Radical

Have you heard about this book? Have you read it? I can't remember exactly how I heard about it but I almost bought it for Steven for Father's Day. I ended up buying him something else. Then sometime this summer, he asked me if I'd heard about it. He said that several of his pastor friends were reading/recommending it and that he wanted to get a copy. So he picked up a copy and it took him a several weeks to read it. He doesn't read as fast as I do. I don't mean that in a negative way, Steven is just a v.e.r.y. deliberate reader. So he finished it and told me he wanted me to read it. By this time, I had found out about Marla and that she was going to start a book club through her blog to read this book and discuss it weekly. (The group can also be found on facebook, it's not too late to join our group!) I told him that I was definitely going to read it but that I was waiting until Sept. so I could be a part of this group.
So this post is supposed to cover Chapter One but to be honest, I've already read through Chap. 7. It's not that it's a "can't put this down" kind of book. Because honestly, at some points, you might actually want to throw it down! It's just that I've been so challenged by it that it spurs me on to keep reading. When I read a book like this, I like to underline and write thoughts in the margin. So for today's post I thought I would just share some of the things I underlined in Chapter 1. (In some instances I may not have underlined a complete sentence, so I'll share the page # also.)

....we have a choice. p. 3

You and I can choose to continue with business as usual in the Christian life and in the church as a whole..... Or was can take an honest look at the Jesus of the Bible and dare to ask what the consequences might be if we really believed him and really obeyed him. p. 3

But if Jesus is who he said he is, and if his promises are as rewarding as the Bible claims they are, then we may discover that satisfaction in our lives and success in our church are not found in what our culture deems most important but in radical abandonment to Jesus. p. 3

....that somewhere along the way we had missed what is radical about our faith and replaced it with what is comfortable. p. 7

....making it clear from the start that if you follow him, you abandon everything-your needs, your desires, even your family. p. 10

....certainty for uncertainty, safety for danger, self preservation for self-denunciation.
p. 12

These statements convict me, challenge me, and inspire me. I want to know more, be more and do more!

If you've not read this book, let me encourage you to grab a copy and join us in this journey!

The first time I ever heard David Platt preach was in June 2009 at the Southern Baptist Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. He stood before the convention and asked this question-

"Are we going to die in our religion or are we going to die in our devotion?"

Some things to think about today.
Love you dearly!