Notice the NOTICER!

Every once in a while a book comes along that is so empowering you have to read it in small doses, yet keep finding yourself coming back to it often until you’ve finished every word. The Noticer is one of those gems. A follow up to Andy Andrew’s The Travelor’s Gift which I also enjoyed, this new one is his best yet, offering a depth comparable to C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce and Till We Have Faces. What is this book even about? Jones (not Mr. Jones), an old drifter comes through Orange Beach, Alabama and transforms lives by paying attention and simply noticing what is really going on in their lives. One by one he offers them a fresh perspective—something we ALL can use. It is a book of common wisdom pulled together through an amazing, moving tale that grips you from the opening page. You will find profound statements throughout this book that you will underline and ponder over and over. I am confident the wisdom shared will find relevance in your own life, such as page 13 “whatever you focus on increases;” of page 65 “It takes a truly wise person to discern that oh-so-thin line between good and best;” Page 110 “Change is immediate! Instantaneous! It may take a long time to decide to change…but change happens in a heartbeat;” Page 111 “Have you ever considered how often we judge ourselves by our intentions while we judge others by their actions?” And these are just the tip of the iceberg. Pick up The Noticer and dive into the adventure of a new perspective!

The Secret to Being Prepared for the Crisis

Just got the news today that there was a MAJOR shakeup at my favorite publishing house and all but one of my friends are gone from there, just like that, in an instant. Some had been there over 20 years! Changes....we don't always like them, do we? And this is not exactly the easiest time for even the most talented people to be looking for work. It is, however, the time to put into practice all the stuff we have been writing about in Christian publishing these past few years and stand tall during our hard times. I heard Heather Mercer speak last week (she was the missionary who was held prisoner in Afghanistan during 9-11). One of the profound insights she shared was that ONCE a crisis hits you no longer have preparation time, you are just THERE stuck with whatever you put into your head up to that moment. And it was at that moment when she realized that it was the Scriptures, yes those simple memory verses she learned throughout Vacation Bible School and morning devotions over the years, that she had chosen to memorize throughout her life that came flooding back to carry her through her life threatening crisis.

Don't you get it? It was what she had ALREADY prepared for that came back to save her. What are we doing to be prepared for the unexpected in our own lives? None of us knew 9-11 was coming, but it did. No one REALLY thought our economy would collapse, but it did. My friends didn't think the new president of the publishing house would really let everyone go in less than a month, but he did.

Get ready. Prepare by absorbing the Bible each and every day. It never grows old and you get something new out of it each and every day. Pastor Robert Morris gave the most profound Easter sermon I've every heard in my life thus far (check it out at Gatewaypeople.com). We aren't perfect and we never will be, but we serve a God who was and is and is to come. He is our covering and he is right here to carry us through ANY unexpected moment of life. Are you prepared? Do you have a relationship with him?

We may never find ourself in a foreign prison facing the death penalty for talking about Jesus like Heather Mercer, but we WILL face circumstances that will be tragic and in those moments, will you be prepared by knowing God's word by heart? I challenge you to begin today to memorize Scripture and hide it in your heart. Those words will flood your mind when you need them most!