Radical - Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream

While at the beach this week, I started and finished Radical - Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt.  It was an easy-read - that is, it's written in an easy-to-read style.  However, the message of the book isn't easy to read.  It's one of those "makes me wiggle in my seat" books.  David Platt calls the American church to wake up and discover how we've allowed the ideas of the "American dream" to taint the Gospel.  It's a book that challenges Christ-followers to evaluate whether we're really following Jesus or if we're just playing church.

After turning the last page, I realized that I didn't really need to read this book.  (And it's not because I've "arrived" spiritually.)  I didn't need to read the book because my family and I have had a real-life model of this kind of radical faith in front of our eyes for years.  I won't go into nitty-gritty details, but my in-laws live this kind of faith.  They gave up the American dream and live a life of full-time service for others.  Their lifestyle is radical, and they've taken some slack for it.  But it's a faith where service instead of self is center.  Their radical choice has been an encouragement and a challenge that calls me to question whether I'm clinging too tightly to temporal things instead of Him.

So, if you haven't got a real-life model to follow when it comes to living a life of radical faith, read the book.  Be uncomfortable, convicted and challenged.  And most importantly, do something about it.