Always lots to think about

I just finished reading 3 pretty fantastic books - The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne, Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger by Ron Sider, and The Shack by William Young. For anyone who has read any of these books, it's hard to know where to start. Let's start with the first book I mention.

Shane is a pretty interesting fellow to say the least. I heard him speak at the Epiphenia conference last year, and his message is definitely one of radical love and action. While reflecting on his message, the biggest point of conviction for me is loving everyone - someone I've never met in my neighbourhood, the people in my life who fill the role of "extra grace required", acquaintances who are reaching out for my love and attention but I resist because we don't have a lot in common, those who rub me the wrong way...I think you get my picture. It's also a stretching point to love on someone else's terms, not my agenda or timetable. This is a daily struggle for me. Is it my pride that gets in my way? Do I think I'm better than others? Well, I'm not, so it's high time I stopped acting that way. 

Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger was a fantastic follow-up read to The Irresistible Revolution. Ron Sider drives home the abundant wealth we live in everyday, and juxtaposes it against the extreme poverty of so much of the world. Interestingly, he spends a lot of time showing God's heart for the poor, and holding up a mirror so North American readers might finally grasp our awesome responsibility to live counter-culturally - live simply to give more away. This, too, is a daily struggle. It seems like it's a lot easier to "go with the flow" and surround myself with comforts. Why should I be comfortable when the vast majority of other people inhabiting the Earth have never experienced comfort?

And my favourite read thus far - The Shack. Oh, where to begin. It's one of those books I will reread with a pen and notebook and really hash through the author's ideas. First and foremost, I feel like I have a much deeper understanding of God's goodness and how He "especially loves" each one of us. I think I had God in a convenient box that I could get my head around, and what Young managed to do was blow the lid off my box. I walked away understanding God as a multi-dimensional being, instead of the limited picture I had in my head. How the author explained the tragedies of our lives and God's role in them was a "a-ha" moment for me. So much of what I read brought a lot of my disjointed ideas together. The love and relationship between God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit was also mind-blowing for me....After I reread this book, I will do a much better job explaining my thoughts. 

Well, there you have it. Three books that have stretched me and challenged me, and the summer has just begun!