My Life as a Novel

In March of 2006, I took a trip to Greenville. I was supposed to be attending a conference for my job, but the conference was canceled at the last minute. I found myself with quite a bit of time on my hands, so I called up some friends.

On a quiet afternoon spent in conversation with good friends, I was introduced to this book.

My friend Andrew was reading it. He thought it was worth his time to introduce me to it. I wasn't ready for it yet, so I'm sure I did that polite smile and nod thing ... and the subject changed.

I was at a bookstore last week and I found myself in the presence of the book. I remembered it. I've had conversations with Andrew about it since that "fated" day in March of 2006. I read the back. I read the foreward. I read the Author's Note. I bought the book. I finished the second chapter on my lunch break today. With tears running down my face.

I'm very scared of this book. It begs too many important questions. "What would the world look like if we truly believed, as the apostle Paul figured out, that we no longer live, but only Jesus lives in us (Galatians 2:20)?" "What if Jesus meant the stuff he said?"'

Seriously. What happens to me if I begin to take Jesus at his word? Did I mention I'm scared of this book?

My favorite passage thus far:

... I sat puzzled, grieving over the state of our church. "I think I've lost hope in the church," I confessed, brokenhearted, to a friend. I will never forget her response. "No, you haven't lost hope in the church. You may have lost hope in Christianity or Christendom or all the institutions, but you have not lost hope in the church. This is the church." At that moment, we decided to stop complaining about the church we saw, and we set our hearts on becoming the church we dreamed of.

Preach!