Book Review: Habits of the Household by Justin Earley

 

Every household has habits. In Habits of the Household, Justin Earley walks through habits that form us with a lens focused on raising young families in a God honoring and redemptive way. It’s a fantastic look at how habits are constantly forming us and our children. There are so many good tips and wisdom on establishing routines that create redemption, spiritual transformation, and a liturgy for life. 

Everything forms us and our children from the things we say and do or don’t say or do, to the media we consume, who we spend time with, and how we communicate. The book is not only focused on theological theory but has many practical ideas for how to set up an environment where your family can flourish and experience life in a redemptive and transformative way. 

It’s possible to manufacture moments here and there but what do you do when you’re exhausted, stressed, and have little energy? The habits described in the book will help you establish a system for your family that doesn’t have to be perfect but over the long term can point you towards God and the blessings He has in store for you and your family. 

I liked that the author is not writing from an ivory tower but is right in the middle of raising 4 young children himself with his wife while working full time as an attorney and running a business. It gives real credibility to the lessons he shares and hope that it’s possible to implement some of what he’s encouraging even in the midst of a season that can be exhausting. 

I highly recommend this book both as a practical guide for setting up helpful habits in raising your family and in thinking about the things that form you and who and how you want to be developing as a person and parent.

For more book reviews, connect with me on Goodreads here.

In pursuit of His best,

Andrew

Book Review: When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin

In When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin, there is sadness, grief, and tragedy but also beauty, love, hope and redemption. I really enjoyed the story which is set in northeast Georgia on lake Burton along with a few visits to Atlanta. The story follows the life of a man named Reese who lives on the lake and encounters a spirited little girl named Annie who shares a medical condition with a lost loved one of Reese. Throughout the story they develop a friendship and Reese eventually finds healing from a massive tragedy in his past. 

For the first 100 pages or so, Reese drops hints of his past life and profession but doesn’t fully lean into openness about it so you begin to pick up on his background as the story progresses. There is quite a bit of medical description and while I have no idea about the accuracy of it, the author must have done substantial research or taken a class in cardiology. At parts the story feels like a medical thriller. 

Other main characters include Annie’s supportive but worn down aunt Cindy as well as Reese’s brother in law Charlie who provides a bit of good natured humor. 

A notable string running through the book are quotes from Shakespeare as well as other poets and writers with Reese and a few others either saying or thinking these. For me, this was a bit more than it needed to be but it wasn’t overly distracting.

It very much reads as a Southern novel and also has some nice touches of Christian faith, scripture, prayer, prophetic dreams, and wisdom woven through it with characters who are comfortable in their faith and it’s just a part of who they are. There are a couple scenes that lean into an evangelistic emphasis and while I didn’t have an overall issue with them and thought there were some good elements in them, it felt like the author was trying to drive a point. 

The timeline jumps back and forth between present day and flashbacks to Reese’s childhood, teenage years, college and early days of a successful career and the deep love he has for his wife from the time they were kids.

Since it was published 20 years ago, there are a few anachronistic things like phone books, pagers, and the occasional person without a cellphone. One theme of poverty and medical bills in the story was puzzling to me since presumably the patient should have qualified for Medicaid. It did make for a recurring pressure and stress on the family perspective and maybe it’s just one of those suspension of disbelief things you have to look past in a story. 

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and thought there was a lot of beauty and wisdom mixed throughout the story alongside kindness, redemption, and healing. I’m glad to have read it and look forward to reading more books by Charles Martin.

Book Review: Women of Worth by Bethany Frymire

In Women of Worth, Bethany Frymire gets to the heart of how we think about money. She’s down to earth, genuine, and refreshingly open about her own journey. The writing is engaging and at times even entertaining (how many finance books can say that?). While she offers sound, practical financial advice, the book goes much deeper, addressing identity, faith, and viewing money through the lens of stewardship over all aspects of life.

Reading the book feels like sitting down with a wise and fun friend over coffee or lunch. Bethany is especially relatable to busy moms juggling a hundred responsibilities and comes across not just as a financial expert, but rather a trusted friend who can help guide you along your journey with money. She doesn’t just talk the talk, she lives out the principles and illustrates them through stories from her own life.

