LIFE-CHANGING BOOK - February: No Compromise, The Life Story of Keith Green

No Compromise: The Life Story of Keith Green
Legacy edition
by
Melody Green and David Hazard


MY THOUGHTS:
This book was recommended when I asked several friends for the titles of books that changed their lives. My plan is to read one per month. I was very scientific about how I planned my reading for the year -- this book was first of those I ordered to arrive, so I read it first! You can see the full list of books I want to read (now at 24) here.

The book is approximately 500 pages and includes lots of pictures of singer Keith Green, his ministry, family, and friends. If I had to pick a quote from the book that summarized it all, it would be this:

"When we obey God in faith, we have no way of knowing what he will do with our efforts. We should never underestimate the power of one passionate heart in the hands of the all-powerful God."

Keith was part of the 60's generation and he and his later wife Melody got caught up in all the craziness that California had to provide at the time. He was an extreme seeker -- he knew there was more to live for than the daily grind, and he tried everything he could find that might help him find a purpose in life. He fought against Christianity for a long time, mostly because he had significant questions that weren't answered to his satisfaction. He was incredibly intense and he never gave up in his pursuit of meaning.

Along the way many people were critical to helping him find the love of Jesus and the truth of the Bible. Once he realized Jesus was truly the son of the one and only God, and that Jesus was also God himself, Keith gave himself over completely to God.

It wasn't an easy transition for him -- he struggled daily to understand what God wanted of him and how to be all he expected God wanted. He wrote hundreds of songs and delivered a powerful message to thousands of people who credit him for showing them the way to Christ.

The book is full of amazing lyrics and heartfelt passages from Keith's journal. I found myself bookmarking a lot of pages and underlining paragraphs. Through these insights the reader can see the intense struggle he went through to give up himself and be filled completely with God. He wrote, "All the talent in the world won't buy me a godly character...and that's what I want more than anything."

He lived a life that seemed to an outsider to be more than devoted, yet he always felt he wasn't doing enough for the Lord who gave everything for him. Many of his journal writings are so personal and deep, and I want to want God in my life in the same way. This book has opened my eyes to a level of introspection and action that I desperately want and need.

These excerpts from Keith's journal was especially meaningful to me:

"Prayer is the key. Make me a man of prayer! Put power in my words. Your word is powerful! Make your word my word, make your power my power. I want to be God's voice, full of love, mercy and fire! But I must be dead. I am ready for death! Kill me, destroy me, burn me beyond recognition. I know now that you would never hurt or harm me. You only want me dead! Let it be done! I don't want greatness. I want you to be great! Lower me down, humble me. Teach me to humble myself, O Lord! I love you so much, but not as you love the Father. I want to love you that way!"

"God has been so kind and patient with me, and now it's time to get serious about the call to serve Him. The Lord rebuked me yesterday for just occupying--just looking to do the next newsletter, the next album and tour, etc. He showed me that my vision was far too small and that I had lost my pioneer spirit. I had hidden my talent of potential for revival and soul-winning in the ground. I had become a corporate president instead of an apostle -- making new territories available to God's Spirit to glorify Him. Thank you for rebuking me in such love and kindness. I love you. Abba, and Jesus."

So many passages were either arrows into my heart, challenging me to listen and obey God more. Others were balm to a weary soul. These include:

"I know my (Melody's) losses deposited something deep into my spirit. Yes, I would have rather read a book to receive what God gave me in those darkest of times--but some pearls are only discovered when the field looks like an impossible wasteland. He is the God of the impossible. The God who tells us where to dig for the treasure. The God of great and tender mercies. And I love him with all of my heart."

"The main thing is that we decide to live differently. After we make a firm decision in our heart, God gives us the power to walk it out, and I think the temptations get less intense too."

And an analogy about godly works, not salvation by works: "An apple tree becomes an apple tree as a gift of God, but it proves it's an apple tree by making apples."

I highly recommend this book only if you truly want to take a good look at yourself and your relationship with God. You will be convicted if you read this!

