Live Sent--- you are a letter

I got this book, by Jason C Dukes in the mail through viralbloggers.com a few weeks ago.  I haven't completely finished it.  It came at sort of an interesting time for me, so I have been kind of trudging through it bit by bit... taking my time to really read and digest.  


My initial impression of the book was actually not super positive.  I am sort of anti-gimmick, and the "hipness factor" seemed overdone to me at first... I was afraid this would be an easy to hear, easy to read type of book.  


I was dead wrong.


It looks easy.  It looks fun.  It looks hip.


Maybe I'm the only one (I doubt it, and I hope not), but I am having a really difficult time reading of just the stark, real, raw way that God loves me... And this is only the beginning of the book!  Mr. Dukes goes on to explain that Because God loves you in this way (He loves us, period.  He chooses to love us. He loves us so that we will love.), we can turn around in His strength and love others in the same way... we can "live sent."


I want to give you just a little taste of the book and writing style.  This is really good stuff.  No wasted words.  And like I said, I haven't finished it yet, but I feel like I can already recommend it.


"Herod wouldn't see a young husband and pregnant wife returning to Bethlehem for the census as a threat to his reign.  He would have been looking for a charismatic leader with a following.  Herod wouldn't look for a baby in a manger.  He would have looked for someone staying in palatial accommodations.  The problem is most of us don't look below the radar in that way either.  We have made godliness out to be prosperity and appearing to have it all together.  Not an outcast couple who had to make it on the very least." (pg 33)


"He loves us, period."
"He chooses to love us."
"He loves us so that we will love."
[do you actually believe that He loves you unconditionally?]
[do you think that love and respect and trust must be earned, or must they be given?]---OUCH (my words!)
[do you love people for how it makes you feel, or do you love them as a catalyst that causes them to love, even if you never get anything in return for your love?]


And just one more, and I thought this was really huge...
"When you commit to love someone---marriage, friendship, child, whatever---are you committing to love them for what they become and what they get out of it, or for how you feel and what you get in return?" (pg 39)


I can't sit here and quote the whole book for you.  Go get it.
Here's some linkage to check out.


Book Blog
Personal Blog
Jason speaking at the LIVE SENT 2009 Conversation
Live Sent YouTube channel