The Irresistible Revolution

I just finished reading Shane Claiborne's book, The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical. Judging from the number of page corners I turned down, the section that challenged me the most profoundly was Chapter 5: Another Way of Doing Life. In his discussion about the role communities like The Simple Way play in helping people to discern their vocations, Claiborne writes: "Beyond knowing that God has a purpose for our lives, most of us (especially non-Catholics) spend little energy seeking our vocation, especially in light of how the needs and sufferings of our neighbors might inform how we use our gifts for divine purposes. There are plenty of people who are miserable in their jobs, for they have not listened to God's call. And I would add there are many Christians who are not fulfilled in their spiritual lives because they have no sense of their gifts or purpose, and they just run to the mission field to save souls rather than transform lives and communities using their gifts and those of the people they live among. Both lead to emptiness and burnout" (p. 138).

Many times when I read a compelling book, I sense immediately what I ought to do in order to apply what I have learned. I confess that I have no idea what do with Claiborne's challenging words - I just know I must do something. A remark made by one of Claiborne's colleagues keeps bouncing around in my mind: "I gave up Christianity in order to follow Jesus" (p. 71). What does a Christ-follower really look like?