Stopping Identity Theft

Angela's* Story 

She is single, and a mom of two girls. She has struggled, but always managed to put food on the table, and clothes on her children's backs. But she wants more.

Angela wants to be a nurse. Under-educated and in her 30's, she faces some real challenges before achieving her goal of nursing. She has to pass an ACT and go back to school. These daunting tasks are not insurmountable, but she feels unequal to them.

So she sought help. She got a tutor. A friend who writes every day to help her with the things she struggles with: the English portion of the ACT.

Last night, after an hour and a half session, she sat at my table, defeated before we have really begun. I heard her thoughts almost as loudly as my own, because they were written on her face. She did not believe in herself, and she felt her dream was unreachable.

She heard "NO!"

God wanted her to hear "Yes!" 

I began to remind her that God does not give us a spirit of fear (or defeat) but one of power, love and a sound mind. I felt compelled to tell her about who she was, God's kid, and NO ONE can beat up on God's kid. Not even her. I reminded her that God made her unique and for a purpose. She wanted to be a nurse because her purpose, her "yes" in God was to lay hands on the sick and to see them comforted and recovered! There was more said, but it was for her alone.

Tears streamed down her beautiful face, as she took in the love God was pouring out on her in that moment. She was hearing Him say "Yes".

Too often we let the world, the enemy, well meaning friends, and even family tell us who we are. This is where we miss it. We let someone steal our identity in Christ. 

Only God, through a relationship with Christ, can tell you who you are, what your purpose is, and what your "Yes" in Him means. When we let others tell us differently, we let the enemy steal who we are: our very identities. The thief has to be stopped!

Today we cover the last two chapters of The Gospel of Yes by Pastor Mike Glenn. This book has been an amazing tool for me, and I hope for you. If you have not read this book, it's okay, but if you want, you can get it here. (affiliate link) We have been blogging through this book together, chapter by chapter. (Links to other posts will be at the end of this one for you to read through if you want.)

The Final Chapters

Mike Glenn saved the best for last. In the last two chapters of this book, Mike explores who we are designed to be: the unique aspect of every individual and what that means to the body of Christ.

I was so excited to see that I am not alone in feeling like a bit of an oddball, I mean unique (different) person. I was made for a purpose, designed from the start, and God has not changed His mind just because I am different. He uses my differences to expose another aspect of Himself to the world.

"Like a little piece of glass in a stained-glass window, I reflect and refract light from God's glory in a way that nobody else can." Mike Glenn, The Gospel of Yes page 187

You are unique. You have been designed from the start. Life may have been unkind, you may have lost your way, or perhaps, you have always followed Christ, but just do not know where to go from here. All of these things are okay. Do you know why?

Because we have a promise from God that He will never forsake us, we can be confident that He will bring us to a good, acceptable, and even a perfect end.

I want to remind you, that while I may never know you, God knows you. He sees you where you are, He loves you more than anything, and He has plans for you.

Join the Conversation:

Has there ever been a moment in your life when you felt your differences were not a good thing? Can you share 1 way you see God changing that for you? Leave a comment below. (Just click on "Add Comment")



Blogging Through the Book is a group of bloggers who literally blog while reading the book. It’s different than merely reading a book and posting a review. We have a chance to read and share our thoughts in our community. Click HEREto find out about other blogger's perspectives on these chapters and join the discussion!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

If you liked this post, try these too!

Blogging Through the Book: The Gospel of Yes
The Zone
Do You Hear "No" When God says "Yes"? 
Can God Use You? 
A Mess in a Dress: Getting Past Your Past
Discovering the Yes of Your Purpose
Find Your Calling
The Inconvenient Truth of God's Yes

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* Angela's name has been changed out of respect for her privacy. The story is true. 

The Inconvenient Truth of God's Yes

My Struggle...

The moments of God's loudest yes for me seem to always be in my weakest moments of no for myself.

I don't think I can, He says Yes, I made a way.

