Greater: Dream Bigger, Start Smaller, Ignite God’s Vision for Your Life By Steven Furtick Book Review

In Greater, Steven Furtick provided clarity on believing that Christians will do greater things for God’s kingdom through the power of Jesus. God wants us to be willing to assist the wounded and the hurting. Steven Furtick encouraged readers to not settle for mediocrity living but to achieve and go after the greater lifestyle.  He articulated his point by describing how the Prophet Elijah was told by God to employ Elisha as the next prophet after him. Elisha was a common man plowing a field with his oxen and living a boring mediocre life. His job wasn’t fulfilling him and he never believed that he would ever leave his current circumstances. He thought he would die where he was currently at. But God had a different plan for Elisha. Elijah arrived and took off his own cloak and put it on Elisha. This signified that Elisha would become the next prophet of the land and he had the blessings of God on him. Then Elisha stopped working and he proceeded to go burn his plows and he butchered the oxen and fed his community. He left everything behind to move forward into the purpose God has ordained for him. Many times before we travel to the next destination in life we have to leave things behind that would hinder our next level in life. Surrendering our ideas can be challenging and difficult but it leads us to the greater life in store for us once we finally truly let go. Waiting on God to tell us how it will happen and work out in the end leaves us waiting forever. Burning our plows that are holding us back is the first vital step to attaining our destiny.

I especially related and connected to the personally story that Steven Furtick demonstrated by speaking life giving words into his three children lives. He informs and reminds them daily all much he loves his children and how special, awesome, handsome, beautiful, and other life enhancing words that truly are. He always tells them, “My daddy says I am”. He does this in hope that it will instill confidence when a bully or someone else tells his children who they are. I personally see the greater impact it will have on his children self-esteem. Numerous fathers and mothers could change and shape the direction of their children lives if they would initiate in the importance of doing this. Another aspect to remember is to not assume that your children already know how much you love them and what you think of them! You need to speak out positive words over your children lives and don’t leave it to the world to portray the valve of your children and what their future holds. I have already decided that I will be captivating this parenting method when I have children. I now realized that the greater husbands, fathers, and friends aren’t afraid to share their emotional side by revealing to their children the truth they desperately need to hear.

I would recommend this astonishing book to anyone who desires to live the greater life and they are sick of just barely surviving and going through the motions of every day living. Steven Furtick has shown me the impact of removing and destroying our plows that are holding us back from chasing after our dreams. When we leave things behind we tend to deem we might be seen as a failure. But the payoff of believing John 14:12 that we can do greater things than Jesus is worth trying and knowing, we won’t have to live with regret of what could have been if we would have tried! Apart from Jesus we aren’t able to finish and complete greater works but with his loving hand we can. This book will open your eyes to distinguishing what the greater visions, dreams, relationships, careers, and works that God has that he wants to see you carry out for His glory. Reading this book has increased my expectations of everything God will be able to accomplish through me! And the greater life isn’t just for me God wants to use you too! Let’s burn our plows and go after everything God has for us!

“I received this ARC copy for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review”.

If you would like to purchase a copy of Greater check it out on Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Greater-Bigger-Smaller-Ignite-Vision/dp/160142325X

Author's Web Site:

http://www.stevenfurtick.com/

Steven Furtick on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/StevenFurtick

More Info:

http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?work=203162

Read Chapter One:

http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/blog/2012/04/01/sneak-peek-greater-by-steven-furtick/

Steven Furtlick Bio:

http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/author-spotlight.php?authorid=117906

You Are Made for More: How to Become All You Were Created to Be By Lisa Osteen Comes Book Review

You Are Made for More is an inspiring book written by Lisa Osteen Comes. Lisa Osteen Comes is Joel Osteen’s sister and she is also associate pastor at Lakewood Church. Her book covers twelve chapters to remind readers that they are made for more. The book revealed you are made a masterpiece, to hope, to live your dreams, to rise above other’s expectations, to keep on, and so much more. We don’t just have to live a less than life we can live an abundant life and run our own race!

