Thabiti has written a post that I resonate with. C.J. Mahaney is teaching me to express my thankfulness. I love to read C.J.'s books and listen to his messages, because they are all Cross-centered, and all are filled with expressions of gratitude. I was able to expereience C.J.'s genuine gratefulness at T4G '06. I was helping to put out the free books before one of the sessions (I confess, I had mixed motives: I wanted to serve but I also wanted to know what books we were going to be getting). There were about 10 of us standing in line waiting to pick up a box of books to distribute when C.J. walked by. He had several people with him and they were obviously heading somewhere important. C.J. stopped for a moment and expressed his gratitude that we were serving by helping with the books. I could sense his genuineness.
My very first experience with C.J. was at the 2004 Desiring God National Conference. Before the evening Q&A session, he led the entire auditorium in expressing gratitude for John Piper's life and ministry. Piper appealed for C.J. to stop. C.J. continued.
You are absolutely correct about C.J. He is as much of a genuine, humble servant of God that I have ever met.
ReplyDeleteWhile attending this years Desiring God pastor's conference I had the opportunity to personally thank him for his book "The Cross Centered Life" and shared with him how I had used it as one of the many books in my Shepherd's Disciples curriculum.
With genuine tears in his eyes, he thanked me for telling him that, asked for a card and then in less than two weeks upon returning home, I had a box of Sovereign Grace books and compact disc setting on my desk -- from C.J.!
C.J. can honestly say along with the Apostle Paul -- "be followers of me as I follow Christ!"