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I don't know David Platt. I know he has written at least two books and he's the pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Alabama. So, this morning I thought, "Hmmm, let me find out a little more about him." So, I Googled him :) I have three other windows open: one of the church he pastors, one of videos of him preaching, and one that has the first chapter of Radical.

I still don't know him. However, as I glimpse into what he has in print and listen to a sermon it seems I am able to get a general feeling for who he is. I am thankful for his vulnerability, his willingness to share. As I read and hear I am left with questions and I know that He alone has the answers-I am seeking my Father all the more.

Here's an excerpt from Radical. Tell me, after you read it, what's on your mind?

[Point of reference, Luke 9]
But we don’t want to believe it. We are afraid of what it might
mean for our lives. So we rationalize these passages away. “Jesus
wouldn’t really tell us not to bury our father or say good-bye to our
family. Jesus didn’t literally mean to sell all we have and give it to
the poor. What Jesus really meant was…”
And this is where we need to pause. Because we are starting
to redefine Christianity. We are giving in to the dangerous temptation
to take the Jesus of the Bible and twist him into a version
of Jesus we are more comfortable with.
A nice, middle-class, American Jesus. A Jesus who doesn’t
mind materialism and who would never call us to give away everything
we have. A Jesus who would not expect us to forsake our
closest relationships so that he receives all our affection. A Jesus
who is fine with nominal devotion that does not infringe on our
comforts, because, after all, he loves us just the way we are. A Jesus
who wants us to be balanced, who wants us to avoid dangerous
extremes, and who, for that matter, wants us to avoid danger altogether.
A Jesus who brings us comfort and prosperity as we live
out our Christian spin on the American dream.
But do you and I realize what we are doing at this point? We
are molding Jesus into our image. He is beginning to look a lot like
us because, after all, that is whom we are most comfortable with.
And the danger now is that when we gather in our church buildings
to sing and lift up our hands in worship, we may not actually
be worshiping the Jesus of the Bible. Instead we may be
worshiping ourselves.
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Please share with me :)