this book is vital to have a deeper relationship with Christ; told in a very readable and approachable way. Highly recommended!

Already Not Yet

12563690-rankin-wilbourne-union-with-christ-releases-july-1Tony Reinke:

One of the very best books of 2016 is a much needed new book on union with Christ, written by pastor Rankin Wilbourne. It’s titled, Union with Christ: The Way to Know and Enjoy God (David C. Cook). Tim Keller calls it “simply the best book” for lay readers on the topic. I agree.

Here’s one excerpt.

The call to be radical can make you exhausted, but the call to be ordinary can make you apathetic.

No one wants to pit these songs against each other, but how do we hold them together? Balance may not be the best word because it might suggest a 50/50 split; what we need is 100 percent of both. How can we hear both of these songs without compromising either? How can we sing both of these melodies full volume, in harmony, so that the resulting song is not a cacophony…

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Posted on by nicholasv56

Uncharted Territory  — Averagechristian.net

260227Hello, my name is Nicholas and I want to think of it as a place by and for people who meant identify with the address: averagechristian.net. I am not a Seminary professor nor a published author. I do not even attend a mega church, much less serve on the pastoral staff. I have never […]

via Uncharted Territory  — Averagechristian.net

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Posted on by nicholasv56 · 4 Comments

Uncharted Territory 

Hello, my name is Nicholas and I want to think of it as a place by and for people who meant identify with the address:  averagechristian.net.  

I am not a Seminary professor nor a published author.  I do not even attend a mega church, much less serve on the pastoral staff.  I have never founded a ministry, been noted by Christian luminaries as a paragon or example that other Christians need to know about, pray for, or emulate.  Rather, I suspect I am categorized with the 98 percent of Americans Christian men who toil at a job (which is NOT their dream job, and could never even imagine they would be doing it 10 or 20 years ago), but still they show up every day to take care of their families and –maybe– on their good days, feel like perhaps God has a good reason for them to be there.

We go home Monday through Friday straight from work (unless we also have a commitment to a group or two from church to perhaps gain more tools for our Christian walk, or at least to try not to be failures as loving and godly husbands and dads).

We have thoughts, we have ideas, we have fears and struggles but flounder looking for someone like ourselves to share and vent with, because the guys in the books we read and radio programs we listen to are obviously so much more spiritually mature and together and we only feel worse after we hear them, rather than  feel like there is some hope for us.

So that’s it. I am a average Christian.  I will throw out a blog when I can, and even if one other person thinks “I’ll be darned; maybe I’m not as strange and different as I thought!”then maybe it is OK.

Finally, I’m a huge reader, and at the risk of alienating myself from some of you, books have always been my friends.  And since I became a Christian right after Dwight Moody (show off!!), God has actually used good Christian books along with the Bible to teach me some things and keep me in the fight.  So I might spend some time talking about some of those books and authors, and maybe offering a review to entice others.

That’s it for now.  As Red Green says, “Remember, we’re in this together.  And I’m rooting for you!”