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Leap of Faith: Embracing the Life God Promised You
Are Christians supposed to have it so rough? It may surprise some believers that the answer is "yes!" Rain falls on the just and the unjust alike. But as Ellie Lofaro shows us, there's a secret to "enduring hardships as a good soldier!" This book shows clearly how God's faithfulness can get Christians through every adversity--with their faith and trust in Him intact! Lofaro's gentle dividing of the Word and wonderful sense of humor will help readers understand the way God works in their lives during the toughest time.
256 pages, Paperback
First published March 20, 2004
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March 8, 2016
I really enjoyed the book. I heard Ellie Lofaro speak at a McLean Bible fundraising concert (Point of Grace) event before Christmas. I thought she was hysterical but also was able to convey her ideas about Faith very well. So, I bought a few of her books and this is the first one I read. It started off a little slow but once I got into the meat of it I kept ear-marking pages (for me a good sign).
Some of the highlights for me (and there are a lot):
Capital “C” Christians
The underlying assumption is that once we become Christians, we will have a happy life. The truth is that as Christians, we are to take up our cross – our sadness and our suffering – and follow Him. There will be trouble; Jesus told us so. That’s why the Bible talks about “the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings” (Phil. 3:10). Our response to the inevitable adversity of life reveals to the world what we believe about His promises. Christians are not immune to trouble, but we are empowered to respond differently than those without relationship with the Savior.
Take the Leap
An 11-year-old boy named Alexander who was born in Czarist Russia was put on a boat from Stockholm to New York harbor after his parents were executed for being part of the resistance. His grandmother user her life savings to buy him a one-way, first-class ticket and wired relatives so they would be waiting for him in America. He got shuffled around so much during boarding he was eventually placed in steerage for a two-and-a-half-week journey (cramped quarters, whooping cough, poor ventilation, and bland food). After a few days, Alexander realized that nobody was looking for him, and nobody was looking after him, so he began to take some short trips to higher decks. One day, Alexander secretly made his way to the end of the kitchen. Inquisitive, he stood on a crate to look through the round porthole of the swinging doors. He found himself peering into the first-class dining room. The sights and smells heightened his senses beyond what he thought possible. He stared. He salivated. He fantasized. He heard laughter and music. He watched the lovely, dressed-up women and handsome gentlemen dancing. Young Alexander was content to visit the kitchen and stand on the crate and crane his neck to vicariously experience first-class dining every night for the rest of the voyage. After the voyage when his relatives asked him about his exciting voyage, it didn’t take long for them to realize that something had gone very wrong. His descriptions of the conditions and the daily “trip” to the kitchen were not the stories they expected to hear from a boy whose grandmother had made such a sacrifice. When they asked to see his ticket he dug into his pocket and produced the ticket. “Look, Alexander! This is a first-class ticket!” Characteristic of an 11-year-old-boy, he shrugged his shoulders and said “I didn’t know.”
The moral: Jesus provided us with a first-class ticket on this journey called life. Yet, we often get shuffled and disoriented and we settle for steerage. We settle for much less than He had planned for us. We crane our necks and look at other people’s lives and we stare and make wishes and fantasize. If only I could have that life, that talent, that house, that spouse, that job, that car, that family. So many of us never come to fully enjoy the ride because we are so distracted by the scenery. I don’t want to see God face to face only to apologetically offer an “I didn’t know.”
Destined for More
His promise captures all you are meant to be. As Max Lucado says in his book, Just Like Jesus: “God loves you just the way you are, but too much to leave you that way.”
God’s Promises
Some seem to think that we must deflect every sincere compliment issued in our favor. When women hug me and tell me how I touched their lives, I generally have an automatic holy response. “Oh no, sister, God did it all. I’m just a vessel.” Nothing like making someone feel foolish. Of course I’m the vessel. I don’t even look like God. I am trying to be better about saying, “Thank you – I thank the Lord with you.”
