Happy New Year

A new year brings new openness & opportunity. I read much last year about how the Church is known what what it is against & should instead be more known for what it is for. What we are for is a lot more exciting too, in my estimation. There is a person I know that seems to look for people with whom he disagrees. I've heard numerous times that this writer is a heretic, that thinker is way too far outside the lines to be evangelical.
I believe in right doctrine as much as the next guy, but I also believe that we can learn from everyone - we just need good discernment. I think in 2007 we need to look for people that we can work with & learn from, instead of dividing because we don't agree with an aspect of their theology - however major or minor.
In the spirit of that, I am challenging myself & anyone else to read two books this year by people you would never have been caught dead reading before. Whether that is an Armenian, Buddhist, Emergent, Conservative, or Mystic. Believe me, I know there is way too much junk out there. (I once worked at Barnes & Noble & the stuff they tried to pawn off as Christian Living was closer to witchcraft & new age than anything else).
All this to say, be discerning, but also, be broad. We should look intently for reasons to come together, to unite, not to divide. And however, big or small, stretch your reading this year!