Seismic Shifts The Little Changes That Make a Big Difference in Your Life

Seismic Shifts Copyright © 2005 by Kevin Harney Requests for information should be addressed to: Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Harney, Kevin. Seismic shifts : the little changes that make a big difference in your life / Kevin G. Harney. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-310-25945-9 ISBN-10: 0-310-25945-2 1. Christian life. 2. Success - Religious aspects - Christianity. I. Title. BV4598.3.H36 2005 248.4 - dc22 2005017302 This edition printed on acid-free paper. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked TNIV are taken from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version®. TNIV®. Copyright © 2002, 2004 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means - electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other - except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher. Interior design by Ruth Bandstra Printed in the United States of America 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 / ?DCI / 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 We want to hear from you. Please send your comments about this book to us in care of zreview@zondervan.com. Thank you. Part 1 Shifts That Bring Greater Joy Than You Can Imagine The Seismic Shift from Infancy to Adulthood Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the head, that is, Christ. - Ephesians 4:14 - 15 TNIV In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righ teous ness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity. - Hebrews 5:12 - 6:1 Babies are cute. They can do the smallest thing and adults cheer with delight, laugh with joy, and stare in amazement. Think about it, parents actually talk with pride about how their little boy holds his head up or how their little girl smiles on command. They act as if these relatively common activities rival the exploits of great athletes. Chapter ONE Chapter 1: The Seismic Shift from Infancy to Adulthood 23 How do parents feel when they realize their child's growth is stunted? The answer is obvious: they are deeply concerned. If their little boy or girl has a physical problem, they call a doctor. They will go from specialist to specialist and do all they can to help their child overcome this obstacle. If their son or daughter is dealing with an emotional or mental hurdle, they will contact a Chris tian counselor or a psychologist to get help. Any loving parent who sees something hampering the growth of their child will take action. Seismic Shifts That Lead Us toward Spiritual Maturity One Sunday morning, I was preaching about God's desire to see us grow into mature followers of Jesus. To make the point, I showed a video clip of a dad and mom teaching their little boy to walk. I borrowed a home video from a woHarney, Kevin is the author of 'Seismic Shifts The Little Changes That Make a Big Difference in Your Life', published 2005 under ISBN 9780310259459 and ISBN 0310259452.