KEY TAKE AWAYS:
1. God loves us unconditionally.
2. We take Him for granted.
3. There is nothing we can do to make God love us more, but there are many things we can do in response to that love.
4. Few of us ever desire to give ourselves over to God with the intensity that Keith did. And few will have the impact he did -- there is a correlation!
5. I want to be intense in my Bible reading and prayer. I waste so much time on meaningless things and I do so little to point others to God. I want to be filled with the Spirit in a way that causes me to seek God first in everything, to listen for His voice, to watch Him in action, and to be obedient to whatever he asks.
6. I have been hiding my talents and coasting through life. Shame on me. God loves me intensely despite this, but I want less of me and more of Him. None of me and all of Him!
7. I added three more books to my Amazon list!

You can purchase the book here.

ABOUT THE BOOK (from the back cover):
He was only twenty-eight when he died in a plane crash with two of his small children, but singer/songwriter Keith Green had already created a legacy of music and inspiration that would outlive him. A spiritual revolutionary, he found freedom through Jesus at twenty-one and spent the rest of his short life convincing others to refuse to accept the status quo and to bring passion and honestly back to the church.
Now, on the 25th anniversary of his death, Melody has expanded and updated her husband's biography with many added stories and insights, never before published photos, extra selections from Keith's private journals, and glimpses into Melody's season of grieving and raising their two surviving children on her own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Melody is probably most loved for the songs she’s written.  “There Is A Redeemer” is found in church hymn books around the world, and reports of it being sung in villages in Africa and Asia are plentiful. She has also composed many other standards including, "Make My Life A Prayer  To You,"  “You Are The One,” Rushing Wind,” and "The Lord Is My Shepherd."

Melody 's life is an adventure that just keeps unfolding. Besides writing songs she is also known internationally as an author and a minister.  She is fearless when it comes to tackling difficult issues and bold in her travels.  She has been to over 30 nations to speak at retreats, conferences, and church services…  as well ministering to  men and women in prisons, refugee camps, remote villages, leper colonies, underground churches, and those living in war zones.

Her best selling book,  “No Compromise. The Life Story of Keith Green”  has become a must-read classic, translated into numerous languages.  Melody’s “ministry articles” are distributed as LDM WiseTracts by the multi-millions, especially her groundbreaking Pro-Life message, "Children Things We Throw Away" which at last count, 10 years ago, over 20 million had been distributed. You can learn more about her and Keith's live at http://www.melodygreen.com

LIFE CHANGING BOOK - January: Walk It Out

One of my 2018 goals is to read a different nonfiction Christian book each month with the intent of learning from various well-respected authors. I want to expand my faith and really define what I believe. I thought about finding one spiritual 'mentor' and focusing on his/her books, but right now I want to understand the perspectives of those who have been important influencers of friends I respect. I've actually pulled together a list of about 20 books so I have many to choose from depending on what seems most important at the time.

I started reading Walk It Out, by Tricia Goyer, before I decided to accept this challenge. While she is not regarded as a pillar in the faith by many, she is a woman I respect immensely. She's dealt with the difficult choices she made in the past and has moved forward with a life devoted to obedience. She and her husband are advocates for teen moms, foster kids, and caring for the elderly. In fact she is currently living with seven adopted children and her ailing grandmother. At the same time she has an active role in the local Teen MOPS group and their church. Walk it Out is a compilation of the different ways she has struggled to follow Christ and obey the call of God and it's chock full of great wisdom to help the reader to do the same.

Each chapter ends with thoughtful questions for reflection and a list of action steps that help the reader apply what was learned. Some are a true stretch, but many just involve taking one small step.

As a result of reading this book I'm challenged to spend more time really diving into my Bible. I want to see the wisdom and advice that is there and really find ways to apply it to my life. I want to worry less about what God holds in my future and to step out and see what he has for me today. And not really for me, but for me to do to help further his kingdom. Because a major theme in Goyer's story is that it's not about us. Yes, there will be amazing things we'll find along the way, but the real joy in living is sharing God's love and finding true joy in the adventure this life can hold.

