Experiencing God

I don’t need to continue reading Experiencing God until my relationship is right with the Lord.  Take it step by step this time.  The point is not to finish the book.  The point is to grow powerfully in my relationship with Christ.  Other Christian studies need to be evaluated with regard to whether they draw me closer to Him, period.

Experiencing God

• In everything you do in your walk (study, prayer, fasting, serving, etc), remember that the foremost thing God wants from you is that you love Him with all your being.  This truth can help in deciding how to spend your time.
• Make sure you are investing your life, time and resources into that which is lasting, not in things that will soon pass away
• Go before the Lord in prayer, and ask Him to reveal the true nature of your relationship.  Ask Him to bring you into genuine intimacy with Him

Experiencing God – Chapter 1 questions

• I am certain that I am a child of God and that He has forgiven me of my sin.  I have experienced the evidence of His existence, power, and grace throughout my life, and my life is now a testament to my relationship with Him.
• I would like to see God speak / confirm to me what He would like me to do with my life and my time, related to my profession.  I long for a more moment-by-moment relationship with him.  I long for Him to show me how to profoundly improve my methods of / and understanding His Word.  I would like more than anything to experience the contagious and joyful aspects of walking with Him.
  Lord, I pray that you would reveal to me your will and how I can experience an ever-greater level of joy in our relationship.

Experiencing God

Descriptors of my current relationship with God

Positive:

• Exciting
• Growing
• Miraculous
• Victorious
• Powerful
• Dynamic
• Deepening

Not applicable:

• Nonexistent
• Plateaued
• In decline
• Confused
• Discouraging
• Bewildered
• Defeated
• Hopeless
• Sinful
• Embarrassing
• Ashamed

Opportunity:

• Contagious
• Joyful

The Irresistible Offer notes

• Experience God in 3 simple and Biblical steps (learn, pray, and obey)
• The site will assist you with your study, help you gain insight from prayer (talking with God, and make it clearer how God is leading you)
• High ROI
• Touchstone – answer 2 or 3 of the big 4 questions
  • Here’s what we’re selling
  • Here’s how much it will cost
  • Here’s what’s in it for you
  • Here’s why you should trust us
  • Guidelines:
    • Clarity – don’t leave anything to imagination
    • Simplicity – simple statement, easy to understand
    • Brevity – Keep it really short – one crisp eyeful
    • Immediacy – cut right to the chase
• ThreeStepsToGod (ThreeStepsToChrist) – He’ll carry you the rest of the way.  He’ll carry you right into Heaven
• Believability
  • Social proof: testimonials with a picture, email or web address
  • Technical proof: scientific validation
  • Factual proof
  • Endorsements
  • High profile customers
  • Qualifications
  • Awards and recognition
  • Logic
• I wonder if a book about how to experience God in the format of The Irresistible Offer would be valuable
• Steps
  1. Create the Irresistible Offer
  2. Present it to a thirsty crowd
  3. Sell them a second glass
  • Don’t be afraid of losing money to acquire new customers, when you can reap gains over the long term “loss leader”
  • Up-sell
  • Cross-sell:  accessories, complements, add-ons
    • Legitimately help the customer get a better result
  • Up-sell / cross-sell AFTER first sale consummated
  • Continuity sales: subscriptions
  • Recipes
    • Education: how to use your product
    • Consulting and service
    • Package deals (bundling): don’t sucker them
    • Insurance and warranties
    • Logical additions
    • Referrals: partner and sell other business’ products
• Your most valuable asset is your time.  Spend it wisely
• Points of contacts
  • Thank you cards
    • Thank you email with link back to website for a special offer – or a voucher to send to a friend
  • Birthday cards
  • Service due reminders
    • Reminder emails to ‘slacking’ users, tell us how we can improve
    • Include a little valuable education with your reminder
  • Newsletters
  • Special events

• Urgency
  • Use the code on the back of this postcard by tomorrow midnight for a free 2 week trial period
  • Be careful with contriving this
  • Live up to it – keep it valuable
• Added value
  • Stack on unexpected value as part of your closing process

• Remove risk
• Always back up with money-back guarantee
• Payment plan
• Loss leaders: first one free
  • Not for the amateur or cash-flow crunch
• Warranties
• Pay for results
• Free support
• Try before you buy (most powerful)
  • Submit credit card info now, bill in 30 days only if you don’t cancel

Experiencing God

I have been feeling lately that I have failed in some way, or that I’m growing more distant in my relationship with the Lord.

Today as I was reading Experiencing God, I began to be aware that even the feeling of distance or failure could be God’s way of bringing me closer to Him. The feeling that I may have failed Him in some way could lead me to become more sensitive to learning how to continue to grow in my relationship with my Lord and savior. I feel that I’m doing the right things, but there are definitely areas to improve or raise the bar: prayer, tithing, obeying, etc. I want God to lead my life. I recognize that my life is not my own, but only what God gives to me.

Experiencing God

• If you depend on anything other than God, you are asking for failure.
• Reading today has given me insight about my feeling about failure or growing more distant from God.  I need to learn how to wait on the Lord.  “Keep asking, and it will be given to you.  Keep searching, and you will find.  Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” [Matt. 7:7-8]
• While you wait, continue doing the last thing God told you to do.  In waiting, you are shifting the responsibility of the outcome to God – where it belongs.

Thank you Lord, for answering my prayers and bringing light to my questions and concerns.

Experiencing God

Experiencing God is a critical book to review on a consistent basis (highlights).

3 keys to sharing the gospel

1. Faith
2. Love (for God)
3. Compassion (for people)  

Can you deal with your “fear of witnessing” for your love of money ($1,000 per person), but you can’t deal with it for the love of God?

The keys to family success

1. God is the builder, not humans
1. If God is not in it, it won’t help to work any longer
2. If God is not in it, it won’t help to work any harder
3. God needs to be the focus – the foundation
4. God must be personally involved in each family
2. Children are rewards, not punishments
1. Aim and fire (motivate) your children into the world
2. Children need direction and motivation
3. Each child is unique
4. Point (and motivate) your child aligned with that child’s gifts / strengths.
5. Find your child’s passion
3. Families should grow from attention, not suffer from neglect
   1. Families need our time – commit to it
   2. Families need our focus – engaged, connected