Book of The Month:Week Two Highlights of "If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat" by John Ortberg

My highlights

Chapter 2: Boat Potatoes

I'm assuming you get the chapter title. Ortberg has a great sense of humor and does a good job bringing real life stories into his writings. I particularly like what I call chapter sub-titles.
  • the price you pay for being a boat potato...."growth"
  • the tragedy of the unopened gift; It's as if I've lived half my life waiting for life to begin, thinking it's somewhere off in the future.
  • the chance of a lifetime is not something to take lightly
  • all human beings, including you and me, give their lives to something...the only question is, what will you give your life to? Will it be worthy?
  • so many people blame their refusal to get out of the boat on some external circumstance
  • I must ruthlessly refuse to compar my talents with anyone else
  • I must come to identify, cultivate, invest, prize, and enjoy the gifts that have been given to me
  • Fear....the author wrote a lot about what fear does to be one becoming, and staying a boat potatoe
If you've read much of this blog, you recognize why I like this book so much!

Here's a question Ortberg asks at the end of the chapter: In what area of life (vocational, relational, or intellectual, etc) are you experiencing the most growth these days?

Chapter 3: Discerning the Call
  • water-walking requires not only the courage to take a risk, but also the wisdom to discern a call.
  • interesting to note that in most self-help book, risk-taking is highly praised. But in literature on psychological research, it is mostly a danger sign. Type Ts (thrill, risk seeking personalities), although they can do great things,  are also more prone toward potentially destructive behaviors.
  • author has good stuff on how to discern the difference between an aughentic call to get out of the boat from your own rash impulses
  • calling is not so much choosing as it is listening
  • calling often involves pain
Good stuff.


Read Week One

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