I'm a wife, a mom, a friend, a daughter, a sister and a follower of Jesus who is learning how to love God and people better. Scroll down to take a look at some of my adventures!

3.27.2008

Peppermint-filled pinatas: breaking through tolerance and embracing love

Friendship. Tolerance. Diversity. Love.

This book was a huge resource for my RealLife talk a few weeks ago on the subject of Radical Love: Acceptance.

Part One of the book is Bill Hybels' Just Walk Across the Room with cooler LA lingo. Don't get me wrong. I loved Bill Hybels' book and I do enjoy the cooler LA lingo. It was a good reminder of making intentional relationships with those in our neighborhoods. To go love people. To make some friends.

Part Two of the book is called "Love is the New Apologetic." Eric Bryant (the author) discussed how to love and accept those who are different from us..specifically focusing on overcoming stereotypes, loving those with different religions, loving the poor or "untouchable, loving those who have different views of gender and sexual relationships, and also loving across political liines. All of which christians are known to have trouble with.

Our call as believers is to love others well, and Jesus says that people will KNOW that we are Christ-followers by the way that we love. And right now, that's not exactly what we are known for, as a collective group. "Rather than hearing a call for true freedom, people feel unloved by Christians and therefore unloved by God because of our behavior" (page 21). Bryant's hope and prayer is that we would become a loving community-- displaying God's love for the world. And I think this book is a great motivation in moving Christ followers in that direction.

Oh, and of course, why the title, Peppermint-filled pinatas? Well, when you were little, and were at a party with a big pinata, you would expect the pinata that burst to litter the ground with candy bars and starburst and suckers. But what if, after you see the pinata split open, you find the ground covered with peppermints instead? Wouldn't you be disappointed? Exactly.

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