Have you ever been hit from all sides by something? Well, I have been this past week. I’ve been praying for God to make some things clear to me & He’s hit me with something 3 times now – I can’t NOT act on it!

So….what is this insight? It’s a book called ‘Irresistable Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical’ by Shane Claiborne. First, I found this book in a thrift store & bought it for my husband, who read it on his fishing trip this weekend. Secondly, I saw a friend at church with this book & he thought it was great too. Since Dwight got back last night, we have been discussing the ideas in this book. It’s been on my mind all morning. THEN, thirdly, I open my mailbox in my e-mail & there’s a Wineskins article that includes some info. about this book!!!! Do you think God’s telling me to read it?????

Anyway…..this book is gonna be awesome because the guy who writes it is kinda like a Christian hippie – he lives in a commune of sorts & is socially active in his community. He fights for the poor & helps the needy. VERY Christlike, early disciple-like life.

I realize how much God has been calling me to live an upside-down life. I don’t think He wants me to look like every other person. I don’t think I (or any other Christians) should be attaining so many things, living the “American Dream”, as opposed to a life of giving & being so very different from this world.

Why do we ALL own a lawnmower? Why do we ALL have so much stuff? It’s because “stuff” makes us feel safe & good. We like our possessions – we don’t want to give them away or share them. We don’t want to take turns with the lawnmower – we want to cut the grass NOW. We want instant gratification. Same goes for all kinds of stuff. I’ve always had a hippie mentality – I hate war (I love love) You know – that sort of thing, but now I can really see Jesus & His Apostles as hippies too. They didn’t own homes. They wandered from place to place, being put up by hospitable people. They didn’t own stuff. Jesus gave up His trade (carpentry) and the Apostles gave up their jobs (fishermen & tax collectors) to help others & spread the Good News.

Yes, something’s happening & to tell you the truth – it’s VERY SCARY!!! But God didn’t call us to a life of comfort & the more I read my Bible, the more I want to live my life differently. I don’t want to live for myself, but live for God & for others. It’s very scary to have all these feelings & not be sure that you can commit to it, but will the cost be if I don’t?