Beautiful Outlaw by John Eldredge – My Book of the Year!
One exercise I did year at year end was to take an inventory of all the books that I had read for 2011. When I was young, I was not the reader that I am now. Being outside and active was my life, not in reading books. Over the past 12-18 months i have morphed into a very active reader.
My exercise was inspired by Gary Barkalow from "The Noble Heart". Gary's exercise was to look at the movies that you watch, look for themes and this will lead you closer to the passion or calling for your life. My exercise involved looking at collection of books that I read throughout the year. Yeah, very interesting indeed.
One book in particular really touched my heart…."Beautiful Outlaw" by John Eldredge. Now, I have been a big fan of John's writings for quite sometime and I am looking forward to attending one of his Boot Camps, but this book made me look at Jesus in a new light!
Growing up I new "church" Jesus, the serene pictures of Him with kids all around looking like a that big, loveable uncle that most of us seem to know. But what of his personality? What was He thinking when, at a wedding celebration late one evening, He turns water into a lot of wine? So many people feel that through duty and obligation you come to receive grace, so how does making the party even wilder fit with the "behaving" theory.
So, what was Jesus thinking when He feed the 5,000? After they were fed, Jesus went away alone and prayed. Wow, in our society when our favorite player scores a touchdown, the stadium erupts and the player celebrates like it's the first TD he ever scored. What humility for Jesus to work such a miracle and then leave before the adulation.
John's book really delves into the personality of Jesus. My relationship with Jesus deepened to a level that I have never experienced. Then, to add to the experience, John has a 1 1/2 hour "OutlawCAST" in which he expands on Jesus's personality even more.
If there is one book that you read this year, make John Eldredge's book:
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