Disney on the Cheap: Touring the Resorts

I have always wanted to tour the Disney resorts, but when I pay a heaping pile of money for tickets into the parks, you can bet I will be in those parks from open to close. Thus, I've never had time to travel around to the amazing resorts that Disney has to offer...until now.

Some of Disney's resorts are absolutely gorgeous.

Boardwalk resort

All of them have dining and shopping options and some are even like mini-parks all by themselves. Such is the case with the Boardwalk resort. This resort is like a miniature version of Downtown Disney and is connected by a lagoon to the Beach and Yacht Club resorts and the Swan hotel. The Boardwalk is home to the ESPN cafe', a beautiful art gallery and, I've been told at night, even has street performers like musicians and magicians. 

The Grand Floridian Resort

 While doing discount Disney research online, Abbey learned that you can see the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the boathouse of The Grand Floridian. So we thought we'd check it out. 

The boat house at Grand Flordian

We could definitely see the fireworks, but the lights in the boathouse were never turned down and the musical score that goes with the fireworks show was only played through the speakers at Narcosees' restaurant which is seen in the background of the photo above. We still enjoyed the fireworks though. And honestly, the hotel is breathtaking...expensive...but breathtaking. 

As a bonus, there is a lakeside light and musical show that you can see from the boathouse. It also travels to the Polynesian resort. If you've ever seen the Electrical Light Parade in the Magic Kingdom, it's a smaller, aquatic version.

At the Animal Kingdom Lodge, they have a miniature version of an African savanna. Giraffes, antelope, water buffalo, zebra and birds abound. This place was amazing and one I'd love to stay in someday if our family of 6 wouldn't have to stay at the concierge level which starts at $400 per night. [More about this resort with my upcoming dining post.]

The best find though may have been that you can ride one of the boats from Downtown Disney to the Port Orleans French Quarter resort for some freshly made, "man-catching" beignets! (If you don't know the reference, watch The Princess and the Frog)

Leah at the French Quarter

Those beignets were delicious, there were six of them for less than $5.00 and we found out afterwards that you can even get them gluten free!

Some things to keep in mind about touring the resorts.

• All Disney transportation is free, but there is no hotel-to-hotel transport. You have to ride from a resort to either a park or Downtown Disney and then transfer to the bus, boat or monorail that you need.
• All Disney resort guests are wearing wristbands. I confess I struggled with being very self-conscious about not having one. But there were plenty of other people without them as the evening went on.
• Parking is free at the resorts, but you must show a valid ID upon entry. I also thought you needed to have an excuse to be there (i.e. dining on site) but then one of the guards shared that you can just get in to see the resort, no excuses needed.
• All pools are for the exclusive use of Disney resort guests and you must have a wristband to enter them.
• If you want your children to see characters without entering the parks, a few of the resorts are home to fairly tasty character meals. At resorts in the past, we have dined with Chip and Dale, Mickey, Goofy, Minnie, Pluto and one time, even Roger Rabbit. The Grand Floridian has an Alice in Wonderland tea and hosts some of the Disney princesses. They are quickly filled, so reserve them as soon as you know you're heading to Disney, as much as four months in advance. They are also some of the most expensive dining on Disney property.

If you want some classic Disney fun, head out to the Value level resorts of All Star Sports, All Star Music, All Star Movies, Pop Century or Art of Animation resorts. All of them have larger than life photo opportunities. We had never been to the Art of Animation, so on our way out of town the last day, we stopped to check it out. I'll leave you with a sampling of some of the great characters you can see there.

My kids always insist that I am a hippie. For this photo, I obliged them.

Disney on the Cheap: Downtown Disney

If you want to have a non-panic-attack-inducing trip to Disney World, Downtown Disney is the place to start. It's absolutely free! Don't get me wrong, there is plenty to spend your money on here: like yummy food, great shopping venues, bowling, a movie theatre, a Cirque Du Soleil show and even an interactive technological wonderland called DisneyQuest. But there is no admission to Downtown Disney, there are boats you can ride across the very large lake and all Disney transportation to and from other resorts is free with their bus system. For now, parking is limited, but free. They are building a parking structure so that may change in the near future. I know...it's a lot of information, so let me give you a few examples.

