ONE: The Gospel According to Mike

So, I just finished up ONE: The Gospel According to Mike, a book by Mike Williams that I picked up through Speakeasy. The book was challenging in many ways.

One thing I noticed just a few pages in was that the chapters felt like someone had transcribed sermons or podcasts, but didn't go back through and edit out the duplications that sometimes happens. Many places in the book I felt like saying, "All right already. The point is made." I even found myself making written edit marks in the book in some places. It took me a while to get through the book because it just seemed to talk in circles...like a conversation would. So, I went to YouTube to see if I could find him on there, to just get the cadence of his speech. That really helped me, and I liked him and his way of communicating.

I can't say, though that my overall feelings about the book are negative, because I was so interested in getting to the bottom of what Mike believes the bible teaches us, and a lot of it I believe some theologians would agree with. Many, likely not, which is a point that Mike would probably agree with.

I, though, am not a theologian. And, because I am not, I often have fear even speaking up about Godly matters, much less writing a blog about them. I don't know that anyone should take me seriously, ever. I am still digesting this book, the good points and the hard ones.

I believe Mike has a good grasp on the gospel.
I agree with Mike that ONE man came to save us from ONE man's sin.
I also find it incredibly liberating to discover or rediscover our identity in God.
I am curious about his take on John's Revelation...(Mike, I live near H-town, wanna meet over coffee sometime?)
I was engaged with his take on Adam's original sin.
I feel like Mike has a great way of delivering the good news of Freedom in Christ.

I feel like agreeing with this book may make me an outlaw...but I am already out on a high limb, and frankly I like the view from here. I walked away from the book feeling a little lost in my being. Things that I have grown to accept that I am in tune with were dulled as I worked out some of his thoughts on prayer. I do agree that prayer becomes something beyond words.

Although it was work to get through the book, it was rewarding in the end. All the work it took to understand what he was saying, and weeding through the repetitive nature of the writing and some of his ideas really led me to think, think, think. And ask God to be taught. In the end, this book led me to more God. I felt more assured than ever that I am a small being in the larger being of Christ, how truly blessed that although I may waver as I learn and grow,  I can say my identity is solid. I passed the book right on to a friend because I am so looking forward to conversing on Mike's take (which is why I have no quotes from the book in this blog post)...especially the Revelation piece. Okay, I have to let that be all for now.

Blessings.


**Note of humility**
After all the talk about editing...I just realized the typos in my own blog post where I thought I had posted a video link and did not. SORRY!! Love to get a good heaping slice of humble pie on a Monday. :) Blessings.