Messy Spirituality

The book Messy Spirituality by Michael Yaconelli calls Christians to come out of hiding and stop pretending that they’re flawless.  We should refuse to lie, or to allow others to believe that we are something that we are not.  If we’re suffering from depression, we should admit it, even if our “spiritual” friends believe that Christians shouldn’t have depression.

Unfortunately, many in the church have become self-appointed “Kingdom Monitors,” guarding the Kingdom of God, and keeping out the riffraff.  The church has falsely communicated that competence is one of the fruits of the Spirit.  The church is indeed a place for the incompetent, the unfinished, the unhealthy, the odd, the unfashionable, the unconventional, and the counter-cultural.

Yaconelli boldly proclaims that the Christian life is not a life of success.  Rather, it is a life of faithfulness, and difficulties.  God’s love is forever there to pick us up when we fall.  Yaconelli calls His love “annoying,” even when we don’t feel like accepting it. He even refers to God’s grace as “sticky”–a “conspiracy of grace” that is dependable, and somewhat contagious.

We should stop seeking perfection and start seeking God.  He is omnipresent in “the tangledness” of our lives.  If you want a quick read for encouragement, try Messy Spirituality, God’s Annoying Love for Imperfect People.

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