First, the stores. If you cannot successfully tell your children, "No, you can't have that," then this is probably not the place for you. But...if you're family likes to just wander around, reminiscing about Disney movies, trying on funny hats...

people watching and admiring all of the cute little princesses wondering around (whose parents just dropped a boat-load of money to have their girls "Bippity-Bobbity-Booped"...my new phrase)...then by all means, meander through the largest Disney store on Earth and be comforted by the fact that there are upwards of a dozen more throughout the Downtown Disney property.

Also take in the Lego store, which is simply...cool.

Yes, a dragon made from Legos

Yes, Legos

Other than my children...Legos again.

Step into Goofy's Candy Company and watch the chocolatiers make the most amazing dipped apples and yummy treats you may ever see.

This is one Disney turkey leg I didn't mind eating. (It's a marshmallow treat!)

Splurge $2.00 and let your kids ride the merry go round. It may not be as big as Cinderella's in the Magic Kingdom, but for a child who has never been there or has no memory of it...this one will do!

And the really wonderful, unreproducible thing about Disney is that you'll will find fun around every corner...if you just look for it. (And you aren't frantically looking for that one Frozen t-shirt you just have to have!)

Disney's topiary art is always incomparable.

If you just have to see some amazing animatronics action, step inside the Rainforest Cafe' or T-Rex restaurants. You can eat there, for a pretty penny, but just walking through T-Rex convinced us if we ever go back we will be making reservations there. It was that impressive.

Now pardon me...

to next blog post, go...we must.

Disney on the Cheap

I will not begin to try to provide a comprehensive list of everything you can do at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, cheaply or even for free. There are far more authoritative voices out there regarding all things "cheap" Disney. I just wanted to share a few of the adventures our family had last week on vacation that were a.) fun; b.) free or very cheap; and c.) easy to pull off. Get ready for an onslaught of posts, because believe it or not, even though it would cost a family our size upwards of $600 just to get into the Magic Kingdom for one day, we were able to enjoy a lot of delicious food, fun and relaxation for far less!

Up front, I'll share that we did not go to any parks for this trip. Instead, Downtown Disney, several of the resorts, a day at Cocoa Beach and a day with friends were enough to keep us busy and entertained.

Disney promises to be a place "Where Dreams Come True". But, if like me, a massive credit card bill would instead induce nightmares and you can no longer justify thousands of dollars for fun when God is calling you to care for others who have nothing...then stay tuned over the next few days as I share some of our family's favorite moments and finds from this vacation. [Full Disclosure: Some of our meals were very expensive, one in particular. Wherever possible, we attempted to conserve as much as possible and all meals, except when eaten at a Disney location, were far cheaper than had we stayed at a Disney resort.]

A Little Bit About Me

I happen to believe you can learn a lot about a person by their surroundings. For example, you could sit down at my desk and learn several things you may or may not know about me. Such was my thought when I snapped this photo a few days ago.

First of all, you would learn that I love ordered chaos...translation: I know exactly what is in those piles and why it is there and no one better mess with it. 

 This is also a huge source of frustration for my family in our communal areas, but on my desk...the rule of law is, don't move anything.

But more deeply than this, I realized when I sat down a few days ago, that this little corner that I share with no one, is a microcosm of what is important to me.

First, this was a scrapbook desk. Preserving memories of our family is important, but I don't spend as much time on it as I could. So this has also become my study and writing desk.

This is where you get to my heart.

I started playing with a new app on my Kindle and this photo is the result. But here's what I want you to see: 

• The red rectangle surrounds some of my study books. If you know me, you know I delight in God's Word.
• The black oval surrounds three different cards from Fair Trade products I have purchased. To see their faces is to remind myself to spend ethically. Also, something dear to me.
• And the red arrow points to an index card with the name of the family we sponsor through A Heart for Korah. There are also two shells from South Africa on that card, one, that looks like Mt. Kilimanjaro. To know me is to know that the continent of Africa has a hold on me for some inexplicable reason.

So there you have it, a small window into my life.

What's on your desk? 

Giving Out of God's Abundance

A few months ago our pastor spoke about giving and ever since I've been asking myself this question: "How do I give out of my poverty?" Whether the poverty of my finances, my emotions or my spirit...when I feel like I have nothing left to give, how does God still want me to give? I have ruminated on this question extensively.

Over the last year, I've also been introduced to writers and speakers Brandon and Jen Hatmaker. This husband and wife duo had their world Interrupted when they attended a worship gathering where Shane Claiborne of The Simple Way asked everyone in attendance to donate their shoes to the homeless. As Brandon turned around to, for the first time, witness a Barefoot Church, he and Jen knew their lives would never be the same.

