Back in 1992, MTV introduced us to The Real World – an ambitious experiment that assembled and housed a group of strangers from diverse backgrounds to see how they would relate to one another. It granted viewers a voyeur’s perspective into the petri dish of life as we observed these individuals pursue their dreams, struggle, experience triumphs and hardships, and grow up before our eyes. It was genuine humanity on display.
And, honestly, it was messy.
In Honestly: Getting Real About Jesus and our Messy Lives, this is one of two truths Daniel Fusco shares, backed by personal experiences as he walks readers through the book of Ephesians; that real life is messy. The other truth that Fusco shares is that Jesus is real – and that he is active in our dreams, shortcomings, triumphs, failures, challenges… our mess.
I was provided a complimentary copy of Honestly by Tyndale House in return for a review. What follows acts both as a review and some of my own personal take-a-ways.
Daniel Fusco’s Honestly: Getting Real About Jesus and Our Messy Lives provides a fresh narrative on what it means to hear the music of the maker in the midst of all of life’s messy noise. Image from TheDiscipleMaker.org.
A Messy Community Created with Purpose
In The Real World, MTV created a quasi community for viewers. The real world, though, was created by God and for him. Both are messy. This is really where the comparison stops, though.
You see, MTV’s messiness was for pure entertainment value. In God’s creation, there is a deeper and more profound purpose. As Fusco says,
In Honestly, Fusco uses the arrangement of John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme” to walk readers through the book of Ephesians. And he does so in a common language that helps us sort through the mess. He introduces us to each chapter with passages from Ephesians using “The Message” translation, which aligns well with the author’s voice, both of which speak with common clarity and directness.
In so doing, Fusco helps us, in his words “catch the tune of the Master.”
You Can Get Bitter Or You Can Get Better
In Jesus, we have the means to see beyond our mess. In fact, he is the only means for seeing our own blindness and past ourselves. In life’s messy struggles, we can receive that vantage granted by a resurrected Lord. By walking the path of Jesus, he shows us that, “God’s spirit empowers us to live resurrection lives… that in the messiness, we’re asking God what greater purpose might be at work.”
He draws us toward grace and peace in the midst of our mess.
Jesus did not come to condemn (John 3:17). He came to save. We would be wise to follow this example by doing our part in saving by sharing the good news of Jesus. We cannot do it on our own – we must rely upon Jesus and get us outside ourselves. To be a part of something beyond ourselves and living for God’s glory.
God’s love is enormous. More than enough to overcome the enormity of our failures and, of course, our messy lives.
Honestly – a Few Final Thoughts
I read this book following the leading of my Sunday School class through a study of Ephesians, so it was with a bit of irony that Honestly landed in my hands. I had never utilized The Message for any of my reading or study, but found its use in this book to be refreshing and well-suited. Fusco, who had wanted to pursue a career as a professional bass player prior to God’s change of plans in Fusco’s life, uses a lot of musical references that took me a bit of time to reconcile because I have not a musical note in my body. But it was not so much so that it was distracting.
If you’re looking for an easy read that will encourage you to nurture your personal spiritual growth, Honestly is a great option. If you have never studied the book of Ephesians before, this is a great lead-in to doing so. If you have studied Ephesians time and time again, Honestly will help you gain a little more polish and perhaps open your mind to a clearer understanding.
Set aside the mess and give it a read. You’ll be delighted by the grace-filled journey that Fusco offers!