A Book I’m Re-Reading – The Story of Christianity vol. 1

I initially read this book while I was in seminary. To honest, I never was a great history student. But the older I get, the hungrier I am to learn from our past. I’ve found this book to be a really helpful text is understanding the larger story of Christianity. 

From Amazon:

In this fully revised and updated edition, the lauded church historian Justo González tells the story of Christianity from its fragile infancy to its pervasive dominance at the dawn of the Protestant Reformation. The Story of Christianity, volume 1, relates the dramatic events, the colorful characters, and the revolutionary ideas that shaped the first fifteen centuries of the church’s life and thought.

From Jesus’s faithful apostles to the early reformist John Wycliffe, González skillfully weaves details from the lives of prominent figures tracing core theological issues and developments within the various traditions of the church. The Story of Christianity demonstrates at each point what new challenges and opportunities faced the church and how Christians struggled with the various options open to them, thereby shaping the future direction of the church.

This new edition of The Story of Christianity incorporates recent archaeological discoveries to give us a better view of the early Christian communities. Among these are advances in the recovery of Gnostic texts that have revealed a richer diversity of “Christianities” in the first century. González also includes important research done in the past twenty-five years revealing the significant role of women throughout the history of the church.

With lively storytelling incorporating the latest research, The Story of Christianity provides a fascinating introduction to the panoramic history of Christianity.

My Recent Message on Abiding – Restless

Jesus repeated a phrase over and over again in the gospels: Follow Me. But when Jesus addressed his closest followers before his death, he didn’t tell them to follow him. He told them to remain in him.

I’d love for you to watch this message. In it, I cover why remaining is important and then close with two practical ways to live it out. I hope you find it helpful.

A Pillow I Can’t Wait To Try – Proper Pillow

As a side sleeper, I am on the hunt for a great pillow. I’ve tried a lot of them! Pastor Mau recently gave away a Proper Pillow as a door prize. I immediately looked it up and ordered one. It will arrive in a few days.

From Amazon:

• The Proper Pillow is a revolutionary, new, sleeping pillow designed for your comfort and health
• It provides proper support to the head and neck for both side and back sleeping positions
• The Proper Pillow has two components: The plush, quilted outer pillow for a luxurious look and feel
• The second component is the inner design, with a low density & viscoelastic memory foam insert
• It provides support for both back and side sleeping via the patent pending inner “orthotic.”

A Quote from I’m Thinking About

You will never change your life until you change something you do daily.” – John C. Maxwell