I have been reading this book by Rob Bell recently – Jesus Wants to Save Christians – and it has some interesting statistics about what he calls the “American Empire” which have caused me to again look at how I view the world through comfortable glasses.
“There is a church in our area that recently added an addition to their building which cost more than $20 million. Our local newspaper ran a front-page story not too long ago revealing that one in five people in our city lives in poverty. This is a book about those two numbers.”
I have not finished the book yet, but so far, I have really liked what I have read. I don’t necessarily agree with all of it, and I wish there were more stories (because I do so enjoy those stories he tells!) in it, but so far, it’s a simple little book that causes me to shift my thinking, look at things differently. I like that.
Bob and I were talking today about how we really don’t have a grid for how much the rest of the world lacks because we have so much here. He shared how much being in the slums of Sao Paulo, Brazil significantly impacted both he and Deanna. I dunno… there’s something about living simply and using our resources as Christians to help others. We live in a country with so much, and often what we throw away as useless is stuff that people in other countries would consider a luxury. It’s my desire to live differently.
When you’re finished, also check out a book called “Simple Spirituality”. I imagine that it’s along the same lines as Bell’s book. The entire book is stories. You’ll love it and it will change you.
Our church is doing a very modest building project- $350-$400k. That is about the same amount it would cost to purchase a home in this community. Our slogan is “Building to Serve.” We want to continually remind ourselves that even the building of the church is not just for ourselves, but for serving God and others.
Great book. It’s very encouraging without coming across condemning. The last few chapters are my favorite part of the book.