Exactly one year ago this past week, our family had the amazing blessing of visiting The Simple Way and although we may not have gotten to see as much about how they work, live and serve among their inner city neighbors as I would have liked, this lady saw enough to know these are people completely sold out and surrendered to living the way Jesus called us all to live.

Fast forward to today when I stood in worship of a Savior that may take a year or more to put a whole lot of situations and circumstances in place to teach me one powerful lesson...but He did. And I had the tears rolling down my cheeks to prove it.

Why?

Because last summer, trying to be more financially responsible and recognizing that Mary Poppins was perfectly correct when she quipped, "Enough is as good as a feast!", I purchased only one shirt, one skirt and one pair of sandals for that vacation to Philadelphia and The Simple Way. I think the whole ensemble cost me less than $30. In other words, it's not like it was fancy. But...I only purchase one pair of sandals/flip-flops per year usually and I was still wearing one old, dirty everyday pair and was on my second season with a pair I really liked but was showing it's age. These new, simple sandals with a silver strap were my "nice, church" pair (God does have an amazing sense of humor!). But, I loved those sandals. (love, in the American usage of how we love things)

Since I've been trudging along through Jen Hatmaker's book 7 this year and trying to avoid the trap of excess in my life, I decided this summer, I would make do with the three pairs of sandals from last year...the now 4 year old dirty, yard, everyday pair, the now 3 year old pair that I love, but the strap is hanging on by a thread and the now 2 year old pair with the silver strap that I wear for "nice". And I was content.

[You gotta know where this is going, don't you?]

This morning as we headed out to church, I was wearing the 3 year olds and as I have gotten in the habit of doing the last few times I've worn them, I grabbed the silver 2 year olds "just in case" my toddlers decided to break apart. I don't treasure the thought of being in my local Kroger in bare feet. The local Kroger probably wouldn't like that either, so I've been going out prepared.

Our current sermon series is focusing on the lessons we can learn about God through Creation. Today, Pastor Marksberry spoke about God as Provider. He ended the sermon with asking us...to give away the shoes we are wearing and leave barefoot so our shoes could go to a local organization that will distribute them globally. This was done very politely and without any pressure, yet unapologetically...as it should be.

As we took communion and I took a quick survey of my family's footwear, my first thought was, "But none of us are wearing shoes that anyone would want. They're all worn out, on their last leg and mine are about to break."

[By now...I'm sure you must realize what happened]

Hot on the heels of this first thought was the Holy Spirit's reminder, "But you have an extra pair in your van."

I wish I could say I instantly said, "Okay...sure". But I have to be honest and admit that I struggled for a minute or two. You see, this was my nice pair He was asking me to give away...not the dirty, yard pair or the pair hanging on by a thread. And what began resonating throughout my head, my heart and my soul was this: You knew. You knew they were going to ask this. You knew I would have that pair in my van. You knew I would sit here struggling.

Then everything I've read about the Hatmakers experience, everything I've read and know about Shane Claiborne and The Simple Way, everything I've been asking Him to purge me of in the excess of my culture came to a silent breaking point for me. I don't know what everyone around me was thinking. I don't even know if anyone else donated any shoes. I may have been sitting there quietly, prayerfully, even reverently during that communion...but Baby, I promise you my soul was on the edge of its seat ready to jump up and fly.

Why?

Because last year, I wore those sandals on the very sidewalks and streets where Shane Claiborne and The Simple Way live out the call of Jesus for justice, mercy and love for the marginalized of our society. Of course, Holy Spirit would ask me to give away the pair of shoes I own that have a little Philadelphia dirt on them.

Please do not read into anything I wrote here that I need a new pair of sandals or that I have somehow "arrived" because God has broken through and taught me "how to give out of my poverty". I can promise you that I will be absolutely fine and God, as usual, will continue to provide for my needs. Walking back into that church to drop off that silly little pair of sandals I knew with every fiber of my being that the greatest gift my Abba gave me on this Father's Day is that I no longer have to ask the wrong question.

Instead of asking how I can give out of my poverty, He is pleading with me to ask the right one:

How do I give out of my Abba's abundance?

Amen.

The City Flea- Cincinnati, Ohio

I've wanted to attend The City Flea ever since I first read about it last fall. Up until last night, I was still talking myself out of attending (no time, no money. You know...the usual). But when last night, in my Facebook feed an article from the Huffington Post popped up promoting it, I thought I'd better take advantage of going while the weather's nice and it's still a relatively small event.

