Interrupted | Review

A few months ago, Jen Hatmaker came and spoke at our church and I was pretty excited because I’ve read her blog & followed along on Twitter and such for some time and like her witty yet challenging words. After her talk however, I realized I hadn’t read a single one of her books (gasp!) so I wanted to remedy that promptly. I picked Interrupted as my first choice, primarily as it was the only one I could find at Barnes & Noble being as the others were sold out. And then it sat in the box under my bedside table. For months. These days finding time to read has been more challenging than I thought – I can’t even imagine what will be when little miss arrives! So when we went to PA for a friend’s wedding last month I knew it would be the perfect time to get a jump start on this book! Little did I expect to read the entire thing, but y’all I just couldn’t put it down.

The subtitle on the front – When Jesus Wrecks Your Comfortable Christianity –  really got me to thinking before evening opening to the first page. Is my Christianity really that comfortable?  Is my life really interrupted for my faith? Or is it convenience that propels my service? Obligation that drives my mission? Do I give out of plenty or because of a desire? Am I simply “doing” church rather than “being” the church? Jen takes us through her own journey of moving into radical mission and drags us alongside her as she grapples with faith, service, and mission. At so many points of the book I was laughing, but then immediately drawn into searching my own life and faith. It was more like talking to an old friend, and working out the selfishness within, than reading the journey of a stranger who happens to be a pastor’s wife & an author.

As Jen warns her reader in Interrupted, “This is no expert’s account, only the words of a fumbling searcher who got so much wrong before she got virtually anything right. I’ve never been more aware of my own poverty, foolishness, ignorance, and arrogance. As I get older, I realize I know less about the mysteries of God and more about my own tomfoolery.” So spot on. How often do I think I’ve “gotten it right” because of what I am involved in with and through the church? How many times do I turn a blind eye to the real need staring back at me because I think “Jesus will understand – I already do so much after all”. Yet, lest we forget the flowing. “God is supremely concerned about our motives,” Jen quips, “and our works count only when they match our intentions. There is no back door into salvation, rerouted around the sacrifice of Christ. Otherwise, the whole earth could gain heaven by good works, and His day on the cross would be pointless.” Talk about brutal. But sometimes that’s what truth is. And sometimes we need the proverbial slap in the face to see it. So you should go grab a copy. And don’t put it on a shelf for months. But read it. Like nowish. And be prepared to have your world rocked in the best way possible. You can buy yourself a copy here & check out Jen’s space if you haven’t already. She’s pretty awesome.

Have you ever had your life interrupted by Jesus?

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