I Became a Christian and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt

Vince Antonucci

Description

Many people find themselves asking, "Is this it?" "We all read about the life Jesus describes and are painfully aware that our lives don't match his words," says Vince Antonucci, a disarmingly funny and edgy pastor. Raised by a Jewish mother and abandoned by his professional poker-playing father, Antonucci found Jesus at age twenty after studying the New Testament. When he finally went to church, he was disappointed to discover a "boring, stale religion." Through provocative storytelling and raw honesty, Antonucci unearths the life Jesus lived and wants us to experience, challenging us to move past spiritual boredom into a faith that's exciting, beautiful, and powerful. Recommended for all Christians thirsty for a fresh perspective on Christianity.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Christianity

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 01 février 2008
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781441200440
• Langue: English

Extrait

I Became a Christian and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt is the funniest and most sincere spiritual growth book I ve ever experienced. If you ve never known the joy of walking with Christ, Vince s humor will entertain you as the truth of God s love will melt you. This book will grab you from the first page and won t let go until you re closer to Jesus.
Vince s writing is hauntingly authentic, gut-wrenchingly funny, and profoundly spiritual. I had no idea I could laugh so hard, be moved so deeply, and crave Jesus more and more-all from reading one book.
Craig Groeschel, founding and senior pastor, LifeChurch.tv; author, Chazown
I don t want to hear the same truths regurgitated in the same ways over and over again. Tell me something I don t know. Challenge the way I think. Make me look in the mirror. And call me to a more Christ-centered life. I like Vince Antonucci for all of those reasons. His is a fresh voice in a world of tired ideas.
This book will make you laugh and make you think. It will also make you reexamine your life. If you re serious about trading in your souvenir religion for authentic spiritual passion, this book is a must read.
Mark Batterson, lead pastor, National Community Church; author, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day
Vince Antonucci is a powerful new voice for what it means to live an authentic Christian life today. He vividly describes a spiritual life filled with honesty, joy, humor, and conviction. Vince challenges us to stop trivializing our faith and pursue Jesus wholeheartedly. This book is a breath of fresh air!
Jud Wilhite, senior pastor, Central Christian Church, Las Vegas; author, Stripped: Uncensored Grace on the Streets of Vegas
I can t remember a time when I ve been so encouraged and challenged by the same book. If you re serious about learning how to follow Jesus in the real world, you must read this.
Brian Jones, author, Second Guessing God
Some people have something worth saying, but they re as boring as the phone book. Other people are interesting, maybe even funny, but they are a few cards short in the deck of meaning. Vince is one of those rare pastors and writers who is both hilarious and substantial, and his faith isn t just a T-shirt: it s in his bones and marrow.
Brian D. McLaren, author ( brianmclaren.net )
Vince writes masterfully on his journey with Jesus and where it is taking him. He s a real deal kind of guy that I know and believe in. I loved it. I think we are seeing the emergence of a bright new author. This book is really good and is going to do a lot of good.
Bob Roberts Jr., founding pastor, NorthWood Church; author, Glocalization
Refreshing, hysterical, insightful . . . real!
Vince does a great job reminding those of us who have been around the church a long time to take a new look at it, to see it from a non-Christians perspective, to look at our Christian life and ask, Would anyone want what we have?
It would be a great book to hand to a new Christian. His practical look at what a true relationship with Jesus really looks like would save many a new believer from years of stumbling around trying to figure it all out.
Jim Putman, senior pastor, Real Life Ministries; author, Church Is a Team Sport
In I Became a Christian and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt , Vince Antonucci gives an uplifting, insightful, and helpful recall of why following Jesus is worth all we have to give.
Doug Pagitt, pastor, Solomon s Porch; author, A Christianity Worth Believing
A church without this book is like a kitchen without a church key (a.k.a. bottle opener): faith gets still and functional rather than sparkling and fun.
Leonard Sweet, professor, Drew University and George Fox University; www.sermons.com
In I Became a Christian and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt , my good friend Vince Antonucci tells my absolute favorite story of someone finding his way back to God-his own story. It s amazing! It s funny! It s a total God-thing! As Vince tells us his own story he also challenges us to live a life more authentically and fully following Christ. This is a book that will entertain you, inspire you, and help you experience everything God has for you. Read it and share it with a friend.
