Shaunarumbling

In Red Letters: Living a Faith That Bleeds, Tom Davis thoughtfully and convincingly makes the case that the gospel is not just to be read and preached, but to be lived. The red letters that the title refers to are the words of Jesus, often set apart in Bibles in red. Davis urges readers to take the words of Jesus seriously and feed the poor, care for orphans and widows, aid the sick, visit prisoners, and in other ways serve as the hands and feet of Christ to others.


Davis discusses America's abundance, the crises of poverty and AIDS in Africa and elsewhere in the world as well as the church's response thus far and what the Bible says about our responsibility to the "least of these" as described in Matthew 25. Davis stresses that lives may be transformed by transforming the way that Christians think about Jesus:

"I've discovered a new way to live. Every morning when I get out of bed, I look for Jesus. No, not because I've misplaced him. And I'm not talking about a feeling I get during prayer, or revelation that comes to me while reading Scripture. I'm talking about finding Jesus in the eyes of real people. In the eyes of the poor, the handicapped, the oppressed, the orphan, the homeless, the AIDS victim--the abandoned and the forgotten."



In the Snapshots of Hope chapter, Davis shares several personal stories of ordinary individuals and what they have done to make a difference, and this was my favorite part of the book. I also appreciated the How to Bleed section of the book, which describes practical ways that you can do something to effect change. Jesus shed his blood for the world, and his blood brings life. An appendix provides additional resources and information about living a faith that bleeds.

• Find more links here.

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