Summer Reading

I'm in a couple of really good books right now.  (Yes, I usually have 2 or 3 going at once)  One is Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson.  He is also the author of In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day and Primal.  Wild Goose Chase is about reclaiming the adventure of pursuing God by listening, and responding, to the Holy Spirit as He is works, moves, and leads in our lives.  I like anything from Batterson, and I recommend any of his books.

Another book I'm currently reading is Truth and Transformation by Vishal Mangalwadi.  This was recommended to me by our friends at Disciple Nations Alliance.  This is a great book on biblical worldview, but from the perspective of someone who is a native of India.  He gives great insight on the gospel's power to heal Western society. Here's a portion from my recent reading:
     "Jesus and his new community were naturally and intentionally a threat to the kingdom of darkness.  Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem and precipitate a confrontation.  He forced Israel to choose between status quo and transformation.
     Generally speaking, the 'Sunday school Jesus' [of the Western church] confines himself only to the changing of people's hearts, but the Jesus of the Gospels aimed to change both human hearts and human society."

I'm intrigued by this thought because we haven't seen the church at large affecting much change in our society in the last 50 years or so.  I'm going to keep reading to find out what Mr. Mangalwadi says we can do about that, but I think we're moving that direction here at FCC.  As we seek to serve our community and bring real life change, we'll begin to see some of that change in our society.  Let's keep working to that end.