The Book and its Topic
After reading Peppermint-filled Piñatas, I have a hint that deep down Eric Bryant is a story teller. That much seems obvious. Now... is there anything that we need more than stories?
Especially stories that inspire us so much that we have no choice but to act upon what we learn. That is what’s on offer here.
Boy, would Leonard Sweet be proud of me for remembering that much from his books!
Eric goes on to admit to a love for sharing stories in the acknowledgements – at the back of the book. Sneaky!
Peppermint-filled Piñatas is more than an interestingly named book, with a couple of entertaining stories. I can sense God wanting the world to read this book and embrace its message. It is about breaking through tolerance and embracing love. In short, it is about love...
Eric uses his keen sense of humor and his story-telling ability to get across this important message. We really need to hear it. All of us.
He starts by looking at people and why they matter most. Here he explores how we can make more friends, party more to expand our influence, and how we can use common causes to relate to others.
Then he moves on to something he calls the new apologetic. In other words, the new concrete proof of the existence of God: Love! Eric starts by handling the issues of everyday persecution and feuds between Christians, and then he handles:
- our perception of stereotypes,
- how we can see disadvantaged people,
- politics and Christianity,
- our obsession with sex, and
- finally how to befriend and accept people from other religions.
All in all? Peppermint-filled Piñatas gives a very good practical example of how we can start loving our postmodern world. Like the church he is from (Mosaic, L.A.), Eric is serious about being the church Jesus intended for us to be. And it shows.
I hope that Peppermint-filled Piñatas will inspire you to get off your couch and go and interact with a world that might just need you. I hope that this book will show you that instead of judging the world, we need to start loving the world. I hope this book will inspire you to live a brave new life.
BookDisciple Power Quote
“My desire is to live a life that embraces the people Christians love to hate. I want to gain influence among those who look different, act differently, live differently, and believe differently. I want to overcome the Christian stereotype with love. I want those around me – whether or not they have a similar background and worldview – to be aware of God’s love through my words and actions. I want to take Jesus seriously when he challenged us to love God and love our neighbor. I want to learn “the art of woo.”
“This book is for those who want to join me on this journey. It won’t be easy. If you are anything like me, you seem to fail more often than you succeed. We will disappoint ourselves at times. Furthermore, actually reaching out to people and loving them can be painful and heartbreaking. In fact, there are
people all over the world who are being genuinely persecuted, imprisoned, and even killed as they try to love those who do not want their love. It is far easier to remain isolated and spend time with those who already love us, but there are so many others who need to feel and experience authentic friendship.
“We live in a diverse world filled with unprecedented opportunity. Now is the time for us to become agents of change creating genuine unity among people from a variety of backgrounds and worldviews. Through stories and insights gleaned from my own experiences and failures, the experiences of others, and the life and teachings of Jesus, my hope is that we will discover how to move beyond ethnic, racial, cultural, and ideological barriers toward genuine friendship with others.” – Peppermint-filled Piñatas, p. 24.
So, how does it read?
It is not short. At 211 pages it comes in as a middle-weight. It does read easily though and you will be able to move through it without too many stops and starts. Avid readers can surely handle it in a week.
At a leisurely pace? Two weeks to a month.
You will enjoy the stories, and you might even catch yourself laughing out load once or twice, depending on your mood (sense of humor?).
What did this book mean to me personally?
It served a roadmap for my continued attempts at reaching others in love. Peppermint-filled Piñatas is one of those books that helped me decide on the type of life I want to live going forward. It helped shape my view on reaching others for Christ.
It helped me decide on the amount of Great Commission I want to mix into living the Greatest Commandment. It is a fine balance...
The time between when I started reading it and the day I initially did this review was almost a year. At one stage I had to put it down and think about what it taught. It was a new way of thinking for me. Now, having taken it all in, and having changed, I am ready to embrace this brave new way of life.
It won't be easy, and I will never master it, but boy will I try...!
What do others say about the book?
“Eric Michael Bryant communicates a bridge-building message with grace and love. It’s worth reading and definitely worth living.” – David Anderson, author of Gracism: The Art of Inclusion and Multicultural Ministry
Conclusion
If for no other reason, you should read the book just to discover why it is named Peppermint-filled Piñatas. So, there you have it. I won't tell you in this review.
I sense that like me, you sense we’ve been getting it wrong in our behavior toward those who are not disciples of Jesus. We need to change our act. We need to show the world the absolutely unconditional love that Jesus has for them.
Jesus loves them all like this, regardless of whether they change. And guess what? So should we! I dare you: Be brave, read Peppermint-filled Piñatas, and allow Eric to convince you to become a real lover of other people. Even if it takes a while, like it did for me...
Return from Peppermint-filled Piñatas to the BookDisciple Front Page.
Trackback(0)
 |
Christian Books 
TrackBack URI for this entry