Too many believers (yes, especially women) seem to have come to the conclusion that they are as important as worms. “Oh, Lord, I really hate to bother you, but if you have any time today, I just heard that I have breast cancer, and I was wondering if I could have a minute. I know you’re busy with the Middle East, but could you please maybe possibly let me know when you can fit me in?” He loves us so uniquely and has designed a destiny for us with bountiful blessings. And yet we often think God’s time and His promises are for someone else. Someone who doesn’t have the history we do. Someone who has it more together. The enemy will tell you that you’ll never measure up, never make a difference, and never get to Heaven. God called upon many individuals who had lots of “issues”. You’re in good company! Moses stuttered. David’s armor didn’t fit. John Mark was rejected by Paul. Timothy had ulcers. Hosea’s wife was a prostitute. Amos’s only training was in the school of fig-tree pruning. Jacob was a liar. David had an affair. Solomon was too rich. Jesus was too poor. Abraham was too old. David was too young. Peter was afraid of death. Lazarus was dead! John was self-righteous. Naomi was a widow. Paul was a murderer. Jonah ran from God. Miriam was a gossip. Gideon doubted. Jeremiah was depressed and suicidal. Elijah was burned out. John the Baptist was a loudmouth. Martha was a worrywart. Mary was lazy. Samson had long hair. Noah got drunk. So why would god call you? Because He desires to bless you abundantly despite the reasons you are so sure He can’t use you. “I will bless you….and you will be a blessing….”
In contrast to Jesus’ wealth of gratitude – despite all the heavenly riches He has forsaken by coming to earth – we often have poor attitudes. We want to see what we get first, and then we’ll decide if we need to be thankful. Philippians 4:6 reminds us to present our requests to God “with thanksgiving.” The Bible teaches us to thank God in advance for what He is going to do. In this way, thankfulness is an exercise of faith – believing what we don’t yet see.
For many people, somewhere along the path to success, they decided that God is not a priority. Spirituality is chic, but many are “done” with God and religion. After confirmation, after the wedding, at the cemetery, in divorce court, in the hospital…somewhere…sometime…they became angry, busy, or disillusioned and decided God didn’t matter anymore.
From Fear to Faith
You can’t pin your hopes on living.
Faith is the Theme of Scripture (good passage but I won’t type out the entire thing here. It lists the many examples of faith being mentioned in the Bible.) Faith in a living God is essential in our ever-changing circumstances. Our faith wavers, but our God does not.
Leaving the Sands of Certainty
God waited until all the disobedient people died – an entire generation – before He led the remaining Israelites into Canaan. The lesson to us? We must take inventory of our thoughts and actions and realize that God has no use for our bad attitudes. They keep us from experiencing all that He has for us.
What Now?
A pastor introduced an old man who was going to give the sermon for the day. The old man began his sermon by telling a story about a father, his 15-year-old son, and his son’s friend who went sailing together one evening off the northern California coast. The father was a pastor and also a proficient sailor. However, the night’s horrendous storm would soon put his maritime skills to the ultimate test in more ways than one. After he bailed water out of the hull for over two hours during the violent rain, the sailboat finally capsized. All three tumbled into the darkness of the raging sea. The father was closest to the overturned sailboat and struggled to secure a lifeline to a buoy. Straining to see the two boys during the brief flashes of lightning, he was horrified to realize that the two boys were succumbing to the unrelenting waves, but they were too far apart to reach both with one lifeline. As the fierce waves tossed their fragile bodies about, the father faced a terrible dilemma. He knew that his son was a Christian, and that if he died that night, he would immediately be in the presence of Jesus. Yet his son’s best friend did not have the same hope. Not only did the boy not believe – he was quite verbal about his hatred and repulsion by all thing religious. The father could not bear for that boy to face eternity apart from Jesus. So the moment the lightning lit the sky, with his body shaking and his heart breaking, the father looked in his son’s direction and screamed out, “I love you, Son! I love you!” He then threw the lifeline out to his son’s friend.
The man concluded his message by drawing a parallel between the story and God’s sacrificial love for us that permitted His Son to die so that we could live. After the service, the two boys quickly walked to the front pew and approached the old man. “That’s a really good story, mister, but it’s not very realistic. The man didn’t even know if his son’s friend was ever going to become a Christian.” To which the old gentleman replied, “You’re right – it’s not very logical or realistic. But it is a true story. In fact, it’s my story. You see, I was that father, and your pastor is my son’s friend.”
