I've been reading The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne with my small group recently. It is one of those books I really wish every one would read.
It talks a lot about materialism, the true meaning of life, and what it means to really love each other. It's probably the most challenging book that I have ever read- not at the comprehension level (it is an easy read) but in the way it challenges me in my faith. Although I do not necessarily agree with every single thing the author says, a lot of what he says brings clarity and grants perspective to what it means to be a Christian, and what it means to be an American as well. I want to share a passage from the book that really made me start asking questions about my own life. Hopefully it will bring a new perspective to you too.
Jesus Wrecked My Life
(Claiborne)
I know there are people out there who say "My life was such a mess. I was partying, drinking, sleeping around...and then I met Jesus and my whole life came together." God bless those people. But me, I had it together. And then I met Jesus and he wrecked my life. The more I read the gospel, the more it messed me up, turning everything I believed in, valued, and hoped for upside-down. I am still recovering from my conversion. I know it's hard to believe, but in high school I was prom king. I was in the in-crowd, popular, ready to make lots of money and buy lots of stuff, on the upward track to success. I had been planning to go to med school. Like a lot of folks, I wanted to find a job where I could do as little work as possible for as much money as possible....Then I could buy lots of stuff I didn't need. Mmm...the American dream. But as I pursued that dream of upward mobility preparing for college, things just didn't fit together. As I read scriptures about how the last will be first, I started wondering why I was working so hard to be first...
