the way

I had written an entirely different post about a book I’m reading called the Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne but I think I’m just going to post this instead. Before you read further though seriously read this book.

Things that I’ve been enticed to think about.

- Loving to disarm
- The courage to make peace is greater than the courage to make war
- We are “the enemy” that Christians in other countries are called to love…and they are doing it.
- Charity is an easy, distanced remedy for our conscience. We are called to do more than give food, money and stuff. We are called to be with the poor and love them. How about asking someone’s name when they ask you for money or food.
- “You can be a moral person and still not have life”- Shane Claiborne
- Oppressors need freedom just as much as the oppressed and just as much as me.
- “to want to admire, instead of follow, Christ is not an invention of bad people; no it is more an invention of those who spinelessly want to keep themselves detached at a safe distance from Jesus.”- Soren Kierkegaard
- “there are plenty of liberals who talk about poverty and injustice but rarely encounter the poor, living detached lives of socially responsible but comroftable consumption. And there are plenty of Christians who talk about how much god cares for the poor but don’t know any poor folks.” –Shane Claiborne
- “The injustice of violence, death, murder and hatred must be met with the scandalous injustice of forgiveness.” (Miroslav Volf) We must forgive, we must be merciful, we must be gracious- or we choose death.

I have been and am being the antithesis of these statements, but I am learning a new way. Not a way to do all of these things right but a way of forgiveness and grace, for myself and for those I judge. I’ve written before about a movie called To End All Wars in which the main character questions “At what price mercy”. I think I know now. Mercy has no price, it is a free gift of eternal abundance.

If you remember/are interested pray that God’s Spirit would be with me and that I would have to courage and the imagination to be with the hurting.

learning.adam

the community where Shane Claiborne lives is called the Simple Way. the check out their website check out thesimpleway.org

Mark 2.17