Jesus didn’t wait for the culture to come to hear Him at the temple. He went out to the street, the hill-side, the well, the sea, the dirt road, the homes. He won converts by offering to do lunch, go fishing, and attend parties.
Going Public
The Pillar People (a group of monks) believed the best way to avoid sin was to avoid people. These people were not living in reality. Satan won’t go looking for you in a smoke-filled nightclub. He’ll come straight to your kitchen or the church meeting room. The Bible refers to him as the “accuser of the brethren” whose job it is to thwart any and all of your efforts to serve Jesus. Tiny souls can dodge through life; bigger souls are blocked on every side.
If I am attainable, touchable, and reachable then I am right where Jesus was when He walked the earth. If I am human and remain teachable, then I am right where Jesus wants me to be.
Thirty-One Miles
(This title has to do with the distance the Israelites had to wait for the water to flow from where God dammed the river to when it was past them and they could cross to the other side). Sometimes our prayers are answered really far ahead of where we can see them being answered.
A woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness asked to be buried with a fork in her right hand. She explained “When I was a little girl growing up in the south, Sunday was church meetin’ day. We traveled a while to get there and once we got there – we stayed put all day long. After Sunday school and the service, we always stayed at church for those amazing potluck dinners. The women served and the men cleaned up, and when they said ‘Keep your fork,’ that meant something better was coming. Not pudding or Jell-O, but velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Pastor, it may seem silly, but I want people at my funeral to see the fork in my hand, and I want you to remind them ‘something better’s coming.’ You tell them Eunice said, “The best is yet to come.”
One way we need to affirm our sense of expectation is in the way we approach God in prayer. Sometimes our prayers are so general that we would be hard pressed to tell if God answered them or not. We ask God for broad stroked blessings on a specific individual, but some are reluctant to be more specific in their requests. We ultimately desire God’s will in every situation and pray toward that end, but does our lack of specificity belie a hesitant faith?
When we look around at our torrent of trouble we are tempted to think, “God hasn’t answered me.” Yes, He has. In His time. In His way.
Obedience is appreciated when it is freely chosen, not when it is coerced.
Sometimes what we think is a disaster is a blessing in disguise. Sometimes what we think is the end is just the beginning. What we think is bad news is really good news.
What Do These Stones Mean?
“If I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing” (1 Cor. 13:2).
A Legacy Worth Living
What will others remember about you? Answer: not what you think. Name the last four winners of the Nobel Peace Prize? How about the last three World Series winners? Now try this one: Think of three teachers who helped you in school. Name four people who taught you something worthwhile about life. Name four people who have made you feel appreciated. There are things that earn us some kudos, but they don’t make for a lasting legacy. It’s not our rewards that count; it’s relationships. Applause die down. Achievements are forgotten. The one who took time to care is the one who lives in your heart and mind.
Parable: A man saw a butterfly about to emerge from a tiny cocoon as he was walking in his garden one day. And as he watched the butterfly struggling to free itself of the cocoon, he noted it was making such slow progress in its cumbersome chore. The man pitied the poor creature and thought about how he could help it along. He grabbed a small pair of scissors and gave the cocoon a little snip at the opening. However, he didn’t realize that instead of helping, he had actually hindered the butterfly. God created this seemingly painful and slow birthing process so that the pressure of working against the tightly woven cocoon causes the blood to slowly course through the veins in their wings. Finally, when the blood is fully circulating, the butterfly emerges as a perfectly aerodynamic creature. The man’s small snip released the pressure. When the butterfly eventually emerged from its cocoon, it was permanently stunted and could never fly. The moral: Beware of constantly getting the children you love out of trouble instead of allowing them to face the consequences of their actions. We think we are “helping” our children by getting them out of difficult situations. But they will remain handicapped at many levels.
