10 Reasons Why You Should Read "Interrupted" and Two Reasons You Should Think Twice

Since discovering her last year, I have become a huge fan of Jen Hatmaker. She is a Christian author and blogger who is equal parts hilarious, inspiring, and insightful. I was super excited that as a blogger (HA! Me a blogger?! I guess I do write a blog....), I qualified to receive a free advance copy of her book Interrupted: When Jesus Wrecks Your Comfortable Christianity (click here) to review. I absolutely loved this book and present to you 10 Reasons Why You Should Read Interrupted and Two Reasons You Should Think Twice. 

10. Jen Hatmker is Hilarious. I first discovered Jen Hatmaker not through pursuing our local Christian bookstore (although she is a prolific author), but from her absolutely hilarious blog post, "The Worst End of School Year Mom Ever" (click here to read if you haven't already - you are missing out). Anyone who can Tell It Like It Is about homework folders and bedtime reading and school projects is someone whose words you will gobble up.

9. Comfortable Christianity is a Lie. This was a huge premise of a book - the revelation that American Christianity is the same version of the materialistic American Dream - bigger, better, higher, faster. We want the new house, the new car, the upward mobility, the easy lifestyle. We just want to do it with a side of Christianity on Sunday mornings. This premise hit hard - that the Christian lifestyle outwardly looks just like any other lifestyle, and that we, too, have bought into the lie that consumerism will solve what ails us. Oh my goodness, does this point hit home!! 

8. First World Problems are a Slap in the Face to Global Problems. While we complain about our FWPs (and do I ever!), someone dies of hunger every 3.6 seconds, more people are enslaved today than at any time in human history, and more than a billion people live on only 23 cents a day (pages 25-27 in Interrupted). Meanwhile, at churches in the U.S., we debate whether we should install a coffee bar or the type of carpet to include in the sanctuary. This type of isolation is why "greed" is the first thing that comes to mind when those in developing nations think of the U.S. Guilty, guilty, guilty. 

7. Theology Cuts to the Chase. A very common point throughout Interrupted is that if you love God and love Jesus, you must love being a bottom-dweller - loving both your fellow bottom-dwellers and residing there yourself. The Gospel message that the Least Shall Not Be Last, but first, is not one that we can ignore - we must truly immerse ourselves in poverty and suffering and social justice and seek to alleviate all of our fellow humans. I absolutely love this message and need to be reminded of it often. 

6. Relationships Are Key. God loves people. God wants us to form relationships with people - we need to love people, not just causes; we need to treat all with dignity and respect, not just throw money at them as a problem to go away. So not only should we give money to people who are homeless and living on the streets (regardless of what they might decide to do with the money), we should treat them with respect and engage them in conversations just like we would any other person. As someone who is often more worried about my personal safety in such situations than in reaching out to help people, this is something that I need to hear. 

5. Church is Not Just Worship! One hour a week is not going to make a meaningful difference in someone's life, regardless of how good of a speaker the pastor is. This message completely resonated with me. We previously attended one of the largest mainline churches in the U.S. almost entirely because of the phenomenal sermons of the senior pastor. And while they were excellent, almost like attending a seminary lecture at times, I can admit that my life has been changed far more by being part of a vital church community than it ever could be by listening to an engaging sermon. 

4. Church is Not Just Programmatic Offerings! The book makes a compelling case that instead of viewing the church as a body of programming offerings that serve to meet our needs and wishes, a true church is us, the people, who come together in meaningful community that cuts across all lines. This is a truth that I have only discovered in our most recent church, a smaller community, where I have been inspired and transformed by watching fellow members ask "what can I do to help our church community?" rather than "how can my church help me?"

3. Meet People Where They Are At. Rather than coming at people with legalistic theology, get to know people with love. Learn what makes them tick. Learn to speak their language. This is an important message for someone like me, who is still drawn to traditional church services with hymns and organs and communion and creeds. Rather than thinking about what I prefer in a church, we as a church community should work to think of how we can come together to serve others locally and globally, in the manner that best conveys our genuine love and understanding. 

2. Did I Mention that Relationships are Key?? This is scary to an introvert like me. I feel that I am much better at making semi-impersonal financial commitments, like through World Vision or Kiva or other ministries, than through developing genuine connections with people in need. The book emphasizes that Jesus himself ministered to people through forming loving relationships and that we are called to do the same. Even if it is scary and messy and awkward.

