I think it’s easy in the christian subculture to lock ourselves into reading things that simply re-affirm what we already believe. We love to hear sermons and read things that simply align with what we already know. I’m not suggesting that we start reading books and ideas that oppose our faith in Christ but maybe we need to challenge ourselves to hear different viewpoints and not shut down so quickly when someone doesn’t agree with our ideas and thoughts. Are we to insecure to handle something outside of our little belief systems that we have created for ourselves? I believe that God is bigger and greater than our little systems and worldviews.

Now, when I talk about other ways of thinking I’m not talking about Jesus just being another teacher or great leader; He is the Messiah! The Savior of the entire world. He died for everyone and he rose again. His resurrection is a declaration to the world; ‘Jesus is the King of all and his gift of eternal life is offered for the whole world!’ . I’m not questioning the core beliefs of Christianity. I’m talking about our interpretations of scripture. Sometimes I feel like we in the west feel that we have the Scriptures figured out. Or there are certain teachers who are infallible in their teaching of the scriptures. One of my heroes; NT Wright said in one of his speeches, ’80% of what I say is probably right and about %20 is probably off. The only problem is that I don’t know what that %20 is.’ He’s not intentionally deceiving people, he’s simply being honest as a human being. Not everything these great leaders say is dead on and accurate. We have to be careful not to elevate man’s interpretation above all else.

The biblical narrative is so beautiful and mysterious. Just when you think God is going to show up as a fire he shows up as a mighty rushing wind. And just when you think he makes the mountains shake he decides to show up as a gentle whisper. God is mysterious. Just because he showed up as a wind today doesn’t mean that he will always show up as a wind. Maybe we should be careful at trying to put God into a corner.

This reminds me of the story of Jesus, Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Lazarus had died and Jesus heard the news. Instead of rushing to his grave Jesus took 3 days to get there. When he arrived Martha ran out to greet him. She said to him; ‘Lord if you would have been here our brother wouldn’t have died.’ Jesus response to her was; ‘I am the resurrection and the life.’ Mary runs to Jesus and says the same exact thing and you would think that Jesus would respond the same way but this is what he did; ‘he wept’ He gave Martha a sermon; Mary got tears. Jesus knows what we need. Every heart is different and he comes to us in ways that we may not always understand but His discernment is like no one elses. He knows our hearts better than we do and he is doing everything that he can to change our hearts.

When you see Jesus you see God. All of the mysterious of God came and dwelled in his Son, Jesus. The fire, wind, earthquake, whisper; all the ways God manifested in the Old Testament came and dwelled in the person of Jesus Christ. When we see Jesus responding to people and speaking to the world, we get a perfect picture of what God is like.

Sometimes I feel like I am learning things for the first time when I come before God’s words of life. May we come to God today through Jesus with humility and bow before his great name. Jesus; challenge our hearts and our minds. Transform our thinking and help us to move deeper into your reality today. You lead and we will follow.

Here are some recent books that I have read that have stretched my brain and heart. I realize that just because they mean something to me doesn’t mean they will impact your heart and mind in the same way. I just wanted to throw these out there to share a piece of my heart in the blogging world. They encouraged me and maybe they will do the same for you.

If you do happen to read one of these book please feel free to drop me a line; I would love to read your thoughts.

1. Deep Memory Exuberant Hope by Walter Brueggemann.

Walter reflects on the meaning of scripture in the world today. Challenging and poetic.

2. Secrets in the Dark by Frederick Buechner.

Buechner is a master story teller, poet and preacher who simply shows us how it’s done. He reminds us of why the gospel matters everyday.

This book is a series of sermons that he gave over his lifetime. It gives us a glimpse into the heart of a great preacher and disciple of Jesus Christ.

3. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. One of my favorite authors.

Malcolm is a master of understanding how ideas, trends and social behaviors tip, influence and spread into culture. This is a fun read. If you want a greater understanding of how ideas spread in our culture this one is worth reading.