I say no one will listen, He says Yes, I am paying attention.

I say I want to give up, He says I called you out of the darkness into the light, now MOVE FORWARD.

I cannot tell you how many times, in the last week alone, I have doubted myself. I have questioned my calling. I have struggled with my purpose. Ironic? Maybe. Human? Absolutely.

As I have read The Gospel of Yes by Mike Glenn, I have warred with my ideas of self worth, calling, purpose, and relationships. I have been challenged on every level. Chapters 11 and 12 have been no different.

I hope you have been reading along. That is what Blogging through the Book is about. Yet, if you have not, I hope what you read here resonates with you. (By the way, you can get the book by visiting my Discover Shopping page or by visiting Amazon.com - an affiliate link.)

There are two things I want to touch on today.

The first is marriage. 

As I read these chapters I found my self agreeing with large sections of text. I once foolishly believed that loving another person meant you found your other half. I found that after entering a marriage under this assumption left me feeling more lonely than before I married. Why? Because when  you are wounded, another wounded person cannot make you whole.

Instead, when we are whole, when we are in Christ, living our yes, we can fully live out our lives with freedom. Knowing that the person we are married to is responsible for their lives and we are there to partner with them as they pursue God's yes, just as they are there as we pursue our yes in God. This creates a need-free environment.

What do I mean? I mean that instead of looking to another flawed human for your needs, you can look to The Source for all your needs. God's grace is sufficient. He supplies all you need. No other human can do that.

Marriage is a beautiful and Godly thing. It is also meant to edify and not drain us. If your marriage is not edifying you, then you may not be living your "yes" in God. You may be looking to the wrong source for your happiness. It will never be that person you lay next to at night. Your yes can only be found in God.

When we are freely and completely invested in God's yes for our lives, it becomes easy to let go and stop trying to control our spouses. It gets easier to forgive their shortcomings because we see God's yes for them active in their lives just as it is active in ours. By finding our yes, we are free to be happy independently of our spouse, yet made one in God (this is the mystery Paul spoke of concerning marriage). Now we can look to our spouses for companionship and encouragement, not spiritual sustenance and emotional anchoring.

There is a phrase that I have heard bandied about in the church: "Hurting people hurt people". This is often true.  Yet, what if we turned that around? "Whole people love people wholly."

This would change the very nature of every relationship we have. Our spousal relationships, our parental relationships, and even our peer relationships would experience an overhaul.

This brings me to my second point.

How should we interact with our world?

I cannot speak for you. I can only speak for myself. Here I have failed. I have isolated myself in my own comfort. I sit behind my computer in my comfortable chair in my comfortably air conditioned house and I ask for God to soften my heart toward the world.

I have been pious and I have been weak.

I am not saying that we should sell all and live in huts to prove we love Jesus. I am saying that laying down our lives to follow Him should not be convenient. It is not convenient. I can not live a life of convenience if I am going to live out my Yes in God.

For me, it means that moments of stretching and discomfort in my life should occur regularly. I should come to the end of me more often than I should want to because I am pouring into other people's lives. This is what God means when He calls us His vessels. We are meant to be filled with His love, His yes, to pour out into the hurting around us. Until we are emptied and need to be filled again.

Living life that way sounds exhausting doesn't it? It also sounds like the heart of my Father. He poured out all He had in His son. His heart hung on a tree. Blanketed by the sin of the world until it was so dark it nearly rent the universe in two. He literally had to turn his face away from the very creation He sustained. His love put everything on the line. For me. For you. For the world.

How can I do any less?

Today, I will rest in Him, get filled as much as I can by His presence and then pour myself into serving. Into giving. I will empty myself into others. It may be into my children, it may be into my neighbor, but I will hold nothing back. I will love the way I am loved. I will love with God's Yes.

Join the Conversation: 

Have you ever felt stretched beyond your limits by something God asked you to do? Can you share what you learned in that experience? Leave a comment below.