1. Jesus was Serious. If we love Jesus and we truly want to follow Jesus, then we cannot ignore his repeated emphasis on serving the least, the lost, the forgotten, and the forsaken. One of my favorite lines in the book is, "My people are crumbling and dying and starving, and you're blessing blessed people and serving the saved" (p. 18). I think that it is so easy for Christianity in the U.S. to slip into to "blessing blessed people" and serving ourselves, rather than making our primary focus those who are truly in need. And what a powerful reminder that we should do the same. 

Now, with all of those wonderful reasons why you should go out right now and immediately purchase this book, here are two caveats of why you might want to think twice: 

2. If You ONLY Want Practical Suggestions. Much of the message of Interrupted is on the tension between Comfortable Christianity and the kind of Christianity spoken by Jesus in the Gospel. Jen Hatmaker's follow-up book, 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess, is much more focused on practical every-day suggestions. I read "7" first and it is awesome and hilarious, but I would suggest reading "Interrupted" first to delve into the heart of Christianity - and follow-up with "7" for more practical suggestions. 

1. You are Scared of Becoming a Christian Radical. Perhaps you think your spouse would not approve of you deciding to sell all of your possessions, give them to the poor around the world, and move into a hippie Commune of Awesomeness. In that case, you should make them read the book first so that they become all fired up. Tongue in cheek aside, this book is a powerful look at what having faith truly means - which will likely Wreck Your Comfortable Christianity. 

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I am so thankful for the copy of the book that I received in advance, and would love to give it to anyone who is interested. And for all of my CAUMC church ladies - watch out! I am all fired up now. ;)

10 Tips for Back-to-School Time

My fabulous friend Haley runs a blog called "Leadership Girl," and she is exploring the idea of inviting guest bloggers to discuss work-life balance issues, working mom issues, etc. Since I am always looking for an excuse to avoid cleaning my house, I told her I would put something together. With school having just started up again, I thought I could write an entry called "10 Tips for Back-to-School Time."

....And THEN I realized, I have no idea how to give tips, because I don't have it together myself and have kind of given up the goal of ever having it together. So for any fellow Messy Moms out there, who are also struggling to get it together, here are 10 Tips for Back-to-School Time.

10. Avoid partial bags of shredded cheese when packing school lunches. At the end of the last school year, I realized at the last minute that not only had I forgotten to pack my daughter a lunch and she was walking out the door in 30 seconds, but that I had almost no food in the house. The biggest item that we ended up throwing in her lunch box was a half-used bag of shredded cheddar cheese. At least aspire to wait until after the first few weeks before resorting to such measures.

9. If your child uses a computer for school, make them Back Up Their Data. No, really. When I was getting my PhD, the summer after Daniel was born, my hard drive at work failed and I lost everything that I had not backed up, which was an insane amount of work and literally made me cry. I was also trying to finish a dissertation and dealing with a newborn and a 4-year-old, so that might have also made this seem utterly devastating, but gently encourage your child that the Power to Prevent the Worst Thing Ever is in their hands.

8. Remember to Sign the Planner. Oh, the homework planner. A seemingly much bigger deal for you, the parent, than for your child, the student. It is much harder than it sounds. For one thing, you need to have a writing implement around to do this, and all pens and pencils in our house are siphoned away by tiny elves during the night.

7. Don't Send Your Child to School in Clothing that is 2 sizes too small. One size too small? That's nothing. But two sizes too small starts to run into bare midriffs and other clothing that should never see the light of day. Unfortunately, following this rule means that like me, you will end up with exactly one (one!!) long-sleeved shirt that still fits your daughter after her insane growth spurt, but at least bare stomachs will be avoided.

6.  Keep Track of All Forms. Oh my goodness, this one is hard. SO. HARD. We somehow managed to lose our son's enrollment form for the after-school program between school and our house....on the first day of school. Fortunately, we found that we had left it at a friend's house. Because, obviously.

5. Fill Out All Forms Correctly. This one is also so hard for me. Said son's enrollment form was sent home with us because...we had forgotten to fill out most of it when we returned it last year. And at the beginning of kindergarten, the school nurse called me not to report on an injured child, but to try to clarify some of my son's immunization record because some of the dates I had provided did not make sense. Oh, forms. Did I mention that I am an accounting professor?

