JourneyOnline
Authentic Media
RRP $13.95
It is always good to read a book that demands we ‘walk the talk’. The hard part is what follows; the application bit.
Dave Andrews’ authority comes from years of walking the talk both locally and internationally.
It’s why his new book Plan Be on the Beatitudes (Matthew 5) rings so true.
It’s why his thoughts feel so fresh and why the illustrations hit home. By the close of my reading, the clarion call of each Beatitude had shaken my bland assumptions, lazy middle class values and fairly shallow ways of relating to others.
As I followed Mr Andrews’ thoughts, I was recaptured by the radical nature of the Beatitudes.
He allows Jesus’ teaching to speak for itself.
The Beatitudes remind us that faith in Jesus cannot remain private. For faith to exist, it must have a public aspect. It demands a public response.
In Plan Be, Mr Andrews reminds us that the Beatitudes are much more than ‘good ideas’ to be occasionally referred to. They are core practical principles, the model, the framework by which we are set on our way to ‘follow’ Christ.
Keen to facilitate action (and inspire the reader), Mr Andrews lays out practical tips to begin the journey, and to allow Jesus’ teaching to infuse our daily lives.
At the close he also includes an excellent glossary of projects and groups to engage with and begin.
Plan Be is not a long book. It doesn’t need to be.
Mr Andrews does us all a favour by reminding us concisely of the centrality of the Beatitudes to Jesus’ teaching, their core principles, and how they can help us engage, serve and participate in the world we dwell in.
This is an ideal book for small groups that are looking to be motivated to ‘Be the Change’.
Plan Be is available at Koorong Books and Word bookstores.
Reviewed by Mr Ian Loom, an RE teacher in Brisbane
