Messy Spirituality : God's Annoying Love for Imperfect People

I Guess I'm Not a Very Good Christian . . . Do you feel like: I don't pray enough I don't read my Bible enough I don't share my faith enough I don't love God enough I'm not committed enough I'm not spiritual enough Then this book is for you. Messy Spirituality was written for the silent majority of us who have been convinced that we just don't do Christianity right. We spend most of our lives worried about what we don't do instead of what we have done, focused on our imperfections instead of God's fondness for the imperfect. Why? Because we've been bombarded with books, tapes, talks, seminars, and movies convincing us that real Christianity is all about perfection. Michael Yaconelli dares to suggest that imperfection, infiniteness, and messiness are, in fact, the earmarks of true Christianity; that real Christianity is messy, erratic, lopsided . . . and gloriously liberating. What if genuine faith begins with admitting we will never have our act completely together? Maybe messy disciples are exactly the kind of imperfect people Jesus came to earth for and whose company he actually enjoyed--and still enjoys. If you want to find Jesus today, look for him in the midst of burned-out believers, moral misfits, religious incompetents . . . men and women whose lives are, well, messy. Messy Spirituality is a strong antidote for the spiritual perfectionism in us all. Here are truths that can cut you loose from the tyranny of ought-to's and open your eyes to the deep spirituality of being loved, shortcomings and all, by the God who meets you and transforms you in the midst of a messy and unpredictable life. God s Annoying Love.doc......Page 72 img024.tif......Page 1 page 1.pdf......Page 0 MESSY SPIRITUALIT1.doc......Page 4 MESSY SPIRITUALIT11.doc......Page 13 MESSY SPIRITUALIT12.doc......Page 14 MESSY SPIRITUALIT13.doc......Page 15 MESSY SPIRITUALIT14.doc......Page 16 MESSY SPIRITUALIT15.doc......Page 17 MESSY SPIRITUALIT16.doc......Page 18 MESSY SPIRITUALIT18.doc......Page 20 MESSY SPIRITUALIT2.doc......Page 5 MESSY SPIRITUALIT20.doc......Page 22 MESSY SPIRITUALIT21.doc......Page 23 MESSY SPIRITUALIT22.doc......Page 24 MESSY SPIRITUALIT23.doc......Page 25 MESSY SPIRITUALIT24.doc......Page 26 MESSY SPIRITUALIT25.doc......Page 27 MESSY SPIRITUALIT26.doc......Page 28 MESSY SPIRITUALIT27.doc......Page 29 MESSY SPIRITUALIT28.doc......Page 30 MESSY SPIRITUALIT29.doc......Page 31 MESSY SPIRITUALIT3.doc......Page 6 MESSY SPIRITUALIT30.doc......Page 32 MESSY SPIRITUALIT31.doc......Page 33 MESSY SPIRITUALIT34.doc......Page 35 MESSY SPIRITUALIT35.doc......Page 36 MESSY SPIRITUALIT36.doc......Page 37 MESSY SPIRITUALIT38.doc......Page 38 MESSY SPIRITUALIT39.doc......Page 39 MESSY SPIRITUALIT4.doc......Page 7 MESSY SPIRITUALIT40.doc......Page 40 MESSY SPIRITUALIT41.doc......Page 41 MESSY SPIRITUALIT43.doc......Page 43 MESSY SPIRITUALIT44.doc......Page 44 MESSY SPIRITUALIT45.doc......Page 45 MESSY SPIRITUALIT46.doc......Page 46 MESSY SPIRITUALIT47.doc......Page 47 MESSY SPIRITUALIT48.doc......Page 48 MESSY SPIRITUALIT49.doc......Page 49 MESSY SPIRITUALIT5.doc......Page 8 MESSY SPIRITUALIT50.doc......Page 50 MESSY SPIRITUALIT52.doc......Page 52 MESSY SPIRITUALIT53.doc......Page 53 MESSY SPIRITUALIT54.doc......Page 54 MESSY SPIRITUALIT55.doc......Page 55 MESSY SPIRITUALIT56.doc......Page 56 MESSY SPIRITUALIT59.doc......Page 58 MESSY SPIRITUALIT6.doc......Page 9 MESSY SPIRITUALIT60.doc......Page 59 MESSY SPIRITUALIT63.doc......Page 60 MESSY SPIRITUALIT64.doc......Page 61 MESSY SPIRITUALIT65.doc......Page 62 MESSY SPIRITUALIT66.doc......Page 63 MESSY SPIRITUALIT67.doc......Page 64 MESSY SPIRITUALIT68.doc......Page 65 MESSY SPIRITUALIT69.doc......Page 66 MESSY SPIRITUALIT71.doc......Page 67 MESSY SPIRITUALIT72.doc......Page 68 MESSY SPIRITUALIT73.doc......Page 69 MESSY SPIRITUALIT74.doc......Page 70 MESSY SPIRITUALIT78.doc......Page 73 MESSY SPIRITUALIT79.doc......Page 74 MESSY SPIRITUALIT80.doc......Page 75 MESSY SPIRITUALIT81.doc......Page 76 MESSY SPIRITUALIT82.doc......Page 77 MESSY SPIRITUALIT83.doc......Page 78 MESSY SPIRITUALIT84.doc......Page 79 MESSY SPIRITUALIT85.doc......Page 80 MESSY SPIRITUALIT86.doc......Page 81 MESSY SPIRITUALITY 17.doc......Page 19 MESSY SPIRITUALITY 19.doc......Page 21 MESSY SPIRITUALITY 33.doc......Page 34 MESSY SPIRITUALITY 7.doc......Page 10 MESSY SPIRITUALITY 77.doc......Page 71 MESSY SPIRITUALITY.doc......Page 3 MESSY SPIRITUALITY10.doc......Page 12 MESSY SPIRITUALITy8.doc......Page 11 NOTES 01.doc......Page 83 NOTES 02.doc......Page 84 Notes.doc......Page 82 Odd Discipleship 42.doc......Page 42 Unspiritual Growth.doc......Page 51 page 1.doc......Page 2

