I'd heard great things about Mark Scandrette's book, Soul Graffiti, and I've been wanting to read it ever since we shared some tasty Thai food together last year. But I'd been feeling pretty OD-ed on books about new forms of church, so it took awhile to get to it. But I'm glad I finally got around to reading it because it's not so much about what the church should be as it is about the kind of people we can be as we intentionally put ourselves in the pathway of needs. Mark is one of those gifted people who naturally connects with people who don't share his beliefs and has a beautiful way of making the divine both understandable and compelling. I don't do that so naturally, but I'd like to, and a book like this sure helps. Here are just a handful of thoughts I highlighted from his book that might encourage you to go grab a copy of the book for yourself and give it a good read:
3: "No matter our aesthetics, there is something in the motivation of the graffiti artist that we can identify with, a guttural yelp to be heard and understood, to talk back to the universe or to God when we feel helpless, abandoned, or overwhelmed. It may be that impulse we feel to find our place of significance in the wider world, or to initiate conversation with our Make."
80: Some would say that atheists have the most courage--because of the terrorizing implication that life is without meaning or purpose"
128: "Dwelling is about connecting your words, symbols, and expressions with the ongoing conversation of meaning in your culture."
144: "We live in a fragmented world where we all yearn for wholeness."
161: "The message of Jesus is that shalom is now possible...there is a new way to be human."
172: "Who can we love a God we don't see? By loving the people we can see."
200: "Our culture allows us to claim belief without validating faith by actions."
214: "Jesus unapologetically invited people to abandon their pursuit of pleasure or wealth in order to seek the reign of love."
219: "Entering the kingdom of God is a lot like doing the Hokey Pokey on roller skates."
230: "The place to start is with your next step."
5 comments:
a book about God and graffiti? I'm in.
Caveat: this not a comment on this post... I've not read the book, so I've got nothing to say.
This is a comment, or question to be specific, on the blogger's profile on the right side of this page...
"a God-follower in the way of Jesus"
Is there another way that I'm not aware of here? That would seem to be the implication of your statement...
Truth Matters asks: Is there another way that I'm not aware of here? That would seem to be the implication of your statement...
Absolutely. The most obvious example would be Judaism. Judaism is monotheistic religion that has been seeking to follow God for thousands of years in a way other than the way of Jesus.
I see your point, Rob. Though by that definition, all monotheistic religions would be (attempted) God-followers.
The concern, of course, is whether they can actually or effectively be God-followers. After all, if they are under the law, they stand condemned - as do we all, outside of Christ.
Hence my question - which I shall attempt to make more clear. Are you saying that there is another effective way to follow God, outside of Christ? In other words, will a God-follower not "in the way of Jesus" ever actually reach the God that he thinks he's following?
I doubt any of us will ever fully comprehend the wonder of YWHW on this side of eternity, but trying to grasp God without embracing Jesus who the writer of Hebrews calls "the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being," does seem hopelessly flawed.
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