A Better Freedom (even Better than I expected)

[Bob Cain]

This is an awesome, crucially needed work!  It read itself to me in no time, and read into my heart some things I did not expect to find.  If any of you reading it find yourself snagged on the thought of using slavery as an illustration, fearing that it might risk belittling the horrible historic reality, I simply would want to beg you to keep reading to the end. 

Michael clarifies the perspective of what an evil cruelty and blight on our nation's history American slavery was.  What he contributes in the process to our understanding of what Jesus came to do, and then call us to do, is simply invaluable and faith perspective altering. 

In the end I found myself wanting to cry and laugh at the same time.  While comparing myself to the status of a worthless slave I ended up experiencing a closeness to my Master that was more intimate and personal and valuing than I had experienced before.  I didn't deserve that.  Thank you, Michael.  You helped me thank Jesus more deeply than I knew how to.

[Andrew Bernhardt]

I just picked up the book yesterday... Look forward to reading it!

[Andrew Bernhardt]

Just finished it, and yes... very good, better than expected!

[Poet]

I ordered it from my favorite retailer, and it's supposedly on the way.  Hope to read it soon.

 

[Andrew Bernhardt]

I'm actually in the process of reading it again. I don't know if it is marketed as such, but A Better Freedom is an excellent book on discipleship: not a "do this, this, and that" book, but an "understand yourself in relationship to Christ in this way" book. If I don't understand and have a heart of a servant/slave of Christ, my service tends only to be an act, going through the motions, "eye-service". This book is helping realign my mindset.

[Poet]

I'm glad to hear that, because it just came today and I've read the first page or two.  I like books that draw me into a new perspective on seeing the relationship with the One we follow.  I avidly devour books that can do this.

May God sustain all Christian artists through these tough times.  It seems that the arts suffer when people can scarcely afford the food on which they subsist, and yet feeding the mind and soul are just as important.

[Poet]

I have read almost half of it.

I like the historical details and the comparisons with truths from Scripture.

What I don't like is that I get the idea, by reading between the lines of what the author says, that this author has been through some recent emotional distress on a large scale.

I don't know if anyone else can pick up those vibes, but I'm open to discussing it.

I don't mean that as a criticism.  I highly recommend the book.  See if you can pick up the sense of emotion I found within its pages.  There is something evasive that gives the impression of...well, I'll let you define that for yourself when you read it.

[Poet]

The second half of the book is definitely better than the first half.  All of it was good, but in the second half appears the glimmer of fire usually associated with works by this author.  Somewhere along the way the light came on and I began to resonate with the ideas that at first seemed so lifeless and incomprehensible.

Very good.

(One small typo noted on page 129--"al" should be "all.")

(When I wrote the publisher of The New Living Translation about a mistake in Daniel 9:26, they were not as glad as I thought they'd be to find out someone had been a. reading the Bible, and b. paying attention.  Oh, well.)

[Andrew Bernhardt]

A couple of thoughts that this subject has fostered...

In viewing ourselves as slaves of Christ, some of the parallels aren't parallels. Who ever heard of a master serving his own slaves, working for their benefit? Who ever heard of a master dying to buy his own slaves? How can anyone wrap their mind around that???

Also, it is almost a universal view in our society that not only can you be anything you want to be, you should give it your best shot to do so. I remember a cartoon of Alexander the Great as a little child, his mother telling him to do his best, because "nobody's gonna remember an Alexander the Pretty Good".

I wonder what Mary and Joseph's dreams for Jesus was. I think they were hoping to see Jesus progressing toward's greatness and Messiah-hood as he matured, perhaps something they would see in their lifetime. Instead He was "regressing" towards the denial of self, culminating in the goal of the cross. And if we are to follow Him, then we also must die to self, giving up our goals and ideals of being anything we want to be, and instead give our best to serve and magnify our Master.

[Andrew Bernhardt]

A slave owner has other slave owners for friends, and a slave has other slaves for friends. But to have friendship across such strong social boundaries is very unusual.

Towards the end of the book, Michael mentions Jesus telling his disciples that he no longer calls them servants but friends (John 15:15).

I had always thought of what Jesus said as along the lines of His bringing us up to His level, but perhaps it is more about Him coming down to ours. He acted as a slave in life, but the ultimate expression would come in His death (Philippians 2:7-8) which in John 15 was shortly to come to pass.