Wednesday, May 13, 2009

IF YOU THINK "THE SHACK" WAS GOOD....

I just finished reading the most incredible book ever! It is my new all-time favorite topping Nouwen's writings, Yancey's, Barclay's, and The Shack. Same Kind of Different As Me by Hall and Moore is riveting.

If you want to read a true story of God working in the lives of two extremes, run to get this book. If you want to be motivated that God is deeply involved in our work more than we can imagine.....run to the store. Hall was a rich man and Moore homeless. God spoke to both through both. I've never encountered anything so easy to read; yet maintain its rivetability.

Wow!

Things I gained from the book:
  • Why homeless don't want to talk and don't trust the kind gestures of the homed.
  • The vision of forgiveness.
  • Prayer is a major player.
  • The invisible world is actually active and God is in it.
  • People--on both sides--can and need to change.
  • God absolutely communicates with His people today.

I would laugh aloud as Hall and Moore surprised me with simplest reports of their encounters with one another and with God. And, I cried so hard for an hour this morning as I wrapped up the book.

When would I recommend you get this book? I would get it now. Run!

9 comments:

Bill said...

Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to buy this book? Well, if it is better than "The Shack" then I am almost persuaded.

Thanks for sharing this. I do believe I will purchase it.

Anonymous said...

Terry - I was reading and thinking "Oh, Terry, don't spoil it for me.... I'm only a little over halfway through!" But I guess there is no "spoiling" it since I knew about its contents when I went into it. It really does start some understandings of how different people are but how God can bring them together. How interesting and motivating for us when we learn of real circumstances.
Patty C

Ann said...

I read this book last year and it is a great story of why we need to minister to the homeless. Thank you for recommending it to others.

drjimwhite said...

Oh, Terry. I read that book sveral months ago. I was in an airport waiting for my next flight when I finished. I wept like a baby. My wife told me I needed to quit reading these books in airports because I find myself crying all the time. She read it and all I could hear while she read was "sniff, sniff, sniff." She loved it, too. We highly recommend this wonderful book. It was required reading for all ACU freshmen this year and the men were on campus.

Eric said...

T,
The book's been sitting on my desk for a while, relegated to the waiting list behind current D.Min. texts, but I hear wonderful things about it.
I'm wondering in light of your thoughts on the book if it shatters some of the typical divisions and triumphalism that we see in our culture? In contemporary Christian circles we often tend to divide things as us/them and see ourselves as the ones with the "goods" that we get to "give" to others in the form of ministry, emptying others of the gift of ministering to us and of ourselves of being able to receive. The ancient Christian tradition of hospitality, though, highlights the idea that the roles of host and guest are strangely interchangable and the host is just as likely to receive hospitality from the guest as to give it. How do Hall and Moore help us understand the need to have both open hands to give and open hearts to receive? Just curious.
I appreciate you!

Terry Rush said...

Eric,

Your question is one of my favorite things about the book. It ties the broad (even extreme) differences of our culture into one unity knot by appropriately displaying each lack is found to be answered by the coordination of another's gift.

It precisely responds to your inquiry. The we/them is transformed into the more powerful--as well as productive--as well as the more Christ-like--us.

Oddly, tears and laughter arise from the reading to illustrate the SAME KIND OF DIFFERENT AS ME.

Tim said...

yeah, I agree... I read a couple books a week, and this is at the TOP of my favorites list... absolutely life-changing!

I know the D Min texts are important to your graduation, etc, Eric, but I strongly suggest you take a one hour break per day and spend it on this book.... in a week, you will have finished the most powerful testimony book you have ever opened!

Blessings!

thanks, Terry, for bringing it to the attention of so many...

TREY MORGAN said...

Both were excellent books. We need more books like them. :)

Brenda said...

I can't wait to get my copy!