Throughout the book, you get the strong impression that she knows God deeply and regularly seeks His guidance. Biblical wisdom is woven through the book in a beautiful tapestry that connects financial decisions with broader areas of life.

While the book is written primarily with women in mind, men can learn a great deal from the stories and practical financial guidance it contains not to mention gain insight into the women in their lives.

The stories of people Bethany has worked with bring the principles to life. She touches on issues such as overcoming debt and shame, bucket budgeting, incorporating your values into your investment strategy without sacrificing performance, charitable giving and how it shapes both your finances and your heart, maintaining a “God owns it all” mindset, and teaching children and young adults how to manage money wisely.

This book is a valuable resource filled with practical steps for anyone who wants to manage their finances with Biblical wisdom and a stewardship mindset. I highly recommend it!

You can also connect with me on Goodreads to check out more reviews and recommendations. 

Dad Files: Father's Day Reflection

Having children has been a long time desire and goal and one that I didn't know if I'd ever have the opportunity to experience. I'm so thankful that God has blessed my wife and I with Joshua. On my first Father's day as a father, I have a new appreciation for the tremendous sacrifices that parents go through in order to raise children and have an increased respect for anyone who has brought up kids. Even though it can be really hard in the middle of sleep deprivation, night feedings, countless diaper changes, or when he just won't stop crying, I'm still grateful for the opportunity to be his father. 

Before he was born, I was nervous about the many new things to learn, the weight of the responsibility, and having very little experience with babies. Since he was born, I feel much better about the basic skills and have a lot more confidence in taking care of him. 

There is still much to learn but I've enjoyed the fun parts so far and am so appreciative to have my wife as a partner in the journey. I'm beginning to understand what it means to have unconditional love for a child. It only scratches the surface of God's love for us but there are many parallels between a parent and child relationship. I want him to be happy, safe, healthy, protected, provided for, well fed, rested, and to experience all the goodness that life has to offer.

As I think about his future, I pray that he will walk with and follow Jesus all the days of his life. That he will be filled with God's love and joy and show kindness to others. That he will be strong and healthy, smart and wise. That the Holy Spirit will empower him and guide him to do great things and to encourage others to pursue relationship with God. That God's angels will watch over and protect him. I pray for the girl he'll one day marry that God will watch over and protect her and give her parents wisdom in raising her. That she will love the Lord and that God will bring them together in His timing and bless their relationship. 

I don't know what the journey of fatherhood has in store but I'm so thankful to have the opportunity to be Joshua's dad, to love him and invest in his life, and pray that God will give me the strength and wisdom to do it well.

In pursuit of His best,

Andrew

Baby Blessings

So thankful for and proud of this beautiful lady. She’s been through a lot over the past year and has sacrificially taken so many steps in this journey. We’ve prayed for many years for the opportunity to become parents and very soon will be blessed to welcome a baby boy into the world. We’re grateful that God has allowed us this enormous privilege and look forward to seeing all the amazing things in store for the future! “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” -Matthew 6:33

Christmas and Giftmas

This holiday season, I've been reflecting on the secular side of Christmas wrapped in the mythology of Santa Claus and the material parts of the holiday. Things I enjoy about the cultural celebration of Christmas include fun movies like Elf, The Christmas Story, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, among others. I appreciate the pretty Christmas lights and fun Christmas songs. Time with friends and family is largely positive if a bit hectic in going from event to event and navigating different relational elements. I also especially enjoy the cookies and delicious deserts. On the gift giving front, I can understand how it is fun for some though gifts are not a focus for me personally.

There's a part of me that thinks our society places heavier focus on these fun cultural aspects than the original Christmas story and God's gift to humanity. Rather than cultural elements being a fun addition to the central story of Jesus birth, they begin to shift focus and take center stage.  

A recent Christmas movie that I saw was built entirely around Santa Claus interacting with some kids in an action oriented story and appropriated and warped elements of the real Christmas story. While I don't mind fun fictional stories, to take from and remold elements of the historical account of Jesus birth into something completely different begins to border on sacrilege. As things move further along this path, Christmas becomes more and more secular to the point that for some it has no more meaning than bunnies, Halloween candy, and celebrating a made up holiday that would be better described as Giftmas. 

