Well, I just finished reading “Bo’s Café” this weekend. What a great book that challenged me in more ways that I can write here.
Some people will say this book is about grace, forgiveness, healing, friendship, accountability, or even about a 1970 Buick Electra. This book is about all of these and even bigger than all these things. It is about community in its truest form. Real community. Real fellowship that God intends for us to have so that we can grow in Him.
We can get together with church people friends; air out our dirty laundry and call this accountability. Bo’s Café takes this a step further. It about letting people in so that they have the opportunity to protect us and for us to trust and protect them. When we allow people in to see our true selves, then there is no need to air out our dirty laundry – these people will see it anyway. Then they can come alongside us and journey with us as we seek out the Lord together. This is true community where healing is taking place, growth is being established, and forgiveness is being offered. With all that said, we have to remember that a safe place is not always a soft place.
In today’s church’s we are more concerned about how we look to other people instead of being true to ourselves. When we place on our fake masks, then we create these soft places where growth and healing does not really take place. Then we tell ourselves that Jesus is all about Love and not making people feel bad. The reality is that God disciplines those He loves. Disciple is not fun and it hurts – but we grow from it and have a better understanding of the character of God.
Toward the end of the book, there is a discussion about why church’s should become places like on the deck of Bo’s Café, and the reality that they are furthest from this. This book challenges us to really live for Jesus and to experience the biblical community that we all desire and are meant to live.
2 comments:
The last paragraph of your post on Bo's Cafe either leaves one hungry to talk more about how those things get done in church....or it sort of fades into a statement like so many others. In hopes that you meant for it to stir a hunger, I suggest TrueFaced as one place to start. The book gets to the issue of our hiding and our measuring in such a clear way. I believe it is a huge challenge for the churches that are larger than 100 people to embrace this attitude of grace and acceptance and God's deep love for all. If you preach that and model it for your church, I affirm you in the effort. Peace
PACO - thanks for the comments. It is meant to leave us hungry form more so that we can experience that deep community that we are meant to live. I am giving this book to all our leaders so we lean into this more intentionally. We are a church of 110 (60 a year ago) and we need to be more deliberate. Thanks again.
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