Clay in the Hands

I have had a little booklet sitting on my desk for a few months.  It is on a stack of books – my “To Read” stack.  I have had good intentions – it didn’t get chunked or shelved – its still in my stack of things I know I need to read.

This little booklet came in the mail and I thought, “Cool, a free book!”  But as I looked it over, I got the impression that it was just a teaser to get you to buy the real book.  So that turned me off and I put it on my stack.

Last weekend, I had a long conversation with a friend who is currently reading through the book and based on our discussion, I decided I needed to get the book and read it for myself.

Before I give you the title, let me warn you, it should be  rated MCA – Mature Christian Audience only.  Why you might ask?  Because it will mess you up if you are not willing to have the church you grew up with analyzed and dissected.

I believe that David Platt, in his book Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream, is on the right track.  I have not finished the book (just picked it up yesterday afternoon), but it doesn’t take long to figure out what David is trying to say.  He says that we have taken the American Dream and approach to life and applied it to the church.  Here is what he says in one section of the book,

We Christians are living out the American dream in the context of our communities of faith.  We have convinced ourselves that if we can position our resources and organize our strategies, then in church as in every other sphere of life, we can accomplish anything we set our minds to.

But what is strangely lacking in the picture of performances, personalities, programs, and professionals is desperation for the power of God.

When is the last time you saw the power of God evidenced in your church?  My fear is that, as ministers and leaders in our churches, we have done just as David describes here – we have bought into the idea that God has gifted us with the ability to “grow” the church and by building structures and strategies and programs, we are serving God.  While, there is truth to that idea, what we have so often left out is any room for God to show up.  It is the attitude that we can do it.

David also says that along the way we have “missed what is radical about our faith and replaced it with what is comfortable.”   He goes on to say that we are “settling for a Christianity that revolves around catering to ourselves when the central message of Christianity is actually about abandoning ourselves.”

How radical is your faith?  Are you completely dependent on God – or is your faith more safe, more sterile?

Jesus said “if you will follow me, you must deny yourself and take up your cross daily.”  Is that your faith?

I’m not convinced it describes mine – but I want it to.

Think about it today!