If you will remember, the last "book" I read was this one. In it some of the main characters began to use the storyline of In His Steps to fashion a safe place for the immigrants to live and work. I was intrigued since Band of Sisters touched me so deep.
This book, is, of course, a classic in all of Christianity. The story "In His Steps" was written in 1896, and it was read a chapter at a time to my [the author's] young people, Sunday evenings in the Central Congregational Church, Topeka, Kansas. While it was being read it was being published in the Chicago Advance, a religious weekly, as a serial.(here) The summary is below, but I have to tell you, this thing will grip you to your very soul. It will convict you, it will make you ponder, it will make you question your very life work, and it will make you think more.
I have nearly 20 quotes highlights on my Paperwhite (where I read it, since it was free, although I think I want to get a paper copy of it to mark up!) but it would take too long to share them all. This one, at the end, however grabs me most of all:
But if our definition of being a Christian is simply to enjoy the privileges of worship, be generous at no expense to ourselves, have a good, easy time surrounded by pleasant friends and by comfortable things, live respectably and at the same time avoid the world's greatest stress of sin and trouble because it is too much pain to bear it--if this is our definition of Christianity, surely we are a long way from following the steps of Him who trod the way with groans and tears and sobs of anquish for a lost humanity; who sweat, as it were, great drops of blood, who cried out on the upreared cross, 'My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
It makes me think of missionaries I have met, who I love, who I pray for, who don't get to eat Cheetos or Goldfish (because they live on the other side of the world) who are actually doing this.
What would it look like to you to actually ask yourself regarding every thought, every decision, every everything, "What would Jesus do?"
Rev. Henry Maxwell, speaking slowly and determinedly, yet not fully realizing the implications of what lay ahead of him, repeated his astounding proposition, "I want volunteers from First Church who will pledge themselves, earnestly and honestly, for an entire year, not to do anything without first asking the question, "What would Jesus do?" Maxwell never dreamed that among those who responded would be the most influential members of his congregation, the wealthy heiress with her millions at stake, the newspaper editor with his job on the line, the president of the local college, the town beauty. But together they pledged themselves to a new step of faith that would change, not just a handful of people, but an entire town - for good. (picture and description from ChristianBook)
They have actually made a DVD of a "modern" version of this available soon!
O:|
Melissa
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