The Noticer

Someone loaned me the book,The Noticer by Andy Andrews. What an excellent, encouraging book. I'm only listing a few quotes, but I know this would be a good book for everyone to read.

"Think with me here . . . everyone wants to be on the mountaintop, but if you'll remember, mountaintops are rocky and cold. There is no growth on the top of a mountain. Sure, the view is great, but what's a view for? view just gives us a glimpse of our next destination - our next target. But to hit that target, we must come off the mountain, go through the valley, and begin to climb the next slope. It is in the valley that we slog through the lush grass and rich soil, learning and becoming what enables us to summit life's next peak." p. 8

"Here's the connection," Jones said. "One way to define wisdom is the ability to see, into the future, the consequences of your choices in the present. That ability can give you a completely different perspective on what the future might look like. p. 65

"Five seagulls are sitting on a dock. One of them decides to fly away. How many seagulls are left?"

"Well . . . four."

"No," Jones responded. "There are still five. Deciding to fly away and actually flying away are two very different things."

"Listen carefully to me. Despite popular belief to the contrary, there is absolutely no power in intention. The seagull may intend to fly away, may decide to do so, may talk with the other seagulls about how wonderful it s to fly, but until the seagull flaps his wings and takes to the air, he is still on the dock. There's no difference between that gull and all the others. Likewise there is no difference in the person who intends to do things differently and the one who never thinks about it in the first place. Have you ever considered how often we judge ourselves by our intentions while we judge others by their actions? Yet intention without action is an insult to those who expect the best from you. 'I intended to bring you flowers, but I didn't.' 'I meant to finish this work on time.' 'I was going to be there for your birthday . . .'" p. 111

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What the Bible Says About Angels

Another great book about Angels. David Jeremiah does a wonderful job in teaching about angels in his book, What the Bible Says About Angels. I trust you will enjoy the quotes below:

• The Bible gives no indication angels will respond if we pray directly to them for help. p. 18
• In fact in Scripture we don't find any instances of people even asking God to send them an angel's protection. And the only person in Scripture who tried persuading someone else to seek help form an angel was Satan, who quoted an Old Testament verse about angelic protection while tempting Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4:6). p. 18
• Scripture gives no basis for assuming angles will serve and help non-Christians. The Bible describes angels as "ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation." (Hebrews 1:14). p. 18
• The only sufficient aim in a study of angels: that you might draw closer to God. p. 25
• Notice the proportion: Four wings for worship and only two for work - twice as much attention to being in God's presence as compared to carrying out other responsibilities. It seems like we today often reverse his ratio. We would do well to be more like the seraphim. p. 147
• Apparently angels and believers alike all have their own perfect jobs in carrying out God's perfect will. p. 153
• Some worship, rightfully stressing the joy and confidence that the believer has in relationship to a loving heavenly Father, goes beyond that point to an excessive familiarity treating him as an equal, or worse yet, as a servant.... While there are room and need for enthusiasm of expression, and perhaps even an exuberance, that should never lead to a loss of respect. There will always be a sense of awe and wonder.... Although there are love and trust and openness between us and God, we are not equals. He is the almighty, sovereign Lord. We are his servants and followers. (M.J. Erickson) p. 173
• Mature believers know that a heart full of thanksgiving is the most fertile soil for freedom in worship. But offering thanks isn't reserved just for redeemed mankind. We see the twenty-four elders demonstrating this for us in 11:16-17. They fall on their faces and say,

We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,

the One who is and who was,

because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. p. 176

• Again and again in the Scriptures we see this pattern: Those who are given the privilege of a direct visible or audible ministry from angels are those with mature hearts who want to encounter God---not angles. p. 192

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