Lisa Osteen Comes has had to practice endurance and she had to make a choice to never give up when life threw curve balls and challenges at her. When Lisa was born she couldn’t walk or talk and the doctors placed a limit and a label on her life. They told her parents that she would never be able to walk or talk and that they would have to take care of her for the rest of their lives.  They said she had cerebral palsy and they couldn’t do anything to help her overcome the diagnosis. But God healed her and now she is a speaker and she walks perfectly fine now! Satan couldn’t stop her from fulfilling her destiny. In her childhood, she had to choose to not dwell on negative words her classmates spoke over her. She was shinny and they called her Olive Oyl from Popeye. She started accepting the negative words and she started to believe them. The pain of those negative words led her into looking at who God has said she was. God has declared that she is blessed, gifted, loved, and so much more!  But the magnificent news is that he says the same thing about you!

She had to deal with the pains of an unwanted divorce and she had to learn how to heal and recover. Discouragement threatened to escort her into a pit of depression and anxiety consumed her thoughts. She worried about being label as divorced and she thought people would reject her. She didn’t understand why her ex-husband wanted a divorce. She ultimately saw that God restored her and she started encouraging others who were going through a divorce.

The book also enclosed breathtaking details about a mail bomb explosion that could have taken her life, how God led her new husband to her, and how they dealt with infertility.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is struggling with addictions, negative self-esteem issues, limits and words people have placed on you, going through a divorce, living a life of fear and worry, having trouble with forgiving others or yourself, healing from life’s pains, in a pit of depression, and anyone who doesn’t believe they can overcome and step into their destiny. The book is extremely helpful in guiding readers to believing the truth that God has an enormous plan and purpose for their life. Your life doesn’t have to be filled with discouragement and limits. I have struggled with pessimistic thoughts and limits others have positioned on me and told me who I was supposed to be. I was told all kind of things that didn’t uplift me and their words didn’t line up what God said. This book has assisted me with the knowledge of relabeling myself with positive words from the Bible.

One of the stories that Lisa Osteen Comes included was a story about her friend, Damon. When Damon was a teenager his father left his mother and abandoned him.  Damon decided to grab a gun and end his life. He pulled the gun trigger and the gun that was loaded with bullets wouldn’t fire. His mother told him about how God caused the gun to not fire and she reminded Damon that he had an awesome future ahead of him. Others labeled him as a trouble maker and people said he would end up in prison. He almost became what he believed was in his future. One night he was involved in a shooting when people started fighting each other. He fired shots that hit two people. Cops were called and he fled the commotion. He prayed to God the he would spare him and he said he would serve him if he got out of this situation. Damon finally saw that he become what others stated him to be. He accepted the labels when he should have rejected them. God changed his life and redeemed him. He started to reach out to young teenagers and inmates and help them re-change their labels that were spoken over them. This story showed the importance of removing the negative labels and limits others have put on us. We can literally curse ourselves and let others define us or we can choose to believe what God says!

Lisa Osteen Comes has a way of teaching the principles of the word of God to let readers know they are made for more. This book was a huge encouragement for me to receive all that God has for me. This book is one that everyone should read to benefit from and learn about your amazing destiny and future that God has for you. I immensely enjoyed all of the scriptures and Bible stories that Lisa made to prove her point! This book has radically changed my perspective and had encouraged me to become everything I was made to be! I was made for more! You are made for more! Believe it and receive it!

 

If you would like to purchase a copy of You Are Made for More check it out on Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Made-More-Created/dp/0446584207

More Info:

 

http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/books_9780446584203.htm

  

Read an Excerpt:

http://software.newsstand.com/bookrdr/hbg-live/BookBrowse.html?a=UqUIbG2ZewQ1JkDUAQFVhNdfkejLpQ09OIoNxMB%2BA3tNNhrQsEfwbpjQ41Co23LUWfzn8G8W6wdSVPUefqOK487wwOe4LsmB2asdMzJtAYs7TVOtxvsdUMQX0YrFB0VZ&z=hbg

Check out Lisa Osteen Comes Book Trailer:

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m6LPQCDYQUE1V/ref=ent_fb_link

Dreams

We need to get out of our comfort zones. I of all people live in a “safe” zone. I am not an adventurous person. Some days if I could hid away in a cave I would. But I was not meant to be a bear. If I was meant to be a bear I would have been a bear…. Last time I checked I wasn’t a bear.


