This book has many great quotes.  This is one of them speaking of the parable of the grain of wheat in John 12: “in the dark, cold, lonely place, the grain will shed its hard outer husk so that life within it may be released.  Then after it has died, the first shoots of new life will spring forth…Our natural instinct is to hold on protectively to our own lives.  When we refuse to shed that hard, outer shell called “self”, no one can get close to us; no one can penetrate or enter into our life. Just as pride repulses God, so pride keeps others from getting close to us….  We must be willing to die to our own self-interest, die to our own reputation, die to our own rights, die to our own ways of doing things, die to our own comforts, convenience, hopes, dreams and aspirations.”  I chose this quote because I have recorded in my journal a lot over the past year how God was calling me to have my Abraham-Isaac moments in which He wanted everything on the altar. Some things have been given back to me, some things were killed, some things await a decision and some things may or may not be resurrected.  But the book validated my experience with good biblical examples which I found encouraging.

The book also provides a check list to gauge your heart and attitude to see if you are prideful or broken towards people, sin, relationships, self and God.  I found the checklist and descriptions of each helpful.  I was honest in seeing where God was making my more like Jesus (Romans 8:29) and areas where my sin and pride still prevail being reminded that God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble.

I highly recommend this book, however I can see that if I had read it in the past, I may not have gotten much out of it without my experience of brokenness.  I think the call to brokenness through obedience is a much harder path than through trauma because sometimes we agree intellectually without grasping the deep truth of spiritual reality.  I likely would have given intellectual consent while my pride and arrogance staying in tact.  I can see how in the past, many Christians thought of me as a godly man and a church leader without knowing my heart.  I can honestly say I never want to be that man again. That might sound odd, but this book explains the process by which He revealed His majesty and sovereignty.  I had no choice but to retract and repent in dust and ashes when Gods will and my will came face to face.  This book provided comfort to know that the process of being humbled by God is an act of love towards His children.