Meat & Potatoes

I’m a meat and potatoes type of girl. I’m not into fluff and everything’s dandelions and butterflies. I want to be filled up.

I want to be challenged in my faith. I don’t want sugar-coated Christianity. I don’t want the Christian section of Borders. There’s nothing wrong, per se, with this section, but if you take a quick survey of its selection it usually doesn’t go too deep. It’s surface level, non-confrontational, non-challenging Christianity.

A lot of times it’s “make me feel good” Christianity. The problem with “feel good” Christianity is its not going to get you very far in the life of faith. If you’re looking for “make me feel good” or “make much of me” theology then you’re in the wrong belief system.

That’s why I want the meat and potatoes, because as nice as dessert is when the tray comes around its not going to sustain me.

Last night I was with a group of women and we were discussing books that changed or challenged us in our living–the meat and potatoes. It was interesting to hear people’s stories (I like stories) through the written word.

Mine was Elisabeth Elliot’s Let Me Be a Woman and Passion & Purity. I love Elisabeth Elliot. I love her passion and her ability to just tell it like it is…no need to beat around the bush. What these books did for me, besides give me a biblical perspective on womanhood and relationships, was paint a picture of the Christian life I hadn’t yet seen.

There were high’s and low’s, struggles, doubts, questions of God’s will all wrapped around the Firm Foundation. It was an imperfect life truly clinging to Jesus and relying on him. For me, it was an introduction to my “grown-up faith,” the catapult that has lead me to where I am today.

What’s your meat and potatoes? What books have challenged or changed you?

Tagged as: Books