I don't begrudge people having fun with the holiday but would love for more focus to be placed on God sending His son into the world so that we could have relationship with Him. The fantastic Christmas Carol O Holy Night does a wonderful job of orienting us to this heart posture.

O Holy night! The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
'Til He appears and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees; O hear the Angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born
O night, O Holy night, O night divine!

This Christmas I hope that you and your loved ones get to spend time reading and reflecting on the original Christmas story and thanking the One who loves us most for His incredible gift.

In pursuit of His best,

Andrew

Where Your Love Is

This year has been difficult for many people both from a global perspective as well as unique individual challenges. Over the past few months, this song has expressed my prayer and desire to God. 

Where His love is, is where I want to be. His love is more powerful than anything and can fill hearts, heal hurts, encourage souls, and change the world. I hope the lyrics and music can encourage you in whatever you're experiencing this year.

In pursuit of His best,

Andrew

Where Your Love Is

Where your love is, is where I want to be
so let your love flow and cover me

When troubled times take hold
Lord won't you guard my soul
when I don't understand 
won't you take take my hand and lead me on

When all I feel is stress
Lord help my heart to rest
when there's uncertainty
be my surety and lead me on

Where your love is, is where I want to be
so let your love flow and cover me
Where your love is, is where I want to be
so let your love flow and cover me

How I love you, how I need you
here's my heart, here's my soul take all of me
How I love you, how I need you
here's my heart, here's my soul take all of me

 So holy, so mighty, so beautiful, your glory
 So holy, so mighty, so beautiful, your glory

Where your love is, is where I want to be
so let your love flow and cover me
Where your love is, is where I want to be
so let your love flow and cover me

The Effects of Sin

Photo by Roger McLassus

Selfishness and choosing a path outside of the one God designs leads to outcomes that may be temporarily satisfying but ultimately leaves regrets, pain, and heartache. When tempted there can be a tendency to not think of the impact and repercussions one's own actions and choices can have on others.

However, the effects of sin cascade outward like concentric circles from a rock dropping in water. Not only does it affect the person but it affects everyone around them. Sin's physical and emotional consequences can affect both yourself and current or future interactions and relationships with others.

In contrast, making wise choices that lead along the path of righteousness can impact both you and your broader circles positively. By rippling joy and righteousness, those you interact with also benefit from more joy and your contributions to their life.

As you start each day and go through different scenarios along the way, pray Psalm 19:14 "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." 

When you've found yourself in a place that you'd rather not be in due to sin, pray 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

In pursuit of His best,

Andrew

Serving the Lord's Supper

Photo by John Snyder

If you've never had the opportunity to serve the Lord's supper, I hope you get to in the future. And by serve, I mean you holding the cup and/or bread as people receive it vs. passing a plate. Over the past year, I've gotten to do this several times at church. As someone takes the bread, you say "the body of Christ, broken for you." Being in such close proximity to the person, face to face, when they take communion, can be a deeply spiritual moment.

I had a very real sense of Jesus having died for each person that stood in front of me. When you look into their eyes as a representative of Christ, it brings a new perspective to "For God so loved the world..." Each person that receives communion is someone that Jesus died for. Until recently, I've always been on the receiving side and didn't connect in the same way with the experience as I did while serving.

Communion can become ritualistic and lose its significance unless you focus intentionally on engaging your heart and mind. If your church is looking for volunteers to serve communion, go ahead and step up. See how God might open your heart and mind to a new perspective of the Lord's Supper.


In pursuit of His best,

Andrew

Worship in Pain and Brokeness

Via Dolorosa

What is your response to pain and brokenness? Do you become angry, sad, frustrated, fearful, and/or nervous? A natural response can be to pray for God to heal the physical or emotional pain and brokenness. But what about when you continue to experience it even after praying? What then?

At the moment, I have a shoulder injury that according to the doctor will not heal on its own without surgery. I have experienced a range of thoughts and emotions over the past couple of months and began praying early on for healing. He made me and created every aspect of my body. He knows the pain and limitations I've experienced. He knows the questions and emotions I've experienced.

