Keep Your Love On! (book review)

Keep Your Love OnJust when I thought I’d heard almost every relationship-building concept, Danny Silk comes along with a totally innovative approach in Keep Your Love On!

Danny points out that most people try to develop a safe distance between other people, to keep themselves from getting hurt. As a result they have become powerless in their relationships—powerless to make any changes that would move them closer to one another.

But God designed us for connection: Connection with Him and with each other. These types of connections can only come from powerful people. Danny says that powerful people are not those who impose their will on others, but people who first of all take personal responsibility for who they are. Then powerful people can establish healthy boundaries that will help others move from powerlessness to power. Healthy, long-lasting, fulfilling relationships come when both people are powerful people.

All throughout the book, Danny Silk give sound, biblical direction, combined with his personal experiences counseling other people. He is even vulnerable enough to tell us how he learned these valuable lessons by moving away from powerlessness in his own marriage.

This is an outstanding book for anyone who want to strengthen or repair relationships in their lives, or for anyone who wants to be a catalyst for change in the lives of people close to them. Pastors and counselors should definitely add this book to their library.

“Quality love relationships do not happen by accident. Real love is built the old-fashioned way—through hard work. And if you learn to manage the very best of who you are, the all-elusive intimacy experience we crave will be well within your grasp.” —Danny Silk

I am a Red Arrow Media book reviewer.

Links & Quotes

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Some interesting reading and watching from today…

An open letter that needs to be read: What’s The Big Deal With Pornography?

All doubts are an attack of the enemy; the Holy Spirit never suggests them, never. He is the Comforter, not the accuser; and He never shows us our need without at the same time revealing the Divine supply.” —Hannah Whitall Smith

“The only way to have a fulfilling life is to stop relying on your own savvy and start relying on God to provide the necessary turn of affairs.” —John Piper

 

[VIDEO] Speaking of John Piper, I am so excited about his new project called Look At The Book! Check out this preview.

President Obama unleashes another assault on our religious liberties.

Dr. Tim Elmore gives parents and teachers Five Words Every Child Needs To Hear.

Better Sex

The Gospel invitationOur culture has a sexualized agenda. Just look at how Hollywood portrays us today:

  • Few happy marriages.
  • Lots of sex-crazed, inept husbands with strong wives who use or withhold sex as a reward or punishment.
  • Flawlessly beautiful actors (not a zit to be seen).
  • No consequences for sex—no pregnancy, STDs or AIDS.
  • No depression for broken relationships; no anxiety or eating disorders because of the psychological pain.
  • Sex outside of marriage is normal, and those who abstain are the weird ones.

We cannot stand on our soapboxes and rail against culture.

We cannot just tell them what we’re against, but we’ve got to tell them what we’re for.

We’ve got to give them the compelling truth for the beauty, joy, and fulfillment of sex God’s way.

The Gospel—the Good News—is an invitation, not an ultimatum. We’ve got to share with others what’s good about God’s counter culture way concerning sex! 

“I think our present outlook might be like that of a small boy who, on being told that the sexual act was the highest bodily pleasure should immediately ask whether you ate chocolates at the same time. On receiving the answer ‘No,’ he might regard absence of chocolates as the chief characteristic of sexuality. In vain would you tell him that the reason why lovers in their carnal raptures don’t bother about chocolates is that they have something better to think of. The boy knows chocolate: he does not know the positive thing that excludes it.” —C.S. Lewis

All Hollywood knows is the “chocolate” of people acting on their immediate feelings, with no understanding of long-term consequences.

Better sex comes from doing things God’s way = one man and one women married for life.

Proverbs 5 presents the advantages of being married and being intimate with just one person. I especially love this passage—

Drink water from your own well—share your love only with your wife. Why spill the water of your springs in the streets, having sex with just anyone? You should reserve it for yourselves. Never share it with strangers. Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth. She is a loving deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts satisfy you always. May you always be captivated by her love. Why be captivated, my son, by an immoral woman, or fondle the breasts of a promiscuous woman? (verses 15-20)

This is better sex because it’s pure:

  • No sharing sexually transmitted diseases from previous partners.
  • No comparison to how you are in bed compared to previous partners.
  • No psychological fall-out.
  • Intimacy without reservation.
  • A release of dopamine (the feel-good hormone) unlike you’ll ever get with “casual” sex.
  • And most importantly: A relationship God can—and does!—bless.

Hollywood knows nothing about real love and a truly satisfying, fulfilling sex life. But God does! That’s why the Apostle Paul tells us, “Therefore honor God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:20), because God created your body and knows how it can get the highest, purest pleasure.

Better sex comes when you have sex God’s way!

Unfinished (book review)

UnfinishedRichard Stearns—as he did in The Hole In Our Gospel—delivers another stirring wake-up call to the Church in Unfinished: Believing is only the beginning.

As the title implies Unfinished is about what is still left for Christians to do. It’s not enough, Richard Stearns says, to just believe that Jesus is our Savior and Lord, we have to do something with that belief. And until we do, the work that Jesus gave us to do is unfinished.

The words in this book are both confronting and motivating. As I was, I believe you will be too, challenged to realize that God has made me and placed me where I am on purpose. He has a plan for my life, and I must honestly answer the question, “Am I fulfilling that plan, or is the work still unfinished?” Far from feeling condemned for anything yet unfinished, you will feel a renewed zeal to complete the work.

The first part of Unfinished is directed to individual Christians, and the second part to the corporate body of Christians known as the Church. The accompanying study guide and discussion questions at the back of the book will help you clarify your thoughts into action steps.

Unfinished is a great read!

Note: Because I had previously read and reviewed The Hole In Our Gospel (you can read my review by clicking here), I was given a free copy of Unfinished to read and review as well. My review of this book conforms with the standards I have for all of my book reviews.

The Scriptures Foresaw

Check out this passage from Galatians 3:8-9—

The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

God’s Word is a living Word. They are not merely ink on a page. They are the very words of God.

God’s Word never stops working. God made a promise to Abraham 3000 years before Paul saw it being fulfilled in the Galatian believers. And now, another 2000 years after that, it’s still being fulfilled in ALL who come into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ!

These words are not past tensethose who have faith ARE blessed. They apply to me, today, now, just as much as the day they were spoken by God 5000 years ago! And they apply to you too.

Let this soak in…

Not one promise in the Bible will expire. 

Not one command will become irrelevant. 

Not one precept will ever be out-of-date.

Living. Active. Personal. Real. Present tense. Now!

Do you believe it?

Do you live like you believe it?