When I saw Same Kind of Different As Me in a local thrift shop, I remembered: someone I love had blogged about it in such a way that made me want to read it. In that moment, I couldn't remember who'd blogged about it, but I figured out, later: it had been Anne Conder of I Live in an Antbed.
I bought and read the book. I give it five stars. If you haven't read it, you're truly missing out. It's the nonfiction account of fancy schmancy Ron Hall who--until he falls back in love with his homeless-people-loving wife--is totally happy with getting his weekly dose of Jesus at church on Sundays. In Ron's efforts to please his wife, he gets involved at a gospel mission and develops a relationship with intimidating former sharecropper Denver Moore, who's been living on the streets. In Same Kind of Different As Me, both men share their heart-warming (and, at times, heart-wrenching) testimonies.
This book includes some of my very favorite themes: redemption; God's working all things to our good; inner (vs. outer) beauty; true wisdom (vs. "book learning"); receiving and responding to God's callings; the life-changing effects of trust; and the commitment of true friends.
I have to say, though, my very favorite element of the book is Hall's and Moore's willingness to step out on a limb and talk about things like prophecy; instructive dreams from the Lord; visitations from the dead; all-night prayer vigils; the tangible power of shared prayer; and other, "uncomfortable" spiritual matters. They rocked these topics, and--thanks to personal experience--I bought every word and took it to the bank.
You can read more about the book from my friend Anne's gorgeous perspective, here.
No comments:
Post a Comment