Rumors of God by D. Whitehead & J. Tyson

Have you ever wondered why the God you've heard about doesn't seem the same as the God you know in your day to day life?  Do you hunger to know Him more or have you allowed things of the world to distract your focus?

In Rumors Of God Experience The Kind Of Faith You've Only Heard About pastors Darren Whitehead and Jon Tyson share their hearts and I found myself sensing the heartbeat of God Himself in their words.

I must admit that I was a bit hesitant to read this book, mistakenly assuming it would be about growing large churches as proof of God's presence.  I was pleasantly surprised to find the exact opposite.  Whitehead and Tyson write about being the church by building the Kingdom of God and much of that takes place outside the walls of church buildings.

In Chapter 8, Loving Beneath The Surface, they write about developing community by building true, transparent relationships, something God has been speaking to my spirit for the past few years. 

What do you want people to know about you?  If you could wear a sign around your neck, what would it read?  The beauty of our faith is that God sees past our labels and appearance, through to our true selves, to our hearts.  He sees our hopes, fears, longings, dreams, insecurities, and doubts and accepts us and loves us anyway.  Biblical community is this exact kind of intimacy and acceptance; learning to lower our masks and love one another for who we truly are.

A bit later in the same chapter they share:

Jesus said we are to love one another as he loved us, and Paul said that we are to make room for each other's faults because of our love.  I can't help but wonder what would happen if Christians cultivated this relational transparency and strived to fill their lives with suspended space.  What would happen if our homes became hospitals for our wounded neighbors, our lunch breaks became cathedrals for our searching coworkers, and our coffee shops became temples where people encounter Jesus in all of his beauty?

I found myself nodding and clapping and saying "Amen!" from cover to cover.

This well written book is both challenging and encouraging.  I pray that it changes all of us that read it.

Book has been provided courtesy of Thomas Nelson and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Thomas Nelson
The opinions I have shared are my own.