Dave Ferguson, lead pastor, Community Christian Church / NewThing Network
Vince Antonucci s personality comes through in his writing; as a person and as an author he is both refreshing and challenging. This book entertains and captivates, I found myself laughing out loud as I read, but more importantly this book will convict, even dare you to take a fresh look at how you see your faith.
Kyle Idleman, teaching minister, Southeast Christian Church
Vince Antonucci is one of the most riveting communicators I know. At every opportunity, he speaks passionately and convincingly about the church s role in reaching people far from God . . . because he was one. As you read this book, you won t stop laughing at Vince s twisted view of the world, at least until he nails you in the forehead with a life-disturbing truth. This book will transform Christian culture, and I ll be one of the first to take off my T-shirt.
Ben Arment, pastor, Reston Community Church
I Became a Christian and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt
Replacing Souvenir Religion with Authentic Spiritual Passion
Vince Antonucci
2008 by Vince Antonucci
Published by Baker Books a division of Baker Publishing Group P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287 www.bakerbooks.com
Printed in the United States of America
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-for example, electronic, photocopy, recording-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Antonucci, Vince.
I became a Christian and all I got was this lousy t-shirt : replacing souvenir religion with authentic spiritual passion / Vince Antonucci. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-0-8010-6818-8 (pbk.) 1. Spirituality. I. Title.
BV4501.3.A58 2008 248.4-dc22
2007038975
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture is taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION . NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Scripture marked ESV is taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version , copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture marked TLB is taken from The Living Bible , copyright 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Scripture marked Message is taken from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson, copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.
Scripture marked NASB is taken from the New American Standard Bible , Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
In some cases, personal names have been changed to protect privacy.
To Jen
Helen Keller once wrote, Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all. I want to live life, experience the adventure, and follow Jesus with you.
CONTENTS
PART 1 Digress: I Came, I Saw, I Bought the T-Shirt
1. In
2. Emily
3. Alive
PART 2 Undress: Taking Off the Shirt
4. Abide
5. AKA
6. Hungry
7. Follow
8. Glow
9. Monk
PART 3 Progress: New Life, New Shirt
10. Abound
11. Speed
12. Naked
13. Die
14. Touch
15. Mission
PART 4 Regress: When You re Wearing the Old T-Shirt
16. Questions
17. Whisper
Acknowledgments
Notes
PART 1
DIGRESS I CAME, I SAW, IBOUGHT THE T-SHIRT
IN 1
My parents never took me to church.
Not once.
That might have something to do with the fact that my mother is Jewish and my father a professional gambler, but regardless, growing up I knew nothing of God, Jesus, or Christianity; as far as I know, I never even met a Christian.
I first heard about Jesus as a college sophomore in Buffalo, New York. It was Easter morning. I was waiting for my chronically late girlfriend to show up at my dorm room so we could go out for brunch. I turned on the TV. We had only three channels, and each one featured a dumb religious show. I would have turned it back off, but one of these shows looked potentially comical. An old man sat, or sunk really, into a big, red-leather chair. Questions flooded my mind: How old is this guy? Is he going to live through this program? Had he become physically incapable of getting out of that chair? Shouldn t someone help him?
Then Old Man spoke, We ve been studying the last week of Jesus Christ s life. Today we re going to talk about . . . He named something, but I don t remember what. Now most scholars believe, he continued, that this event happened on Tuesday of Jesus last week, but today I will prove to you through the evidence that it actually occurred on Wednesday of Jesus last week.
I mulled this over for some time. Finally I decided: yes, this was the stupidest thing I had ever heard. I didn t know a thing about Jesus, but Tuesday or Wednesday? About something that happened thousands of years ago? If it happened at all? C mon! I turned off the TV in disgust.
My girlfriend knocked on the door.
We left for brunch.
But I could not stop thinking about Old Man. Why did he care if it happened on Tuesday or Wednesday? What did he mean by evidence ? Did anyone help him get out of that chair?
That night I was sitting in my girlfriend s dorm room when I noticed a Bible on the shelf. You have a Bible? I asked. Can I borrow it?
Someone gave that to me years ago. I ve never opened it. You can have it, she scoffed.
That night I began reading. I had never touched a Bible. I expected it to be organized like my TV Guide -by day and time-