In high school, middle school, or even elementary school we choose to live in a box. Most of us hardly associated with other people within other groups. Given all of us are different but we didn’t give some people a fair chance. We think just because that person doesn’t have the coolest clothes that they are any less than us. You don’t have to have an American Eagle, Hot Topic, Abercrombie & Fitch, Aeropostale, or Hollister (or any other store) outfit to “fit” in.


One of my favorite artist’s Sugarland once said “Nobody wants to be rejected”. That is very true who wants to be rejected .… no one. We have outsiders who feel like they are all so alone. What if we had decided to love everyone and treated everyone like Jesus. The world would be a much different place if we didn’t have cliques. It is good to have friends we share a common interest with. But we are also supposed to love other people. Most people have problems we are all human. But just because someone is addicted to drugs, alcohol, sex, pornography, people pleaser, beauty (thinking you must change to fit cultures way), spending all your time on the computer, social networking sites, and much more. We can be addicted to just about anything. I haven’t listed everything. I don’t know what most of you are addicted too. But what I do know in the end is that thing ever going to make you whole. I don’t think so. We all go through so many different struggles. But we have to turn to the one who can change it all for us.


Now I know you’re saying the world isn’t perfect and I understand that. But why should that stop you. Everyone else is doing it you say. Well what if you caused someone to come to know Jesus by your actions. Let me reface that another way. It works both ways. What if you caused someone to not come to Jesus by your actions? Do you want to live the legacy of being caught up only in yourself? You need step out of your comfort zone to try something new. You don’t want to wake up at 100 years old and go where did my life go. What if I would have loved that person who was a non-Christian and invited them to church? Maybe their life would now be changed forever.


What if I would have been a painter, drawer, made an invention, builder, singer, actor or an actress, writer, engineer. I am sure you can fill in the blank with something. What if I would have been a _________. You can’t sit on the sidelines waiting for it to jump out in front of us. It won’t be saying “You’re supposed to be a _________”. God can speak to you and lead you in the right direction. But we have to learn to wait. It will happen when it is in his timing not ours. But you also have to take a step you can’t stay in your comfort and be afraid to get out there and do what you are meant to do. If you stay in fear and let fear control you. You will never move forward. You have to as the old saying goes “think outside the box”. It also goes the same you have to get out of your safe place. You can’t hide forever. You have to get out there and go after your dreams. We just have to trust God and he will bring us to where we are supposed to be. You can’t expect it to show up on your doorstep one day and be handed to you. God could do that because he can do anything. But we all have to learn how to believe and follow God to lead us to where we need to be. We have to have faith in him.


“Jesus looked hard at them and said, No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it." Matthew 19:26 (The Message Bible)

“ Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26 (New International Version Bible)


Today, I heard this song called “Shine”. The writers who wrote that song hit that song on the nail. The song isn’t released yet. Jo Dee Messina decided to record that song for her next album. It’s on her official website. It’s only for the chorus of the song. But the chorus hits home to me. These are the lyrics to the song. It hits radio in March I believe.

“I don't wanna spend the rest of my life And wonder why the world passed me by While I wasn't lookin' or laughing Gonna cut loose from all these chains Turn 'em into a fist full of reigns And ride out cause now there's no doubt Everyday I'm alive you can bet that i'm gonna shine Na na na na na na na na na na na....”

