A Jump on Summer Reading
I've had an interest in the Lord's Prayer since Bible College days, when I did an independent study of it with one of my mentors, Dr. Martin Massinger.
His comments on the first word ("Our") are insightful - here are the excerpts that captured my attention.
Society speaks to our ability to organize ourselves as a group of people.
Community speaks to our connectedness to one another. Society refers
to structures and systems. Community refers to relationships." (26) ....
"In short, we have generally failed to build community and, instead,
settled for society. The upshot of this failure is social isolation." (27)
Grace can only flourish when it encounters offence; "...forgiveness requires
conflict; healing emerges from hurt; and strength arises from struggle.
Thus, the pathway to true spiritual formation demands long-term
engagement with others in community." (30)
When productivity becomes the driving force of our own lives, we begin
to view and evaluate other people in terms of their productivity.... As
long as results trump relationships, we embrace the cultural shift from
human beings to human machinery. And in the process, we deny the
most fundamental reality of our humanity; that we are made in the
image of God--the Lover, the Friend, the Relational One. (34)
See why it's going on the list? What are you reading that's "floating your boat" or enriching your life? What is going on your summer reading list?
I hope every book doesnt have to be of such a spiritual nature. I recently finished Freakonomics. Some good use of statistics and some half-baked theories but an interesting read anyway. Can I Keep My Jersey? by Paul Shirley is an entertaining look at bouncing around the various levels of non-NBA basketball (which I have done) and a comical reminder of what I put up with to keep doing something I enjoyed.
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