"...my overarching life-goal is to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ. More specifically, the older I get, the more I want my life to count in the long term for the glory of Christ. That is, I want people and churches and ministries and schools to break free from the modern preoccupation with being made much of as the key to happiness and motivation and mental health and missions and almost everythig else. In its place I long to see our joy--and the joy of the nations--rooted in God's wonderful work of freeing us to make much of Christ forever. There is almost universal bondage in America to the mindset that we can only feel loved when we are made much of. The truth is, we are loved most deeply when we are helped to be free from that bondage and to find our joy in treasuring Christ and making much of him. This was Paul's passion in Pillippians 1:20, "It is my eager expectation and hope that...now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death." John Piper, copied from one of his books

Why didn't I get this before now? I feel so stupid. This could have saved me alot of wasted days and much pain, had I realized it before. Love, Dian.

Dian,
:-) I cannot think of anything better than making much of Christ- through our own lives!

After reading "Don't Waste Your Life" (by Piper) Steven Curtis Chapman was inspired to write his new album. It is deeper than his previous ones- you can tell that piper had quite an effect on him.

His song "Much Of You" is so awsome. I have it playing on my xanga journal. www.xanga.com/more_of_him

Here are a few of the lyrics:

-Cause I'm just a whisper and you are the thunder

I want to make much of You, Jesus

I want to make much of Your love

I want to live today to give You the praise- that You alone are so worthy of

I want to make much of Your mercy

I want to make much of Your cross

I give you my life-

[b]Take it and let it be used......To make much of YOU.

To think I have anything worth boasting in

Except for your name![/b]

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Don't feel too stupid, we are all in a process of becoming.......Christ-like :-)

In His love, chanin

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Chanin

Hey Friends. I've been thinking today,(and trying not to hurt myself in the process). All these years, I've been trying to figure out the "secret" of how to live in this world and be a christian at the same time. I thought I must be stupid, cause I couldn't figure out how to do it. I thought everyone else was just smarter than me, cause they seemed to be ok with it. Suddenly, I'm starting to get it. We aren't called to fit into this world. We are actually called to build an ark in a place where it has never rained before. We aren't going to be smiled upon as we do that. This world is calling us crazy and, I guess, to them, we are.

Today, here in East Tennessee, the sun is shining so brightly and the sky is so blue. There isn't a cloud in the sky and it makes me think that this is how I feel today. Suddenly, I'm beginning to see the Kingdom of God so clearly and I'm starting to understand why everything gets so fuzzy at times. It's because I'm still trying to fit into this world's mold. I'm done. I'm going for it. Now, I don't care how crazy I look. I must follow Jesus, though none go with me.

There's some things I need to do that the ungodly around me aren't going to like, and probably even the so-called godly, but today, I'm taking up my cross and following Christ. God, please help us to change our way of thinking and think like you think.

"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." Matt. 10:34-37.

Dian, that is one of the blessings of aging AND growing in your knowledge of the LORD Jesus! Count yourself blessed you have learned something beneficial. If you love the LORD Jesus you will always be learning...helps to deter pride when we understand this..
Blessings,
Ginnyrose

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Sandra Miller