Passing on What Matters
I’m convinced that one of the contributors to depression and other forms of mental suffering is loneliness and loss of human interaction. We are becoming isolated. We can begin to believe the lie that we are the only ones struggling with problems.
Some of the highlights for me (and there are a lot):
Capital “C” Christians
The underlying assumption is that once we become Christians, we will have a happy life. The truth is that as Christians, we are to take up our cross – our sadness and our suffering – and follow Him. There will be trouble; Jesus told us so. That’s why the Bible talks about “the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings” (Phil. 3:10). Our response to the inevitable adversity of life reveals to the world what we believe about His promises. Christians are not immune to trouble, but we are empowered to respond differently than those without relationship with the Savior.
Take the Leap
An 11-year-old boy named Alexander who was born in Czarist Russia was put on a boat from Stockholm to New York harbor after his parents were executed for being part of the resistance. His grandmother user her life savings to buy him a one-way, first-class ticket and wired relatives so they would be waiting for him in America. He got shuffled around so much during boarding he was eventually placed in steerage for a two-and-a-half-week journey (cramped quarters, whooping cough, poor ventilation, and bland food). After a few days, Alexander realized that nobody was looking for him, and nobody was looking after him, so he began to take some short trips to higher decks. One day, Alexander secretly made his way to the end of the kitchen. Inquisitive, he stood on a crate to look through the round porthole of the swinging doors. He found himself peering into the first-class dining room. The sights and smells heightened his senses beyond what he thought possible. He stared. He salivated. He fantasized. He heard laughter and music. He watched the lovely, dressed-up women and handsome gentlemen dancing. Young Alexander was content to visit the kitchen and stand on the crate and crane his neck to vicariously experience first-class dining every night for the rest of the voyage. After the voyage when his relatives asked him about his exciting voyage, it didn’t take long for them to realize that something had gone very wrong. His descriptions of the conditions and the daily “trip” to the kitchen were not the stories they expected to hear from a boy whose grandmother had made such a sacrifice. When they asked to see his ticket he dug into his pocket and produced the ticket. “Look, Alexander! This is a first-class ticket!” Characteristic of an 11-year-old-boy, he shrugged his shoulders and said “I didn’t know.”
The moral: Jesus provided us with a first-class ticket on this journey called life. Yet, we often get shuffled and disoriented and we settle for steerage. We settle for much less than He had planned for us. We crane our necks and look at other people’s lives and we stare and make wishes and fantasize. If only I could have that life, that talent, that house, that spouse, that job, that car, that family. So many of us never come to fully enjoy the ride because we are so distracted by the scenery. I don’t want to see God face to face only to apologetically offer an “I didn’t know.”
Destined for More
His promise captures all you are meant to be. As Max Lucado says in his book, Just Like Jesus: “God loves you just the way you are, but too much to leave you that way.”
God’s Promises
Some seem to think that we must deflect every sincere compliment issued in our favor. When women hug me and tell me how I touched their lives, I generally have an automatic holy response. “Oh no, sister, God did it all. I’m just a vessel.” Nothing like making someone feel foolish. Of course I’m the vessel. I don’t even look like God. I am trying to be better about saying, “Thank you – I thank the Lord with you.”
Too many believers (yes, especially women) seem to have come to the conclusion that they are as important as worms. “Oh, Lord, I really hate to bother you, but if you have any time today, I just heard that I have breast cancer, and I was wondering if I could have a minute. I know you’re busy with the Middle East, but could you please maybe possibly let me know when you can fit me in?” He loves us so uniquely and has designed a destiny for us with bountiful blessings. And yet we often think God’s time and His promises are for someone else. Someone who doesn’t have the history we do. Someone who has it more together. The enemy will tell you that you’ll never measure up, never make a difference, and never get to Heaven. God called upon many individuals who had lots of “issues”. You’re in good company! Moses stuttered. David’s armor didn’t fit. John Mark was rejected by Paul. Timothy had ulcers. Hosea’s wife was a prostitute. Amos’s only training was in the school of fig-tree pruning. Jacob was a liar. David had an affair. Solomon was too rich. Jesus was too poor. Abraham was too old. David was too young. Peter was afraid of death. Lazarus was dead! John was self-righteous. Naomi was a widow. Paul was a murderer. Jonah ran from God. Miriam was a gossip. Gideon doubted. Jeremiah was depressed and suicidal. Elijah was burned out. John the Baptist was a loudmouth. Martha was a worrywart. Mary was lazy. Samson had long hair. Noah got drunk. So why would god call you? Because He desires to bless you abundantly despite the reasons you are so sure He can’t use you. “I will bless you….and you will be a blessing….”
