Messy Spirituality: God's Annoying Love for Imperfect People [Hardcover]

Mike Yaconelli (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2002

'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 Spiritualtiy 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, unfinishedness, 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.

Editorial Reviews

From 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.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

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.) -- Publisher's Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan/Youth Specialties (March 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310235332
• ISBN-13: 978-0310235330
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (85 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #237,100 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael Yaconelli has been in the ministry for forty-two years, both as a pastor and a minister to students. He is the lay pastor of Grace Community Church, owner and cofounder of Youth Specialties, former editor of "The Door", and the author of Dangerous Wonder. He lives in Yreka, California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bless this mess, March 9, 2002

By 

Tom Hinkle (Tulsa, OK USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Messy Spirituality: God's Annoying Love for Imperfect People (Hardcover)

If you're a perfect, upstanding, respectable, fully mature Christian, you may not identify with very much in this book. If you're like the other 99.9% of us, this book is a capital-G Godsend. It may be a revelation to some that a person can sincerely love Jesus and be a seeker of God yet continue to display weaknesses, areas of non-discipline, and, let's just say it, sins that would seem incongruous with "true" Christianity. There are many out there that feel like second-class Christians because they feel they don't pray enough, or may occasionally use salty language, or smoke cigarettes, or...fill in the blanks. This is a book not only for those people, but for those who are tempted to sit in judgment over those people.

Mike Yaconelli is former editor of "The Door", probably the only Christian humor magazine around, and is presently a lay pastor of a small church. He sees below the surface mess of people's lives and invites the reader out of a world of self-condemnation and into a land of freedom. Some may be concerned that this book gives people a license to sin. Well, most people sin quite well without a license! When we are honest before God and give up pretending that our lives are neat and tidy, that's when God can take the messes of our lives and redeem them into something beautiful. This is a little book, but it packs a big punch. Highly recommended.

45 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Book I've Longed for My Whole Life, February 19, 2002

By 

David E. Reynolds (Lansing, MI United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Messy Spirituality: God's Annoying Love for Imperfect People (Hardcover)

In one of the chapters of the book, Yaconelli says, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you odd."

I have always felt like I was odd, a poor fit for the church. I've had unconventional views of Jesus, discipleship and ways to approach life that have made some people uncomfortable and left me wondering whether I was a nut, apostate or both.

Central to my philosophy of discipleship is the idea that Jesus died not to make us clean or obedient, but to form us to be passionate about knowing him in the midst of our profound uncleanness and disobedience. To have made it to age 35 with 15 years as an intentional disciple without getting smoked by God because of my sin leads me to believe that God's interest is in something more than my mere behavior.

Yet, I have felt alone in this view. Mostly because it cuts against the vast grain that is so deeply entwined in church culture. You can't earn your salvation, but buddy, once you get it, you better work your bootocks off! But I have come to the point where I realize I can keep scrubbing but the dirt and mess is always there. And frankly, sometimes, I just get weary from the scrubbing.

Yaconelli has written a book that celebrates the messy Christian. He authenticates the lonely disciple who refuses to believe that following Christ is about being well-behaved, "balanced," clean, and uniformly consistent with the church's list of What-To-Do/What-Not-To-Do.

This book has caused me to weep with soulful tears because of its recognition of who I am: a man with a deep love for God and a deep love for himself and a deep love for sin. Yaconelli doesn't try to resolve the tension. He just lets you step into the wonder of loving a God who gladly accepts -- and maybe even CALLS us into -- messy, eliptical pursuits of him. To have someone recognize me in such a deep way is enough, but to have someone say that this type of Christianity is actually pleasing to God is liberating. I kid you not.

Run three ways to get this book: hard, fast & immediately.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Required Reading, May 8, 2002

By 

Harold McFarland (Florida) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Messy Spirituality: God's Annoying Love for Imperfect People (Hardcover)

Sometimes it is difficult to write an appropriate review for a book, such is the case here. It would be impossible in a brief review to convey the depth of understanding and clear vision of God and spirituality that this book conveys. If you are a Christian and in your Mary Poppins world think yourself to be practically perfect in every way, then this is not the book for you. For everyone else, including those who need to deal with perfect Christians, this is one of the best books that I have ever read on the subject of Christianity and spirituality. The focus of the text is to challenge one of the most insidious practices of the church, the expectation of perfection among its members, rituals and procedures. Through personal examples Michael Yaconelli illustrates the true grace of God and how it should show through in all the ways we interact with others. If you have been taught to berate yourself because you are less than a perfect Christian, this book is a breath of fresh air that truly frees you from those chains of what you "should" be. I have read many books on Christianity, theology, Bible Studies, etc. and many of them have been excellent, but if there were one book that I would recommend above all others this is the one that should be in every Christian's hands.