Two Books

Not too long ago, I was talking with a couple in our church.  The husband is an elder and had just finished reading this book.  He dropped it on the table in front of me.  I picked it up, read the cover, and asked to borrow it.  Currently I am in the middle of reading "The Pastor's Wife" by Gloria Furman which was also recommended by this couple. So, following my usual pattern, I started this book before finishing the other and now am right in the middle of both. However, this book is on loan to me...like THAT matters.  (It took me months to go through the Andrew Peterson series loaned to me by Ellie Johnson, blessed girl. My bookmark never seemed to move very far. His books are thick, full of adventure for the young at heart, and such great reads, in spite of my snail's pace.)

Anyway, this book is entitled "The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert" by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield. It is her journey from lesbianism into Christianity.  Why in the world would I want to read that?  I don't know.  Her story was so unfamiliar and far from my comfort zone....which by the way, is a zone I want to eliminate from my life. This was foreign territory. What intrigued me was her conversion.  She was drawn to Christ through the love of a pastor and his wife. (Okay, maybe not so foreign.)

She is an English professor and was very much the outspoken leader in gay rights.  She was changed over time by the Christ-like example this couple lived out before her as they shared meals and had everyday conversations, always pointing to truth without pointing a finger in judgment. It is a beautiful and incredible story of God's redeeming love.  She never intended to become a Christian. God wooed her and she followed. As she read scripture, she saw what she was to do and obeyed, even though it meant abandoning the lifestyle she had always fought for and loved.  Now she knew a greater Love and it opened a completely different world for her, so opposite from the one she had so emphatically embraced.
Like I said, I am in the middle of two books.
Could it be that God is trying to tell me something?  Reading both these books at once?  The first book is authored by a pastor's wife in the Middle East and the challenges that face her each day along with the challenges of expectations she has had to hurdle and avoid.  The second book is also authored by a pastor's wife - one whose life has been transformed by grace and the result is a testimony of His power to save us right where we are, wherever we are.
So, here I am feeling such conviction mixed with encouragement.  My hurdles might be lower than the ones overseas and my lifestyle might need some adjusting, but as long as I am thinking like that, very little change will occur.  I want higher hurdles, bigger adjustments.  I am not sure what that means, but God is.  He just wants me to say, "Whatever You want, Lord.  Bring it.  Teach me that You do not live in comfort zones.  Therefore I don't want to, either."
By the way, I highly recommend both books.  They are enlightening and game changers for any believer.  Press on.