Friday, January 11, 2013

Secondhand Jesus

#10: Read 30 non-academic books.
Earlier this week, I finished Secondhand Jesus by Glenn Packiam. For those who don't recognize the name, Packiam is the worship pastor at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, CO. He's written several original songs, some of which we sang during the weekend services at Seacoast (the church Tom and I attended back in Charleston).

I have to say, if we're comparing books written by worship leaders, I liked this one better than the David Crowder book I read at the beginning of this challenge. Don't get me wrong; I thought Praise Habit was great. I just feel like I got more out of Secondhand Jesus, maybe because there was just more biblical context? In any case, I would still recommend both of them: Praise Habit if you want a lighter read, and Secondhand Jesus if you're looking for something with a little more meat.

Anyway, Secondhand Jesus was all about exposing four of the most popular rumors that we tend to believe about God. Packiam outlined these rumors using four separate instances involving the Ark of the Covenant, where the presence of God dwelt in Old Testament times. He also tied in some personal experiences from his time at New Life, particularly a nationally-publicized scandal involving the church's former senior pastor back in 2006 and a shooting that occurred during a worship service in 2007. His point in all of this was that in life, there will always be circumstances that arise and challenge your view of God; and in those circumstances, you cannot depend on your own accolades, nor can you depend on what someone else has told you about God. How you come out of those situations depends entirely on whether or not you know God for yourself. Great stuff.

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