Let's start with this quote to get it going:
“If our view of God is small and manageable and normal then we will have a small view of what
He wants to do in and through us.”-Unleash
Being back to school has its' ups and downs. I love being back with so many of my friends all in one place, having my own room and back, setting my own rules, you know, basically the college life. However, if I ever needed reminders that I'm not normal, college provides that.
How am I not normal? I'm a pretty focused individual to start with so I tend to extend myself over several activities and areas to be involved with. I don't go drinking on the weekends and party it up. As I've talked about in a previous blog, I don't really date. I think one of my primary purposes of being in college is to get a degree by working hard and aiming for the great job after graduation. I believe life should be fair and that everyone should be on an equal playing field. That picture I just painted would probably be safe to say, isn't one of the "normal" college student. Many people have had comments to make about my lifestyle choices but nothing says it better than another quote from Unleash: “One of the quickest ways to forget what God says about me is to focus on what the enemy says about me.”
What is Normal? If you go to NewSpring Church on a regular basis, you've probably heard Perry touch on this but let me paint you a picture of normalcy in America these days:
1. Over 30% of marriages end in divorce. That's ONE-THIRD of families being broken up
(http://www.cnbc.com/id/46797203/As_Two_Income_Family_Model_Matures_Divorce_Rate_Falls)
2. In 2010, almost 7,000 teen mothers (6,847 mothers, ages 15-19) gave birth.
(http://www.cdc.gov/teenpregnancy/aboutteenpreg.htm)
3. In 2008 (latest data I could find) there were approximately 1.2 MILLION abortions
(http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss6015a1.htm?s_cid=ss6015a1_w)
4. As of August 2012, the unemployment rate is 8.1% (This has NOTHING to do with politics and everything to do with the state of our country)
(http://www.bls.gov/)
If that is what "Normal" is for America, I'm going to take a pass.
Why is this important? If you are a Christian, thinking of being a Christian, or just want something more for your life, then you need to consider reading UNLEASH by Perry Noble.
Perry Noble is not only a charismatic speaker, but a writer as well. His ability to bring what many believe to be a boring book that isn't applicable to modern day to life and help the reader understand what God wants for us is AWESOME. Every major point Perry makes, he backs up with a scripture source. Perry isn't perfect and he makes sure to let the reader know this, detailing parts of his journey with God. God doesn't call us to be "normal." If he had, Jesus wouldn't have picked the outsiders to be his disciples or used people like Samuel and Joseph to lift up and do his work. God also doesn't call us to fit in, compromise our values and get along with everyone. God calls us to live the life he called us for, “God is not after our begrudging submission. He is after our joy.”-Unleash
Basically, God wants your happiness but being normal is not where you will find it. You must break free from being normal and live your life unleashed! PLEASE buy the book. It will be some of the best money you ever spent. So simple and easy right here: http://www.amazon.com/Unleash-Breaking-Normalcy-Perry-Noble/dp/1414366795/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348620310&sr=8-1&keywords=Unleash
(Copy and paste)
Thanks for reading :) If you ever have questions, please let me know. I'm always willing to try to answer your questions, especially regarding anything Biblical related and if I don't know the answer, I will do my best to refer you to someone that can or find it for you!
