Messy Spirituality

Messy Spirituality: God's Annoying Love for Imperfect People

Written By: Mike Yaconelli

Read By: Fred Stella


Background:  Mike Yaconelli  was a lay minister and founder of Youth Specialties. A Christian leadership organization that focus's on developing people specifically for ministry with young people. Mike tragically passed away in 2003 of an auto accident after suffering a stroke while driving. This was my first introduction to Mike and I have to say I think I would have really liked him had I known him. His brand of "K-mart Seminary" is refreshing in it's simplicity. He doesn't feel the need like allot of Churches and Church leaders to constantly have everything look perfect.

The Review:
Messy Spirituality, is truly what Mike practiced. He was not perfect, and he knew it. He made many mistakes, big ones too. He was divorced, which for many would be Church Leaders can be the end of your Ministry Career. But in spite of all of his short comings in life , he was constantly reminded that God loved him. Just a few days before his death, he was speaking at a conference and said that his first words to God if he had died right then would be "What a Ride, What a Ride".

Mike speaks to what many in the Christian culture would call "Legalism" or "Holiness" or just plain "Perfectionism" that has pushed many people away from the Church. It has always struck me as odd how an institution that should be loving and accepting of all people can so blindly do the exact opposite of what Jesus taught. This is a hot button issue if you're involved in the Church leadership world. And it's never just as easy as doing what Jesus says, because Jesus doesn't always speak in formula's or absolutes. He speaks in stories and gives real examples. Like another favorite author of mine Donald Miller says, "if you read through the Gospels, it's almost as though Jesus is doing everything He can to never do the same thing twice, because if He did we wouldn't trust Him , we'd trust the Formula". I think that's what we in the Church in America have become addicted too. Practicing the formula of Religion. Instead of living like Christ.  Top that off with todays 21st century media coverage, and now everyone can see how living life according to Formula doesn't work.

Another problem I think this has created in the Church in America is the "Can't someone else do it?" mindset. There's this group of Christian teachers out there in what has been labeled the "Emergent Church Movement" (which may be on it's way out), and the one thing they most all have in common is calling the Christains that attend their Churches to get out and DO SOMETHING about Extreme Poverty, Justice, Slavery, Sex Trafficking, the list could go on forever. And many of these Churches, are literally changing the world in Jesus name.

Then there's the critics, who latch onto one or two taken out of context statements by (insert name of popular preacher here) and then claim they're of the Devil and Heretics and should be burned at the stake. Usually their solution for all the issues that plague the world today is Pray about it, and God will help them. Now this may be true, God can help, but I think more often then not. When we're praying for God to fix something, He's right there asking us , "ok what are YOU going to do about it?" . We are supposed to be the "Hands and Feet of Christ" after all.

This has become a Messy blog entry, and it's fitting I think. Because it just shows that being a Christ Follower in today's world is not easy, it's not clean, and anyone who says otherwise is lying to you.

Bottom line, I think more us of should be like Mike Yaconelli. He's a great guy, that is truly missed.


Rating 5 out of 5

Read it. Or listen to it, Fred is a good reader.


-B