Live Sent (Part 1 of 3)

Posted by polhemu1 on February 23, 2011 · 1 Comment 

Book: “Live Sent” by Jason C. Dukes

In stores on: April 5, 2011

Read so far: 42 of 200

 

What is right and wrong? How do you define these two terms? I can imagine many of you rolling your eyes at me as I type, berating me for asking so broad a question, because how could you possibly have an answer when you have nothing specific to base your answer upon?

Though perhaps there are those of you willing to play along with me here. Maybe you have an answer. More often than not people would say that perceptions of right and wrong depend on the individual and their belief system and morals. Perhaps that answer would serve me right, a vague answer for a vague question.

I’m sure as you’re pondering this question you’re thinking in terms of actions; things that is it right to do or wrong to do. In his book, Live Sent, Jason C. Dukes considers this question of right and wrong.

He challenges the perception that we often get mired in when looking at right and wrong, noting that we “…tend to be selfish in the way we think of right and wrong… We think in terms of whether we are right or wrong, rather than in terms of whether we are doing people right or wrong by our choices” (Dukes 26).

He goes on to examine God’s charge to us to ‘Love thy neighbor’. But then who is your neighbor? Dukes offers up the idea that humanity is your neighbor, not only is the person living in the house next to your literally your neighbor, but so to are the billions of other inhabiting the earth your neighbors. He asserts that when we consider right and wrong in relation to others, we must consider them in terms of love.

What would you do for love? What would love stop you from doing?

In order to love our neighbors in the way that God intended, Dukes asserts that we must be willing to “live life beyond ourselves” and successes should be measured not by our own personal gain but rather by the successes of those around us as a result of the life that we are living.

Jesus came to die for our sins in the ultimate act of love, so in this way Dukes notes that God has a value system of “lose to win”, where-by personal gain is sacrificed so that the “interests of others {are} more important than self” (Dukes 27).

But the books called “Live Sent”, what’s that all about?

In “Live Sent” Jason Dukes is presenting the idea that each of us are messages for God. We live out His message for the world daily in our lives. In the second chapter Dukes presents the story of Ted, who is a part of his church, and Ted’s neighbor who are surfing buddies. I don’t want to spoil the story, but ultimately is serves to illuminate Dukes point that church is not about going to a building certain times of the week and participating in services or rituals.

Rather Dukes illustrates that people are the church, and to live sent a believer must be willing to be the church. They must be willing to love without judgment.

…Part 2

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Filed under NonFiction · Tagged with Jason C. Dukes, Live Sent, Non-fiction