We plot. We plan. We assume things are going to go a certain way. And when they don’t, we find ourselves in a new place—a place we haven’t been before, a place we never would have imagined on our own.
It is the difficult and the unexpected, and maybe even the tragic, that opens us up and frees us to see things in new ways.
Many of the most significant moments in our lives come not because it all went right but because it all fell apart.
Suffering does that. It hurts, but it also creates.
This book is an exploration of the complex relationship between suffering and creativity, driven by the belief that there is art in the agony.
When my Amazon box arrived with my copy of Rob Bell’s latest book, Drops Like Stars, I thought there was some mistake. The box was huge.
Turns out it wasn’t a mistake.
The book is huge.
In fact, it’s like a coffee table book.
But honestly, it’s not a book. Well, it is a book. But the book is really an experience. I’ve never read or seen a book like it before.
The book explores the connection between our human suffering and creativity. Between the anguish we endure and the art and beauty we (and God) create out of it.
And the book is absolutely breathtaking. It’s classic Rob Bell… one sentence paragraphs. Broken. Sentences. And in this case, even one or two words per page. All of that is combined with stunning images and simple typeface that drive home a powerful message. And one that hit home for me.
It’s a quick read, but I encourage you to really experience it… to read it in a undistracted environment and to take time to let the words and images really move you.
Rob is currently on the Drops Like Stars Tour and I’m stoked to see him when he comes to the Congress Theater in Chicago in a few weeks. Check out his schedule to see if he’s coming to your neck of the woods and do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of the book.
I’ll never forget hearing Rick Warren speak a few years back talking about the fact that Christ’s command to “love our neighbor” meant something beyond our own backyards but, rather, extended into the global community in which we live.
Regardless of our ethnicity, religion or gender we’re all connected. With advances in media and technology our world is getting smaller. And I think slowly, but surely, we’re all beginning to realize that we’re all in this together.
There’s been no shortage of causes and movements to bring relief to the
devastating effects of AIDS or to provide clean drinking water in Africa or
other developing countries. Everyone from pop stars to politicians, economists,
and pastors of megachurches, to everyday people with a passion to make change
possible have gotten on board to figure out how we can be a part of the
solution.
The need is great and while we have resources to bring relief, I think many of
us fall short of moving our compassion into action.
Or, others struggle in knowing how we can make lasting, sustainable change that
improves the quality of life over the long-haul instead of providing quick
fixes or giving hand-outs.
I’ll be honest: when it comes to this stuff, I can be a bit clueless. I can get
stuck in my own little world and while I’m aware of the need that’s out there,
I haven’t the faintest idea of how I, on my own, can make a difference.
The Blue Sweater is written by Jacqueline Novogratz, the founder and CEO of Acumen Fund, a nonprofit venture capital firm for the poor that invests in
sustainable enterprises bringing healthcare, safe water, alternative energy,
and housing to low-income people in the developing world.
The book serves as a memoir of Jacqueline’s personal journey and work in
Africa, which began in pre-genocide Rwanda, and continued in many other African
countries, as well as into India and Pakistan. The book also is a crash course
in poverty, economics and microfinance, and includes some valuable leadership
lessons, all the while communicating the message that we need to work to bridge
the gap between the rich and the poor.
Jacqueline shares the story behind The Blue Sweater at TED… check it out here:
She uses this story to illustrate the point that, “we are all connected
and that our actions – and inaction – touch people we never know and never meet
across the globe.”
The Blue Sweater takes you on a breathtaking journey from Africa to India, to
Pakistan, to skyskrapers Manhattan and back. You see and hear stories of people
who have endured incredible hardship but have made it and exposes you to the
brutal reality that is everyday life for people affected by poverty and
injustice.
I couldn’t even begin to summarize all I took away from this read but to say
that whoever you are, wherever you are, you need to read this book. To church
leaders, especially, I challenge you to read this. I think we have a long way
to go in learning how the Church can make a real difference and what it means
to truly love our neighbor, and I think, as it did for me, this book will
challenge you and inspire you to act.
“We all play a role in the change we need to create,” says Novogratz.
She goes on to say, “Today we are redefining the geography of community… each
of us in his or her own way can contribute something by thinking – and acting –
like a global citizen. We have only one world for all of us on earth, and the
future really is ours to create, in a world we dare to imagine together.”
So what about you? What change to you need to help create? How can you make a
difference?
I know I’ve walked away challenged to do something. Part of me wants to travel
to Africa to see this first-hand, another part of me wants to hide, but
regardless, I know I must do something.
The first thing I will do is share this book with someone else. It’s too good
to sit on my bookshelf. It’s a message that needs to be heard and something
that needs to be passed on.
So here’s what I’m going to do… I’m going to start my own “blue sweater.”
I want to give away my copy of The Blue Sweater away to another blogger out
there who will promise to not only read this book, but to blog about it and
give it away to someone else who promises to do the same.
I’ve written my name on the inside page, and want to see where this book will
go. So as it’s passed along, I want whoever receives it to write the date, their name and what city they’re from. I want to see where this book will end up, but more importantly, the change this simple message can bring.
I’ll be taking names from now until April 24 when I’ll pick one of you to
receive my copy.
To enter, simply leave a comment with your name and blog address or fill out this form.
I’ll randomly pick one of you and we’ll let the journey begin!
Congrats to Norma-Jean Thompson of the Young Women in Business Network in Vancouver, BC. She’s the lucky one to get my copy of The Blue Sweater… and so the journey begins!
Thanks to everyone who commented or signed up… do me a favor and get a copy of this book, it’s fantastic.
Thanks to Seth and Sasha for sharing this book with me.
“He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” – Micah 6:8
I was working at Riverside Community Church in Peoria, IL. I was only a few years into my career as a Director of Communications. I had no clue what I was doing. Experience was being my educator and I spent a lot of time learning from my mistakes.
A fellow communications guy who was a mentor/big brother to me told me that I needed to go to an obscure town called Granger, Indiana, to hear this lady named Kem talk about communications.
Granger, Indiana? Kem? Shouldn’t it be Kim?
Anyway, I trusted his opinion and made the trek to Granger Community Church for one of their Wired Workshop to hear Kem Meyer talk about communication and why it mattered for the Church.
So, long story short, that was the beginning of a friendship that has brought me so much life, given me insight and inspiration, and equipped me to do my job better.
Kem Meyer has been an incredibly influential in my journey in the church communications world. Through her blog, speaking, and friendship, I’ve gained so much, and so you have no idea how excited I was when I first heard she was writing a book.
I had the privilege of getting a sneak peek of her book awhile back and I have to tell you, it should absolutely be required reading if you do communications, marketing, PR, web, or design… for churches or for wherever.
It will challenge your thinking, stretch your imagination and equip you to communicate clearly and concisely, with less noise and less clutter.
Pulling from both her experience at Granger and in corporate America, this book highlights lessons Kem has learned along the way.
Aside from all that, having had the chance to get to know Kem offline, I can tell you first hand she’s the real deal. She’s legit and her passion for God is what fuels her passion for communication and is why she’s so driven to help the church communicate in a way that helps people take their next step towards Christ.
It’s a book I wish I would have had when I was starting out… it would have saved me some hearteache. And I could have highlighted many parts of it and slipped it under the office door of my pastor to help him “get it.”
I’m not the best salesperson, so just take my advice: GET IT. READ IT.