In contrast to Jesus’ wealth of gratitude – despite all the heavenly riches He has forsaken by coming to earth – we often have poor attitudes. We want to see what we get first, and then we’ll decide if we need to be thankful. Philippians 4:6 reminds us to present our requests to God “with thanksgiving.” The Bible teaches us to thank God in advance for what He is going to do. In this way, thankfulness is an exercise of faith – believing what we don’t yet see.
For many people, somewhere along the path to success, they decided that God is not a priority. Spirituality is chic, but many are “done” with God and religion. After confirmation, after the wedding, at the cemetery, in divorce court, in the hospital…somewhere…sometime…they became angry, busy, or disillusioned and decided God didn’t matter anymore.
From Fear to Faith
You can’t pin your hopes on living.
Faith is the Theme of Scripture (good passage but I won’t type out the entire thing here. It lists the many examples of faith being mentioned in the Bible.) Faith in a living God is essential in our ever-changing circumstances. Our faith wavers, but our God does not.
Leaving the Sands of Certainty
God waited until all the disobedient people died – an entire generation – before He led the remaining Israelites into Canaan. The lesson to us? We must take inventory of our thoughts and actions and realize that God has no use for our bad attitudes. They keep us from experiencing all that He has for us.
What Now?
A pastor introduced an old man who was going to give the sermon for the day. The old man began his sermon by telling a story about a father, his 15-year-old son, and his son’s friend who went sailing together one evening off the northern California coast. The father was a pastor and also a proficient sailor. However, the night’s horrendous storm would soon put his maritime skills to the ultimate test in more ways than one. After he bailed water out of the hull for over two hours during the violent rain, the sailboat finally capsized. All three tumbled into the darkness of the raging sea. The father was closest to the overturned sailboat and struggled to secure a lifeline to a buoy. Straining to see the two boys during the brief flashes of lightning, he was horrified to realize that the two boys were succumbing to the unrelenting waves, but they were too far apart to reach both with one lifeline. As the fierce waves tossed their fragile bodies about, the father faced a terrible dilemma. He knew that his son was a Christian, and that if he died that night, he would immediately be in the presence of Jesus. Yet his son’s best friend did not have the same hope. Not only did the boy not believe – he was quite verbal about his hatred and repulsion by all thing religious. The father could not bear for that boy to face eternity apart from Jesus. So the moment the lightning lit the sky, with his body shaking and his heart breaking, the father looked in his son’s direction and screamed out, “I love you, Son! I love you!” He then threw the lifeline out to his son’s friend.
The man concluded his message by drawing a parallel between the story and God’s sacrificial love for us that permitted His Son to die so that we could live. After the service, the two boys quickly walked to the front pew and approached the old man. “That’s a really good story, mister, but it’s not very realistic. The man didn’t even know if his son’s friend was ever going to become a Christian.” To which the old gentleman replied, “You’re right – it’s not very logical or realistic. But it is a true story. In fact, it’s my story. You see, I was that father, and your pastor is my son’s friend.”
Jesus didn’t wait for the culture to come to hear Him at the temple. He went out to the street, the hill-side, the well, the sea, the dirt road, the homes. He won converts by offering to do lunch, go fishing, and attend parties.
Going Public
The Pillar People (a group of monks) believed the best way to avoid sin was to avoid people. These people were not living in reality. Satan won’t go looking for you in a smoke-filled nightclub. He’ll come straight to your kitchen or the church meeting room. The Bible refers to him as the “accuser of the brethren” whose job it is to thwart any and all of your efforts to serve Jesus. Tiny souls can dodge through life; bigger souls are blocked on every side.
