{Christian Book Review}: Ten Days Without

barnesandnoble.com

10 Days Without is a book written to inspire Christians to stop being passive.

In the way they seek God.

In the way they worship Him.

In the way they serve others.

I've noticed and prayed against this habit myself- the tendency we have to move beyond contentment and go into what Day calls 'slackitism'. It's feeling the conviction of the Holy Spirit tell you to do something, and then completing it half way. Or not doing it at all. Or relying on someone else to do what God Himself has called YOU to do.
I love the idea centered around this book. It's calling us to GET UP out of the church and go out and see what God is doing in this broken world. As each section beckons us to give up a comfort to peek into the lives of others while praying and fasting, God gives us a glimpse of what it's like to live in the eyes of the person who doesn't have shoes, or legs.

In this eye-opening book, Day challenged me to fight the tide of 'good intentions' and move into serving the people my Savior loves. In a sense, it widened my eyes to what Jesus was trying to tell me concerning serving. There are a few places where the author makes points that contradict themselves, like saying that slackitism is a form of being passive, but apart from that I admire the idea based around the book.
However, in honesty, I couldn't bring myself to read through the book because I found it rather long and the author's voice at times, accusatory. I think the line between grace (not in a form where slackitism is accepted, of course not!) and legalism should be bolder so that readers can differentiate whether they are doing something out of grace and love for Jesus Christ, or whether they're serving because they feel obligated to.

10 Days Without is a book based on real life experiences that teaches some real lessons straight from the Bible. I learned some things, admire the idea built around it, and hope that the Holy Spirit convicts people who are participating in 'slackitism' and touches them to serve wholeheartedly.