You will laugh. You will cry. You will ask, “Are you allowed to say that? You’re a Pastor’s Wife!” These are just a few responses to expect while reading Interrupted by Jen Hatmaker. I love this girl. She is hysterically blunt and has a passion for loving others right where they are for the purpose of showing them Jesus. Here’s her heart cry:
“When a Christian consistently treats someone with compassion or demonstrates integrity at work, the gospel wins a hearing. We can continue to invite unbelievers to church, but we must first invite them into our lives. Have them over, go to dinner, welcome them in. Create a safe place for them to belong without agenda; they needn’t worry about following our Christian rules yet (or pretending to in front of us). We must become their advocates, embracing them as dear friends so they might one day feel comfortable belonging with us. This is not a strategy for rapid church growth, but the patient hard work of love is the way of Christ.”
Jen helps us understand our role as a follower of Christ as it relates to unbelievers – and Hello – this is why we exist really. Not to make us happy and feel good (don’t even get me started) but to bring glory to God by sharing his love and Truth to the world around us and even the world not around us (ie: supporting missions). The idea that we must reach our community for Christ by not expecting them to come to us but by us going to them. And loving them and treating them normal. Not pulling out weird Christian freakisms like, “Hi we love Jesus and want you to love him too and by the way we think Halloween costumes are wicked.”
Jen and her husband left a very large traditional type church setting after feeling the stirring of God in their heart. Her husband was a pastor but they were feeling God call them into something different. Isaiah 58 had a huge role in their lives being “interrupted”. If you have never read this chapter oh please do so. I will always remember where I was when I read Isaiah 58 for the first time. It was about 8 years ago and it absolutely astounded me. God takes so seriously our taking care of the needy and the poor. And this chapter reminds us so clearly of that.
So Jen and her husband and their family packed up everything and started an entirely new approach to church. They are church planters in Austin, Texas where they do life with the homeless, addicted and the marginalized. They feed the hungry and build homes for the homeless. They throw block parties. They help schools. They go to the people in their community and love them. And they speak the love of Jesus after they have shown the love of Jesus. Many of these people end up coming to their church. So yeah, it’s not like the Hatmaker’s are anti organized church. Their understanding of scripture wouldn’t allow them to go there. It’s just that “church” goes on all during the week by the people of their church. Sundays they come together for a church service and then disperse and do it all over again.
We all have heard of Jen Hatmaker’s books and especially her book “7” which is not fun to read because it’s so stinkin’ convicting. Don’t read that book. But in her own words “Interrupted” is her heart cry and what she wants people to read. Her husband, Brandon Hatmaker, also has written a book called Barefoot Church” which is pure awesomeness. I want everyone in our church to read that book. So good!
Interrupted has reopened my eyes and heart to serving the marginalized. It has been the perfect book for me to read as our church dives into an upcoming community outreach at a neighboring park. I love how our church is taking baby steps to being the outward facing church that Jesus has called us to be.
Have you read Interrupted yet? If so, what did you come away with?
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