Beginning in Genesis and proceeding through the entire Bible, Stanley touches on many very familiar stories from Scripture. He looks at them through the lens of grace. How was God active in the lives and circumstances of some popular and not-so-popular Bible characters. At times, it feels like Stanley is sitting across the bistro table having a conversation with his reader, wanting his reading to see the incredible measure of God's grace, not just in the pages of Scripture but also in the reader's own life.

If you've listened to Stanley speak, you'll feel right at home reading this book. It wouldn't surprise me if this book is a compilation of messages that Stanley has preached in the past. The book is full of some great quotes that have made it into my collection for future use.

It won't take you long to read this book, but it's impact on your spiritual walk will take much longer to digest.

You can pick up your copy of this book at Amazon, Barnes&Noble, or ChristianBookDistributors.

After more than fifteen years of working with marriages in the local church, this is one of the best books I've come across that addresses the passage that has caused debate in our culture. Dr. Eggerich expounds on Ephesians 5:22ff to show that men need to feel respected and women need to feel loved.

The concepts presented in the book are found in the title. A woman's deepest need is to feel loved. A man's deepest need is to feel respected. The key is found in the word feel. Intent isn't the issue. Through clear and pointed illustrations, Dr. Eggerichs shows how you can meet the deepest need of your spouse.

This book could be used as much as reference book, with simple step-by-step examples of actions you can do to communicate your love effectively to your spouse.

If you've read the original Love and Respect book, this little distilled version will serve as a great reminder. It's the type of book that could find a home on your coffee table and be used as a gentle reminder to yourself.

If you've not yet read the original book, this edition will give you a ten thousand foot view of the authors teaching about the deepest needs of each gender.

If you're not an avid reader, this would be a great book to pick up.

While going though the emotional journey of loss, I have attempted to cognitively process those very emotions. I have noticed a parallel to what is known as The Five Stages of Grief.

In her 1969 book, On Death and Dying, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross introduces the idea that there are five stages of grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance/Resignation.

Full-time ministry provides a unique environment where the work circle, the social circle and the worship circle are identical. When there is a loss of the work circle, it has a direct impact on the other circles. The loss of a ministry role results in the loss of relationships and also results in a loss of a church home.

The process is very similar to the five stages of grief.

Going through the loss of both the ministry role and the associated relationships has been painful. But like the winter, it precedes the new life of spring.

Looking back on the last few weeks, I have come to a place of acceptance: I no longer have the burden for my former place of ministry. It has died. I no longer stay up at night dwelling on how to help the people grow in their faith. I no longer wake in the early morning hours burdened with the needs of he people.

God has created a opening through the process of loss. An opening that is ripe with anticipation for the next God-given burden!

That being said, there are huge benefits that I’ve gained in my life over more than a dozen years in structured group life. Benefits that exist, not because of Sunday mornings, but because I’ve chosen to live in close proximity with other believers.

1. Confession: As I have built the relationships within a small group of friends, I have found that trust grows, acceptance flows, and therefore confession is able to happen. I am able to express the things that God is putting his finger on in my life and I find the support and love of friends.

2. Application: As we discuss Scripture and talk about our lives it becomes obvious how a Scriptural principle can be specifically applied in my life, including ways that I would not have thought of on my own.

3. Accountability: I can think of times when, in the middle of a discussion, a group member will look at me and ask, “Didn’t you say you were going to ____ a few weeks ago? How is that going?” The consistency of meeting with my friends on a regular, intentional, frequent basis has allowed me to give the right to others to hold me accountable as I continue in my journey of spiritual formation.

4. Guidance in decision making: There are times, despite all my prayers, that I cannot discern the path that God wants me to walk. Getting to know people and being vulnerable with each other provides opportunity to get some godly feedback when I’m facing a decision. I know that I can trust these friends, I know they love me and have my best interests in mind, and I know the condition of their relationship with God. These factors sure make it easier to take their input and advice.

5. Encouragement, care, love and affirmation: There are times when I just need people to help lift me up. Everyone goes through the valleys. I can look to those in my small group as “Jesus with skin on.” The phone call, the email, the drop by visit; all things that let me know that people care.

Sunday mornings are an important part of our spiritual journey. Gathering with a large group of other believers is important for celebration and teaching. Sitting in a bunch of rows, staring at the back of a bunch of heads and the faces of only a few, misses out on so much of the life that God intends for us to experience.

The other line that I wrote down was much deeper and much more deep. The zebras were running as a herd and you hear one make this comment: “It’s one for all, and all for all.” Did you read that properly? "It's one for all, and all for ALL."

It was proof that sometimes things hit us deeper when we’re assuming we know what’s coming, but then a curve ball happens and we learn something instead of staying numb to the same-old-same-old. The cliche is only different by one word, but the depth of meaning is much more significant.

While in the theater the movie kept going, but my mind began to wander. How true the statement is on so many levels. We realize that there is safety in numbers and that is why so many animals live in herds. The parallel to the community life that God has designed us to live in is obvious.

What struck me about the phase was the last word… “all.” We are familiar with the phrase ending with “…all for one.” While the Musketeers used the phrase as a commitment to each other, there was still a recognition of individualism within the greater body.

In the body of Christ, we need to make an effort to keep the focus on the body, not the individual. In Colossians 3:11 Paul writes these words; “Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.”

It is prior to our salvation that individualism and separation flourishes. It is after salvation, when we enter the body of Christ, that our identity is found in what is bigger than any single person, the body of Christ!