From Eternity to Here

I have to be honest. I'm not actually done with the book yet. But I have read most of it, which means I can mostly blog about it, right?

From Eternity to Here by Frank Viola - "Rediscovering the ageless purpose of God"

The back of the book says, "The sweeping story of God's eternal plan". In my strengthsfinder results, one of my top strengths is "connectedness", so I happen to love meditating on the "big picture" in life...God's big picture.

I am also a hopeless romantic. So the first section, "A Forgotten Woman: The Bride of Christ", focuses on the love story between Christ and His bride. And it's romantic. It has reminded me that all our romances here on earth captivate us so much because they are all just a glimpse of the TRUE love we're longing for.

Part two is called "An Eternal Quest: The House of God" This section focuses on God's quest for an eternal home - not just a place to dwell. A home is where you live, where you communicate with your family, where you rest, where you express your truest self. Here, the author discusses how God has built Himself his home throughout the entire Bible.

Part three is called "A New Species: The Body of Christ and the Family of God" Although I haven't finished this section, it seems to focus on Christ - how He is wholly other than us, but how He calls us as Christians to be "wholly other" as well. I like stories with happy endings, and because I know the Bible ends well, I have no doubt this book will end happy as well.

The good news: I love the reminder that God has a grand scheme and purpose in life. In the day to day, it is easy to forget that. I like the author's points, and he brings up some intriguing ideas to think about.
The bad news: This author is a bit long-winded. I feel he could communicate his points more concisely. So although I love the points he's making, it causes me to want to skim the book instead of chewing every last bite.

Well, there it is...my thoughts for what it's worth! If you read the book, let me know what you think of it!

If you wanna know more - I'm supposed to post this:

The following bloggers are posting a review or Q & A with Frank Viola on his bestselling book FROM ETERNITY TO HERE today, Tuesday, July 21st. You may order the book at a discount at www.FromEternitytoHere.org – it’s also on audio book. Free discussion guide, sample chapters, interviews, and a free audio of the first chapter are available on that site also. Here are the bloggers who are participating:

Jay Becker - www.jaybecker.org
Mark D - http://deadmanstravelog.blogspot.com
Igniting Hearts - Kimber Britner - http://www.ignitinghearts.blogspot.com/
Karyn - http://tiger-kar.blogspot.com
Barefoot Preacher - http://thebarefootpreacher.blogspot.com
Every Day Angels - www.WeAreEverydayAngels.com
FaithEngineer - http://www.faithengineer.com
Kristen Schiffman - http://dancinginthemargins.typepad.com/
CrossPointe: The Church at Bevo - http://churchatbevo.blogspot.com/
Crazy Love for God - crazyloveforgod.blogspot.com
Amazima Ministries - oatsvallteam.blogspot.com
Down to Write Honest - http://downwritehonest.com
A Beautiful Mess - http://blnorth1105.blogspot.com/
The Blakes on a Mission - www.theblakesthailand.blogspot.com
Words by Jud Kossum - http://judkossum.blogspot.com
Eric Jaffe - http://www.ericjaffe.org
Reconnect with God – www.Reconnectwithgod.org
2nd Cup of Coffee - http://www.2nd-cup-of-coffee.blogspot.com
Nolan Bobbitt Website - www.nolanbobbitt.com
Klappyanne - www.xanga.com/klappyanne
Daveingland - http://www.daveingland.com
Randi Jo Rooks - http://seedsinmyheart.blogspot.com
Ephesians Five – http://ephesiansonefive.blogspot.com
Michael Bayne - http://www.michaelbayne.net
Encounter Church Helena Blog - encounterhelena.org
Thoughts B4 Conviction N2 Action - tsharrison.blogspot.com
Edevotion - http://www.e-devotion.blogspot.com
Seeking After - http://seekingafter.blogspot.com
Eric Powell - www.encounterhelena.org
Borrowed Light - http://fbcnewlondon.blogspot.com

My awesome 30th birthday -

I can't believe I'm not in my 20's anymore! But instead of whining about it, I'm gonna tell you how awesome my day was.

So my hubby took me to Carpintaria this weekend to celebrate. It was super, super great. We got there late Friday afternoon, hung out at the beach for about an hour, then went to dinner. We tried to swim in the heated hotel pool, but alas, Kristi the wimp still couldn't handle the chill out of the water. (Seriously, I can't wait to someday have hot flashes.)

While at the pool, there was another family there - two young kids, probably about 4 and 6, and thier parents - whose father was smoking at a non-smoking facility, around his kids. Anywhoo, the reason I mention it is because apparently their room was right next to ours. And apparently the children didn't have a bed time on vacation because they were screaming and bouncing well into the evening. But the real fun came at about 10:30 pm when the Fire Alarm (directly across from our door in the hall) was pulled. By some kids. For no reason. And it took the Fire Dept. a good 30 or 40 minutes to turn it off. But the fun didn't end there - oh, no - then the smoking dad next door took the next hour to yell at his kids for pulling the alarm. (Why exactly were his young children in the hallway by themselves at 10:30 at night?) Needless to say, it was an eventful evening. But no worries - Saturday took a turn for the better...

We drove to Santa Barbara and rented a 2-seater bike/buggy thing and rode along the beach for an hour before lunch - it was beautiful!

Then we went to CPK - one of my favorite places - for lunch. They give a decently-portioned sundae for your birthday, and they don't sing to you! Kristi liked.

THEN I did something CRAZY. Well, crazy on the Kristi scale...not really crazy. I went and got my ear pierced spontaneously. It hurt, but totally worth it.

Then we drove back to Carpinteria to enjoy the beach a bit more - one of the top ten beaches in the country, and now we know why! Perfect weather, a perfect day. We ended the day by stopping at the Camarillo outlets on the way home where I got a new outfit for work. Thank You, Jesus, for a beautiful birthday with my hubby, for a blessed 30 years, and I thank all of YOU for the birthday wishes you left me! Good, good weekend...always over too soon!

Yay for APU!

Breaking News! I am now officially the Alumni Chapter Events Coordinator at Azusa Pacific University! WooHoo!

What that really means...I help plan all the big Alumni events like Homecoming and the Dinner Theatre, and I oversee all the Southern California Alumni Chapters (Orange County, Pasadena, IE, etc.). And so far, I LOVE it!

What this means for all you APU Alums out there -
- Come by for a visit! Stop by the office and say hello - we love to see familiar faces and catch up with people. Our office is always open to you!

- I would love your updated contact information. It's always a challenge for our office to stay updated with Alums...we can't let you know all the cool stuff we're doing here at the 'ol hub if we don't have your current information. So just email (khawkins@apu.edu) or Facebook (www.facebook.com/klappyanne) me your recent info and we'll add you to the cool people list!

- I need your opinion and feedback. What kind of Alumni activities would you personally attend? What would get you excited to either come to a chapter event or come back to the school for a visit? How does our generation do this whole keeping-in-touch thing? (Well, you know, beyond cyberspace...)

Looking forward to hearing from ALL of you guys - thanks for letting me ramble for a minute! Hope you're all well - talk to me soon!

Blessings,
Kristi Hawkins