I am still praying for and believing God for supernatural healing but even if He chooses not to heal me that way, I will continue to worship Him through it. I will thank him for medical professionals who know how to partner with Him in healing and ask Him to give them skill in providing treatment. Medical treatment does not qualify as a second class healing.

I want God's best in however he chooses to provide healing and will continue to seek His glory and honor through this. I will not allow the devil to steal joy from me because of the situation and will defy him by continuing to worship the Lord.

Pray boldly and with confidence! May He receive more glory.

In pursuit of His best,

Andrew

New Bible

"A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t." -commonly attributed to Charles Spurgeon

When reflecting on the amount of time and life events spent with a Bible, it strikes me as significant when getting a new Bible. The copy I've been using for the past 8 or so years has reached the point where it's time for retirement. I don't know that I could ever throw an old one away since it's been a source of so much spiritual nourishment and is like a good friend. 

In putting the new one into service, there is a sense of anticipation of what God will teach me, the life circumstances I'll go through, who I'll pray for while reading it, and so many other spiritually significant activities that I'll encounter while reading or studying it. 

Yes, it's just a physical copy of a book but it's a book that holds the very words of God spoken through man. Words that have the power to transform life and impact eternity. 

If you've never read the Bible, or have only done so sparingly, may I challenge you to read the best seller of all time? It will change your life for the better. There are a number of reading plans available at https://www.biblegateway.com/reading-plans/. Or if you're more of an app type of person, check out a plan in the YouVersion Bible app. You can even have the Bible app read to you as you're driving in the car, exercising, doing work around the house, or other tasks. If you become a person molded and shaped by the Word of God, you'll be glad that you did.

In pursuit of His best,

Andrew

God's Christmas Gift

"This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him." -I John 4:9.

When I read this verse recently, I had the thought that this is an expression of Jesus as a Christmas gift. Only God could send such an incredible gift of love. There is no greater gift.

Who could think to ask for or ever expect to receive the very embodiment of love. God come to earth in the form of man to live a perfect and sinless life then die on our behalf so that we might have an eternal relationship with Him.

If you've not received the gift of Jesus before, it's freely given from God. You simply have to believe in Him, ask forgiveness for your sins, and receive the gift of eternal salvation. It's the best gift ever!


In pursuit of His best,

Andrew

Come And Receive (Communion)

Each Sunday at church we have communion and typically the pastor will say something to the effect of "come and receive." This sparked an idea for a song that I wrote over the past month or so. Hope you enjoy!

Come And Receive (Communion)
Come and receive the cup and the bread
His body and blood on the cross that was shed
Saved by grace through faith from the wages of your sin
Forgiveness is free, no matter where you've been

So come and receive all who believe
The cup and the bread for all who were dead
Made alive by Jesus Christ so come and eat with Him
Made alive by Jesus Christ so come and eat with Him

Come and receive the cup and the bread
His body and blood on the cross that was shed
Fear must fall away cause His love has come to stay
No more guilt and shame by the power of His name

Taste and eat, drink deep
Taste and eat, drink deep

Come and receive all who believe
The cup and the bread for all who were dead
Made alive by Jesus Christ so come and eat with Him
Made alive by Jesus Christ so come and eat with Him

Metronome

Photo by: Paco Vila

Keeping your eyes on Jesus and His truth is like following a metronome. You can practice a song and think you're on tempo but without the metronome as an external source of truth keeping you on track, you can easily speed up or lag behind and get off track. Similarly in life, without the absolute truth of Jesus keeping you on beat and in rhythm, you can easily get off track. Whether you get distracted by a friend, family member, co-worker, the internet, someone on TV, a podcast, the radio, a book, or magazine, any of these can move you away from looking to The Truth and His best.

His Word is so important to keeping centered on Him. In John 14:6 He says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me." If you don't already, incorporate at least a little bit of Bible reading every day. You can read through the Bible in a year in no more than 10-15 minutes a day. With technology like the Bible app YouVersion, you can even accomplish this by listening on your way to work in the morning or out running errands.

