interrupted.

I'm so bad at finishing non-fiction books - I really am. I have great intentions, but I usually get bogged down at some point in the process. But, I finally finished the first on my list for the year, and let me tell you, it really messed with me. It challenged me and is still making me think. I've been telling everyone I know to read it, partly because I want someone else to discuss it with me, and partly because it is just that good.

[Source: www.jenhatmaker.com]

Interrupted by Jen Hatmaker is the story of  a radical shift in the way we view life with Christ. It's about learning to do life the way that Jesus did, in relationship, seeking out the least of these. It's radical, but at the same time, it's really not.

Here are just a few of the items I highlighted:

"Why is it so exhausting to uphold someone's heavy, inconvenient burden? Why are we spent from shouldering someone's grief or being an armor bearer? Why is it that lifting someone out of his or her rubble leaves us breathless? Because we are the body of Christ, broken and poured out, just as He was. Mercy has a cost: Someone must be broken for someone else to be fed."

"We don't get to opt out of living on mission because we might not be appreciated. We're not allowed to neglect the oppressed because we have reservations about their discernment. We cannot deny love because it might be despised or misunderstood. We can't without social relief because we're not convinced it will be perfectly managed. Must we be wise? Absolutely. But doing nothing is a blatant sin of omission. Turning a blind eye to the bottom on the grounds of "unworthiness" is the antithesis to Jesus' entire mission."

"Of course we loved the poor, Jesus. You told us to. Of course we opened our homes and invited the lonely in. That was clear in the Word. Of course we clothed naked children and fed starving people. They are human beings made in your image. We took care of the least in obedience to You, Jesus, but we never had the privilege of actually serving You. We did all that for you. But Jesus will say, No, you did that unto Me."

"In Breaking the Missional Code, Ed Stetzer and David Putman wrote, 'The church is one of the few organizations in the world that does not exist for the benefit of its members. The church exists because God, in his infinite wisdom and infinite mercy, chose the church as his instrument to make known his manifold wisdom in the world.'"

"If we've been in church for years yet aren't full, are we really hungry for more knowledge? In our busy lives, do we really need another program or event? Do we really need to be fed more of the Word, or are we simply undernourished from an absence of living the Word?" (from Brandon Hatmaker)