"Messy" by A.J. Swoboda
The kind of book that I instantly put on twitter, quote on skype, and tell my friends about on facebook. Edgy, "normal" and coffee-flavoured theology that leaves questions in the back of your mind while you're brushing your teeth and looking in the mirror. "Could God actually enjoy making something special out of the mess of my life?"
"Messy" is full of humorous, casual comments that tickle you. ("What troubled me was how little time Jesus devoted to explaining to his devoted disciples how to run church services and come up with vision statements. None at all, in fact.")
Being an editor/writer myself, I was pleasantly surprised to not find typos all through the chapters, something that can happen easily in a book this simple. Another surprise was a section on the Holy Spirit - complete with Hebrew and Greek origins. It was still written in a tone of "So, I'm learning this cool stuff about God, and I thought you might be interested," as opposed to, "Let me stun you with my educated background and grasp of etymology."
A must-read for postmodernists (the kind who wear "dark-rimmed glasses that make them look crazy smart,") college kids, grown-ups, and ordinary people wondering why the modern church sounds like one thing and Jesus like something else completely.
"He's out there. Just waiting for you to chase him. Because your chaos is his joy."
