false <![CDATA[Messy Spirituality]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171135046m/88468.jpg 88468 2 "I Guess I&#8217;m Not a Very Good Christian . . ."<br/><br/>Do you feel like:<br/>I don&#8217;t pray enough<br/>I don&#8217;t read my Bible enough<br/>I don&#8217;t share my faith enough<br/>I don&#8217;t love God enough<br/>I&#8217;m not committed enough<br/>I&#8217;m not spiritual enough<br/><br/>Then this book is for you. Messy Spiritualtiy was written for the silent majority of us who have been convinced that we just don&#8217;t do Christianity right. We spend most of our lives worried about what we don&#8217;t do instead of what we have done, focused on our imperfections instead of God&#8217;s fondness for the imperfect. Why? Because we&#8217;ve been bombarded with books, tapes, talks, seminars, and movies convincing us that real Christianity is all about perfection.<br/><br/>Michael Yaconelli dares to suggest that imperfection, unfinishedness, and messiness are, in fact, the earmarks of true Christianity; that real Christianity is messy, erratic, lopsided . . . and gloriously liberating. <br/><br/>What if genuine faith begins with admitting we will never have our act completely together? Maybe messy disciples are exactly the kind of imperfect people Jesus came to earth for and whose company he actually enjoyed--and still enjoys. If you want to find Jesus today, look for him in the midst of burned-out believers, moral misfits, religious incompetents . . . men and women whose lives are, well, messy. <br/><br/>Messy Spirituality is a strong antidote for the spiritual perfectionism in us all. Here are truths that can cut you loose from the tyranny of ought-to&#8217;s and open your eyes to the deep spirituality of being loved, shortcomings and all, by the God who meets you and transforms you in the midst of a messy and unpredictable life. 85371 1 3 2002 Messy Spirituality total:315|5:144|4:98|3:56|2:15|1:2| 315 1312 437 74 2 0 false false Mon Jun 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 07 18:59:07 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 08 09:00:52 -0700 2009 The author started with a really good point: People who screw up or break the church's code of conduct can still be just as fiercely "spiritual" or God-centered as the Pastor.
*applause*
My problem is, he didn't get any deeper than that. The whole book reiterates ...more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Feb 05 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 03 22:50:13 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 05 18:09:55 -0800 2009 1
I’m not sure what is being said about Yaconelli these days (probably not much seeing as how he’s been dead a few years). I remember hearing a few things a couple years ago about the organization he co-fo...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Jan 11 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 04 17:42:08 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 12 10:13:20 -0800 2009
Mike Yaconelli died in 2003, and I think one of the most powerful parts of the book w...more...]]> 5 1 false false Tue Apr 07 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 02 01:32:41 -0700 2008 Tue Apr 07 16:48:03 -0700 2009 "It is the incongruence and the oddness of our disjointed spirituality that ought to characterize every church. For God so loved the world, that whosoever believes in him will, from that point on, be considered weird by the rest of the world, which...more...]]> 4 1 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Fri Jan 11 17:35:33 -0800 2008 Fri Jan 11 17:39:20 -0800 2008 Have a listen.
http://www.youthspecialties.com/yaconell...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 23 09:44:38 -0800 2008 Fri Mar 27 11:16:45 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Oct 26 06:51:23 -0700 2007 Fri Jul 25 18:42:14 -0700 2008
Mike Yaconelli has written a wonderful exploration into the practicalities of grace. It is an easy read, filled with vivid stories and written for the laity. There are so many books on spiritual formation including a plethora written in the last couple ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon Jul 30 14:09:34 -0700 2007 Mon Jul 30 14:20:23 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Jul 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 13 16:21:48 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 13 16:24:20 -0700 2009 1
My following of Jesus was forever changed in the most positive of ways by thi...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Jan 20 12:19:34 -0800 2008 Tue Jan 22 05:40:55 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Jul 05 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 30 14:03:04 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 07 11:34:59 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Apr 08 11:27:47 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 28 12:48:43 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Jan 15 17:46:50 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 16 14:43:21 -0800 2009 5 0 true false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Mar 24 07:57:19 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 24 07:58:59 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Thu Apr 02 12:16:21 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 02 12:16:21 -0700 2009
The rest of the book reiterated the same point over and over and over and over. This isn't a long book, but it was way too long anyway.]]> 5 0 false false Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 20 16:45:22 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 20 16:49:30 -0800 2008 4 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Mon Jan 19 12:03:22 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 19 12:05:26 -0800 2009 Every time I read this, I'm in a different place and it always helps me focus on keeping my priorities straight.]]> 5 0 false false Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Thu Jul 09 16:23:24 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 09 16:24:25 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Fri Feb 15 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Jan 31 12:15:46 -0800 2008 Sun Feb 17 07:45:34 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jun 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon May 25 08:02:31 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 15 07:57:40 -0700 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=88468