red letters: a review

Several months ago, I was provided with a complimentary copy of Tom Davis' book, Red Letters:Living a Faith that Bleeds, through a blog I frequently visit. You can read the offer by clicking here. Incidentally, take some time to look through Seth's blog...I have been spending quite a bit of time there in the last few months and have been really moved by what I've read and seen. So much so, in fact, I believe God is starting to stir my soul to complete abandon to Him. What that means I'm still not sure of, but I digress. As promised to those who provided this book to me, here is my brief and humble review.

Red Letters: Living a Faith That Bleeds is a straightforward, simple book. In writing that, I don't mean to devalue the message that Davis is sharing. In fact, I believe his writing style enhances his message, which was clearly written from the breaking of his heart. Tom starts our journey by introducing us to Kirill, a young boy who he met on the cold, dark streets of Vladimir, Russia, who also just happened to be Jesus. You'll have to read the book to understand that statement, but it is a powerful and valid one.

Throughout the rest of the book, Tom lays out the reasons we, as Christ Followers, should be consumed with expanding our borders and reaching out to a world that desperately needs to be touched by God's love, and not just told about it. He makes the argument that, in our world today, there is absolutely no excuse to allow the things that go on...things like disease, hunger, criminal injustice, and the like. With the globalization of the world around us, we have, more than in any era in human history, the resources and power to literally wipe these things from the face of our planet. As Bono, of U2 fame, is quoted:

"We are the first generation that really can do something about the kind of "stupid" poverty that sees children dying of hunger in a world of plenty or mothers dying for lack of a 20-cent drug that we take for granted. We have the science, we have the resources, what we don't seem to have is the will."

Harsh words, I know. But I also know he's right. Although he touches on many instances in our world where there is a lack of social justice, Tom's main topic is the AIDS crisis in Africa. The statistics are there, and they're sobering, but what makes this book so compelling are the stories. I've always been a numbers kind of guy: logical, rational, calculated. Sure, the numbers here have an impact on me. It's hard to ignore a statement like: "Though the region (Africa) is home to just over 10 percent of the world's population, it contains more than 60 percent of all people living with HIV." But it's impossible to ignore the heart-breaking stories that he shares. Stories like Adanna's, who watched her parents and sister agonizingly wither away from AIDS and who, at just 10 years old, is now in charge of her younger siblings. Like most girls her age in this position (and there are many in Africa), Adanna, having exhausted all of her resources to provide food for her family, is left with the unimaginable choice to trade one last thing--sex. Unfortunately, this is a common theme throughout the stories in Tom's book.

But, scattered among them...there is also hope. Stories of hope from those who have already answered the call. Hope that we can make a difference. Hope that we will.

As I stated a few paragraphs ago, Tom's message is straightforward, simple, but also extremely hard-hitting. Consider the opening sentence:

"The Christian church owes an apology to the almost fifty million individuals in our world currently infected with HIV/AIDS."

Our apologies can't come in the form of words. Red Letters is a call to action. Will we mobilize together and share God's Love the way He intended for us to? Will we observe and follow Christ's words (hence the "Red Letters" allusion)? Or will we continue to live in our "comfort comas", not oblivious to the plight around us--for it can't really be ignored--but apathetic to it?

I know I've been challenged by this book to do more. That's a broad statement, I know, and while I don't believe God is necessarily calling me to Africa to do it, I do believe there are opportunities in my immediate vicinity to be His hands and feet. May I answer the call...