Summary: Consumer Christianity is boring.
John Hambrick is one of the pastors at my church. I have heard some of this book in stories from sermons that either John preached or were taught or referenced by other pastors.
I picked up Move Toward the Mess when it first came out but never got around to reading it. A couple weeks ago I was scheduled to meet with John and figured I should find out about him a bit before I met with him.
The broad story here is that our Christianity has become boring and staid because we have misunderstood what Christianity is. Christianity is not for us as individuals, especially not to give us something safe.
Christianity is much more corporate than what we tend to understand. We are Christians as a body and not purely as individuals. As such, we cannot really be a Christian apart from a community.
Move Toward the Mess is exactly the message of the book. Christians, if we want to be about the work of the church, are supposed to be moving toward the messy and difficult parts of life. If we are focused on our safety as a priority then we will be missing out on the real work of the church and the real areas of growth for us as individuals.
This is a book of stories, both stories of John’s own life and stories from the people around him. If you are looking for encouragement to expand your horizons, this is a good book of encouragement.
Move Toward the Mess: The Ultimate Fix for a Boring Christian Life by John Hambrick Purchase Links: Paperback, Kindle Edition