Blogging Through the Book is a group of bloggers who literally blog while reading the book. It’s different than merely reading a book and posting a review. We have a chance to read and share our thoughts in our community. Click HERE to find out about other blogger's perspectives on these chapters and join the discussion!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Find Your Calling

Blogging Through the Book 

We are blogging through the book The Gospel of Yes by Mike Glenn. If you would like to join us, purchase the book here (affiliate link) and read along! Then share your thoughts on each chapter.


Not reading the book? That is okay too. We each take our own point of view and share what we loved about the book chapter by chapter and then share it with you. This way, you can join the conversation and learn more about God's yes for you!

Chapters 10 and 11

I do not know how this book keeps getting better and better, but it does. Chapter ten is devoted to the Yes of You because "only God can tell you who you really are." As a person who writes about discovering purpose and meaning in our daily walk with Christ this chapter went off like fireworks in my heart. 

Pastor Glenn writes "No experience or encounter, no outside influence can tel you who you are. Only Christ can do that." 

The truth is he is right. I can write all day long about finding your purpose, but until you ask Christ what that purpose is, until you go to the Source of all things, then you are only pretending to search. This is like playing hide and seek with a three year old. They get the idea behind the game, but they are not great at it yet. So when we play with them we pretend finding them is difficult. We know exactly where they are, we just pretend to look. 

We know Christ holds the answers. Otherwise, we would not have followed him. Yet some of us spend the rest of our lives pretending to seek him out. He is not hidden. We know where He is. So what holds us back? What keeps us from pursuing Him and His purpose for our lives? 

Fear? A lack of trust? 

God loves us. The gospel boils down to this: God loves us so much He chased down a way to never lose us again when He sent Jesus to bridge the gap between us and Him. 

Mike says "...We are the objects of God's relentless love." 

With a love like this, there is nothing to fear. God did not pay the ultimate price for us, to fail us after we are saved. There is more than salvation for you. There is a calling: there is a destiny. 

The Purpose of Calling and Destiny

Calling. Destiny. These are big ideas. These are things we think of from stories filled with heroes and heroines, not necessarily ideas we ascribe to our lives. Yet, they should be.

God knew you before you were knitted together in your mother's womb. No matter the circumstances of your birth, He wanted you born for a reason: for such a time as this.

In ourselves we are not enough, but in Him all things are possible. Do not think because you are a stay-at-home mom you do not have a calling. If you are a mechanic or a machinist, and your day-to-day life is filled with the noise of industry, God still has a calling for you. Do not count yourself out.

""Don't accept that everyday life is more powerful than God's calling on your life." page 149 

I used to think, what do I have to offer? I am just a wife and mom. I did not finish college. I come from a broken home. I had a laundry list of reasons why I thought there was no way I could be used by God. Then, when I really surrendered to my Father, I found out that these were some of the things He wanted to use in my calling. 

Paul was a tent maker. He sewed for a living. Not that glamorous. That was his job. His calling was much more. Yet, stop for a minute and think of his "laundry list". He was a Pharisee (Jesus did not like those), he was once a killer, and he was often confrontational. 

Before Jesus, Paul (then Saul) was not someone you would naturally think of to spread God's  message of love and hope through out the known world, but the book of Acts chronicles his journeys around the known world. He did not let his past count him out. 

There is something in all of us. A gift. A dream. We let life happen and so we think "I missed my shot." The truth is, it is never to late to pursue God's will for our life. He is the way maker, the one who designed us from the beginning. He knows exactly how He wants to use us. 

God's goal has always been to redeem mankind back to Himself. We, as His children, have a calling within that goal. You may never be a preacher, a missionary or an evangelist, but you can be Jesus to someone where you are. 

"When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat, and when I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I was a stranger, you welcomed me, and when I was naked, you gave me clothes to wear. When I was sick, you took care of me, and when I was in jail, you visited me.” Matthew 25:35-36 

Look around you. There is work to be done. Where your gifts and His heart meet, this is your calling.

