Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Oh, My Aching Toes

Last week I joined a small group ladies' Bible study that is reading the book Radical by David Platt. I'd heard a lot about the book before I began reading it, namely that it was a, well, radical call to American Christians to turn from complacency and our secure lifestyles and begin earnestly seeking the lost.

I have to admit that I am reading this book with a bit of trepidation. This book is forcing me to take a good hard look at how I'm spending my time, money and energy--and the answer is not always pretty.

For the small group study, we're going to alternate between reading and discussing the book one week and doing some sort of service project the next week in order to put what we're reading and discussing into action. We're trying to find ways to challenge ourselves to get out of our comfort zones and our secure little Christian "bubbles" and to truly seek the lost. This is definitely going to be a challenging study. I'm already four chapters into the book (it's hard to put down) and I find myself being confronted with bold statements like this excerpt:

How many of us are embracing the comforts of suburban America while we turn a deaf ear to inner cities in need of the gospel? How many of us are so settled in the United States that we have never once given serious thought to the possibility that God may call us to live in another country? How often are we willing to give a check to someone else as long as we don't have to go to the tough places of the world ourselves? How many of us parents are praying that God will raise up our children to leave our homes and go overseas, even if that means they may never come back? And how many of us are devoting our lives to taking the gospel to people in hostile regions around the world where Christians are not welcomed? Certainly few of us would be so bold as to say we "would just as soon God annihilate all those people and send them to hell," but if we do not take the gospel to them, isn't that where they will go? (pg. 64)

Ow, ow, owie, ow, OW. That's the sound of my toes being stepped all over.

I'm excited (and nervous) to see what direction this study will take and where God will lead us. It seems that so many of us are tired of just going through the motions at church and living for ourselves instead of living to serve God and others. Who knows what changes God may call us to make. Read Radical at your own risk--you might want to wear some steel-toed shoes just in case.

1 comment:

Donna G said...

uh yeah...that one kinda hurts!