Instagram: @alex__swanson

Friday, April 27, 2012

Love Does

"I learned that faith isn't about knowing all of the right stuff or obeying a list of rules. It's something more, something more costly because it involves being present and making a sacrifice..."

"A couple of things happen when we accept Jesus' invitation to particiapte with Him in life. Obstacles that seem insurmountable aren't. Impediments that we believe disqualify us don't. When we show up to participate with Jesus in the big life, we're participating with the very being who made life in the first place. He gently asks us how we are and invites us to get better together with Him."

"Accepting the invitation to show up in life is about moving from the bleachers to the field. It's moving from developing opinions to developing options. It's about having things matter to us enough that we stop just thinking about that things and actually do something about them. Simply put, Jesus is looking for us to accept the invitation to participate. We need to show up."

"When we accept life's invitation, it's contagious too. Other people will watch us and start seeing life as something more amazing, more whimsical than before. When you show up to the big life, people (the type who don't think they're invited) start seeing invitations everywhere as thick as colorful fall leaves. They don't think about their pain or their weakness any longer. Instead, they think of how incredible a big life really is and how powerful the one who is throwing the banquet is too."

"And when each of us looks back at all the turns and folds God has allowed in our lives, I don't think it looks like a series of folded-over mistakes and do-overs that have shaped our lives. Instead, I think we'll conclude in the end that maybe we're all a little like human origami and the more creases we have, the better."

These are just a few paragraphs from an incredible book my Business Law Professor, Bob Goff, just published, called
Love Does, I highly reccommend it to any one of my friends; that means you!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

groovy. Jesus is here and all about me. I always hated the bible because it did seem that jesus was saying, repent, walk before God as Abraham walked before God, that God gives us the faith we need because we are dead in our trespasses and sins, our best deeds are but filthy rags etc etc etc. But if its just playing with jesus in my big life then, i could do that! maybe even without jesus?

what does Jesus say about what it takes to be saved?

Mr Goff sounds like a nice guy, but dont be fooled....what dead thing can lift itself up and claim life? call out to Jesus for forgiveness and he will give you faith, hopefully, then you can be saved and even though we want to pretend that life is so warm and fuzzy, it has things that will make you wish you were dead, but the faith that God gives will help you overcome in that final day! All Glory be to God!

A. Swanson said...

Hey thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I think you might want to read the book, because it seems as though you might be missing the point of what Bob is saying...
He is calling us to actually do love, rather than just read and talk about it.
Bob talks about how Jesus wants us to participate in love with Him, not bypass Him.
I really appreciate you sharing your opinion.

Thanks,
Alex