Chapter 17 of Everything:What You Give and What You Gain to Become Like Jesus, by Mary DeMuth, is worth the price of the book. (I did receive my copy free as part of BookSneeze, Thomas Nelson’s blogging program, but, I’m telling you, this one is worth paying for.) The chapter, entitled “Become Irresistible,” is a call to resemble Jesus in such a way that others are drawn to him.
DeMuth talks of the need for “a tender view of people,” especially those who disagree with us. I appreciated her description of Alan Hirsch’s idea of bounded set (stay within these guidelines and you’re in) versus centered set (Jesus as the living water in the center toward which people are moving, or not). When we view people as in or out, we are not living irresistibly. When we are living as those who offer others love and the living water of Jesus in our attitudes and actions, we draw people to the Living Water. What kind of draw are you?
Everything is divided into three parts:
- Head—What we think
- Heart—Who we are
- Hands—How we live
It’s not filled with a simple formula for living like Jesus but with raw and real wrestlings on what it means to follow Christ in an imperfect and sometimes painful world. DeMuth shares much of her own painful past. (I found the repeated references to her childhood and her adult family’s difficult time as church planters in France a bit tedious.) But I did appreciate her willingness to share her own sinful attitudes, not just things that had happened “to” her.
The main concept of Everything is that it all matters. How we think, believe and behave. What we become. We can’t hold back anything and expect to follow God. When we give him everything, he gives us his everything in return.
Reflection and discussion questions help you apply each chapter to your own life and would be great for group use of the book as well.
If you’re looking for a way to ramp up your life with Christ this year, it might be the time to examine at Everything.
I really, really liked this book. She seems like such a sweet person and that comes through in the book. It wasn’t preachy at all. I felt like a friend was walking through this with me and helping me slough it out, not just telling me what to do.
Thanks for sharing your feedback on the book as well, Lisa. It gives people another perspective in an area I didn’t really cover.