I have done more research and found one full version of the song. You will have to click “Shine” to listen to the song. The song is really inspiring.

http://www.reverbnation.com/jodeemessina


What if you took a chance and actually made your dream come true. But if you’re afraid to take a risk then you could miss out. Now I know we aren’t all suppose to be famous. Some of you may like to be. But look at most of the stars the paparazzi follows most of them around like a hawk. Everything right or wrong they do is seen in the public. We all need to be original and not try to be another celebrity or another person. We need to be ourselves. I am sure you can think of someone you look up to you wish you could be. But that person has challenges too. You don’t even need to go to the extreme and have plastic surgery to look like someone else. If you’re trying to look like Brad Pitt or any other celebrity the world only needs one of them. You need to be unique. Mary Mary once said “Don’t try to duplicate anybody be original cause God has given you something and he wants you to give it to the world.”


In Natalie Grant’s book entitled “The Real Me” she takes about how she needs to be the girl God sees. Natalie Grant said, “These days more and more people are tempted to follow celebrities’ lead and seek out plastic surgery to fix whatever they don’t like about their physical appearance.” She also tells of a story about a girl who had surgery twenty-six times to fix things she didn’t like. If you struggle with your beauty I would recommend this book for you. Even if you don’t it is still a great book.


So don’t be afraid to step it up a notch and go after your dreams. You need to be the person God created you to be. If you get the chance to share his love to someone do it. You don’t need to worry that person might stop being your friend. If they died today where would they go? It’s very simple Heaven or Hell. Both are very real. You don’t know their heart only God does but we still need to try to point them in the right direction.


Some of you may not like your job a 100% of the time. I know I haven’t always liked it especially when a customer yells at you. Most of the time stuff I can’t control. But you have to do it like your working for the lord. I work at a customer service job. One of the rudest things I have seen is people who talk on the phone and never say a work to you. You can’t even ask them a question because you think you’re interrupting. Would it hurt to call that person back? Cashiers are just as important as anyone else. The cashiers are human and would like to be treated like one. They are NOT robots. In the future that might be the case but I hope not. Then people would lose their jobs. God didn’t create robots and we weren’t meant to be couch potatoes and watch TV twenty-four hours a day. Well then I guess the actors or actresses would then be robots as well…. What kind of life would that be worth living? We were meant to get out there and live. Another thing is when customers don’t answer you when you ask how they are. Maybe they didn’t hear you or maybe they chose not to listen. But you need to answer and ask them how they are back. It takes two people to have a conversation. It is all about communication. Now I am not saying you have to stay at the store for three hours taking to that person unless you feel like you need too. But just a simple gesture goes a long way. It takes all kinds of people to make the world go around.


“Servants, do what you're told by your earthly masters. And don't just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you'll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you're serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn't cover up bad work.” Colossians 3:23 (The Message Bible)

“For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” Psalm 30:5 (King James Version Bible)


I don’t know if any of you have heard Toby Mac’s new song “Lose My Soul” with Mandisa and Kirk Franklin. The video is really good. So I would encourage you to watch it. The video makes you think of all the other things that could make you lose your soul. One of the guys in the video steals a computer. Another guy buys a gun and then he tries to rob the clerk. The song tells about how Toby doesn’t want to lose his soul over fame. But the video gives it a completely different meaning.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m3NVJXCV31QUVR


Here are some of the lyrics:
“I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul, Don't wanna walk away, let me hear the people say. I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul, Don't wanna walk away, let me hear the people say.”

When you think about fame it’s only an earthly word. You can’t take fame or money with you. Yes, you have to have money to survive but don’t be too consumed by it.

“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” 1 Timothy 6:10 (King James Version Bible)

“Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.” John 18:36 (King James Version Bible)


See you have to choose to be happy always and love your life. You can’t love others if you have a hard time loving yourself. Now that doesn’t give you a right to be selfish. When you love yourself you love the things that God has given you. You don’t stand in the mirror and say “I look bad today”. You can’t go aw that person has this new toy and I don’t. You can’t stay in self pity. You have to get up and keep moving forward. I know it’s easier said than done. But if you have dreams go after them. If it doesn’t work out there is always another dream to dream.

Start dreaming dreams. Don’t live in fear. You are free! He believes in you!

God Bless,
Andrew