As I See It - An Interview with Tom Sullivan

Born prematurely in 1947 and as a result of too much oxygen, Tom Sullivan lost his eyesight.  Growing up feeling isolated in a fenced backyard, he heard the sounds of the world around him and he wanted to be a part of it.  Everything changed when he decided to jump the fence and discover what was on the other side.

As I See It: A Perspective on Life, Love, and Purpose is Tom's inspirational memoir where he shares moments in his life that would allow him to become an acclaimed entertainer, actor, musician and author.  But not only that but also how he experienced God's grace during a life-changing moment.

During my conversation with Tom we talked about the victories and failures in his life and those moments that brought him the greatest joy.  To listen click here.

In As I See It, Tom shares insights he gained including a person's true worth, growing close to others without exceptions, how to celebrate individual uniqueness and thoughts on other issues including:

• Societal Labels
• Pride
• Interdependence
• Faith

Tom believes every person living with a disability has a unique gift to offer society.  His hope is that we can make a difference by having more interaction with those that are disabled and offering them a proper education and opportunity to participate in some facet of employment.

Having a Generous Spirit

Have you made any resolutions for the new year? How are you doing with them? I know sometimes it's easy for us to make goals like these completely unattainable, and sometimes we get so busy that we just plain forget about them.  I've made a few for this year but the one I hope I can reach and not forget about is to be more generous.

That's my goal - to be more generous.  More generous with my time, more generous with my words and more generous with my finances.  Now you may be thinking to yourself, "Time and words I've got plenty of but money - that's a different story!"  This is what I've learned recently about my finances - God has given me exactly what I need for my daily living and exactly what I need to give to others. Some months that amount may be one thing and some months it may be something else. Either way, God has made us to be generous just as He is generous.

Let me challenge you this way - ask God how he would have you be generous with your finances this month. Ask where he would like you to give and then give with all your heart. If you would like to learn more about organizations that need people just like you please drop me a line.

A Moment to Remember

Wrecked

As we come into a new year this is the time in which we take a closer look at ourselves and make plans and goals to make a bigger impact on our world.  Like many other people, Jeff Goins was on a quest to break free of the mundane and live a life with those types of goals - live a more incredible life that impacts our culture.

In his new book, Wrecked: When a Broken World Slams into Your Comfortable Life, Goins, a writer and blogger, defines being "wrecked" as an expereince... a time when a broken world slams into our comfortable existence and what is left over is a tension between a lifetime of adventure and our daily routines.

Goins explains that being wrecked is often times a season in our lives when we are exposed to the uncomfortable reality of povery, pain and suffering and then return to our "normal" existence.  But after that exposure our lives are never the same.  We can be wrecked in our daily lives, close to home, at work, school or on mission trips. "When we are wrecked we choose the harder things... the things we don't want to do but we know we need to do in order to grow," says Goins.  "It means everything we believe - everything we know about ourselves, our world and our destiny is now in question because we have seen something bigger."

I had the chance to talk with Jeff about his expereience in being "wrecked" and what that meant in his life. We also talked about intentionally being wrecked and what that committment means in the life of a follower of Christ.  To listen to the conversation click here.  I want to warn you though -- being wrecked is not easy nor is it fun, but I believe it is a necessity in order to grow in your relationship with Christ.  Be prepared to be WRECKED!

God As He Wants You to Know Him

I remember reading A.W. Tozer's classic, The Knowledge of the Holy, and in it Tozer says, "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us."  As a young college student that hit me extremely hard (it still does!).  I wanted to know that God was more than what my finite brain could understand.  The problem I had was that I was in Bible college and all the books (other than Tozer's) was written from an academic, theologian's perspective and I was always getting lost in the language.  That's why I'm grateful for this new book by Dr. Bill Thrasher.  Dr. Thrasher is professor of Bible and Theology at Moody Theological Seminary, and he manages to communicate the most academic biblical truth with the heart and personal connection of a pastor.  

His new book, God As He Wants You to Know Him, Dr. Thrasher teaches:

• Why the doctrine of God is so foundational to our Christian life
• What the symptoms of having a wrong view God and what we can do to correct them
• There are wrong responses to the goodness of God
• Know God can result in experiencing the deepest desires of one's heart

Plus so much more.  The book is written in somewhat of a devotional format so it's perfect to start your day with.  He also has a complimentary study guide which is available at his web site by clicking here.

As the Christmas season approaches and the New Year will be soon upon us, take the time to really know how God wants you to know Him. To listen to my conversation with Dr. Thrasher please click here or scroll down to the media player.