There are some things that I don't agree with the authors on (particularly, the extremely liberal approach to economics --- but this is really only in Shane's case). However, I found that the overall themes of both books gave me a lot to think about. For instance, "A Million Miles In A Thousand Years" is all about living your life as Story... or, in other words, tying your little picture into the Big Picture. Don forced me to ask myself this question: When I die and stand before God, what will we have to talk about? As of this moment, the honest answer is --- not much. I mean, sure... I've had some experiences. But my understanding of the Bible is that God wants our lives to be drenched in love, and I've always believed that real love can only be recognized by the amount of risk that's involved. Truth be told --- I haven't taken a lot of risks. Most of my time is spent engaging in passive activities. I'd like to do more. I'd like a story to tell God when I meet Him, so he can then tell me how it fits into His Story.
My starting place is going to be a project that a friend of mine and I are launching called The Eden Underground. We're basing it on Matthew 6:1-4, where Jesus tells us not to do our 'acts of righteousness' in front of others, but rather to give in secret. We plan to become an organization dedicated to the improvement of our community by participating in what can only be described as fly-by-night acts of non-violent vigilantism. Sounds risky, eh?
The best part of this new venture is that it also incorporates what I've been learning from Shane in "The Irresistible Revolution", primarily that following Jesus means getting your hands dirty. At one point, he quotes Tony Campolo: "Jesus never says to the poor, 'Come find the church', but he says to those of us in the church, 'Go into the world and find the poor, hungry, homeless, imprisoned', Jesus in his disguises." A good portion of what we'll be doing in The Eden Underground is spending time with those less fortunate than us.Shane has also helped me to understand the concept of less being more. Now, I'm not a dualist, so I don't necessarily believe that enjoying the material is wrong. But as of late, I've been feeling a little contempt toward my possessions. Actually, it might be better to say contempt toward the life that my possessions encourage me to live. I often find myself longing to be rid of many things (particularly, all the furniture I bought in an attempt to make everything conform to some ridiculous design aesthetic) just in order to regain a sense of freedom. No wonder Jesus tells us to sell our possessions and give to the poor (Matthew 19:21) --- we're enslaved by too much while they're enslaved by too little.
All in all, I think these two authors have taught me quite a lot. More importantly, they've reminded me that there's still so much to learn. For a while, I was worried that my spiritual life was at a bit of a standstill. I guess that's what happens when you convince yourself you already know everything. But by showing me that I don't and that no one else does either, God has humbled me and opened my eyes to what really matters: The Body.
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