Thank God for epiphanies. Thank God for those moments in time that transcend time. Thank God for those moments when we discover something deeper, something truer, something greater than physical reality. Thank God for those moments when our spiritual eyes are opened to behold beauties and realities we were blind to before.
Epiphanies. Mark Batterson is describing them in Primal, his latest book. He is also delivering them on every page. Nearly Everything Mark Batterson has written has transformed my life in one way or another. His first book, “In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day” rocked my world as it challenged me to face the fears, or lions, in my life and get on with the call of God. If you want to read more about that book, do a search within the blog. I wrote post after post about that book in the early days of Coffee Shop Journal.
Primal is a different kind of book, a new and old book. Mark brings us back to the first things of Christianity, the basics, the primal elements of our faith. Don’t be tempted to skip this book thinking you’ve got that covered, because as usual Mark’s perspective changes everything.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. That’s the primal commandment. Working from that base, Mark Batterson encourages us to grow deeper in how Christianity plays out in the heart, soul, mind and strength. Your heart is the seat of compassion. Your soul is the seat of wonder. Your mind is the seat of curiosity. And your strength is the seat of power. Use these things to serve and remember.
Several sections of Primal really jumped out at me. For instance, there is an amazing chapter on generosity in the middle of the “The Heart of Christianity” section. Particularly convicting at this time of the year was his description of the “Mall Effect.” We all know what that is: you walk in the door of the mall and discover what it is you can not live without any longer. Counteract the Mall Effect with the Mission Trip Effect. Go see your world, let your heart be wrecked. Some good words to dwell on:
Are you focused on what you have or what you don’t have? That is the difference between gratitude and greed. Are you focused on this life or the next? That is the difference between stinginess and generosity. Are you focused on your wants or others’ needs? That is the difference between selfishness and compassion. It’s also the difference between unhappiness and joy.
The section on the soul of Christianity inspired me, in this hectic Advent season, to stop what I am doing and look around me. We took a half a day to get to the ocean, a mere mile or two from our home but a place we rarely visit. Unbelievable. Just skimming along the water changed our attitude toward, well…everything. Mark quotes Elizabeth Barrett Browning as he encourages us to look around us for the Glory of God.
Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God:
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes,
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.
There are so many good quote in Primal. I could, and probably should, write several posts about them. At the moment I am remembering the section on creativity, and the duty we have to “take captive every thought for God.” Usually that verse is used to encourage us to turn away from negative or sinful thoughts, but Mark reminded us that it also means we should harness those “God ideas” that come romping through our brains. Good thoughts, those.
I was looking forward to reading Primal. When I was given an opportunity to review the book during this week, I jumped at it. It has been a tremendous help to me in refocusing my mind on the Advent season and celebrating Christmas by remembering the primal roots of Christianity. The reminder to share my heart in compassion, to look around me in wonder, to use my ideas for creative kingdom purposes and to use the strength God has given me to accomplish all of it has inspired me. To learn more about Primal, you can click through to Random House’s Watermark Division here. Mark Batterson is the pastor of National Community Church in Washington DC, a church I love because they also operate Ebenezer’s Coffee shop as a ministry center. Gotta love that!
Go read Primal and rediscover your roots. Make Primal one of the first books you read in 2010.
