radical update

so, last night my bible study group finished up the book 'radical.' thought i would give a little synopsis of my experience....

well. first off. when you are reading the book 'radical' about giving up the American dream in order to really, truly follow Christ, and in the middle of it all, you decide to buy a house that is cuter and more perfect for you as you transition into middle age, you have to admit you've put yourself into a conundrum. i don't think i have ever been more tormented, to be honest. NOT wanting to 'sell out' my faith, but really wanting to go with my gut and move NOW was a super big conflict for me. i had to wrestle with that for much of the book study.

the book is not super unexpected. it talks about the majority of the world who don't have starbucks and vacations to disneyworld as part of their daily existence. it makes you think 'what am i doing with what God has given me' in terms of our obvious wealth in this country.

and the answer for me was not that simple - what / when / where do things need to change? i admit the whole thing made me a little crabby....until yesterday. i woke up in the morning and read the last chapter, which in my estimation was better than all of the other chapters rolled together. here's what the author suggests i do:

1) pray for the entire world (this was/is the toughest one for me to imagine myself fully committing to)...not sure where i will start...

2) read the entire Word in a year (have tried this for the last 5 years or so, i'm not 100%, but i've read my daily Bible quite a bit, and i feel i am at least attempting this faithfully).

3) figure out where/how you can SACRIFICE your resources for the good of the kingdom....the author talked about 'capping' your lifestyle. good stuff to think of .... and sacrificial giving vs. just giving what is not really a sacrifice. hmmmm. will require some prayer and thought.

4) spend 2% of your time experiencing your faith out of your normal context. so, one week a year. maybe it's going on a mission trip. maybe serving regularly at your community soup house. finding ways for God to transform your culture trap into HIS culture trap. love this one....! i want more than anything to change in this way.

5) getting with a real, authentic community in Christ and doing something there. yep, i believe in this also. thankfully, mercy church is setting me on my path here....even though there is much more to do/be as part of a real church body. i've never really had that experience before, and am so grateful to have it.

whew. so, that's my take. i came away very pumped up! and realizing that a 'radical' faith is also a 'doable' faith....at least it seems so. pretty sure God tells us that also :)