Reading the Bible every day will root your mind and heart in the truth and change your life for the better. Stay on beat and walking in truth and He will keep you from avoidable frustration and pain, instead leading you to His best and more than you can imagine.

In pursuit of His best,

Andrew

Sovereign Over All

This song is intended as an encouragement for those in either challenging health or other difficult circumstances. Prayer is powerful so lift up the people in your life that you know who are going through a difficult scenario.

Sovereign Over All
God you are creator sovereign over all
You made the mountains and the sea Spring, Summer, and Fall
You're with us on the good days and even on the bad
When things are looking up and when we're feeling sad

Send your power Lord and bring us through the fire
Let your healing come and purify
In everything we face oh Lord be glorified
You are sovereign over all and you are with us through it all

You are a loving Father and when you sent your Son
He won the victory over sin and death was overcome
and now your Holy Spirit is with us every day
Leading us and guiding in the path that we should take

Send your power Lord and bring us through the fire
Let your healing come and purify
In everything we face oh Lord be glorified
You are sovereign over all and you are with us through it all

Commemorating the 500th Blog Post

Before the world of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, et al had become widely used, I started this blog as a way to share fun thoughts, quotes, wisdom, photography, book reviews, music, and encouragement on faith. It also served as a way to keep people in touch with my adventures while living in London and traveling around Europe.

When I started I didn't know that it would eventually turn into a blog primarily oriented towards encouraging people to pursue God's best in their lives. As a result of the process, I've learned a lot about both writing and website technology.

In school, I remember teachers talking about finding your voice as a writer and while I observed that writers had different styles, I didn't think of myself as having a particular "voice." However, as I've written more and more, my writing voice has developed into what you see in recent articles. In earlier posts, the writing had a sometimes whimsical or light hearted tone while also being informative or thoughtful but as the subject matter changed is now geared more towards inspiration and encouragement. Of course, I actively write and record songs and those posts make their appearance as well. Be sure to check out some of the songs on Spotify, iTunes, or YouTube.

The blog has been around through several seasons of life, starting geographically in Kansas City, then London, back to Kansas City, and then moving to Atlanta. Professionally, I've worked in both IT as well as Financial Planning. I've played in various bands, led worship for different church groups and Bible studies, and released a country/southern rock album called Southern's Who I Am. I've gone on a couple mission trips to the Philippines and Estonia as well. Some friendships have endured, others were for a season.

I've also had the opportunity to help two different authors write their first books and was very involved in the editing process. The most recent was Scorpions, Scones, and Your Favorite Playlist by my friend Danee.

As I read back over the articles, I'm glad that I took the time to write and capture pieces of my life and some of the things God was teaching me along the way. Many of the faith oriented articles came out of processing things with God during a quiet time or writing in my prayer journal. When writing an article, the advice can be just as relevant for the author as for the audience. It's one thing to write it and another to internalize it.

The name of the blog, The Pursuit of His Best, comes from a goal of mine and what I hope becomes a goal of those who read the articles. I want to pursue God's best in everything that I do. This sometimes slips from focus but it is what I try to keep coming back to. When I keep my eyes on Him and what He wants for my life, I'm confident that He will lead me to much better things than I could ever accomplish on my own.

Numbers are fun to me so I thought it would be interesting to revisit the most popular posts by view count as well as some of my favorites. According to the Blogger software, there have been 55,355 views with visitors from all over the world since the blog was started.

Top 3 Posts by Number of Views
1. The Friendship Hierarchy
2. Your Own Personal Board of Directors
3. Coffee Haiku

Some Favorite Faith Posts

• Experience His Love and Grace
• When the Road is Long
• Experiencing the Creator in Creation
• Stewarding Songs
• Lord of the Dance 
• The Path of Righteousness 
• Worship As A Way of Life
• Boogers, Sin, and Jesus 
• Shooting Straight With God
• Mountain Top Experience
• Saying No to Good in Favor of God's Best 
• Pottery and God
• The Father's Love 
• Your Love  
• Identity Theft
• Is Jesus Your Compass?
• Lean Not On Your Own Understanding
• Do You Pray About Work?
• Inquire of the Lord
• New Year Exhortation
• The Deception of Perfection
• Hungry for Righteousness
• Bezalel
• The Crucible of Tough Stuff
• Praise in Battle
• Straight Up Truth
• God is A Mighty Warrior
• Singing Warriors

If you'd like to checkout some past posts by category, click on one of the following categories.

