It'll Mess You Up!

Recently a certain book crossed my radar so many times that I felt God was urging me to read it. It's called The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns, president of World Vision, one of the largest humanitarian relief organizations in the United States. I'm only a few chapters into the book, but it's helping me see the gospel as more than just a way to get to Heaven. It's also an invitation to have my heart broken for the things that break the heart of God. In other words, the gospel is also about using my life to serve the least, last and lost, just like Jesus did.

This is something that has long been a challenge for me as I live quite comfortably in my Christian bubble. I have long considered myself a pretty good Christian: I married a Christian, we are active in our church, we have a beautiful family and wonderful Christian friends, we tithe, and occasionally when needs arise outside of that, we are happy to write a check. But is that all that God expects of me? That's the question that Stearns attempts to answer in this book. A phrase I heard often when I was on the Covenant staff, when someone encountered a book, experience, etc. that was really life-changing was, "It'll mess you up!" This book is messin' me up! I can't wait to read more!