Join the Conversation: 

Mike asks questions in Chapter 11. I want to ask them of you. "What is your gifts?" and "Where is there brokenness around you? Where is there pain? What part of your world would Jesus touch if he walked your streets?"  

Blogging Through the Book is a group of bloggers who literally blog while reading the book. It’s different than merely reading a book and posting a review. We have a chance to read and share our thoughts in our community. Click HERE to find out about other blogger's perspectives on these chapters and join the discussion!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Discovering the Yes of Your Purpose

Blogging Through the Book

If you have not joined us before now, every Wednesday I, along with other wonderful bloggers, blog through the reading of a book. We are blogging through the book The Gospel of Yes by Mike Glenn. If you would like to join us, purchase the book here (affiliate link) and read along! Then share your thoughts on each chapter. 

Not reading the book? That is okay too. We each take our own point of view and share what we loved about the book chapter by chapter and then share it with you. This way, you can join the conversation and learn more about God's yes for you! 

Chapters 8 and 9

The Gospel of Yes is kicking my rear. 

I mean it. 

Statements like "You can hold onto your anger, or you can hold onto Jesus, but you can't do both." (page 112) make me examine where I am in my walk with God. Am I trying to hold onto my anger and hurt more than I am holding onto Jesus? If the answer is yes, then I have some repenting and some real praying to do. 

Forgiveness is one of the central themes of the Gospel. We, in our sin, needed forgiveness, yes, but forgiving others is also necessary. Forgiving ourselves, forgiving others, this is what it means to be like Jesus. He forgave the men who were in the middle of killing him. He forgives us too. What a great example of the grace God wants us to walk in. 

I know what it is to be wronged. I know what rejection feels like. 

I bet you do too. 

You have a choice, live in the pain and swim in Lake Shoudawouldacoulda, or forgive and walk in the beautiful trails of Freedom Park! 

I know what I choose: I choose the freedom of forgiveness.  

"...Your future need not be held hostage to your past. There is another choice, God's choice, which is forgiveness." Mike Glenn The Gospel of Yes

So what does that future look like? God knows. The good news is that God sees you as He made you to be and not just as you are. The really good news is He will take you anyway, JUST as you are. 

Discovering The YES of your Purpose

Everyone searches for the meaning of it all. At one point or another, we all look for our "yes". Some of us find it right away, and others let the bustle of a busy world throw us off the trail of self-discovery and into the bog of existing. 

Mike says this: 

"The faith pilgrimage begins with God's declaration of who you really are and why He made you. The rest of your life is a journey that is given meaning and direction by God's determination of your identity and destiny." (page 115, The Gospel of Yes) 

You have a destiny in Christ. You have a purpose. There is more to you than the day-to-day existence that you silently rail against in your heart. It is not found by burning a bra, or occupying a movement, but by bumping into the person and experience of God. 

Trying to strike out on our own is futile. The universe is first too big and secondly too broken to find purpose in without first knowing the Maker of the Universe. 

God says "I knew you before you were in your mother's womb". We are no mystery to God. He made us and He sees everything. Our hearts, our hurts and our outcomes. What He wants from us is to see Him. His heart, His healing, and His desire for us. 

This is how we discover the yes of our purpose: We encounter Him. We get to know Him. 

"He goes ahead and calls you to join him in his divine work and as you encounter him, God reveals your identity." (page 116) 

Your calling is uniquely yours. No one else's. He formed you with the intent in mind. "I knew you before...."

God chose Abram (a man without children) to become the father of nations. God chose Saul (a killer of Christians) to become Paul, who evangelized the known world, wrote most of the New Testament, and stood before kings and slaves alike proclaiming the love and freedom of Christ.

God chose you too. Before you were born. God chooses you now, after you have made mistakes and life has happened. He chooses you where you are so you can become who He called you to be.

