My take...

I covered the back cover and last pages of my paperback with ink, making note of all the insights that I want to remember from this book. I find myself in a season of seeking, in a frame of mind where my heart is especially open to Jen's message.

So much good stuff...

Here's a quick list of the parts that resonated most with me:

• Jen's life-altering prayer (page 23)... "God, raise me up in a holy passion." Even with her warning, I find myself asking for the same in my life. Although, I also find myself following it up with Brandon's prayer (page 23)... "God, don't call me if you don't call my [husband]."
• Her discovery that there are over 200,000 verses in the Bible involving poverty and social justice (page 29)... I've always believed that should be one of the selling points of Christianity, but I'm glad that I didn't have to count them up myself :)
• The political justification for international missions... "It's hard to hate a rich country that is feeding you, adopting your orphans, building schools in your villages, and caring for your sick." (page 37)... Amen to that!
• Jen's translation of 1 Corinthians 11:24... "Continuously make My sacrifice real by doing this very thing." (page 54)
• Her understanding that "we don't get to opt out of living on mission because we might not be appreciated" (page 58)...  I was especially inspired by the metaphor we used in our discussion last week... "Even when our children complain about the dinners we cooked, we continue to feed them -- because we love them... why is it so difficult to continue serving/loving the poor when they seem unappreciative."
• The notion that power, prestige, and possessions (the three thing that we strive for as we "climb the ladder") are the very things that separate us from God (page 63)... those have been the things that motivate me (some more than others), and it makes my head spin to think about completely rejecting them. Yet, I have watched them destroy people, and if they can destroy others, then I know I'm just as susceptible.

I'm left with two questions that literally keep me up at night...

1. What does this look like in my life? I'm not at a point in my life where I can drop everything and move to the streets in hopes of serving the homeless or even to the poor areas of town as some of my favorite bloggers have done recently ... my husband is not a pastor, and we will probably not be planting a church anytime soon (heck, I'm not even sure if he is ready for any big life changes at all!). But yet, I still long for a life of missional living, befriending, and serving. However, living in this new-to-me town, I find that I don't even know what and where the local needs are.
2. How long will it take? I'm often discouraged by inaction and lack of clarity, and I am afraid I will lose focus and abandon this idea before I've even started, much less before I make a real difference. I'm relieved to read that Jen's journey to discernment took at least a year (and according to her blog, continues to this day). Not that she sits on her bottom doing nothing as she waits, but she is okay with letting some projects pass, knowing that they are not exactly right for her. One of my personal resolutions is to "remain open to possibilities." To put myself out there, to try things out, to read and learn about opportunities, so that when the true message comes, I already have my ears, eyes, and mind open.

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 I can't wait to read what insights you have to share!