Last week when it came time to put out a new blog post, it didn’t feel right to do another Fun Friday. It was not the time or place for that. This week I have thought a lot about what I wanted to publish. Looking back at the past couple of years, God has been doing a lot in my life. There has been a process of deconstructing my beliefs and examining what was really there. It hasn’t been an easy process and it is a journey I am still on. This week I am still going to provide a few recommendations, but they are books that I have read that really impacted me and changed how I view things. Don’t Jesus juke me when you find out that the Bible isn’t one of them.
Everybody Always by Bob Goff
Bob Goff is a fascinating person. I really wasn’t sure how he was going to top his book Love Does but Everybody Always takes the concept to a new level. I’ve read it multiple times and am currently listening through the audiobook again. This book made such an impact on Angela and I that we bought three extra copies to loan to people (let me know if you want to borrow a copy). The concept of the entire book is simple: Jesus commands us to love everybody always. The practice of that is extremely difficult (and I’m certainly not even close to good at it). Bob has a way of writing that is easy to read but cuts you to the core and challenges you to be a better person. Here are a few quotes from the book that I love (I’ll be honest, it is really hard just to pick a few):
Burning down others’ opinions doesn’t make us right. It makes us arsonists.
I think Jesus meant something different when He said “enemies.” He meant we should love the people we don’t understand. The ones we disagree with.
Loving people the way Jesus did means being constantly misunderstood.
There is no love without justice, but there is no justice without love.
Letters to the Church by Francis Chan
I will start by saying this book is not for everyone. As I said earlier, I’ve been on a journey deconstructing and examining my faith. I was already on a journey of examining my thoughts on church when this book came out. It came out right as the church I attend radically changed our concept to a model similar to what Francis Chan is doing. I can guarantee that this book will step on your toes… HARD. But I strongly encourage you to open your heart and mind and dive into this book. It took some wrestling for me to get through it, but in the end I was so thankful I did. Here are some quote from it (again hard to just pick a few):
You can’t shape the life of your church around who might leave if things start to feel too much like the New Testament.
The early church didn’t need the energetic music, great videos, attractive leaders, or elaborate lighting to be excited about being a part of God’s body. The pure gospel was enough to put them in a place of awe.
Jesus is returning soon, and He expects to find His Church taking His commands seriously. Yet far too often we are more concerned with how well the sermon was communicated, whether the youth group is relevant enough, or how to make the music better.
If you can’t find a single person who looks to you as a mentor, something is wrong with you.
Yet while we use family terminology in our churches, Rob’s stories have convinced me that the gangs have a much stronger sense of what it means to be a family than we do in the Church.
Below is a 20 minute video about what the church Francis Chan is a part of is doing (and what this book is about). It is highly worth the time to watch and will give you a preview of the book.
These two books have made a huge impact on me. Check them out and let me know what you think. Also let me know what books have made a huge impact on your life. I am always looking for books to add to my “need to read” list.
until next time…