4. Write Down All Dates Correctly. This one is tricky, because it involves writing down correct dates on your own calendar, and there is no one there to catch your errors until you suddenly fail to show up someplace at the right time. So just make sure that you write down the correct time/places/days for choir! And church! And running club! And Scouts! And 4-H! And bringing treats! Actually, to make it fun, maybe you should just make up a fake commitments and then challenge your spouse to see if he/she (oh, who are we kidding, he :) ) can tell the real obligations from the fake ones.

3. Learn to Bend the Space/Time Continuum - This would solve so many problems. Sports, PTO, curriculum night, and Scouts all at the same time and at different places for different children? No problem!

2. Just Say Yes! Because saying "no" is for drugs, and saying "yes" for every other possible commitment that can come your way is Fun! Sanity is overrated anyway, right?

1. Let it Go.... In the words of Elsa, Let it Go. You will screw stuff up. You will forget things. You will forget to sign the blasted planner. You will show up at the wrong place and wrong time for the 4-H club event. And you know what? It will all be okay.

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So that is the best I can do on back-to-school tips. Does anyone have any tips that work for your own house?

Road Trip Days 8 through 11 - Atlanta

Greetings from Atlanta, where I have wrapped up my crazy conference and we  are currently traveling through the giant metro area. This conference was insane - I presented a paper, discussed three papers (some of which I read here!!), interviewed 14 people, judged 8 projects, and went to 4 business meetings. Whew!  

While I was busy conferencing, Will and the kids had all kinds of fun in Atlanta. They purchased a CityPass and were able to see all kinds of attractions. I am typing this on my phone as we drive back, so some of the pictures may not load properly, but here are some highlights from our time in Atlanta! 

Sunday - Centennial Olympic Park. This was very close to our hotel and the kids and Will walked over. 

Sunday afternoon, they checked out the World of Coca Cola. Will said later he thought this was his favorite attraction since it was a unique Atlanta place.

Getting ready for the movie. They also enjoyed a fun 4-D movie with glasses. 

Everyone loved trying all of the different products from around the world. Pictured below, the favorite (Mezzo Mix) and least favorite (Beverly, described as "Evil").

Cheers! 

The kids loved exploring the hotel. We were on the 31st floor and right across from Emory Hospital (although we later learned from my friend B that the doctors being treated for Ebola were at a different branch). 

Monday - headed out to the famous Georgia Aquarium. 

Petting sting rays. 

Annika's favorite part of our whole Atlanta trip was interacting with these Beluga whales. Will has a great video on his Facebook page of her holding a mirror up to the glass and the whales moving around.

Inside of sea animals.

More interaction with sea animals. 

Annika with something. Something cool? Something. :)

Posing with the dolphin. D later said his favorite part of the aquarium was the gift shop, go figure. 

 Monday night, I are dinner with some of my conference besties at a really cool Japanese restaurant. The chef even made the heart below look like it was beating.

Meanwhile, Will and the kids hung out on Peachtree Street at a really cool Mexican restaurant.

Tuesday morning, the gang headed to the Museum of Natural History.

Bobcat! Poor bobcat.

Lots of fun with bubbles.

Daniel absolutely loved this indoor playground.

Tuesday afternoon, they headed over to a CNN tour. The kids did not really know what CNN was, and probably still don't, but loved riding the world's longest free-standing escalator. 

The newsroom! Will says he no longer respects CNN as a news organization, so we will call this the "News and Views Room."

Bored and tired kids were revitalized by playing in the fountains after the tour.

Wednesday (yesterday) was Zoo Atlanta! Checking out the flamingos. 

Very exhausted meercat. Many have commented that he does not quite look alive, but Will assured me he was just having a rough day. 

Georgia statue. There were also super cute (real) baby gorillas. 

Rock climbing! The City Pass came with unlimited rides at the zoo. I understand that Annika was the real fan. 

Late afternoon, I finally finished all of my conference obligations!! And even better, my super cool WM friend Briana came with her two sweet boys to hang out with uscatvthe hotel! Everyone hit it off and her D and my D are truly two peas in a pod. So great to see you again, B! 

Will convinced me that I needed to celebrate being finished, and we headed out for outdoor Mexican food and a Sangria bomb. We "split" this drink, meaning that I had maybe 10% and still felt more affected.

Back at the hotel, we all took advantage of the indoor/outdoor pool and hot tub.

View from the pool chair. 

And finally, in the spirit of Keeping it Real, the picture below shows what travel is truly like. 

