Things I Wish My Mother (or Pastor) Would Have Taught Me

(Taking a timeout from a great Kenya trip to share a great, new book with you...)

Finally. A book that speaks to the stuff of life that Christians (and others) actually deal with. OK, I'm sure other books have been written that cover the same kinds of ideas, but I just read a new one that's fresh, timely and overdue.

Larry Osborne, pastor of North Coast Church in Vista, CA, and author of books such as Sticky Church, Leadership as a Team, and Spirituality for the Rest of Us, has another winner hitting the shelves (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, your favorite Christian bookstore) this week. It's called 10 Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe and it looks over and responds to ten common spiritual urban myths. This special sort of belief is described as "a belief, story, assumption or truism that gets passed along as a fact. In most cases the source is a friend, a Sunday School class, a Bible study, a devotional, a book, or even a sermon." (p.2,3)

Some myths in this category are minimally damaging ("God helps those who help themselves," or "Cleanliness is next to godliness" come to mind), but the ten Osborne targets have far greater ramifications for those caught up in them. Without going into detail on each (or any) of them, I can tell you that Larry takes each of these ways of thinking to task, dispelling the supposed truths surrounding them, pointing out the fallacies and dangers in each as he shares many pertinent life examples. He then provides a correct Biblical framework for each idea, complete with Scripture (in context, thankfully!) that helps to amplify and clarify.

Each chapter is a stand-alone piece of work, and the author deals with some issues more completely than others. I felt as I read the book that some of these topics have had greater life significance for Osborne, and they are probably the ones he attacks with even greater passion and depth. Although each chapter was helpful, I found his analysis surrounding the truths about forgiveness (ch.2), God's plans for our lives (ch.4), godly homes and the kids they produce (ch.5), and the meanings of life's valleys (ch.9) particularly insightful for my life and ministry.

There are valuable discussion questions for each chapter at the end of the book, which is a perfect idea, because this could make a GREAT small group study. The things tackled here are the stuff people either want or need to know, and I can easily envision a small group being a perfect venue in which to wrestle with them.

Whether you read it as a group or on your own, you need to get a copy of 10 Dumb Things... and chew on it awhile. It may surprise you, challenge you, even make you a bit angry or uncomfortable at times, but I guarantee it will strengthen your understanding of God's Word and will help you make better sense of ten "Christian" ideas that you may have wondered about (or maybe even bought into).