A book that you need to read is...

PRIMAL by Pastor and Author Mark Batterson! I highly recommend that it be the first book you read in 2010 (after the Bible of course...but that was a given right?!?)! I have had the pleasure the last several years of following Mark on his blog www.evotional.com. That is how I found out that on top of being a follower of Christ, a husband, a father and a pastor he is also an author that God is using to communicate truth to a world and church much in need of God's word! I find Mark's writing to be both inspirational and challenging! I have read part of his 1st self published book I.D. and I have also read In a pit and Wild Goose Chase! I have tagged many of my own emails with his book quotes...Chase the Lion and Chase the Goose! But Primal is what this blog will be devoted too...so let me get started with that! I was extremely excited when I found out I was selected to receive primal and to write a review. I got it in the mail a few weeks ago and honestly...it has been speaking to me and challenging my heart and faith walk! The whole concept of the book is to examine the great commandment...the one that Jesus himself said should be at the top of our priority list! Mark 12:28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" 29 "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31 The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." 32"Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." 1st off...loving God with all we have should be the most important thing...but Jesus says this again which communicates a few things. 1 being that obviously we don't all get what is most important or 2 we have forgotten what is most important! Mark writes a number of things that challenge the way we as American followers of Christ live our lives...but it does not just point fingers at the church...it forces us to examine ourselves! He breaks down what it means to Love God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength...but he also is constantly pointing to the fact that our acknowledgement of the word of God demands a response! In a Pit and Wild Goose Chase both communicated clearly a rally for God-sized courage, and faith that is not just preached but that is lived out! Primal does the same thing. Mark writes a statement in Primal that echoed some of wild goose chase where he talks about how our faith was never intended to be a noun or just a label....but it is to be walked out! Mark points out many injustices and needs that are represented in this world and challenges us to examine ourselves and how we fit in to what God is calling the church to do...not just talk about! He encourages us to look at what breaks the heart of God...and then to identify what our direct response to that should be! At the time of this blog I am 3/4 of the way through the book. For 1...I am a slow reader....but honestly...primal has challenged me so much that I am trying not to just breeze through it because I want to chew on what he is talking about! I want to be in pursuit of Christ and what he has...but when we just read things without processing them (which he also addresses in primal), we really miss out on what God has for us sometimes! Mark has a great way to communicate timeless truths in a relevant way that makes us question...what are we going to do with what God has given to us? Not just with our check books, or our relationships...but with our time...ultimately with our life! Out of all of Marks books so far Wild Goose Chase was used by God to jack me up the most but Primal has something for every reader no matter where they are in life! I appreciate Marks transparency in both his books and his blog! It encourages people and shows us that we can observe what God is doing in and through Him and NCC his church...but we too have a chance to do something with this life that God has given us! 1 more thing...if we have breath and a heart beat...we have an opportunity to choose to live a life of purpose on purpose! So I encourage you to read PRIMAL...but I also would encourage you to read In a pit with Lion on a snowy and Wild Goose Chase! Mark is voice that God is using to both reach the lost and challenge the Body of Christ! Mark has shared many times that he prays for the books that God gives him to be intentional moments in peoples lives! The Holy Spirit will speak to you clearly if you will take the time to listen to what he has to say! This Book does not take away or add to the word of God...but it does bring a fresh perspective to the truth that we know to be the living word of God! This concludes my review and blog on Batterson's new book Primal! Chase the Lion...Chase the Goose...and Love God with all of your Heart, Soul, Mind and Strength! -jimmy akers PS. ...and Love your neighbor as yourself! -Jesus to check out Marks blog go to www.evotional.com to purchase Marks book go to www.RandomHouse.com

1st month weigh in 10/25/09!!! and some other stuff!

It has been a tough 10 months...not exercising much...not watching what I was eating...basically almost in survival mode, just trying to make it with having to pay for 2 homes and working up to 80 hours a week...but God has brought us through that...and now we are stepping into a new season! My brother has moved into the house that we used to own and he has lifted that burden...we got a sweet new 'matured' Subaru Forrester that we are loving thanks to some amazing friends...we are 2 months into serving on staff as the youth pastors @ Dagsboro COG seeing God move in incredible ways, loving our teens and gaining new brothers and sisters in our church family...our marriage is stronger then it has ever been...we are seeing some light as we are starting to turn around and climb out of the pit we call financial bondage...we are starting back on our belts getting looser...and most importantly...we are seeing God be God in our lives...we are growing in him...seeing his love transform us...and we are starting to walk with a great sense of destiny in our lives because of the faith he is growing in us! I said all of that to say...that God is blowing my mind with how amazing he is! I wanted to share my 1st weigh in with you so...here it is! Starting weight in September 2009 was 414.8 lbs...my weigh in this weekend was...... so I lost 14.2 pounds in my 1st month!!! I am pretty stoked about that. For 1...that is the most I have ever lost in 1 month...2nd...I am almost in the 300's...3rdly...I hope to be where I was at my lowest weight next weigh in...and last but not least...God gets the Glory! You see...it is easy to give up! It is easy to not get up and go to the gym...it is easy to settle on whatever you want to eat instead of what you need to eat...it is easy to live a 'status quot' kind of life! It is hard to push yourself when you don't feel like it! It is hard to say no to what you want sometimes...it is hard to go an extra 5 minutes when you want to just go sit down...it is hard to choose to be different and it is hard when you make the decision to stop living in bondage...whether it be the bondage of some kind of addiction, or food, or financial debt...or whatever...but you know what...it is going to be worth it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I went to go hear Joe Sangl speak about financial freedom and we were talking about the biggest Loser show and he said he loved it and of course I 2nd that...but Joe made a statement! He said 'I am obsessed with life change! Anything that brings life change fires me up...I can't get enough of it!' Well Joe...I am in the middle of seeing my life change...and because of God and because of a amazing wife that believes in me and that chooses to walk this journey with me...we are seeing our lives change in a bunch of ways! As we step out of bondage and into victory...may you Jesus get all of the credit! As we stop surrendering to our flesh and start surrendering to the will of God...may life change be so evident in us that it becomes contagious! And you my friends that are reading this blog...may you be challenged and inspired by the greatness of our God! Know that he loves you...know that he has a plan for you too....he is not partial to anyone...know that you are not alone...and even if the whole weight issue or financial debt issue is not your issue...there is a man named Jesus Christ that is ready to walk with you through whatever it is that is holding you back! Be encouraged...chase the Lion...chase the goose...bear the cross to a world in love with kingdoms...there is hope...there is another way to live! Let us choose to Love God, Love people and follow Jesus 24-7! Let us start living on purpose...with a purpose! -jimmy akers PS. I know my grammar, punctuation and spelling sometimes can be re-dunkulous or her-ocious!!! Just pray through...lol! 2nd...check this out!

Hebrews 12:1-4 (The Message)

^1-3Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!