Like Abraham, like Paul.

This is God's yes to you: There is a purpose, now let's marvel as we go on the journey to discover it!

Join the Conversation: 

Have you ever felt disqualified to do something because of your past? Leave your comment below!

Blogging Through the Book is a group of bloggers who literally blog while reading the book. It’s different than merely reading a book and posting a review. We have a chance to read and share our thoughts in our community. Click HEREto find out about other blogger's perspectives on these chapters and join the discussion!


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Can God Use You?

We are Blogging Through the Book together using Mike Glenn's The Gospel of Yes. If you want to go through this book with us, it is not too late. Click here to purchase a copy. (affiliate link) 

Chapters 4 and 5

These are my favorite chapters so far. Mike Glenn gets to the heart of how and why God says yes, and I loved every page.  

I have heard it said that the Bible is nothing more than a collection of stories about God talking with and moving on the hearts and lives of regular everyday men. Rarely do we get God speaking directly to a king. God chose shepherds like David, scribes like Daniel, young women like Ruth, and old women like Naomi. In the New Testament we see Jesus pick fishermen, a doctor, an accountant. His profession was a carpenter. God chose normal, everyday people like you and I. He still does today. God chooses you to say "Yes" to.

Mike reminds us of the same thing in this book. He also reminds us that normal people have problems. 

We All Have A History

We all have a past. Something we rather no one know, much less talk about. 

I was an adulterer. After the sin was done and I had repented to God, I hid for years behind little and big lies so no one would know. My husband was unaware of the truth. He suspected something may have happened during a dark period of our marriage, but never asked me about it. 

God would not let my sin stand. He prompted me to tell my husband everything, not because God wanted to punish me, but because He wanted me to be free of the weight and the burden of that sin once and for all. 

He wanted to heal my marriage. 

Now this is my testimony: God is good, His promises are yes and amen, and there is nothing that He cannot do because I have seen Him heal my marriage after infidelity. He made that one of the planks in my platform when I preach and teach the Gospel.

It is my story, but it is also HiStory! 

Mike Glenn says this: 

"God will take the "nos" in your life and find a way to make them all "yeses"... He can take the worst day of your life and make it the first line of your testimony of redemption." 

The Surprise of "Yes"

There is a moment when we are surprised by what God can do. I have had this moment over and over. These "awe"some moments leave us a little breathless at God's goodness and His faithfulness. When we truly grasp that God is for us, then we begin to understand what His "yeses" are all about: love and relationship. 

God loves you and wants a relationship with you. 

Even if you have failed. Even if you feel broken and unworthy, God wants you. He loves you. He has a plan for you. 

This is the surprise of "Yes". There is nothing God can not do when we let Him say yes to us. 

"Despite all the human failures, despite the open rebellion of humanity against its Creator, God patiently and persistently weaves His will into the lives of men and women who are open to His presence." Mike Glenn, The Gospel of Yes

There is no "Big Stick" 

God is not waiting to punish you for your wrongs. He doesn't want anyone to languish in eternal damnation. He gave us the big "Yes" in Jesus. Jesus is the way God bridged the gulf between mankind and himself. Through Jesus is the redemptive embrace we have longed for. In that embrace is where our healing begins and our lives become changed. 

There are times when God could have said "NO!" to me. I am almost certain there are times when He could have said "NO!" to you. Yet, if you look, there was more grace and mercy in your worst moment than you deserved. That was God working on your behalf. 

The only piece of wood that matters to God is not a stick. It is a cross. That is His "Yes" instead of a no. 

Search Your Heart

 Search yourself and ask yourself this: "Have I said yes to God?" He said yes to you. Again and again. Surrender your life to Him. Begin saying yes to Him and the Yes of His grace will propel you to new heights in Jesus!  God can use you. He wants to use you. He has already said yes to you, all He is waiting for is for you to say yes to Him!

Join the discussion: Do you have a testimony of God's yes working in your life when He could have said no?

