Unshockable Love
How Jesus Changes the World through Imperfect People
About
Imperfect people are the only ones who change the world
Why were “sinners” so attracted to Jesus yet repelled by the religious? It had everything to do with the heart of Jesus. They sensed that Jesus was for them—not against them. Do the broken people in our lives feel such an attraction to us? Or do we unwittingly repel them by expecting them to clean themselves up a little before we can accept them? In other words, do our hearts reveal the heart of God or subtly reflect the heart of the Pharisees?
Through an engaging study of Jesus’ encounters with imperfect people, combined with real-life stories of ordinary people having Christlike impact, this book will inspire you to love the messy people around you—and the one staring back in the mirror—with Christ’s unshockable love.
“Beneath the surface of every broken person, there is a work of art waiting to be revealed. This book shows us how.”—Mark Batterson, author of The Circle Maker
“I wish all believers loved people who are far from God like John Burke does. Unshockable Love reminds us of our desperate need to join Jesus in the messy work of life-on-life discipleship.”—Ed Stetzer, www.edstetzer.com, author of Subversive Kingdom
“John is a man who not only knows Jesus, but knows that Jesus really saves and redeems broken people and makes them trophies of his grace.”—Alan Hirsch, author, activist, dreamer, www.alanhirsch.org
John Burke is the author of No Perfect People Allowed and Soul Revolution, and the lead pastor of Gateway Church in Austin, Texas, which he and his wife, Kathy, founded in 1998. Since then, Gateway has grown to over 4,500 members, made up mostly of unchurched people who began actively following Christ at Gateway.
Endorsements
"This book reveals how Jesus restores us into God's Masterpiece, and in the process helps us restore his Masterpiece in others."
Mark Batterson, author of The Grave Robber
"I wish all believers loved people who are far from God like John Burke does. Burke captures a unique aspect of a missional life in Christ that we can easily fail to grasp: We can be missional but on the wrong mission. Mud and the Masterpiece reminds us of our desperate need to join Jesus in the messy work of life-on-life discipleship."
Ed Stetzer, www.edstetzer.com, author of Subversive Kingdom
"John is a man who not only knows Jesus, but that Jesus really saves and redeems broken people and makes them trophies of his grace. This book gets into the heart of the ministry that has characterized John's distinctive contribution to the contemporary church--that Jesus is Lord and Savior."
Alan Hirsch, author, activist, dreamer, www.alanhirsch.org
"The phrase 'this is what I was created for' kept running through my mind as I read Mud and the Masterpiece. My lifelong friend John Burke captures the heart of Jesus to summon the best from each of us. I've watched John live this message for the past several decades. Come and see the bold love of God, who invites everyone--from skeptics to the spiritually stuck to the religiously arrogant--to follow Jesus Christ while surrounded by authentic friendships and energized by a shared mission."
Ken Cochrum, DMin, global vice president, Student-Led and Virtually-Led Movements
"Hope is a dangerous thing. This book drips with hope. Burke is a master storyteller and his stories, woven together with the electric stories of Scripture, grab the heart and ignite the mind. Burke helps us believe that God can do more in and through us, with everyday people we meet in everyday situations. Pick up this book, and your hope will rise."
Doug Schaupp, growth coach, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship; coauthor, I Once Was Lost
"In Mud and the Masterpiece, John has once again captured a fresh vision of a Jesus who is not only worth following, but orienting and giving our entire lives to. In simply but poignantly looking at Jesus' various interactions with people throughout the Gospels, he is able to underscore the call Jesus gives to us in each conversation, a call that goes beyond clever ministries, strategies, or apologetics. It's the call to be found in a story much larger than ourselves."
Mike Breen, 3DM global leader
The Author
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John Burke
John Burke is the New York Times bestselling author of Imagine Heaven, No Perfect People Allowed, Soul Revolution, and Unshockable Love. As an international speaker and as a pastor, John has addressed hundreds of thousands of...
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