Fresh Air–Book review
“If I’ve learned anything in my thirty-four years of relationship with God, it’s the importance of not holding back, of going all in.”
– Chris Hodges, Fresh Air
Things I like about Chris Hodges:
- he loves Jesus and the scriptures
- he preaches the gospel in practical ways
- he shares openly about his life
- he believes the Spirit still moves
And oh yeah, he’s funny.
So I enjoyed reading his book because you get all those things in Fresh Air, just like you get in person when you listen to him preach at Church of the Highlands.
This book is about being more than doing, although the being will greatly influence your doing. And about how to stay alert to the Spirit of God blowing through you to keep your eyes on the eternal, your attitudes properly adjusted, and your outward actions motivated from your inward beliefs.
Here are some favorite passages:
“I’m all for living a disciplined life, but there’s a better way. Temptation is a test of your relationship, not your self-control. Whether or not you pray does not depend on your self-control. It does, however, reveal your relationship with God. Do you really want to talk to God?”
“Paul was focusing on what was happening in him, not to him. Likewise, we can be sure that when something is happening to us, God is doing something in us—something that will shape us for eternity.”
“Instead of being fearful of all the mean, nasty, selfish people out in the world, you can show them the love of God because you know that he is big enough to handle their issues. You don’t have to do God’s job for him and monitor the gates to his Kingdom.”
“When you let go of judging, condemning, and policing other people and their behavior, you’ll discover that you have a lot more energy to devote to your real purpose: loving them and loving God.”
“An old Zambian proverb sums it up well: ‘When you run alone, you run fast. But when you run together, you run far.'”
“Remember that the Holy Spirit is God. . . . So if you ever hear someone say, ‘Watch out for that Holy Spirit church over there!’ keep in mind that they’re actually saying, ‘Watch out for that God church over there!'”
“We must realize that the Holy Spirit is an actual person and not an ‘it.'”
“You may not be surprised by my big reveal here: the source of the blast of life-breath in us is the Holy Spirit of God.”
* * *
- 5 ways to stay in the now
- Memorizing Isaiah 55:10
Sounds like an awesome book and man. I like him.
He is a man of integrity, so yes, you would like him because I know that’s a quality you value and live out yourself.
Hi Lisa! I love that quote about the Holy Spirit being a person, not an ‘it’. I think there is a tendency to think of the Holy Spirit as wind/love/heat, but not as a distinct part of God’s person. Great insight!
And the focus of Paul working on listening to himself and not others is just key. I am trying to do that more this Lenten season.
Hope you are having a great weekend 🙂
Ceil
I agree we definitely need to think of the Holy Spirit as more of a person than a floating, wispy “thing.” I love when people even drop the “the” and just call him “Holy Spirit” because he sounds even more real to me when addressed that way.
It is a beautiful Saturday here where I am; hope the same for you, too!
This sounds like a nice book (another one; I still have my shortlist of books from your “31 days”). I like all your quotes, especially the first two.
Please could you explain briefly (or point/link) how the holy spirit is a person?
Thank you
PL
Short answer: Just as I think of Jesus and God as persons, so the Holy Spirit, as a third entity. I think the name “Spirit” can throw us off–I grew up hearing him called the “Holy Ghost” which was a little spooky as a child. ha.
The quote about temptation revealing your relationship with Christ and not being about self control is powerful!
Sounds like a really good book. Thanks for sharing.
That was one of my favorite quotes/thoughts from the book. I’m still pondering it in relation to different things I’m tempted with: what do my choices reveal about my relationship?
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