Aug 27 2008
Book Review-Peppermint-filled Pinatas
Yesterday I finally finished reading Peppermint-Filled Piñatas: Breaking Through Tolerance and Embracing Love by Eric Michael Bryant. I’m sorry it took me so long to finish it but I was working on my own book proposal and well LIFE.
Anyway, I brought the book home a few weeks ago and Cassandra (my beautiful wife of 20 years) stole it from me. I had finished the first two chapters but the title caught her attention. Then she read the entire book within 24 hours! So, I had pencil underlines all through out the book! So yes, she liked it. Or should I say it challenged and convicted her about building relationships in our community.
Eric Michael Bryant is a pastor at Mosaic Church in Los Angeles, CA. For those of you who don’t know Mosaic is pastored by Erwin McManus. Mosaic is a unique church in that it is truly multi-racial. Eric is one of the few white people on staff. He and his wife purposely moved to an area in LA where they are in the minority.
The title of the book comes from when he went out to get candy for their child’s birthday party. He wanted to save money so he bought peppermint candy. But his wife knew that children wouldn’t want the cheap stuff they wanted the good candy. He compared that to life. People don’t want cheap relationships they want the good stuff.
He said the invention of the garage door has probably hurt relationships as much as anything. I would tend to agree. We just wave at our neighbors and push a button and go out of site. He said as believers we need to quit hiding from the world and get in the world. We have to get messy and dirty with people. Not their lifestyles but we have to be involved and life is messy.
Eric is very transparent and doesn’t preach at us through this work. But it was very convicting and confirming to both me and Cassandra that this is what church should be about. Church is being the hands and feet of Jesus not a building, or a choir or band or the best pageant in town, etc….
I highly recommend Peppermint-Filled Piñatas and give it 4.8 hockey sticks out of 5.
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Kevin, is the Bible the only book you give 5 hockey sticks to? Just curious since I don’t remember a 5 hockey stick book. I’m going to have to check out this one. Sounds like it’s going to move to the top of my reading list.
Angie,
This is a great book. I wouldn’t give my own writing a 5.
Kevin Bussey’s last blog post..Book Review-Peppermint-filled Pinatas
Hi Kevin, I have been enjoying your blog. If you are interested, I did an interview with Eric a while back that thought you might enjoy.
Joe Miller’s last blog post..Blind Foxes and Rorschach Statistics
Joe,
Thanks for the link. It was a great interview.
Kevin Bussey’s last blog post..Book Review-Peppermint-filled Pinatas
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