One

   BOOK REVIEW:   Our world needs fewer walls and more bridges. Be a bridge builder.   Jesus didn't say the world would know we are His followers by our rhetoric, our political learnings, our charity work, or even by our knowledge of the Scriptures. He said the world would know us by our love for one another. Yet it's so easy to put others at arm's length, to lash out, to put up walls.
   In One, Deidra Riggs calls us to put our focus on self-preservation aside and, like Jesus, make the first move toward reconciliation. She helps us understand that we are secure in God's inexhaustible love, making us free to love others lavishly--not just in what we do but in what we say, what we don't say, what we will endure, and what we will forgive.

    MY REVIEW:   This was, for me, one of those books that you can read for hours and still be in the first half. (I still can't decide if books like that excite or bother me. I like getting through books, but I also enjoy having more to read. I suppose I should choose one or the other and be done with it, eh?)
   Following in my previous vein of letting the book speak for itself, I shall put forth a few of the things that stood out to me. And they are:

• "There is no division between secular work and holy work for the children of God. Everything we do is sacred--because it all matters to God. The Israelites knew this and, as such, they approachd the instruction of life in the faith as more than the passing on of information from one generation to the next. Their relationship with God was their identity. The same is true for us today."  This made me stop and think. Just as we ought to understand that God sees everything we do, we need to understand that everything we do is to God's glory, not ours. 
• "Before and above everything else, we are loved by God. All of us. Even those who don't claim to be, as well as those who don't believe they are. We are all loved by God, created in His image."  You've probably heard "Just because you don't believe in God doesn't mean He's not real." This is the same. "Just because you don't want to be or think you are loved by God doesn't mean you're not---because you are. God loves everyone, even the worst of sinners. Yes, He doesn't like their deeds, but He does love them.
• "God enters our wilderness experiences. He walks through the valley of the shadow of death right along with us. God is our ever-present help in trouble."  I tend to use God as my way out of trouble, but He is there to help us in trouble. There is a verse that says trouble and trials come to strengthen us, to bring us to God. Why do we wish away struggles when they are in fact a means of drawing to God? Are we too concerned with our own selves?

   I enjoyed reading this book. Deidra also pointed out that her goal is for unity, not uniformity. That is, I believe, key to the whole thing. Each person is different and special, and there will be differences between us. We don't all need to be replicas of each other, but rather, united in love with each other, supporting and assisting and calling out to each other. We are definately here to serve, glorify, and witness for God, but we are also here to help our fellow believers do the same. 

           I received a copy of this book from BAKER BOOKS in exchange for my honest review.