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Dangerous Surrender: A Book Review

I'm on a roll!! I finished two books on my list this week (although I'd
actually started this one a while back and was about 1/2 way thru). Remember, to check out more great book reviews with the Spring Reading Thing 2008, head over to Callapidder Days.

Dangerous Surrender, What Happens When You Say Yes To God
by Kay Warren

(an excerpt from the final chapter)
Are you willing to become disturbed? Are you willing to become ruined? Are you willing to make a dangerous surrender? Will you expose and oppose evil wherever you find it? Will you make the invisible God visible by being His hands and feet in this broken world--by doing good?...


My husband got this book in a conference book pack and gave it to me. I started it thinking it was going to be some kind of a autobiography (and she does talk about her life) or ministry memoirs (and she talks a little about the church she and her husband pastor), but it is really about a turning point in her life where God challenged her to become radically involved in making a difference in the AIDS/HIV pandemic in the world. This book really challenged me, too. I always like to think that I care about those effected by AIDS/HIV--and I do--and that I'm concerned about social injustices--and I am--but how often do I get comfortable with my life and my family and my church and conveniently *forget* about those disturbing things of the world. This book puts those issues right up in your face and causes you to totally be uncomfortable in a good way. Kay forces you to really take a look at the causes that I firmly believe the Church should be making a difference in. It's a tremendous read that I highly recommend! Kay's writing is easy to read and she has the book laid out well for it to be a Bible study with a friend or group of friends. Below I leave you with an old Puritan prayer from the 1600's that Kay shares in the book:

The Covenant Prayer
I am no longer my own, but yours.
Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will;
put me to doing, put me to suffering;
let me be employed for you or laid aside for you,
exalted for you or brought low for you;
let me be full, let me be empty;
let me have all things, let me have nothing;
I freely and heartily yield all things to your pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
you are mine, and I am yours.
So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.

Comments

I love that prayer. I may have to steal it as a post for my blog! Would you mind?

:) Reese
Kari said…
I am posting that prayer in my cubicle! This is a subject I have been thinking alot about lately. I feel that we, as Christians, should be at the forefront of humanitarian assistance and environmental protection. The Bible is so clear in its mandates to help each other and serve when we find needs, but we tend to forget this until we're the ones needing help. I'll have to borrow this book. =)
Hey, Reese!
Don't mind a bit--it's a great prayer! Just a little more FYI: the book says that John Wesley introduced this prayer into Methodism in 1755 and credited it to the 17th century Puritan Richard Alleine.
Kari,
I completely agree with you! I wish more churches offered opportunities for the people to get involved....You definitely can borrow the book!
Betsy Brock said…
Thanks so much for this post! I really was struck by the prayer and was challenged as to whether I truly live that way. ....good reminders.

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