• Faith
• Songwriting
• Fun 
• Book Reviews
• Photography

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more encouragement, music, and fun. If you want to subscribe via email so you don't miss a post, enter your email address in the box at the top left of the blog.

In pursuit of His best,

Andrew

All Things Work For Good

Sometimes life doesn't turn out how you think it should. It might be a hope that's unfulfilled, discouragement with a job situation, disappointment over a relationship, frustration with a family scenario, an unmet goal with no completion in sight, or any other number of situations that are difficult to understand. This song speaks to that type of life scenario. God has a master plan and even though we don't always see it in the midst of things, He will work on our behalf for our good and His glory.

A couple verses that inspired the song are: Romans 8:28 and Psalm 139.

If you're interested in downloading the song on iTunes or listening on Spotify click on these links. Download on iTunes
Listen on Spotify

All Things Work For Good
From the start of time you had me in mind and you planned my days
You formed my inmost parts and you know my heart. I am wonderfully made.

I know that things don't always turn out how I think they should
But I know that when I'm walking by your call, all things work for good

You knew I would mess up but then you'd pick me up and you'd give me grace
And if I pursue your best in all I do, you will guide my way

I know that things don't always turn out how I think they should
But I know that when I'm walking by your call, all things work for good

When the sun don't shine, in the dark of night I find, even there you love me

From the start of time you had me in mind and you planned my days
You formed my inmost parts and you know my heart. I am wonderfully made.

I know that things don't always turn out how I think they should
But I know that when I'm walking by your call, all things work for good

Lord of Today

Is Jesus Lord of your today? Many would say that Jesus is Lord of their life but when you break it down to day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, could it be said that he is Lord of that moment? Without intentionally inviting him into your day and acknowledging him as Lord of that day, things can easily get off track.

When you try to do this, it can be hard as people get on your nerves, temptations come at you, traffic is terrible, a coworker annoys you, or you have conflict with someone close to you. It's especially in these moments that it's so important to maintain focus on Him and ask Him to be Lord in that situation too.

In Psalm 55:17 it says: "Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice." As you go through the next days and weeks, start out each day asking Him to be Lord of your day. As the day goes by, keep checking back in with him and allow him to be Lord of every moment.

In pursuit of His best,

Andrew

Gethsemane

Gethsemane by Andrew Robert Allen

In 2015, I visited Israel and while on the trip, I had the opportunity to visit the Garden of Gethsemane. The group that I was with had a  meaningful time of prayer and a session of worship that I got to lead. It was a beyond bucket list moment. To actually be in the place where Jesus prayed the night before he was crucified was deeply moving.

I wrote this classical guitar instrumental music a number of years ago and in the video, it is set to the text of the Garden of Gethsemane passage in Mark 14:32-41 where Jesus prays before undergoing the trials and crucifixion. Luke 22:44 documents when Jesus sweat drops of blood. As you listen to the song, meditate on the verses and what Jesus experienced in those moments.

The background photo from the video was taken in the Garden of Gethsemane at the bottom of the Mount of Olives.

In pursuit of His best,

Andrew

Jesus Son of God

Jesus Son of God by Andrew Robert Allen
Jesus, Jesus Son of God came to Earth Jesus
Jesus, Jesus Son of God bled for us Jesus
A love that's like no other, sent down from the Father
Poor sinners were forsaken, but now their hearts awaken

Jesus, Jesus Son of God came to Earth Jesus
Jesus, Jesus Son of God bled for us Jesus
A lion roars in Judah, the King of Kings victorious
For he has conquered over sin, and death could not contain Him

Jesus, Jesus Son of God came to Earth Jesus
Jesus, Jesus Son of God bled for us Jesus
Jesus, Jesus Son of God came to Earth Jesus