Ortberg

I have a friend who keeps me supplied with good Christian reading. She usually is more of a reader than I am, so the books sometimes get stacked up on me. I manage to eventually read them though because I respect her judgment of the value in the ones she likes. She has exhausted the book lists of Yancey, Lucado, and some others. She has discovered John Ortberg and is now reading everything she can get her hands on by him. Therefore, I will be too. Thanks Sue for keeping me reading these inspirational works.

The two books I have now started on simultaneously are "Everybody's Normal Till You Get to Know Them" (you have to love this title) and "The Life You've Always Wanted". Today's comments address the first.

Ortberg compares all of us to the "as is" merchandise at a sale. We all have imperfections that may not show up right away. His statement about us loving being a part of a Christian (or any) community we dream of but not so fond of the reality of the Christian community we know is often correct. It reminds me of the girl who mourns the loss of a boyfrined who lied and cheated. She is not mourning that boy at all; she is mourning what she wished her boyfriend had been like. He also makes a point that those who think the Bible is full of righteous people haven't read it. Neither the Bible or churches are full of "normal" or righteous people. That means we are not "normal" either and should be cutting others as much slack as we hope they cut us. Our backgrounds of experience and knowledge make us all so unique and complicated, and then that is further complicated by the different ways we react to these experiences. We need to embrace and love each other as much for our quirky qualities as for our "normal" qualities.

The Jewish word, shalom, that we think of as meaning peace actually means so much more:
"the webbing together of God, humans, and all creation in justice, fulfillment, and delight" (p. 19)
Note, this is not about normal or perfect people; it is about relationships where fair treatment, a soul full of love, and a heart full of joy is the standard between imperfect people and with their perfect God.

Imagine a world where that is the norm. Shalom!