The Secret Message of Jesus, by Brian McLaren

I'm not finished with this yet, but will be by Wednesday morning. We're going to Turkey for Fall Break, and I want to bring a new book along, so I have to finish this one before we go. Always good to have goals. I won't give a complete review, but I will say this:

A plus: I have been thinking more frequently about God's Kingdom because of this book.

A minus: I think it says the words (in any order) "secret" and "message" at least once on each page.

Some quotes: "What if the real difference is made in the world not by us preachers but by those who quietly live out the secret message of the kingdom of God in their daily, workday lives in the laboratory, classroom, office, cockpit, parliament, kitchen, market, factory, and neighborhood?" (page 82, top)

and

"As we've seen, when Jesus spoke of the kingdom of God, his language was charged with urgent political, religious, and cultural electricity. But today, if we speak of the kingdom of God, the original electricity is largely gone, and in its place we too often find a kind of tired familiarity that inspires not hope and excitement but rather anxiety or boredom." (page 138, second paragraph)

For the break I will either bring The Hiding Place by my favorite Corrie Ten Boom, or The Divine Conspiracy by my favorite Dallas Willard. Both of whom cause me to highlight and write notes and think like crazy.