Book Review - AHA - Awakening.Honesty.Action by Kyle Idleman

Ok, I admit it.  I am a huge fan of Kyle Idleman.  This would be my third post about a book he has written.  To see my thoughts about the other two, click on the titles: Gods at War and Not a Fan.

If you are familiar with his work, you would notice sound biblical teaching peppered with a great sense of humor.  This book is no different.  Make sure you read the footnotes, as some of these made me laugh out loud.*

The book follows the very familiar parable of the lost son found in Luke (Luke 15:11-32).  You may be familiar with the story, but to quickly recap, a man has two sons, one who worked hard, and one  who rebelled and traveled to a distant country with his future inheritance.  After hard times hit, the son had a sudden awakening, was brutally honest with himself, and took action to return home to amend his relationship with his father.

Kyle takes the passage, and breaks it apart in a very real way.  He describes our own acts of sin and rebellion as a trip to the "distant country."  He explores the concept of a sudden awakening moment - the moment you realize the consequences of your sins.  He then is very brutal in his honesty of these sins, discussing the difference between regret and repentance.

The awakening must lead to honesty.  Conviction must lead to confession.  This is the biggest difference between regret and repentance.  Many of us will have an awakening and regret that things have turned out the way they have, but we won't repent of our part in it. (Chapter 5)

He noticed that Christians find ourselves struggling to be honest with ourselves, let alone with others when it comes to the secrets sins we harbor.  He then goes one step further and says it's even worse for pastors.  He says we all need someone in our life with whom we can be brutally honest.  This person should be one you trust and who trusts you completely, one who is honest and who shares in your convictions, and above all, one who has freely received grace from Jesus and freely offers grace to others.

Is this someone you have in your life?

The third part of the book is the last piece of the puzzle: taking action.  Kyle challenges the excuses we all take when we fail to act, even after recognizing and confessing our sins.

I am currently reading this book for the second time, taking advantage of the study questions at the end of the book.  I highly recommend this book for small groups or leadership teams, or even just for personal study.

"Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." ~James 5:16 (NLT)

*It's the random stuff, like the usefulness of Jedi mind tricks that make me laugh out loud.