The Heath Mullikin Project

Figuring it all out one day at a time

Reviews

The Circle Maker Book Review

I’m a huge fan of Mark Batterson.  Chase Your Lion dot com came about after I read In a Pit With a Lion On a Snowy Day.  It completely changed my life.  As a matter of fact, when my wife and I were praying and considering our current pastorate I was content to stay where we were at.  My wife asked,”So, everyone else needs to Chase Their Lion, but you get to play it safe?”  Needless to say, she was right and we haven’t regretted our decision.  The latest book from Mark Batterson,The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears, is another winner. The Circle Maker draws from 1st century story of Honi, the Jewish Circle Maker, who prayed for and received rain from the Lord during a severe drought.  The book challenges believes to dream big, pray big, and trust big.  The point isn’t to get in your circle to change God, but to allow him to change you while you’re in the circle.

He emphasizes that God is not a genie in a bottle whose wish is our command.  As a matter of fact he writes

His command better be your wish. If it’s not, you won’t be drawing prayer circles; you’ll end up walking in circles.

We live in a society where God has become little more than a short order cook:  on call for us 24 hours a day to serve up our hearts desire. Perhaps that’s why so many people today are walking in circles(just like the children of Israel wandering in the wilderness).  We aren’t praying for God’s will as much as we’re praying to will God.

Here’s another challenging thought from the book:

The more faith you have, the more specific your prayers will be. And the more specific your prayers are, the more glory God receives.

I’m starting 2012 by praying some very specific prayers and walking in obedience to see them through.  I believe that the God who designed the human eye is uniquely qualified to hear our prayers down to the smallest detail.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012, The Techology Show will be interviewing Mark Batterson about The Circle Maker and other happenings at National Community Church.  Check out http://www.thetechologyshow.com/live Wednesday at 9 am EST to submit your questions and win a copy of The Circle Maker!

Here’s our first interview with Mark:

Book Review of Chazown by Craig Groeschel

Chazown by Craig Groeschel

A while back, I picked up Chazown: Define Your Vision. Pursue Your Passion. Live Your Life on Purpose.by Craig Groeschel.  You know I had to read this book from the subtitle.  As I have transitioned into being a Senior Pastor I have been reading everything I can get my hands on about vision. Chazown (pronounced khaw-ZONE) is the Hebrew word for vision and in this book Craig Groeschel speaks of discovering one’s personal vision.  He wants the reader to imagine themselves on their death bed and look back to see what really mattered in life.

Everyone ends up somewhere.  But few people end up somewhere on purpose.-From page 6 of Chazown and borrowed from Visioneering

There are a lot of things I love about this book.  First, each section is really short, 2-3 pages.  It makes it easier to digest everything.  He also speaks of our Chazown having 5 spokes:Relationship with God

  1. Relationship with God
  2. Relationship with People
  3. Finances
  4. Health and Fitness
  5. Work

There are lots of exercises in the book as you are encouraged to write down your goals and dreams.  It includes an appendix that lists some core values and spiritual gifts to think through and see how God has gifted us and wired us.  I had never thought of things like endurance and zeal as core values, but it broadened my thinking as to how God wanted to focus my life on certain things.  Groeschel’s view is that God’s vision for us comes at the place where our core values, spiritual gifts, and past experiences intersect.  It’s powerful to see these things unfold with expectation.  My wife and I will be going through this book and exercises together as we see the future God has charted for us.  I highly recommend this book and doing the hard work that comes with it.

 

Books for Summer Reading

Read any good books lately?

I recently purchase a Kindle. It has been well worth the price so far as I have turned wasted time into reading/learning time. I love the fact that Kindle is not only a device but software for my Mac and iPhone. That way, if my wife is reading on the Kindle, I can keep up with my books on these other platforms. Amazon is having a great sale on Kindle books right now. Here’s what I’ve purchased recently for my summer reading:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Stretch Deck-Downloaded this on Kindle for iphone so I’ve always got 50 great stretches with me.  With pics and descriptions.

That should be enough to keep me busy this summer.  What’s on your reading list?

 

Updates! Yay!


So, I should probably change the name of this blog to monthly dose of Heath. Sorry, I just haven’t felt like writing. Well, I did blog for an hour one night about the presidential candidates, but my computer locked up(bet a Mac never did that) and I think that bummed me out. So, I’m back and here’s what’s up.
1. Gotta be at the church in about 7 hours for the pancake breakfast/yardsale. I’m having deja vu. Hope it’s as good as the one in April in Central.
2. Halloween is better when you have kids. Just think, you have people getting candy for you. All you have to do is get em a costume. Sign me up again!
3. Some guys up the street were running around with chainsaws. Needless to say, Halloween is different when you live in a neighborhood and not in the middle of nowhere.
4. NBA 2k8 is the exact same as last year. If you’re in the paint, you miss every time. I traded it in for Guitar Hero 3.
5. My mom was up last weekend for a nice visit. I’ve been homesick since she left.
6. I gotta be honest. I don’t think Books A Million has a million books. Plus, I don’t think people are reading. We’re buying books because we have book shelves at home that we have to fill. We don’t want to look like a moron with an empty book shelf. Come on. We all know we’re not reading any of them.
7. My fantasy football teams are horrible. Plain horrible. I don’t think my basketball team is going to be much better. As long as I beat Timmy in both, I’ll be fine.
8. I’m preaching Sunday. God is really opening my mind to His word right now. I am getting deeper and seeing how things connect so much better than I used to. Plus, I’m using a Mr. Bean clip which leads me to…
9. If you like Mr. Bean, then you have to get the Whole Bean which includes every episode of the TV show. I laughed so hard watching them today. (I was looking for my clip so it was work.) Rowan Atkinson is a comic genius. I first saw him on my flight to London in 95. By the way, Palmer, tell Prince Charles I said hello. Give him my best.
10. Taking the girls to see BEE movie next week. Their first theater trip. I’m more excited than they are. Then, Seinfeld season 9 comes out on DVD the next week. “Starting Now!”
11. Didn’t think I’d have eleven things to say.
12. Is it bad that I go to work every Monday hoping my pastor will give me a rematch at Madden after our staff meeting. Do you know how awesome two person staff meetings are?
13. Hope to go the Sixers home opener tomorrow night.
14. Going to see Rob Bell in Philly with Adam Jones(yes, that Adam Jones), Dan Riddle, and Brian Dalbow. Should be good.
15. Off to bed. God Bless you all!