Raw and Honest!

Every so often you come across a book which is raw, honest, fascinating, difficult to put down and kid friendly!  This is one of those books.  Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove has written one of those true stories about his journey in his book, Strangers at my Door: An Experiment in Radical Hospitality.

Wilson-Hargrove and his wife believed they were called into what I will call urban racial ministry.  They moved into an all African-American community.  They were the only white folks around, which makes for interesting and remarkable encounters.  They wanted to open up a hospitality house in which they would house those who were less fortunate and demonstrate the love of Christ.  While this is a book about their mission for Christ, this is NOT a preachy book.

There is raw honesty from Wilson-Hartgrove as he discloses his own racism, even as he attempted to help those within the community.  He wrote about their successes, those they were able to help and their mistakes and non-successful stories.  He in very poignant ways showed how those who they were trying to help were the victims in more ways than one.

He opened my eyes to the ways the world looks at one another in ways which are unhealthy and detrimental to society.  This could be a terrifying endeavor if you are not called to do this.  It can be romanticized, but is not for all people, yet, welcoming and loving people is for everyone to do.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book, but expect to be challenged by it.

The book was provided free of charge through the reading program at Blogging for Books, in exchange for an honest review.