If I am attainable, touchable, and reachable then I am right where Jesus was when He walked the earth. If I am human and remain teachable, then I am right where Jesus wants me to be.
Thirty-One Miles
(This title has to do with the distance the Israelites had to wait for the water to flow from where God dammed the river to when it was past them and they could cross to the other side). Sometimes our prayers are answered really far ahead of where we can see them being answered.
A woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness asked to be buried with a fork in her right hand. She explained “When I was a little girl growing up in the south, Sunday was church meetin’ day. We traveled a while to get there and once we got there – we stayed put all day long. After Sunday school and the service, we always stayed at church for those amazing potluck dinners. The women served and the men cleaned up, and when they said ‘Keep your fork,’ that meant something better was coming. Not pudding or Jell-O, but velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Pastor, it may seem silly, but I want people at my funeral to see the fork in my hand, and I want you to remind them ‘something better’s coming.’ You tell them Eunice said, “The best is yet to come.”
One way we need to affirm our sense of expectation is in the way we approach God in prayer. Sometimes our prayers are so general that we would be hard pressed to tell if God answered them or not. We ask God for broad stroked blessings on a specific individual, but some are reluctant to be more specific in their requests. We ultimately desire God’s will in every situation and pray toward that end, but does our lack of specificity belie a hesitant faith?
When we look around at our torrent of trouble we are tempted to think, “God hasn’t answered me.” Yes, He has. In His time. In His way.
Obedience is appreciated when it is freely chosen, not when it is coerced.
Sometimes what we think is a disaster is a blessing in disguise. Sometimes what we think is the end is just the beginning. What we think is bad news is really good news.
What Do These Stones Mean?
“If I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing” (1 Cor. 13:2).
A Legacy Worth Living
What will others remember about you? Answer: not what you think. Name the last four winners of the Nobel Peace Prize? How about the last three World Series winners? Now try this one: Think of three teachers who helped you in school. Name four people who taught you something worthwhile about life. Name four people who have made you feel appreciated. There are things that earn us some kudos, but they don’t make for a lasting legacy. It’s not our rewards that count; it’s relationships. Applause die down. Achievements are forgotten. The one who took time to care is the one who lives in your heart and mind.
Parable: A man saw a butterfly about to emerge from a tiny cocoon as he was walking in his garden one day. And as he watched the butterfly struggling to free itself of the cocoon, he noted it was making such slow progress in its cumbersome chore. The man pitied the poor creature and thought about how he could help it along. He grabbed a small pair of scissors and gave the cocoon a little snip at the opening. However, he didn’t realize that instead of helping, he had actually hindered the butterfly. God created this seemingly painful and slow birthing process so that the pressure of working against the tightly woven cocoon causes the blood to slowly course through the veins in their wings. Finally, when the blood is fully circulating, the butterfly emerges as a perfectly aerodynamic creature. The man’s small snip released the pressure. When the butterfly eventually emerged from its cocoon, it was permanently stunted and could never fly. The moral: Beware of constantly getting the children you love out of trouble instead of allowing them to face the consequences of their actions. We think we are “helping” our children by getting them out of difficult situations. But they will remain handicapped at many levels.
Passing on What Matters
I’m convinced that one of the contributors to depression and other forms of mental suffering is loneliness and loss of human interaction. We are becoming isolated. We can begin to believe the lie that we are the only ones struggling with problems.
May 28, 2016
Very inspirational book. I read this book cause Ellie had spoken at my church on Mother's Day & she was so funny & inspirational that I had to get a copy of her book & get it signed by her before I left that day, & I'm glad I did. Leap of Faith is a great book to read about Ellie & her family & her becoming a Christian & of course about our wonderful father in all of us God.
September 22, 2019
Nice book, enjoyed it quite a lot. The content is sometimes funny and always serious and compassionate. Ms. Lofaro shared her concepts and philosphies on Christianity which included bible passages and illustrations in the form of stories, some of which included her family and others straight from the bible. I found this book inspiring and uplifting.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews