Do
you wish you had something more in life?
Are you finding your Christian walk has settled into a comfortable
rut? If these things are not how you
feel then ask yourself (and be honest
with yourself) “Is my life with God perfect?”
Whether you are doing great or struggling as a Christian I recommend Not a Fan.
I
was cruising the internet last summer and came across a strikingly simple
black website with clear lower case white letters that said, not a fan with the sub-caption: completely.
committed. follower. This intrigued
me so I read the short notes on the website and decided I wanted to give this
book a try. I sent away for the book and
was excited to start reading when it came.
Let
me preface the next statement by stating that I love to read, have a very high
comprehension rate, and can usually finish a 200 page book in a couple hours. It took me almost a month to finish the
book. It is not a hard book to read and
is filled with humor, amusing antidotes and clear object lesions, but when you
read it with the intent to let it change your life then you sometimes have to
give the Holy Spirit time to make the changes in you.
I
discovered that I was an avid fan of Jesus, but not a committed follower. Let me show
you the difference by using this brief quotation by
Pastor Idleman from the book:
“I was born into a Christian home and
rarely missed a weekend of church. From
before I can remember I could quote the Lord’s Prayer, John 3:16, and the 23rd
Psalm. When I was around five years old
I threw a fit because my mom was making me wear a tie to church. She was trying to understand why I was so
upset, and through my tears I explained, “If I wear a tie they might make me
preach!” By the age of thirteen I felt
pressure to have the “Baptist blow-dry” hairstyle that my father was somewhat
of a legend for perfecting. I would
regularly model the latest “witness wear.”
My collection was impressive.
God’s Gym; Jesus, The Real Thing; This blood’s for you…I had them
all. When I was in junior high I even
had a picture of Jesus hanging on my wall right next to the poster of Michael
Jordan. In some ways that is a visual
example of how I would define my relationship with Jesus at the time. I was a fan of Jesus, like I was a fan of Mike. I had memorized and knew his stats, but I did
not know him.”
After
reading the book Rev. Jon Kulaga Ph.D., Provost, Asbury University
described the difference between a fan and a committed follower as follows:
“Football has been described as 22 men on the field in desperate need
of rest, and 60,000 fans in the stands in desperate need of exercise. In
the spirit of Trueblood and Bonhoeffer, Not A Fan challenges believers to get
out of their seats, strap on the gear and get in the game. Not A
Fan is not for the faint of heart… it’s for those who want to join a company of
the committed, and to obey what they claim to believe."
Are you tired of being a
fan? Are you ready to get off of the
sidelines and into the game? I heardily
recommend you get Not a Fan and read
it. It will change your life!
Not a Fan website: http://www.notafan.com/