Leave your comments below. 

Blogging Through the Book is a group of bloggers who literally blog while reading the book. It’s different than merely reading a book and posting a review. We have a chance to read and share our thoughts in our community. Click HERE to find out about other blogger's perspectives on these chapters and join the discussion! 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Do You Hear "No" When God Says "Yes"?

Blogging through the book “The Gospel of Yes”

Chapters 3 and 4

We are blogging through this book together and it is not too late to join us. You can purchase your copy of The Gospel of Yes here. (Affiliate link)

Do not look to me.

If life were measured by weights and balances, I know I would fail. My heart is weak. I am weak.

I am a poor example of love.

Even as a mother, God gave me two people who I love more than I can imagine, but I still fall short. I cannot love them as much as I should, or show them at all times the perfect love of Christ, because I do not walk in that love as much as I should.

I fail.

If life were measured by weights and balances then there would be no way I would come out ahead. That is why Jesus came, because every last one of us fell short at the weigh-in of life.

Love is Messy Because We are Messy

Loving others is messy. This is a message I have heard from several sources lately and it reverberated through me yet again as I read these chapters of “The Gospel of Yes” by Mike Glenn.

Love, according to 1 Corinthians 13 is kind, gentle, patient, long suffering, and meek. Love is also the hardest thing we can ever learn to do. Love in its purest Christ-like form is the most unselfish, pure and giving thing. Yet, we cannot give this kind of love until we realize we need to receive this kind of love first.

Grace and love do not measure. They cover.

Somewhere along the way, we have believed a lie. A lie that says the promise of God’s grace and love are not enough. Somehow we have traded what Christ did as a free gift and the ultimate “yes” for mankind in for a substandard balance sheet of good deeds versus bad ones.

Too many of us are locked in a never ending cycle of “sin management” as Mike Glenn calls it.

Rather than focus on the “sin” all the time, if we focused on the “Yes” of God’s love we would live such drastically different and FREEING lives.

“Loving God and being loved by God allows us to love others with a depth that isn’t possible on our own. In the same way, being loved by God and loving God in return allows us to understand and therefore , to love ourselves in ways we can’t do by ourselves…Loving others is hard and can’t be done on your own. It keeps driving you back to God.” (The Gospel of Yes) 

As a mom, I know that this is true. When my girls, who are teenagers now, push the boundaries and limits of my natural love, I have to go to the source of all love and grace to love and parent them the way He calls me too.

I miss that mark all the time.

Often, as was the case yesterday, when I talk to my kids, I say one thing and they hear another.

Kids are trained to hear “no” from a young age, and the enemy is good at twisting words. So when I say I am concerned your path could lead to some hard consequences, they hear “I don’t believe in you” and “you aren’t good enough”. This is hard for a parent to realize and to try to overcome with their child.

(How much more is our Heavenly Father saddened by our stiff neck and clogged ears? When all we hear is no when God is really saying YES!?)

Yet I cannot back away from parenting my girls because I am afraid I might fail, or mess up. I cannot be afraid that I will be unpopular with them. This will be a reality. I will fail. I have failed before. I will fail again. I have to learn to ride the adventure that is parenting with as much faith, love, and grace as I can. I have to trust that love will be enough in the end.

How is our walk with Jesus any different? We have to dive in. Grab ahold of His coat tails and let Him lead us. We have to trust that what he did in love 2000 years ago (in the ultimate “yes” in all the history of mankind) is enough.

Our purpose is to point the way back to God for all mankind to see. When we live a life of no, rather than a life of yes in Christ, we diminish what Christ did and trade the truth for a lie.

We have to focus on Him more and on our own personal “nos” less. Mike writes, “…fill your mind with Christ, and let go of the rest.”

Question: What do you need to let go of?

