Book 38: The Jesus I Never Knew

This book took me 2 whole months to finish.
PHEW!



Title: The Jesus I Never Knew

Who wrote it: Philip Yancey

Whom I borrowed it from: Karen : )

What is it about:
Jesus plays the key role in Christianity,
but how many people really know
what He's all about?
In this book, Yancey attempts to unveil
the common stereotypes & misconceptions
about Jesus, while conveying God's truth
& hope in a refreshing manner,
backed with in-depth researches,
powerful quotes & practical illustrations.

What went through my mind:
- This book is not as easy to read as
Yancey's other book,
What's so Amazing about Grace?
Not that it's bad in any ways, but simply
more theological/historical, and fewer
real-life stories/examples.

- This is one of those books that you'd
need to read more than twice...
in order to absorb the super duper rich content,
and allow the information to translate
into knowledge in one's mind.
I tried to read only one chapter at a time,
and remind myself at least 1 thing
i've learned from the previous chapters,
before moving on to the next.

- One of the most memorable things
i realized, was how often we overlook
the simple fact that Jesus was born as a Jew,
and that a lot of the things He did
don't appear offensive/strange to us,
but were actually very revolutionary in His time.
His other identities such as the Son of Man /
Son of God / Lover that pursues after us...
all became more vivid to me through
Yancey's elaboration.

- This book also helped humble me
in knowing that there are so many literature
out there that I have not read / heard of,
yet is full of wisdom...
& that my God is HUGEEEEEEEEEEEE
yet i only know tiny bits about Him... : /
Who am i to boast... about anything???

Favorite Quotes (There are too many good ones...
so i'm only gonna quote from the final chapter):
- "Jesus' uncompromising blend of graciousness
toward sinners and hostility towards sin,
because in much of church history I see
virtually the opposite." (Pg. 259)
: (

- "Jesus... brought God near." (Pg. 266)

- "Do you ever just let God love you?
The story of Jesus is the story of... love.
It involves pain and diappointment.
But Jesus embodies the promise of a God
who will go to any length to win us back." (Pg. 275)
* This quote moved me so much,
that i shared it with my church ppl
when i led worship this past sunday : 0

What came out of this:
*Lesson learned:
Good Friday symbolizes the sacrifice that Jesus
has offered for us... and our past is gone;
Easter Sunday signifies our glorious future,
that we will be resurrected with Him one day...
Meanwhile, this is Saturday --
we might struggle here and there,
but we must look back to see what God has
accomplished on Friday, and hold on to the
Promise of Sunday... : )

* Goal: Reread the book!

Why Should you read it, too?
- You'll find out more about an amazing God...
who loves you and wants you to love Him!

** Warning: Be prepared to do some SERIOUS THINKING!

Book 9: Sex God

Title: Sex God --
Exploring the endless connections between sexuality and spirituality

Who wrote it: Rob Bell

Whom I borrowed it from: Queens Library (Jamaica)

What is it about:
How sexuality, spirituality, being human,
being a Christian, loving others, dating, marriage,
letting go of your past, relationships...
are all inter-connected.

What went through my mind:
Instead 0f calling this a book,
it's more like a collection of insights / wise sayings.
I liked how the book is not written like
a (boring) lecture / theological discussion,
but simply the thought process of a fellow Christ-follower,
contemplating how to connect the dots in life,
so things would fall into place in God's bigger picture --
Glad that i got to take a peek at his ideas : )

Favorite Quotes:
** SORRY for the long list.
This book is really all about fabulous quotes. **

- "Heaven is the realm where things are
as God intends them to be." (Pg. 21)
- "...how you treat the creation reflects
how you feel about the Creator." (Pg. 28)
[Following the example of how a father cherishes
his 5-yr-old son's "artwork".]
- "...from an early age we have this awareness
of the state of disconnection we were born into,
and we have a longing to reconnect." (Pg. 40)

- "Living like angels [deny physical needs]
can be as destructive as living like animals
[give into all desires]...
we were created to live in the tension." (Pg. 61)
- "...gratitude is so central to the life God
made us for... until we can center ourselves
on what we do have, on what God has given us,
on the life we do get to live, we'll constantly
be looking for another life." (Pg. 74)
- "Lust is slavery... It isn't just what lust does,
it's where it leads." (Pg. 75)

- "...lust... always lead to despair...
always lead to anger...
Lust promises what it can't deliver." (Pg. 78)
- "What are you channeling your energies into?
[Instead of telling someone 'Don't steal,'
Paul suggests a way of channeling the energy
into working hard and sharing with those in need.
Channeling > Avoidance] (Pg. 82)
- "Love is a giving away of power...
When we love... we expose ourselves...
to be vulnerable. Love is giving up control." (Pg.98)

- "Our first need is not for people to fix our problems.
People who charge in and have all the answers
and try to make things right without first joining us
in our pain generally annoy us, or worse yet,
they push us away. They have nothing to give us.
The God that Jesus points us to is not a god
who stands at a distance, wringing his hands and saying,
"If only you'd listened to me." (Pg. 106)
- "The husband's waiting for the wife to submit
is actually a failure to lead... What if she knew
without a doubt that his love for her was so great
that he would give his life for her...?" (Pg. 117)
- "Love is often seen as a need,
something we get from others.
Agape gives." (Pg. 119)

- "There is a love because,
love in order to,
love for the purpose of,
and then there is love, period." (Pg. 120)
- "For God so agaped the world...
Do you realize that you are worth dying for?" (Pg. 122)
- "The point of marriage isn't marriage...
to add to the "oneness" of the world...
to give the world a glimpse of hope,
a display of what God is like..." (Pg. 153)
- "What would it be like to be with someone
who loves you exactly as you are?
Unconditional, absolute acceptance..." (Pg. 155)

What came out of this:
* Goal: Try reading other Rob Bell's books.
* Reminder: It's all about getting connected with others.

Why Should you read it, too?
Just to gain some fresh ideas about life & God & people.
& No, this book doesn't talk exclusively about SEX.
"This is really (not) about THAT."