Looks like I'm a little late on that "go when it's still small" plan.

But seriously...go. It's fun, there's lots of cute stuff, and the flea market is curated so you don't have to sift through all of the junk to find the goodies. Local food trucks line Washington Park sidewalks and lots of great restaurants are only a stone's throw away in the urban renewal of Over-the-Rhine. 

I went with the plan of not buying anything, but when you find the exact same company from which you bought your last purse, selling some of their bags for $30 less than you anticipated purchasing a replacement one for, since your original bag is starting to fall apart...yeah, there was no walking away from a $10 messenger bag that upcycles coffee bags and the proceeds go toward orphan care and adoption sponsorship.

Old bag on the top, newly purchased $10 bag on the bottom

As with any flea market, you never know what you may find, like "Creepy Baby Doll Photography's" booth.

We also had a chance to sample some delicious Fair Trade chocolate from Chocolats Latour. The rosemary, almond, and sea salt was definitely yummy. Abbey liked the "Cry Baby Bar" which included sundried tomatoes, smoked sea salt and pepitos. All of their dark chocolate was dairy free too!

But supporting local businesses and tradesman, in a beautiful setting on a day without a cloud in the sky? Absolutely.

And who knows? You just might have a chance to take some pictures of some of those unusual landmarks you drive by all the time and never have a chance to admire.

Reality Tuesday 2 Cafe': Hebron, Kentucky

My new favorite coffee shop not only serves Fair Trade coffee, delicious espresso drinks and yummy donuts and desserts...it is literally a five minute walk from my doorstep to theirs.

I am convinced this is the way we were meant to live (and how most everyone else in the world does, outside of the suburban U.S.). The ability to walk to the market or your local cafe' is something I greatly enjoy and Reality Tuesday 2 is worth the walk.

My commendation need go no further than to express that they have only been open a few months and I am already on my second frequent buyers' card. Yes...it is that good.

But more than the food and coffee, the staff are always friendly, knowledgeable and helpful in making selections. I've gotten to know more than one of the baristas on a first name basis and I know they like their "regulars".

Speaking of regulars, there's a group of ladies that I'm meeting with for Bible study this summer. Reality Tuesday 2 is graciously allowing us to meet there. For this, I am thankful.

I can't express adequately how much I really want this small business to succeed. I've even volunteered to take care of plants they should put on their patio to make it a wee bit more inviting. The owners are slowly adding to the facility (which is a shared space with the new Hebron campus for Lakeside Church) and it looks more welcoming every time I walk through the door. The reason I feel so strongly about their survival is because I've seen several businesses go in and out of these three strip malls closest to us, and with the exception of sports bars, most fail within a year or two. This little cafe' brings warmth, a relaxing environment and a place for non-liquor seeking folks to congregate and hang out with their friends...something very much needed on this four block area that houses 1 grocery, four take out pizza places, four family sit down restaurants, four fast food chains, two ice cream parlors, a take out wings joint, three sports bars and three liquor stores. Did you notice I said this was a four-block area?

If you're in the Hebron area and you're looking for some great coffee or just a nice place to hang out with a friend or to drink a cup of java and read a book for awhile...stop by and support a locally owned business that in turn supports Fair Trade. Trust me, you'll be glad you did...

And you just might see me there!

Hosea 7

Verses 8 and 9 of this chapter in Hosea cause me to pause and reflect introspectively at how I have acclimated to the culture around me.

"Ephraim mixes himself with the nations;

Ephraim has become a cake not turned.

Strangers devour his strength,

Yet he does not know it..."

Ephraim, in this context, refers to what was left of the Northern Kingdom after most of them had been taken into captivity by Assyria. The final destruction of the Northern Kingdom happened 10 years after the original captivity began. Thus, Ephraim could also read, "what's left of the 10 tribes of Israel that separated from Judah and Benjamin."

I find it interesting, that much later in the life of Jesus, He stops in what had been the capital of this Northern Kingdom, Samaria, and whets the appetite of the soul of a Samaritan woman with His invitation to Living Water. I've always been taught that devout Jews in the time of Jesus would walk all the way around Samaria to avoid it because they were a blended race of people.

As Hosea indicates, it must not have been merely a physical blending. Spiritual blending and worship of idols, sacrifice to false gods and what God calls "harlotry" were all part of what occurred.

So here's the question I must ask:

In what ways have I blended with the culture around me and how does doing so devour my strength?