What!? You're not perfect? That's all right, God loves you anyway. He even loves the author of this book, and he's really a mess. There is a spirituality for people who often don't feel very spiritual and it will bring you closer to God. Find it in this book.

Publishers Weekly

Yaconelli has an annoying habit of speaking the truth. As an author, he changed the face of youth ministry over the past three decades with his honest approach to the challenges of today's youth. As former editor of The Wittenberg Door (now simply The Door), he and his staff humorously challenged what they saw as the church's many hypocrisies and inconsistencies. Here, Yaconelli explores the perfectionism that plagues so many in the church, an examination that is both challenging and deeply personal. He does an excellent job of naming some of the unspoken assumptions in today's church context, arguing, for example, that the church "has communicated that competence is one of the fruits of the Spirit." But even more effective are his vivid stories, where he gives blood and flesh to the idea of grace lost and found again in the church. The power of these stories makes the book reminiscent of Philip Yancey's What's So Amazing About Grace?, but Yaconelli's stories are more personal, many coming from his own congregation. His honest reflections on his own frustrations and deep feelings of inadequacy are unusual for a book about Christian spirituality. While he seeks to connect with and help Christians who feel secretly ashamed about their lack of discipleship, he may lose some readers who feel uncomfortable with such levels of honesty. Those who persevere will discover a wonderful treasure. (Mar.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Find freedom from legalism's should's and discover the deep spirituality of being loved by the God who meets and transforms you in the midst of a messy and unpredictable life. Do you ever feel like you don't pray enough, read your Bible enough, share your faith enough, love God enough . . . and ultimately that you're not a very good Christian? Welcome to the club. Messy Spirituality was written for the silent majority of us who are convinced we just don't do Christianity right. Mike Yaconelli dares to suggest that imperfection, unfinishedness, and messiness are, in fact, the earmarks of true Christianity; that real Christianity is messy, erratic, lopsided . . . and gloriously liberating. In these pages, he challenges you to let go of the legalism that holds you back and embrace the grace freedom that God offers. He opens your eyes to the one-size-fits-all spirituality churches often want us to embrace and shares what it truly means to walk with God in a deep, intimate, life-changing way. Full of innovative ideas and concepts, Messy Spirituality is a classic that offers timeless wisdom for anyone ready to be free from the bonds of perfectionism. Spanish edition also available. A guide for those worried about not being good enough Christians suggests that imperfection, infiniteness, and messiness are, in fact, the earmarks of true Christianity, and lead to liberation