I am so excited to be reviewing and blogging about Jen Hatmaker's Interrupted. I never expected to be chosen but I'm thrilled that I was. After reading part of the book and being completely blow away (more on that in a bit), I've decided to review the book in parts. There is just too much good stuff for one post.
So, here we go….
First, let me say the book is an easy read and Hatmaker's style is humorous and raw. She fills the pages with whit and sarcasm, which is a draw for me. I literally caught myself smiling while reading. But don't let all that fool you, she is deep and has much to say on our modern church lives.
"If you're navigating the tension between your Bible and your life, or Jesus' ancient ideas and the modern wayward church, or God's kingdom on earth and reality, then welcome."
- Jen Hatmaker, Interrupted
She breaks this book into five phases (which is how many posts I will write). The first, Breaking Down, held a huge aha moment for me.
Hatmaker is recounting an experience she had while reading John 21. This is the passage where Peter tells Jesus he loves him three times after Jesus' resurrection. She talks about how "insulted" she felt when she sensed the Spirit asking her if she loved Jesus. Her response to Jesus' command to feed His sheep was, "I do feed Your lambs! I feed them spiritually! I herd them into Bible studies and unleash a campaign of harassment when they wander. I counsel and pray and cry and struggle with them…I don't know if you've noticed, but Jesus, I write the Christian books You tell me to write! I travel and feed your sheep all over the nation!"
And then God spoke to Hatmaker, saying "You do feed souls, but twenty-four thousand of my sheep will die today because no one fed their bellies; eighteen thousand of them are my youngest lambs, starving today in a world with plenty of food to go around. If you truly love Me, you will feed My sheep. My people are crumbling and dying and starving, and you're blessing the blessed people and serving the saved."
I don't know about you, but this hit me in the gut. In fact, I highlighted this entire section of her book (guess you'll just have to read it to find what comes next).
I can relate to so much of Hatmaker's story…growing up in church, saved at young age, married to a pastor, etc. And her words describe my feelings perfectly, "I am still stunned by my capacity to spin Scripture, see what I wanted, ignore what I didn't, and use the Word to defend my life rather than define it."
This book has rattled the walls of my theology a bit. I mean, I'm the one talking about inductive study and reading the Bible literally, yet I still saw "feed my sheep" as some spiritual thing rather than literal. While, I still believe that feeding sheep is spiritual (Bible study, etc) I totally missed the idea of feeding the hungry. And when I say missed, I mean totally over my head, never thought about it, missed it!
Which leads me to ask myself a few questions like "what else have I missed" and "what is my role in feeding the sheep". It has also caused me to reexamine other commands in Scripture like those that call us to love our neighbor (maybe that applies to my literal neighbors that I haven't yet spoken to) or to care for the orphan (how do I practically care for orphans).
In our fast-paced Christian bubbles filled with church activities, it's hard to relate to our brothers and sisters being persecuted for their faith or the starving homeless person in the inner city. And while social media is filled with information about social justice, how many of us are actually doing something to help?
Maybe you're like me and you feel overwhelmed by all the good things you should be doing and become paralyzed. Sometimes I just don't know what I should be doing in light of everything Scripture tells us and the daily grind of my life. I mean, I still have to feed the hungry kids in my own house. So, while I don't have answers just yet, I'm "navigating the tension" as Hatmaker would say. I'm praying specifically that God would show me the ways I should be involved. Would you join me?
Want to join me in reading this fabulous book? Comment below for a chance to win a copy! I'll select the winner next week.