It's interesting that discussing this passage on Tuesday morning with my friends happened the morning after the exact same topic was discussed at the 7 book club I'm in. This month at book club the topic was the excess of media in our lives. I know for myself and most of the people around me, we just fell headlong into this cultural media takeover and never even blinked, let alone stopped to ask if it was how God wanted us to live and spend the precious little time He has given us.

Media has always been a stronghold in my life and to be honest, I've had enough. I long to meet with people...real live people. I know when I am with others and engaged in conversation that is meaningful, I do not sit there wondering, "What's on TV that I'm missing?", or "I wonder if my Castleville crops are ready?" or "What can we watch on Netflix tonight?" Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to give up media so I can have a cleaner house, fix fancier dinners or start sewing all of my own clothes. But what if letting go of most of my engagement with media meant that I spent more quality time with my spouse, my children and my friends? I think that's how God wanted me living all along.

But see...we've "mixed" ourselves. 

And we never even stopped to ask if the "mixing" was healthy or not.

I am not even glancing the surface of the people who are treated like slaves to create the devices we covet and waste money and time on. That is an entirely different topic. (And one worthy of your google research!) 

No...I'm simply talking about this thing called time. While it is absolutely true that we all have different talents and different treasures...we all stand equal with the measuring rod of time. How much of it are we engaging in Kingdom living, Kingdom pursuit and King worship?

One of my major theological issues over the years with Americanized Christianity is that most pastors will readily pull out the 10% tithe from the Old Testament and rally (aka bully) his flock into submission on this point. But...I have yet to ever hear one soul cry out, "Why aren't you giving God 10% of your time too?"

10% is 2.4 hours a day. Now...not counting church unless you're serving, because otherwise that is all about fueling you...when was the last time you wholeheartedly sought God for 2.4 hours a day?

I think the New Testament point is this: It's all God's so every moment should be focused on Him. [I would argue the same point about our money.]

So here's my struggle and one of the many idols God is trying to pry from my fingers...

What areas of my life have I allowed to be "mixed" to the point that looking like the rest of the culture devours my strength?

The biggie for me is media. It has zapped my creativity and sometimes dulled my conscience. There is no condemnation here, but I think it is worthy of a few moments of your time to stop and ask the question.

Hosea 4

 

 

I realized at this, the start of my third post on the book of Hosea, that I have yet to recommend that you read it. Here is a link to do so. The book is not very long and since I'm not commenting on each chapter, I don't want you to miss anything that God's Spirit may want to whisper to your heart.

 

 

In Hosea chapter 4, I found a few verses that may sound like someplace we all know:

 

"Listen to the word of the LORD, O sons of Israel,

For the LORD has a case against the inhabitants of the land,

Because there is no faithfulness or kindness

Or knowledge of God in the land.

There is swearing, deception, murder, stealing and adultery.

They employ violence, so that bloodshed follows bloodshed.

Therefore the land mourns,

And everyone who lives in it languishes..." (Hosea 4:1-3)

 

 

Hmmm? Sounds familiar if you live in the U.S., doesn't it? Again, as I said in my post on Hosea 2, there 'is nothing new under the sun'. But aside from all of the deception that people and businesses work out everyday and as horrific as the next story of a middle schooler attempting to kill someone is and even as unbelievable inane as the proposition that somehow more bloodshed will stymie bloodshed rather than producing more...the land mourns.

 

If you've been hanging out with me on here very long, you know my love for God's Creation. It doesn't take a climatologist, meteorologist or seismologist to educate you...if you just look...our land is mourning.

 

Sadly, this is not the worst of it though. No..."everyone who lives in it languishes."

 

We are a languishing people.

 

Why?

 

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." (Hosea 4:6a)

 

He's not talking Common Core or algebra in 4th grade or becoming a neuroscientist here. No...God goes on to say in that same verse that His people "have forgotten the law of your God."

 

Since I first read this a few days ago, my thoughts keep returning to Martin Luther and the Reformation away from the Catholic church. What started it? If you don't know this part of history, the "nutshell" version is that the church only allowed Holy Scriptures written in Latin which only some priests could read and comprehend. Luther translated the Bible into German, the common language of his people and when they read it for themselves, they discovered a personal God who loved them deeply and with a passionate fervor that they could not ignore.

 

Here's what this naturally leads me conclude...when we meet God's Spirit regularly over His Word and open our hearts and minds without reservation to what He wants to teach us...He just might begin a little reformation (aka revolution) in the midst of us.

