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    Messy Spirituality: God's Annoying Love for Imperfect People
    Unavailable
    Messy Spirituality: God's Annoying Love for Imperfect People
    Unavailable
    Messy Spirituality: God's Annoying Love for Imperfect People
    Ebook156 pages2 hours

    Messy Spirituality: God's Annoying Love for Imperfect People

    By Mike Yaconelli and Karla Yaconelli

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    Find freedom from legalism's should's and discover the deep spirituality of being loved by the God who meets and transforms you in the midst of a messy and unpredictable life.

    Do you ever feel like you don't pray enough, read your Bible enough, share your faith enough, love God enough . . . and ultimately that you're not a very good Christian?

    Welcome to the club. Messy Spirituality was written for the silent majority of us who are convinced we just don't do Christianity right. Mike Yaconelli dares to suggest that imperfection, unfinishedness, and messiness are, in fact, the earmarks of true Christianity; that real Christianity is messy, erratic, lopsided . . . and gloriously liberating.

    In these pages, he challenges you to let go of the legalism that holds you back and embrace the grace freedom that God offers. He opens your eyes to the one-size-fits-all spirituality churches often want us to embrace and shares what it truly means to walk with God in a deep, intimate, life-changing way.

    Full of innovative ideas and concepts, Messy Spirituality is a classic that offers timeless wisdom for anyone ready to be free from the bonds of perfectionism.

    Spanish edition also available.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherZondervan
    Release dateDec 15, 2009
    ISBN9780310867876
    Author

    Mike Yaconelli

    Mike Yaconelli is the author of bestselling books Dangerous Wonder and Messy Spirituality. He was the senior editor for the Wittenburg Door (1971-1996), a satirical religious magazine noted for its irreverent humor, in-depth interviews, and commitment to reforming the evangelical church. He was the cofounder of Youth Specialties, an international organization devoted to equipping youth workers through training and resources. Mike was a prophetic voice in the church-at-large and was a devoted husband and father until his death in 2003.

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    Reviews for Messy Spirituality

    4/5

    114 ratings7 reviews

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    • 3/5
      A common sentiment in Christian circles is that our spirituality or the love of God is conditional on how good we are, how "spiritual" we are, how much we do for God or for the church. Michael Yaconelli tackles this problematic belief in Messy Spirituality, and although a short book, it is a challenging read. Unlike popular belief, being a Christian does not mean one is perfect or that one has it all figured out; rather, the Christian is constantly under construction, "being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator" (Colossians 3:9).

      Yaconelli claims that the real face of Christianity is not found in the perfectly ordered and regimented lives of perfect Christians because they do not exist - we are all messy, frail people who desperately need Jesus. This is a powerful antidote to the dangers of spiritual perfectionism; our shortcomings are not hindrances to a more perfect faith but an integral part of our mortal life - when we acknowledge that, we are free to start living as God has called us.

      This is a challenging book for both individuals and churches - it encourages to act and love wildly and widely, without hindrance because that is exactly what Jesus did.
    • 3/5
      reread Messy Spirituality this week and glad I did. Mike is a down-to-earth guy that reminds us that we've tried to sanitize the church for far too long. Spirituality is hard and messy stuff! preach it Mike! If you want to read some classic Yaconelli look up some old Door issues.
    • 3/5
      Messy indeed. Good book. Easy read. Worth reading every few years. Be careful though, it's messiness might make you uncomfortable.
    • 5/5
      The Christian walk is messy – yet grace hides around every corner. Yaconelli contends that Christians spend too much time faking spirituality and churches are often more concerned with pretending that everything is ok than living the faith in all its vulnerability and pain. Walking through the gospel accounts (especially John), Yaconelli offers an account of discipleship that acknowledges the pain, ignorance, and weakness of disciples, yet celebrates the “annoying” tenacity of God’s love and grace. Full of powerful life stories, Messy Spirituality provides an oft-needed reminder of the God’s grace in discipleship and calls us to a life of “little graces.” Great encouragement A
    • 5/5
      probably one of my favorite non-fiction books. I have read this book at least a dozen times and each time I get more out of it. It shows you that you can be real with who you are. Too many times in the church its like plastic world where every thing is a okay. But in Messy Spirituality Mike takes you on a journey of taking off the masks and lets you know that God is right there with you in the mess.On a personal note Mike was on of my heroes. He cared for the souls of youth pastors.
    • 5/5
      One of my favorites and had both my boys read it as well. It will challenge the way you think about the church which is not a bad thing. He has a lot of examples of what he saw in the ministry over the years that leaves an impression on you.
    • 1/5
      Disappointed at the twist of scripture. The ministry associated with this author (now deceased) is not a truly Biblical ministry. The ministry practices lexio divina (or Lectio Divina) which is not a Christian practice but refers in Latin to the practice of "divine reading".