Blogging Through the Book is a group of bloggers who literally blog while reading the book. It’s different than merely reading a book and posting a review. We have a chance to read and share our thoughts in our community. Click on the button above to find out about other blogger's perspectives on these chapters and join the discussion! 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Zone: Blogging Through the Book "The Gospel of Yes" Chapter 1

The Big Question

We have all wondered “Why am I here?”

“What is my Purpose?”

I write about finding your purpose in Christ almost every day. But the struggle becomes getting past our “no”.

When we have a dream we think more of the obstacles to the dream than the yeses that get us to the end goal. When we see someone else succeed we find it easier to criticize them then to support them.

Our No is loud. Our no rules us.

What if you could change that?

What would your “yes” look like?

The Book

Mike Glenn asks the same thing in the first Chapter of The Gospel of Yes.

You are created in the very image of God and you have been created for a purpose. Now, as you hone into that purpose there is clarity. It is easier to filter through the stuff that comes up in life because you can more readily see if it fits in with your calling or not.

God has a purpose: He is working to reclaim His creation.

“The Lord isn’t slow to keep his promise, as some think of slowness, but he is patient toward you, not wanting anyone to perish but all to change their hearts and lives.” 2 Peter 3:9 (CEB)

He wants His kids to have the same mission as Him: save the lost. When we realize that is the mission, finding our role to play becomes all the more important. In general we know that if something in our life does not line up with this mission we can easily filter that out. Likewise when something in our life helps us accomplish the goals of this mission we can say a resounding YES with confidence.

“The Zone”

“A state of concentration, an alignment of emotional, mental, and physical abilities where the game seems to slow down and the play becomes almost effortless.”

Mike Glenn goes on to say “God wants us to live in that zone, experiencing a lifetime of moments where identity, destiny, and opportunity come together in a resounding “yes” of meaning and joy”

I want this. This “Yes” experience.

God said yes to me when He gave His son. He said yes to me when He called me to live a life of purpose too.

Do not be ruled by “no”, but embrace God’s “yes” for you.

What is your “yes”?

 

"Blogging Through the Book is a group of bloggers who literally blog while reading the book. It’s different than merely reading a book and posting a review. We have a chance to read and share our thoughts in community. Click HERE to learn more or visit www.danapittman.com."

Announcing Blogging Through the Book: The Gospel of Yes

I Have an Announcement! 

In the past I have partnered with Dana Pittman of Danapittman.com with amazing results. When she brought this idea of "blogging through the book" to me and several other bloggers, I jumped at the chance to join in. 


Blogging through the book will be like a Book Club, Bible Study and Blogging trifecta. Every week we will read along together and then write through our own unique lens our thoughts on what we read. 


There will be great discussion questions, perspectives and opportunities to hit some very important areas of our walk with God that we may or may not have addressed in the past. 


I cannot wait to begin this "blogging through the Book" series and I hope you will join me! 


The book is worth the buy.  (It comes in Kindle and paperback versions)  You can get that here, just look on page 3 of my Discover Shopping page. (affiliate link) 


Every Wednesday for the next two months you will get more than a book review.  You will get a taste of what the book has to offer through the perspective of Discovering Your Purpose. Want to know more? Then hop over to another blogger's site and they will give you another perspective. 


This joint venture will hopefully help you follow along and join in on the discussion. Want to learn more about Mike Glenn? Then follow the author. 

We begin with The Gospel of Yes, a new book by pastor Mike Glenn. 

 Click the picture to check it out more closely!

His website: http://www.truthfulconversations.com/ His Twitter Handle: @mikeglenn  

Participating Bloggers

Dana with DanaPittman.com

Dayna with A Year in the Spiritual Life

Heidi with HeidiKreider.com

Katherine Harms with Living on Tilt

Pilar with Ordinary Servant

I hope you will join us tomorrow as we begin this wonderful journey and find out why this book has gotten such great reviews! If you are still not convinced, check out the short video reviews posted by WaterBrook Press here. 

Do you have a book you think would be great for this program? What is it?