Jesus Loves You (this I know)

Several weeks back when I was mining for info off of those I follow on Twitter, I responded to Craig Gross from XXXChurch.com. He was offering pre-release copies of his new book, Jesus Loves You. He asked those who received it to write a review and to blog about the book. I was anxious to get the book and when it arrived I immediately started reading. Craig and his co-author, Jason Harper took turns writing chapters like Jesus Loves the Bitter and Betrayed, the Disconnected, the Broken, the Forgotten and more. My neon highlighter has made quite an appearance on the 196 pages which read very quickly.

The style that both authors used; personal experience and their connections to familiar Bible passages; connected me in a way that not many books have. To paraphrase a county song, "they had me from hello". I saw within the pages a frustration with parts of "the church" that have made it difficult for the disenfranchised to find their way into the body. I, like Craig, could feel myself getting angry at Christians who have done so much damage - all in the name of the gospel.

I felt convicted and challenged in much of my thinking. But ultimately I am encouraged and inspired to reach out to the forgotten, the isolated, and the discarded in our society and show them the Jesus behind the statements.

The book ends with some "What ifs". I am now more challenged to dream with Craig and Jason about being sure that the church I belong to does not divide but unites behind Christ!