Red Letters - Living A Faith That Bleeds

There are moments.

Moments when though everything around you seems dark and gloomy. When though the rain is coming down in sheets, making a summer day seem like December. When the weight of decisions you must make is pressing heavy on your heart.

God speaks.

I wonder if you know what I mean, or if things like that seem like fairy tales, legends, or at least things that happen to other people - not you.

As a follower of Jesus, I'll admit I'm prone to want to be moved. There's something about getting near to Jesus, whether through His words, the lyrics of a song, or even a glimpse of creation's beauty - that causes my heart to prepare for His whisper.

This book did that for me.

Red Letters - Living A Faith That Bleeds Read it at your heart's peril.

Bob Pierce went to China. He saw something that changed his heart forever. He gained an appreciation of just how Jesus wanted him to spend the rest of his life. And he did what would be a curious thing to people who have never been followers of Jesus. He wrote a note to himself in his Bible, so that everyday when he picked it up, he'd be reminded of that moment, when God whispered His name.

"Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God."

Tom Davis went to Africa - to Russia and saw children dying of HIV/AIDS, saw boys and girls in orphanages with horrible treatment now and no hope in the future. Like Pierce, like Teresa of Calcutta, God gripped his heart so tightly in those hard places, he had to sow his life in God's work among the least of His children.

Tom Davis has written a note - but not just to himself, but to millions of His fellow Christ-followers. The note begins in awe, moves into conviction, through persuasion and ends with a plea. Come. Follow.

The history of what we've been as the Body of Christ runs the gamut from healing salve on the world's wounds to salt in them. And yet most often, we sit on the sidelines, refusing to engage, unwilling to let our hearts... go there.

That's exactly where this book takes you.

But it doesn't leave you there.

The next steps (5 for 50)are laid out for anyone who wants to follow. Not just as Davis has done personally, but in the way that God might lead you.

We can do this. We should do this. Read the book. Embrace the call.