 

If not...I know that at the very least...we won't be languishing. Any. More!

Hosea 2

As my friends and I go through this study of the Minor Prophets this summer, I hope to share some of the nuggets of truth, encouragement and Love that I glean throughout the passages. I may not find something in every chapter, but I anticipate God's Spirit being faithful to teach us a lot as we delve into His Word together.

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"For she does not know that it was I who gave her the grain,

the new wine and the oil,

And lavished on her silver and gold,

Which they used for Baal." (Hosea 2:8, NASB)

My New American Standard Bible tells me that "Baal" meant lord, owner, possessor or husband. He was the Canaanite god of fertility and the Israelites had forsaken Yahweh to follow this foreign god. To be truthful, God calls it "prostituting", "harlotry" and even "whoring". A wrote a little about this after we started our study last week, so I won't belabor the point.

What strikes me in this one small verse is that just as the author of Ecclesiastes states, there is nothing new under the sun...thousands of years after God prompted Hosea to write His Words to Israel, we still receive everything we have from Him and yet lavish so much of what He gives us on our idols.

No guilt here...but just take a few moments to let that sink in.

I'll try to put it into my Americanized version so that this can hit me right where it needs to: God provides a job, an income, another day and even another breath to serve Him and accomplish His purposes...and what do I turn around and pay homage to by using those gifts??

Is He at the forefront of every expenditure I make?

Do I even pause to ask if this is something I need or is it just fueling an addiction...an idol?

Is what I'm buying or even doing with my time glorifying Him or is it being used to glorify myself or another idol I've placed in His path?

I know...tough questions...and not ones that I like to ask. So what do I do with the answers to these questions? I know for myself, I'm asking Him to show me what exactly are the idols in my life. I'm guessing the second step will be to ask Him to help me get rid of them. 

I have to confess that I've been a little more than surprised by the things He's drawing my attention to that I've placed before Him. Honestly...they are very subtle. But just like the idol that provokes jealousy I can 'reverse engineer my emotions' and whatever keeps me afraid, jealous, vengeful or in a cycle of self-pity...those are precisely the idols I've placed before God.

This is not pretty. But it is work that needs to be done. God is cleaning house and I'm okay with that because I know the space He creates can be filled with more of Him!

All In by Mark Batterson- a Book Review

I had the pleasure in April and May to participate in a four week study of All In by Mark Batterson, with some of the ladies in our church. Anytime you gather 40-50 women who know going into it the radical nature of a study and they share their passion to live wholly surrendered lives for Jesus...you know good things are going to happen.

God does not disappoint.

I'm familiar with Batterson's first book, In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day. It was the impetus to the Holy Spirit's vision for our family participating in an event where we fasted for famine victims in 2011. I've heard of The Circle Maker and am presently reading (and being greatly challenged by) the 40 day devotional that goes along with the book. My copy of The Circle Maker just arrived today.

I'm not one to jump on the latest Christian "hot ticket" item. I am a skeptic at heart. Fads and tricks to perform in order to get God to perform the way I want Him to are usually exactly the sort of book I keep my distance from.

But here's the thing...when an author says our desire to do big things for God is backwards because He is the One who will do big things...our only "job" is to be consecrated (set apart) for Him...I will sit up and listen!

This is no fad. It's as old as the Scriptures themselves (and even before they were written). This is why in the labels I tagged the Shane Claiborne/Tony Campolo phrase of "Red Letter Living". Since the dawn of time, God has been drawing all men to Him. Once Jesus left and sent the Holy Spirit, He has been the one calling us...drawing us...asking us to set ourselves aside, and as Batterson puts it frequently throughout the book, 'go All In and All Out for the All in All.'

I was deeply challenged by this book at precisely the right time when my apathy was beginning to scare me. I knew He was drawing me deeper...and I knew I was resisting it. Quite frankly...fear was keeping me captive. 

I'm thankful for Holy Spirit to lead Batterson to write a book that would ask me to "lay down my Isaacs" (my fears, failures, future and doubts) and to remind myself (as my friend Becky says) "live what I say I believe". Anything less and there are some idols that need to be purged.

The purging has begun, physically, spiritually and mentally and as I dive into The Circle Maker to learn more about fervent prayer for the dreams God gives and against the fears my enemy creates, I just keep repeating the same phrase that began the first day of the All In study: "I'm all in God, whatever that means and wherever it leads...I'm all in!"