Light Heavy Reading

Despite popular opinion, I actually like to read...just not my school books. Whoops. I've been on a read reading kick lately, and have read some pretty awsome literature.

"Under the Overpass" by Mike Yankoski - a story of 2 college aged kids who decided that they would practice what they preached and give everything up for 5 months to be homeless on the American streets. I read it in about 3 days, and have bought the 30 day devo book that is based off of their story. good stuff.

I just started reading "The Irresistable Revolution," by Shane Claiborne - Mrs. O., if you see this, thanks for the reccomendation. It's another autobiography taking us through Shane's journey while he promotes and lives the life of an "everyday radical" as he puts it. I'm on Chapter 3 right now, and he just wrapped up his internship at a mega-church in Chicago following his brief stint in India working with Mother Theresa.

For those of you with "Big Word Syndrome," (The inability to understand big words, especially in a theological context...therefor you have to go over the sentence about 5 or 6 times to try to think up some kind of definition that fits the "contex clues" you learned how to use in 4th or 5th grade....Holla Miss Mancinelli!) these two books are pretty easy reads, yet they challenge you in big ways. I thank and praise God that he gave us educated authors who know how to write in a readable way.

Anyway, enough marketing.

I was reading something in Shane's book that I want to share. To give some background, he's introducing the audience to this idea of being an every day radical and telling us how he came to be one. He explains his upbringing and his transformation...

Shane writes, 'But then you start to think there must be more to Christianity, more than just laying your life and sins at the foot of the cross. I came to realize that preachers were telling me to lay my life at the foot of the cross and weren't giving me anything to pick up. A lot of us were hearing "don't smoke, don't drink, don't sleep around" and naturally started asking, "Okay, well, that was pretty much my life, so what do I do now?" Where were the do's? And nobody seemed to have much to offer us. Handing out tracts at the mall just didn't seem liek the fullness of Christian discipleship, not to mention it wasn't as fun as making out at the movies.'

I hope that hit you like a brick like it did me.

I feel like, although our intentions are mostly good, a lot of Christians today find themselves with their finger making that terrible wagging motion back and forth when face-to-face with someone wth a lifestyle different than their own. We find ourselves telling those surrounding us that in order to be a Christian, "you can't do this" and "you can't do that", rather than offering something to pick up. So often, we throw theology and doctrine in the unbeliever's face, rather than throwing our arms around them.

How great is it when that lost sheep is found? Or the prodigal son returns? When that happens, we need to give them something to grab ahold of, rather than take things away. That's my prayer for me, anyway.

Eat your vegetables,
AT