Highlights from You and Me Forever by Francis & Lisa Chan

you-and-me-foreverWhat I really like about Francis Chan is his eternal perspective on life and the way he challenges us in the midst of our “normal” lives to take decisive action on the familiar commands of scripture.  My practice while reading any book is to underline thoughts and paragraphs that teach me something new or cause me to think or re-think about a subject. The following are some of the highlights for me from You and me Forever – Marriage in light of eternity by Francis Chan & Lisa Chan

P 11 – We are sad because godly marriages magnify God’s ingenious creation, but few marriages radiate that glory.

P 16 – These are the spiritually bedridden, resigned to spending the rest of their lives studying the Word without over making disciples or tangibly caring for others.

P 16 – Why not assume you should adopt kids unless you hear a voice telling you not to?  Wouldn’t that seem more biblical since God has told us that true religion is to care for the widows and orphans (James 2:27)?

P 25 – If we don’t stare at God, we’ll spend our time staring at lesser things.  Namely, ourselves.

P 29 – The words in your Bible carry an unparalleled power to penetrate to your very core.

P 52 – The Spirit fuels us so powerfully from the inside that His active presence is tangible and indisputable (see Gal. 5:22-24).  If the actions aren’t pouring out of your life, you have to ask yourself:  Is He in you?

P 54 – You are now called by God to showcase the power of His Spirit by the way you live.

P 55 – We are called to paint such an attractive picture of marriage that it causes people to long for the coming marriage with Jesus.  God calls us to display the love and humility of Christ through our marriages.

P 62 – Life is about Jesus.  We are not here to tell our story, but His.  We are here to live His story, not ours.

P 67 – We teach that even though Jesus lived simply, we have the right to live luxuriously(some prefer the term “comfortably”).

P 76 – He left the glory and comforts of heaven for you.  He endured torture and ridicule for you.  He endured the Father’s wrath for you.  No one will ever love you that much nor endure that much pain for you.  He didn’t sit passively in heaven criticizing you.  He zealously came after you.

P  81 – No woman wants t be led by a joyless man.  Let Christ fill you so you have plenty to give your wife.  Find all your security and worth in being a child of God, a member of Christ’s body.  He “nourishes and cherishes” you, which enables you to do the same for your wife.

P 98 – …you should sit down with your spouse tonight and figure out how to structure your lives around the command to make disciples.  This command should dictate everything about your life:  where you live, where you work, where you spend your money, how you spend your time – everything!

P99 – He wants us living life with others so we can demonstrate a life of obedience and teach them to do the same(1 Cor.  11:1).  True discipleship involves opening up our homes, schedules, and resources to others in order to allow them to see Christ and follow Him.  For more on this.  www.multiplymovement.com

P 107-108 – You feel trapped in meaningless routine and everything in you knows you were created for more.  Life might be fun and relationships might be good, but you know something deeper is missing.  You sense that you were created for more.  You want to experience a deeper communion with God where the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit is flowing thorough you undeniably.  You want to touch God rather than merely talk about Him.  You long for a knowledge of God that goes beyond your intellect, the kind of deep knowledge that only comes from experience.  This happens only when you are on His mission.  His love and power flow through you to others as you seek to bring them into His kingdom.  There is nothing like it, and there’s no other way to get it.

P 116 – Can you really call your marriage “good” if your focus on your family keeps you from making disciples, caring for the poor, reaching out to the lost, and using your talents and resources for others?

P 117 – Marriage-centered marriages have become accepted and applauded rather than Christ-centered ones.

P 122 – I can testify that the mission is far more appealing than the safety of the status quo.  Yes, sometimes I am tempted to pursue an “ordinary life”.  There are moments when I just want to be selfish and not think so hard about what God wants.  But it’s too late.  Once you have experienced true life, there’s no going back!

P 154 – Lisa and I want to raise children who love Jesus far more than they love us.  We want them to trust Him more than us, to enjoy Him more than us, to find more security in Him than in us.  And we are convinced that the best way to teach this is to demonstrate it.

P 157 – Our kids must be taught and shown that the world does not revolve around them – it revolves around Jesus.  We live for Him.

P 168 – “You saw that there was nothing mom and dad were not willing to sacrifice for the gospel, not even our lives.  Now go and do the same.”  How many of us are living in such a way that we can say the same to our children?

P 169 – The greatest lesson you can teach your kids is how to make decisions with an eternal mindset.

P 174 – As important as a commitment to the church is, your kids need to see God’s truth shaping your lives throughout the week.  If they can see you living out the gospel in the most intimate relationship you have, they will have an authentic picture of what it means to live according to the Word rather than the world.

P 175 – Our kids hear us pray often that we would all love God more and more, Truly, that is the heart behind every prayer we will ever pray for them.  To love God more is the fulfillment of the Great Commandment (Mark 12:28 – 30).  It is the on e thing that will keep them in step with His Spirit and obeying His word.

P 188 – Wherever you are in the journey, picture how you want this life to end.  We make our best decisions in hindsight, so imagine yourself standing before God.  How would your ideal life have looked?

These are just a few of the things I underlined in my read of You and Me Forever.  I am personally challenged to take bold action and live out what I claim to be truth.  I have experienced the truth and reality to many of these claims and still want to be a shell fish and stay in my comfortable shell.  I know that the adventure and reward that God provides by trusting in Him, taking action, accepting risk and living out life for others is an abundant life that He calls us to live.  To live in our family, to live in our occupations, hobbies, community and church.  The Chan’s provide additional resources on their website:  You and Me Forever.

Thank you Francis and Lisa for this encouraging and challenging work.  May you continue to experience the abundance of life that God supplies for those that accept His calling and live to bring glory to His name.

5 minute video, Be INSPIRED:  THEIR STORY

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