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“The task of following Jesus is to face reality as it is; we will fail to do this if we assume that love can come without discipline and suffering. We will fail to do this if we are under the illusion that human flourishing can occur without suffering. It is the worst kind of immorality, the worst kind of unkindness, to rob others of their right to suffer in order to relieve our nagging fear that perhaps we also should be prepared to suffer. Love is not the saving of others from suffering, but the willingness to continue to love them in their suffering, and patiently hold the pain and guilt that such love cannot help but bring. If we are willing to do that, we might begin to understand why it is that Christ didn’t come bringing a message of love but brought himself to die and be raised, that the world and we might live free from the fear of reality.”

— Jesus Changes Everything: A New World Made Possible (Plough Spiritual Guides) by Stanley Hauerwas

I buy a lot of books…too many books, Christian books in particular.

I’m always afraid of missing out on something useful, always hoping to understand more about the faith.

I don’t get past the first couple chapters of most of them.

My tastes and needs have changed…I couldn’t be drawn into another Calvinism/Arminianism debate at gunpoint, discussions of Paul and Second Temple Judaism cure insomnia and I tossed all my “end times” books a long time ago.

We probably have enough books about Christian nationalism to last us…forever.

Jesus is really the only religious topic that interests me…talk to me about Him and His kingdom and you have a rapt audience.

I stumbled upon a review of Hauerwas book by Tish Warren and the book sounded not only interesting, but important.

It’s both.

Every few years I get a book in my hands I can’t put down…and this is one of those books.

It’s about following Jesus…the essays are short…kind of like how a left jab is short, but will put you on the floor.

Hauerwas is direct and unsentimental…dead serious about his topic and making sure you are too.

Pair this with Bonhoeffer’s “Discipleship”...and you will be equipped to be a real disciple of Jesus for this rest of this life and the one to come.

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