God of Wonder

My friend, Margaret Feinberg has a new book and 7-session Bible Study called Wonderstruck: Awaken to the Nearness of God [www.margaretfeinberg.com/wonderstruck] (releasing Christmas Day)—a personal invitation for you to toss back the covers, climb out of bed, and drink in the fullness of life. Wonderstruck [www.margaretfeinberg.com/wonderstruck] will help you:



• Recognize the presence of God in the midst of your routine

• Unearth extraordinary moments on ordinary days

• Develop a renewed passion for God

• Identify what’s holding you back in prayer

• Discover joy in knowing you’re wildly loved

To learn more, watch the Wonderstruck Video (it's AMAZING!) HERE! Seriously, this video made me more excited for this book and study!


So, where have you seen the wonder of God in your own life?

I have to say I have seen the wonder of God in my own life in my children. It may sound cliche, but life is fragile. It took a lot to get my two babies here, and I have three angels in heaven as a result of the journey my husband and I decided to keep taking after the first miscarriage. We have friends who are currently going through what I consider the worst nightmare as a mother, besides the death of a child, and that is your child going through a serious illness that may or may not lead to death. Cancer. Aggressive and with complications. Looking at my two kids and seeing that they are healthy and whole humbles me and reminds me I am truly blessed.

Sure, I may joke about my kids and how stressful life is, but I don't post enough at how much I look at them and sometimes tear up at the miracle that is my children. And then I start thinking about our amazing bodies that God created, the capability and the intricacy of creating and maintaining human life. Wow. And, sadly, I am all too familiar with when that body lets you down. But I have two miracles to look at. They are beautiful (yes, I am biased). They are funny. They look like us. I carried them and gave birth to them. God created me. He created man and women to share one of the most intimate experiences we can have on earth. And out of that love is created.

How can a person not wonder at that?

How can a person not wonder about the details of creation? I love reading Psalms and especially Job 38-41, specifically chapter 38 when the Lord answers Job. Talk about humbling.

This is how I stay plugged into the wonder of God. And to be quite honest, the more I live this life, the more I have to, need to, reflect on how BIG God really is. He is bigger than miscarriages. He is bigger than cancer. He is bigger than the box I put Him in over and over again. A box of rules and cultural how-tos. Being "obedient", being "holy". I just want to BE with God. I want to fall at His feet and know Him. Then trust Him enough to show me how to be obedient and holy.

That is the burden of my heart this upcoming year. And this book is the perfect way to get lost in wonder. Lord knows, I need it more than ever.


Follow Margaret’s snarky, funny, and inspirational posts on Twitter [www.twitter.com/mafeinberg], Facebook [www.facebook.com/margaretfeinberg], or her blog [www.margaretfeinberg.com]. You can learn more about this great book by visiting www.margaretfeinberg.com/wonderstruck where she’s offering some crazy promos right now with up to $300 of free stuff. I’ve seen the book for as low as $7.57 ($14.99 retail) on Barnes & Noble Click here for all you savvy shoppers.

So where have you seen the wonder of God in your life?

Why Easter?

We have had beautiful weather here in Middle Tennessee for several weeks now. Today is nearly perfect. It is slightly cool but sunny and, well, perfect. I don't remember many Easter weekends as a kid that didn't end up with cool weather. It just kind of went with Easter. The girls would all be in these nice summery dresses, short sleeves of course and the boys would all be in cute shorts and we would be freezing!


Times sure have changed. My boys won't grow up doing traditional Easter church, if we stay at the current church we are involved in now. We will most likely go to Easter services....tonight. Yep. We want to save Sunday's seats for all the visitors that we hope to have. We start Easter weekend services tonight and they run through Sunday.



If you grew up in church at all I am sure you remember the traditional Easter service with all the Easter outfits, new shoes and coiffed hair. The church we are in now, I could show up in blue jeans and a t-shirt on Easter morning and no one would blink an eye. If you are in full Easter clothes no one is going to blink an eye either. There will be a little of everything. Everyone is welcome, the church is friendly and they have great coffee! AND they let you drink that coffee in the auditorium. My dad, bless his heart, still can't get used to that.

Even though I grew up in a very traditional church, I am thankful that I now know that walking in relationship with God has nothing to do with my outward appearance. There is nothing wrong with dressing up to go to church, just like there is nothing wrong with wearing jeans. You can sing hymns or you can have a rockin worship band singing worship songs. Some churches even play some secular music in their services to get a point across. You can be in many different denominations or no denomination at all. God doesn't care, as long as you come to him.


I guess what I am saying is that sometimes we put so much emphasis on what is on the outside that people looking in think that maybe they wouldn't fit in there.

You know what? All God asks is that you come to him, acknowledge that you don't have it all together and you don't want to carry the burden of your sins anymore. You would rather he take them and make you whole. As Jesus said, "All who come to me who are heavy burdened will find REST".

Jesus has everything you need to make you whole. You won't find it in the church, although that is where I find support, encouragement, friends, etc. It's a good place to get plugged in, but it's not what makes you whole.


You won't find it in wearing the "right" clothes, whatever those are. You won't find it in observing lent. Memorizing the bible, following the 10 commandments. Believing in God. You won't find it in any certain political party. Basically, you find it in a personal relationship with Christ.


Sometimes, we make it very complicated. But it is really very, very simple. The reason that Easter means so much to me has obviously very little to do with the church traditions of Easter. Easter means so much to me because of Jesus. God's son who was sent to be my sacrifice. And because he did that, I get to live. I get to have a personal relationship with him. And he loves me with an everlasting love. A love that I simply cannot fathom.


That's really all he wants you to get. If you are on the outside looking in, just know it is easy. Just ask. Admit. Confess. Commit your life. Accept his love. He gives it freely.


Really. It's free. And all you have to do is ask.

If you want to know more about getting to know Jesus, look HERE.

If you live in the middle Tennessee area and want to check out a nontraditional Easter service, look HERE.