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It is my opinion that every church needs to go through this book as some sort of small group class. It challenged me, encouraged me, and left me hopeful. I most appreciated the truth that Dustin Willis spoke. He wasn't afraid to make me squirm in my chair or to step on my toes. I was thankful for that because I want to be challenged in my walk with Christ. I also appreciated how he showed the correlation between mission and community. It was a tie that I'm not certain that I had even put together in the complete way that he had.
Another thing that I appreciated about this book was how easy it was to read. I didn't go to seminary, but I love learning and deepening my relationship with Christ. I was so thankful this book was written so that anyone could read it, which is why I think every church member should go through it. The older generation is typically so good at community because of the generation they grew up in. However, my generation tends to steer towards loneliness and isolation, thanks to technology that can make you "feel" as though you have friends. I liked the challenge he made about the neighborhood you live in and forming relationships with those people and really opening up your house in hospitality.
My favorite chapter has to be the hospitality chapter because I am in introvert The thought of so many people at my house makes me want to stop before I even start! I liked how he gave me permission to go deep with a few friends while extroverts can go wide instead of as deep. That has stuck with me completely, because that is a typical excuse of mine. I also liked how he defined what hospitality is and what it is not. How often do I fall into the entertainment trap?!
This book has the ability to be a 6-week small group study. The questions at the end of chapter are deep and require honesty. In fact, there's a whole lot about transparency and getting messy in the lives of others and letting them see your messiness. Amen! I'm excited to go back through this book and hopefully introduce it to my church!
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I received this book free from Moody Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.
