Image by tricky ™ via FlickrSo much of our lives is caught up in the development and maintenance of security and control. I know min
e is all about feeling safe. That is best compliment I ever give my Dear Hubby. That with him I know I am always safe. But as Helen Keller observed, "Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." And when our only experience of Christianity is safe and controlled, we miss the simple fact that faith involves risk. Sometimes we have to have the faith to know when we jump out there to do our good deeds that we will not fail. I know that in those moments I have made the leap. Most people do not know of my 'revolving door' on my home. As long as I have a place for one to lay their head, I have had someone living with us as they get back up on their feet. These are people that most would never consider. I loved meeting and becoming friends with a hara krishna couple that was traveling through the area. They were looking for a farm and where low on their funds. We were able to give them a bed, meals, ability to clean up and they gave me laughter and a joy of dancing with me. We still keep in touch by email. I have had homeless and those who are out on the streets suddenly without a clue as to where to find help. Families with children, beautiful ladies and yes even currently our Gentleman who is fighting cancer. I know that in all of these relationships I had to take a Leap of Faith or more so the Faith to leap!
In The Faith of Leap, Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch challenge you to leave the idol of security behind and courageously live the adventure that is inherent in our God and in our calling. Their corrective to the dull, adventureless, risk-free phenomenon that describes so much of contemporary Christianity explores the nature of adventure, risk, and courage and the implications for church, discipleship, spirituality, and leadership. What would be the leap for you? Where are your security nets at? How can you challenge yourself to set out to do for others? Would you like a lil help? I have a copy of The Faith of Leap to giveaway. Yeah, you should have known. Just enter with the rafflecopter below.
Written by Alan Hirsch and Michael Frost. Alan is founding director of Forge Mission Training Network and cofounder of Shapevine.com, an international forum for engaging with world-transforming ideas. Currently he leads an innovative learning program called Future Travelers which helps megachurches become missional movements. He is the author of numerous books, including The Forgotten Ways, and coauthor of Untamed and Right Here, Right Now. Hirsch lives in the Los Angeles area. Michael Frost is vice principal of Morling College; founding director of the Tinsley Institute at Morling college in Sydney, Australia; and a Baptist minister. He is the author of Jesus the Fool, Seeing God in the Ordinary, and Exiles, and the coauthor of The Shaping of Things to Come. He lives in Australia.
I am not sure what my leap would be but I do know that failure is something that scares the crap outta me. I like security and to be stable where I am. It's funny that you say that you are safe with your hubby because I tell mine all the time that "There is no place that is safer than in your arms."
ReplyDeleteYou are an amazing woman and you do things that I know that I would never be able to do. You courage and act of kindness is a rare thing and you should be so proud of who you are! Give yourself a huge pat on the back dear friend because you deserve it!