I'm reading this book by Leonard Sweet entitled So Beautiful: Divine Design for Life and the Church. It is life-changing. It is full of stuff that rings true in my Spirit, but never experienced, at least not until recently. I've been reading about the relational aspect of Christianity and that is what has really challenged and encouraged me to change my mind about a relationship in my life... to choose to love sacrificially and vulnerably, mindful of how people and Jesus have loved me in all the messiness that is my life.
Here are some quotes that have really hit me hard the last couple of days:
Relationships don't come to us like Christmas packages, all neatly wrapped with ribbons and bows. Relationships come more to us like an abused package from the post office: ripped, torn, its guts spilling out, the contents often broken. (pg 138)
Being right--having the best arguments, compiling the most evidence, even living in exemplary consistency with one's beliefs--does not always make a person right. (pg 137)
...my friend James Davis came up with a saying: "A faith that hasn't been tested is a faith that can't be trusted." Grace under pressure is a test of leadership. (pg 133)
The turning point in every person's life is what answer we give to Jesus' question ["Who do you say that I am?"]. (pg 127)
Jesus is the Truth... not just the truth about God, but more accurately the truth of what it means to be fully human. (pg 120)
True freedom brings others into the light and makes them free. True freedom is the fitness to feel responsible for other people's captivity and inaction. (pg 114)
I'll be blogging more about this book in the coming days as I finish it up... but WoW. This is a book that cuts straight to the heart. I am amazed with Sweet's sensitivity and encouragement... but also with his boldness and the power behind his exhortation. So Beautiful is definitely blowing some of my old favorites out of the water with it's full picture of the heart of God/ lived out through The Church...
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