We are driving back home as I type. We had yet another late start and would not have been able to hit Mammoth Cave again as was our original plan, so hoping to have a long day of driving and get home late tonight. Cheers!! 

Road Trip Days 6 and 7 - Goodbye Orlando and Hello Atlanta

We have wrapped up our time in Orlando and have arrived in Atlanta, where I begin my conference in the morning. Our time in Orlando and with our friends went by far too quickly, but we are so grateful for all of the new memories made this week. 

Our kids were pretty beat from the very full day at Disney on Thursday, and so on Friday we took it easy and hung out with the Hills at their house all day. The kids took advantage of the chance to swim to their hearts' content and spent most of the day in the pool. 

No one was a bigger fan of the pool than Daniel and Taylor. They were in the pool for over six hours, from around 10:30 until around 4:30, and did not even come out for lunch. Hardcore.

That evening, we went to our old church to see Savannah's performance at music camp. They had a super cute production, "It's Frozen," with five of the Frozen songs and the kids taking turns reciting the story. It was absolutely adorable.

Groupies. (Daniel is hiding between Taylor and Annika.)

Savannah on stage. She did a wonderful job, as did all of the other performers! It was awesome to see so many of our old church friends, too, and to marvel at how old their children had grown - and to see them in the show, too.

Celebrating a great job!

Friday night after the show, the adults hired a babysitter and went out for date night!! We chose our favorite sushi restaurant, home of many fun evenings out from years' past.

Cindy and I ordered the "sweetheart roll," pictured in the lower right. It was so delicious that we refused to share.

One of the few pictures with all four of us together. If we can only convince Cindy and Brian to move to Manhattan, our lives in Kansas would be complete! :)

We walked over to a new place for dessert, Shake Shack. The shakes were delicious and they had a very nice back patio area overlooking a lake. Very relaxing enjoying our shakes around the fire pit .

Saturday morning, Will and I finally went running. I met my friend Anna over in Blanchard Park and we ran along the Econ. Trail, which was absolutely beautiful and full of many other walkers and joggers. So many memories here....including the fact that a college grad student was murdered here while running at 5:30 p.m. in the summer one time. Crazy Orlando.

The four kids had a blast playing this morning and continuing many of the imaginative games that they have been developing this week. Alas, after many fun-filled days, our fun came to an end, and the kids had to say good-bye to their very special friends. It is so wonderful that Annika and Savannah have been the best of friends since before Annika turned 4, and still have just as special of a bond now as then. Good-bye, Savannah and Taylor! Looking forward to many more years of adventures together!

We hit the road for the comparatively "short" drive from Orlando to Atlanta, but shockingly, had a very late start compared to our planned departure. I had a nice shot of the "Welcome to Georgia" sign, but accidentally deleted the good picture. Here is the bad picture below, with the very edge of the sign on the right.

Finally, we arrived in Atlanta! We are staying in the Marriott Marquis, which I have heard is where part of "The Capitol" was filmed for The Hunger Games. It is a 47-foot open lobby that can give you vertigo just from looking up.

View from our hotel room! The kids were super, super, SUPER excited that we are staying on the 31st floor. They are declaring that this is "Even better than Las Vegas!" It appears we just need to stay in very tall hotels with views for our children to decide that a city is the best ever.

My accounting conference takes place right in this hotel and in the one across the street. I was too late to check in tonight, so will try to sneak in before my first commitment in the morning.

The kids were chomping at the bit to explore the hotel. There is an indoor/outdoor pool, with a retractable roof over the indoor part that was open tonight. I think there will be many trips there.

Both children requested to make extra trips on the escalator just to enjoy the ride.

Fitness center, open 24 hours. Darn, there goes my excuse for not working out while here...

The hotel is connected through a walkway to the Peachtree Center, which is a mall with many food court options. We had a rather chaotic experience ordering pizza and fighting off other patrons, but eventually were fed and all was well.

Tomorrow, the kids are very excited to explore the entire hotel. Will is thinking that he will get City Passes for himself and the kids so that they can explore many of the nearby Atlanta attractions; I think that the World of Coca-Cola is up first. Meanwhile, I have somehow become so over-committed at the conference that I am tied up almost every single moment, and have a decent number of overlapping commitments where I will have to break one or the other. So I will look forward to seeing pictures and hearing about Atlanta adventures as well. Cheers!