Fifth Sunday of Lent (Cycle A)

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The Raising of Lazarus Lectionary:  34 Reading 1 -  Ezekiel 37:12-14 Responsorial Psalm -  Psalm 130:1-8 Reading 2 -  Romans 8:8-11 Verse - John 11:25a, 26 Gospel -  John 11:1-45 Lazarus, come out! LESSON: The Power of God Through Those Who Believe We’re a week away from the start of Holy Week. Our Lord now has his sights set on Jerusalem, and the pace is quickening. In these next two weeks, we’re living just one part of the Gospel passage from today: an encounter with the reality of suffering and death. Jesus is asking us to have faith in him. In today’s First Reading the prophet Ezekiel reminds us of the Lord’s promise to not only to bring us back to life but to bring us home. The background of this passage is the famous "Valley of Dry Bones." The people of Israel were in exile in Babylon. They weren't just sad; they were spiritually and nationally "dead." Their common saying was: "Our bones are dried up, our hope is lost, and we are cut off." They d...
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Review: The Genius of Jesus: The Man Who Changed Everything

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The Genius of Jesus: The Man Who Changed Everything The Genius of Jesus: The Man Who Changed Everything by Erwin Raphael McManus

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The author is the lead pastor of Mosaic, a nondenominational christian megachurch based in Los Angeles. In this book, he explores the concept of Genius, starting with how he defines it … which basically holds two things … it is nonconforming and it is transformational (the author actually splits nonconforming into three parts: 1. They are heretical. 2. They are original. 3. They are extremist). There are two ways that genius manifests: transforming what we do is the most common measure and transforming who we are is the second and most overlooked aspect. Conceptionally this is a pretty good fit into my own philosophy on what religion is supposed to do and it is the latter which describes the Genius of Jesus (who shows us how to transform ourselves).

The author then makes a bold statement: “Before you were twelve, you were a prodigy.” I think that is quite a stretch to basically say that we all have the potential for greatness … a potential that decreases as we get older when we don’t use the talents given to us by our creator. While the author may be engaging in a bit of fanciful optimism here; I can see what he is driving at and he comes up with some pretty good questions to get you started …

* Have you embraced your identity? Do you know who you are?
* Have you discovered your intention? Do you know why you’ve been put on this earth?
* Are you endlessly inquisitive? Are you asking the right questions?
* Are you expanding the parameters of your intuition? Are you open to the unknown?
* Is your essence grounded in intimacy with God? Do you know the God who loves you?

“Whatever genius is within you, it was not given to you for your personal benefit but for the good of others. Genius is a form of stewardship. To unlock your genius, you must choose to bear the weight of great responsibility.” Which is another way of saying we are called to follow Christ’s example … but do we really understand that example?

McManus then introduces us to the different aspects of The Genius of Jesus:

Chapter 3: The Genius of Empathy
Chapter 4: The Genius of Power
Chapter 5: The Genius of Grace
Chapter 6: The Genius of Good
Chapter 7: The Genius of Truth
Chapter 8: The Genius of Beautiful

I don’t always see his point nor do I always agree with his opinions (and even some of his facts or presumptions), but I can always see what he is trying to say and the is the true essence of communications. This book will help you re-examine your [Christian] faith and hopefully find within it something the will transform who you are … and that is the Genius of Jesus :-)

I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#TheGeniusOfJesus #NetGalley

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