Off Road DisciplinesSo I finished reading Off-Road Disciplines by Dr. Earl Creps. I gotta say that I enjoyed it thoroughly. I love the honesty that Earl exhibits as he tells the stories that helped shape this book. It seems that what others would shy away from saying, b/c it would show some sort of "weakness," Earl goes ahead and says. I could see a theme arise, of continually returning to the Cross for forgiveness and illumination. Another theme that I saw arise, was that of reconciliation. It is of paramount importance that the Church work together, for the Mission to work best. The book continually calls us to seek partnership and reconciliation with one another so to further the mission. I think that my favorite chapter was Chapter 5, on Witness/Spiritual Friendship. It deals with how we view and relate to those who do not have a faith in Christ. (Earl calls them "the sought") I think that this chapter also asks the book's most thought-provoking question, on p. 61: "How can something as expansive as God's love for people end up trapped and warped within the confines of our own distorted perspective?" Sadly, I wonder if it can not? I also really liked, Chapter 8, which takes head-on the issue of reconciliation, and seems to lay the groundwork for the rest of the book. I like his depiction of different "brands" of the Church, and that he realizes that our harmony is probably mostly for the benefit of the "sought." Other thoughts for reflection/discussion: 1. The book seems mainly geared toward those in current leadership, esp. those that might be a little...older,and is seeking to lead them "off-road" (the wilderness, perhaps?) so to stay focused on the Missio Dei. This is great, esp. b/c Earl is doing this from among them, so to speak, and is not just "some punk kid" who's got no experience! But, I suspect that this book will be read mostly by college students and younger people. As the book itself even says, it is hard to get helpful info. into the hands of those who could put it to the most use. Repentance is hard, especially for leaders. 2. The book makes me think that us, postmodern Xians (can I say that?) need an internal rebuke, of a sort. Now I personally have many qualms about typical church stuff, but as I read some the comments from other twentysomethings in the book, some of it pissed me off too! (As if lesbians won't talk to clean cut nice-guys!) I love what the book said about the danger of turning our culture into religion. I think that as we read about Postmodernism, it helped a lot of us not feel so bad about the way we think. But now it seems like we have taken our personalities and preferences and made it seem like we did it for Mission, but we really just did it b/c that's what we like. We can use what we like for Mission, but let's not use Mission as an excuse to validate our personality, even if there's nothing wrong with our personality. 3. The book mentioned actually liking the "sought" as a step on the way to connecting them with Christ. How do we reach those who nobody likes? 4. The book appeals to us idea-driven, would-be revolutionaries. I wonder if we are not more devoted to the concept of revolution and what it means for "Me" than to the Reason for the revolution. Remember, God is a person not a philosophy. 5. Is it possible to be a truly great leader in the Kingdom of God w/o being a leader within the business-world/academia (Xian or secular)? Of course...but do I, do you, does any member of business/academia, really believe that? | 
