How to Be a Christian without Being Annoying
How to Be a Christian without Being Annoying: A Book Review
by Jessie A. Moser
I'm sitting next to a woman on the bleachers in a barn where we both wait for our daughters to finish a riding lesson. The woman asks me, “What are you reading?”
I raise the book jacket in her direction and she reads aloud, “How to be a Christian without Being Annoying.” She pauses and says, “Gee, is that possible?”
I hope so. For me, the title worked; it’s smart. Before I finish the book, I’m already thinking of a number of possible sequels I’d want to read, like, “How to be a Republican in the Workplace without being Annoying”, followed by “How to be a Democrat in the Workplace without being Annoying.” For my daughter I’d want to buy, “How to be a Teenager without being Annoying,” and for me, “How to be a Parent of a Teenager without being Annoying.” But I’m a Christian, and I would like to be one without being annoying. So I read on.
Somebody once told me, “To tell the difference between a counterfeit twenty dollar bill and a real twenty dollar bill, you have to spend time with the real thing. In “How to Be a Christian without Being Annoying,” Bette Dowdell attempts to explain the simple fact that sin separates us from God. Jesus died to be a sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. The gift is held out for everyone; a Christian is simply someone who accepts the gift. Annoying Christians are people who adopt a do-it-yourself, feel-superior method. She says that a Christian is more apt to live like one than simply talk like one. Christianity is all about relationships and loving God and others. I can draw a few lessons from that.
Dowdell’s book is an easy read and the kind of book that you can pick up and start at any point and read backwards and forwards. Every two pages is a new topic and includes a key verse from the Bible with a phonetically spelled reference; for instance, Ephesians (ee Fee zhunz) is where one will find, “I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.” Being grateful doesn’t sound too annoying.
As for me, I’m not ceasing to thank Bette Dowdell for writing this helpful book. It’s helping me explain and understand the basics of my faith. I discovered something else when I read bits of the book aloud to my teenage daughter: How to be a Christian without Being Annoying is written in a voice that speaks well to teens. After falling down on our family devotions for years, my husband and I are using the book to talk to our daughter about things that are important.
A Sufi once said, "There wouldn't be such a thing as counterfeit gold if there were no real gold somewhere." Counterfeit Christians appear to be the problem. And Jesus is the gold standard for the real thing. Here's hoping I can be like him. Jesus may be annoying to some, but He teaches us how love and be real.
by Jessie A. Moser
I'm sitting next to a woman on the bleachers in a barn where we both wait for our daughters to finish a riding lesson. The woman asks me, “What are you reading?”
I raise the book jacket in her direction and she reads aloud, “How to be a Christian without Being Annoying.” She pauses and says, “Gee, is that possible?”
I hope so. For me, the title worked; it’s smart. Before I finish the book, I’m already thinking of a number of possible sequels I’d want to read, like, “How to be a Republican in the Workplace without being Annoying”, followed by “How to be a Democrat in the Workplace without being Annoying.” For my daughter I’d want to buy, “How to be a Teenager without being Annoying,” and for me, “How to be a Parent of a Teenager without being Annoying.” But I’m a Christian, and I would like to be one without being annoying. So I read on.
Somebody once told me, “To tell the difference between a counterfeit twenty dollar bill and a real twenty dollar bill, you have to spend time with the real thing. In “How to Be a Christian without Being Annoying,” Bette Dowdell attempts to explain the simple fact that sin separates us from God. Jesus died to be a sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. The gift is held out for everyone; a Christian is simply someone who accepts the gift. Annoying Christians are people who adopt a do-it-yourself, feel-superior method. She says that a Christian is more apt to live like one than simply talk like one. Christianity is all about relationships and loving God and others. I can draw a few lessons from that.
Dowdell’s book is an easy read and the kind of book that you can pick up and start at any point and read backwards and forwards. Every two pages is a new topic and includes a key verse from the Bible with a phonetically spelled reference; for instance, Ephesians (ee Fee zhunz) is where one will find, “I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.” Being grateful doesn’t sound too annoying.
As for me, I’m not ceasing to thank Bette Dowdell for writing this helpful book. It’s helping me explain and understand the basics of my faith. I discovered something else when I read bits of the book aloud to my teenage daughter: How to be a Christian without Being Annoying is written in a voice that speaks well to teens. After falling down on our family devotions for years, my husband and I are using the book to talk to our daughter about things that are important.
A Sufi once said, "There wouldn't be such a thing as counterfeit gold if there were no real gold somewhere." Counterfeit Christians appear to be the problem. And Jesus is the gold standard for the real thing. Here's hoping I can be like him. Jesus may be annoying to some, but He teaches us how love and be real.
posted by Jessie Ann Moser at
9:27 AM
1 Comments
