This book is written by two young authors, Tim Willard and Jason Locy.  Tim and Jason both grew up in church and their experiences motivated them to write this book.   Tim saw his home church divide into pieces and later he was expelled from a Christian university.   Jason, grew up in a small southern town where the church was totally disconnected from society.

The book these two men authored is divided into two parts.  The first part of the book makes the undeniable case that we live in a veneer society.   Our society is marked by a lack of authenticity and transparency.   I found this part of the book very interesting as they painted a very real picture of the world we live in here in America.  The quotes and stories they used drove the point home.

In the second half of the book, they encourage us as Christians to live differently.  To live a life that transcends our society.  To live a life in which we are far more concerned about the heart of God than what others think of us.

This is a good book but I have to admit the second half of the book seemed to drag a bit to me.  Also, my view on spiritual growth and maturity is little different than what they portray.  My fear is that we often equate spiritual maturity with Biblical knowledge.  If that is the case the Pharisees always win.  Spiritual maturity is marked by love and obedience out of a sense of love.  I certainly do not want to diminish the importance of knowing God’s word but most it is true that for most of us our knowledge already exceeds our obedience.

I vowed to never read one of these types of books again - short fictional novel written to teach life or Biblical principles.  In my opinion, there have been enough of these books written.  Even then, I bought this one.  The big idea, Tim the main character and a lay leader in a church gets a letter warning him that the church has left its first love.  Shortly after that he gets a phone call from a lady that had been visiting the church informing him that while she liked the church and had been warmly welcomed she woudl be looking for another church.  In her opinion something is missing.

Tim then sets out to visit several key church people each of which has some insight into what is going on in his life and in the life of the church.  While it has some good insight that is valuable it was not worth my time to read it.   As with any book I read I did gain some things that were helpful.  Here are a few:

Remember to keep your "I love yous up to date.

When things don't work out the way you have planned, it is better to look in the mirror and ask, "What more could I have done than to look out the window to find someone else to blame.                                                                                                                                                                                                               

God's love is bigger than any mistake or leadership miscue I can ever make.

Every now and then I read a book that is out of my comfort reading zone.  This book definitely fits in that category.  It is written by Ann Voskamp,  a wife and mother of six children.  She and her family live in a Mennonite community in Ontario.  Ann is very abstract in her writing and I am very concrete in my thinking.  Needless to say, reading this book was a stretch for me.

The big idea of the book is based on a challenge one of Ann’s friend presented challenging Ann to keep a journal to record one thousand gifts God had given her.   It forced Ann to live more intentionally and to be more focused.   In her words she began to desire to live a more “empty, fuller life.”  Empty of the things that take up time and energy but have little eternal value and more full of the things that do have eternal  value.

The first chapter caught my attention.  In this chapter Ann shares the struggles she has had dealing with her sister’s death and other painful situations.    Here is one of my favorite quotes:

“I wonder too… if the rent in the canvas of our life backdrop, the losses that puncture our world, our own emptiness, might actually become places to see.  To see through to God.”

There aren’t many men that would enjoy this book.  I actually got a little bored with it toward the end.  However,  the bottom line message – living a life of gratitude for grace, changes everything – is a message anyone can appreciate.