I read the book Curious Faith by Logan Wolfram and this is what happened to my faith

 

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I read the book Curious Faith by Logan Wolfram and this is what happened to my faith

Reading has always been an enjoyable experience for me but I don’t have a lot of time.  So I get pretty excited when I find a book that pulls me in and speaks to my heart. Curious Faith by Logan Wolfram did that!

Logan is open and honest in the book about her own painful struggles and how the concept of having curious faith and hope in God has not always been her style of faith. The genuineness that came off the pages of the book made me feel like I was connecting with a friend over coffee.

I also appreciated that the book includes a study guide at the end. I would strongly recommend using it while you are reading to increase your self-reflection.  The study guide is setup to be used as either a small group study or individually so that’s a bonus, too.

Part 1: Uncovering Curiosity

The first part of the book focuses on who God is and the enormity of Him and his capability. She tells the story of being in awe of His ability through watching a lunar eclipse. Take the time to truly comprehend that. Really think about it. God created everything that you see around you. The most intricate of flower petals to whole solar systems! And he loves YOU!

So the God who covers the moon is capable of great miracles and tremendous change. Yet so often we put God in a box when we are disappointed.  Logan addresses that through our disappointment in God not doing what WE wanted Him to do, we minimize Him.  That’s a painful acknowledgement that I have to swallow.

It reminds me of the song Small by JJ Heller – …People wish that you were more like what they wanted you to be. Eventually they won’t have much of you at all in their theology…You cannot be contained at all. I don’t want to make you small. I don’t want to fit you in my pocket. A cross around my throat. You are brighter than the sun. You’re closer than the tiny thoughts I have of you. But I could never fathom you at all.

The combatant is hope. God is big so we hope big. We pray big. Even when we feel like we are being pushed in on all sides like Paul writes in 2 Corinthians. We use God to refute those lies. Logan described a really interesting concept of initially focusing on our inner critics to truly hear what is being said. But then using the bible and God’s own word to argue for you. She then describes the concept of “praying the opposites”.  Of acknowledging our negative thoughts and feelings. The lies about ourselves that we are experiencing. And then replacing those thoughts and words with the opposite. Look up bible verses containing the encouraging opposite words and surround yourself with them. And then pray for those opposite words to believe the truth in who God says you are and how He love you!

Part 2: Anything but Curious

Part two of the book Curious Faith by Logan Wolfram focuses on releasing control and reducing worry. Any other anxious people out there? I was reminded over and over again during this section of the book to trust in God’s control.

Logan wrote of how often we worry while waiting for what is to come. Instead, learning to become curious for the future and not to be stressed about it. I love this quote. “I pray with an expectant smile and unclenched hands. ‘What do You have for me now?'” I want that! Don’t you? I want to be willing to let God be in control and stand with open hands to catch His blessings!

Life is always fluctuating between good and challenging. The book also addresses allowing God to be our stability through those fluctuations. Think about that. So if we know God is bigger than our problems and we have God’s overwhelming love, then valleys and challenges don’t feel so deep. The book discussed settling for good when God can lead us to Great.

That knowledge then helps us to move forward. I want to do God’s will. I want to please him. And sometimes that desire to do His work can actually paralyze me. Because I don’t want to mess up! But again, is my potential wrong footing towards the path to glorifying God too big for Him? Of course not. I know that. We know that. But I needed to sit in it for a while to realize my stagnation. And then move on from past wounds that have fed me the lies.

Part 3: A curious pursuit of hope

Part three discusses wild obedience, which really is nothing more than a whole series of tiny yeses. Tiny yeses are described as little steps you have said ‘yes’ to when God asks. It is the process of moving you towards great journeys, huge projects, and glorifying God. Following tiny yeses, Logan describes, then leads us to experience curiosity to find out where the path will take us.

Through the obedience of tiny yeses, the book focuses on what kind of legacy do you want to leave to your children? We all have people in our lives who we know had an amazing life. They were explores and adventurers. Or entrepreneurs of a great business. Or they loved God with an unwavering passion.  We can all think of someone right? I want to be that! To live with curious faith that leads me to follow God’s greatness!

Logan writes, “A curious faith lives in hope, running forward toward an infinite God who defies possibility.” Yes!

How my faith has been effected

I went to graduate school to become a mental health therapist and work with a Christian population.

However, following my master’s degree, God didn’t lead me in that area. He sent me to the middle of nowhere Northern Wisconsin. It was not closer to our parents, which was our plan. Instead, I worked at an assessment center for adolescent youth. Our job was to figure out what was going on with the youth and the family and then to make recommendations for future therapy and treatment. We worked with some of the most challenging and traumatic situations in the state of Wisconsin as well as families from all over the country. I was good at it. And it was emotionally grueling.

After six years, I could feel that I needed to move on. I was then led to a nonprofit Christian counseling center in Iowa. Only a little over an hour from all of the grandparents. I love it. And I also have amazing past experience to bring to my current clients. And it’s good.

But for the past year it has been on my heart to do more. To glorify God bigger. I had been toying and contemplating the idea of writing a book for a while. I have even started outlines and the writing process but then I stop because I would feel a tug telling me “not yet”.

While reading Curious Faith, the idea of starting a blog popped in my head. A blog? I knew nothing about starting a blog. But instead of pushing the idea aside the book encouraged me to look into the idea. The more I continued to keep reading Logan Wolfram’s book, the more curious and excited I became. Who knows how the blog will do or how much traffic I will get, but I’m stepping out in faith and seeking God’s greatness.  I’m still a therapist by day but now I’m also a blogger in the early morning when the rest of the family is still sleeping.

I’m excited to continue to curiously seek my next tiny yes in obedience to God.  What can reading Curious Faith do for you? I truly hope the book impacts you as much as it did me!

God Bless,

Melissa Gendreau