You're Already Amazing

You're Already Amazing
by Holley Gerth


MY THOUGHTS

This is the first time I have ever taken the time to go to an author's webpage and thank her for writing a book as soon as I've finished reading the first page. The woman she was talking about in Chapter One had to be me, although we had never met. And the words typed on the page, spoken by God, were directed right to me.

The subtitle of this book is "Embracing Who You Are, Becoming All God Created You to Be". It is not a book about doing things to become a better Christian, a better Proverbs 31 Woman, a better anything. It's about learning who you are NOW -- how God created the unique being that you are today. Understanding your personality, preferences, strengths, and gifts, then using them as you were designed to serve in the Kingdom so you can be the best YOU you can possibly be.

It is also a book dedicated to understanding that God created you to be his pride and joy, to have those particular characteristics that may drive you a bit crazy every now and then, and to use them for good! He wants you to understand that it is HIS job to grow you , shape you, and make you perfect in HIS eyes. It is now our job to become the perfect wife, mother, social chairman, Sunday School teacher, or church lady -- that is not what he made us to be.

Holley uses her years of experience as a writer, licensed counselor and certified life coach to honestly share her struggles with perfectionism and insecurity as she helps women truly understand who God created them to be. This is a life=changing book that I would highly recommend for all women who struggle to fit into their own skin in this world of high expectations.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Every woman can relate to the feeling of instant inadequacy after walking into a room crowded with other women, comparing themselves to everyone else in the room. We’re transported back to the seventh grade lunch room, and our quest for acceptance and perfection seems never ending. But what if there was a way to quiet our insecurities and to embrace our differences to live the life God designed specifically for us?

Good news, there is. Award-winning author, (in)courage co-founder and life coach Holley Gerth
ask readers to pull up a chair and shares the best news we’ll ever hear: You’re Already Amazing. Her warm writing style, filled with sincere encouragement and confessions about her own shortcomings, makes it easy for readers to imagine they’re enjoying an intimate conversation over a cup of coffee.

In You’re Already Amazing: Embracing Who You Are, Becoming All God Created You To Be (Paperback ISBN: 978-0-8007-2060-5, 224 pages, March 2012, $13.99) Gerth knowingly tells readers to give up the idea of perfection, to stop comparing themselves to other women and to stop trying to be everything to everyone. She gives permission to not feel guilty for what they
are not and to embrace how God created them.

By reading You’re Already Amazing, women will be told, perhaps for the first time, that they are perfect because God has made them perfect through his love. Not everyone is comfortable in front of crowds or can cook a five-course meal, but everyone has gifts and skills that are uniquely theirs. Gerth walks readers through exercises to identify their talents and skills as well as develop a life statement that captures what they are passionate about and who they want to affect with their life.

“I’m slowly learning it’s not about being perfect but about being perfectly loved,” says Gerth. “Women need to hear that they’re doing enough. That they’re already amazing because they are God’s creation, his child. For too long I thought that God wanted me to be perfect, but God doesn’t want us to be perfect, he wants our love to grow more perfect.”

Readers will emerge from You’re Already Amazing with a deeper sense of self and redefined life goals. They will find a true friend through Gerth’s relatable writing style and sense how life-changing her words can be. Ultimately, our goal shouldn’t be self-improvement, aspiring to impossible standards, trying to please people and wearing ourselves out in the process. Instead we should be content with how God created us and to find the gifts only we can offer the world.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Holley Gerth is an award-winning writer, licensed counselor, certified life coach and speaker. She is cofounder of (in)courage, an online destination for women, which received more than one million page views in its first six months. She also reaches out to readers through her popular blog, Heart to Heart with Holley and through her partnership with DaySpring, a subsidiary of Hallmark. Holley lives in Arkansas with her husband, Mark.

Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books for everyday life. For more
information, visit www.RevellBooks.com.

Available March 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Revell Books provided a copy of the book for this review, but did not influence the content of the review.