Runaway Radical: A Young Man's Reckless Journey to Save the World($10.99Value)

Description

Travel the world, change lives, save souls. (Note: Results not typical.) A young idealist heeds the call to radical obedience, gives away all of his belongings and shaking off the fetters of a complacent life, travels halfway around the world. There he discovers, among the poor and the fatherless of West Africa, that he has only surrendered to a new kind of captivity. There is no doubt that young people today are fully invested in social and human rights issues. They start their own nonprofits, they run their own charities, they raise money for worthy causes. Books on saving the world abound, topping the bestsellers' lists, fueling the drive to prove not only commitment to the world but devotion to God. Now there is a new crop of books starting to emerge, detailing the consequences of trying to save a world that is not ours to save. But none of these books tell the story that Runaway Radical tells; this is the first book to highlight the painful personal consequences of the new radicalism, documenting in heartbreaking detail what happens when a young person becomes entrapped instead of liberated by its call. His radical resolve now shaken, he returns home to rebuild his life and his faith. Runaway Radical serves as an important and cautionary tale for all who lead and participate in compassion activism, in the art of doing good-- both overseas and at home-- amidst this new culture of radical Christian service. Amy Hollingsworth is the author of the best-selling The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers and Gifts of Passage . Before writing books, Amy wrote for various magazines and was a television writer for eight years for CBN. In 2010, she was named one of USA Today 's Top 100 People for her influence on pop culture and was featured in the documentary by MTV's Benjamin Wagner titled Mister Rogers & Me . Her television appearances include WGN's Morning News , PBS's A Word on Words , and Fox's Morning News . A former psychology professor, Amy lives in Virginia with her husband and children. Runaway Radical A Young Man's Reckless Journey to Save the World By Amy Hollingsworth, Jonathan Hollingsworth Thomas Nelson Copyright © 2015 Amy Hollingsworth and Jonathan Hollingsworth All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-7180-3123-7 Contents Introduction: Is He Real?, 1, 1 · Sacrifice, 11, 2 · Stories That Don't Get Told, 21, 3 · They Still Need Love, 27, 4 · Ashia, 43, 5 · Does He See?, 49, 6 · A Dirty Mirror, 65, 7 · The Last Sacred Place on Earth, 71, 8 · The African Way, 89, 9 · I'll Know the Exit When I See It, 103, 10 · If All Else Fails, 109, 11 · The Only Certain Happiness, 123, 12 · Stepping Back, 137, 13 · Three Choices, 143, 14 · Runaway, 157, 15 · Results Not Typical, 163, 16 · A Counterfeit of Grace, 177, 17 · How Much More Do I Have to Do?, 185, Epilogue: Saving the World, 201, Acknowledgments, 209, Notes, 212, About the Authors, 213, CHAPTER 1 SACRIFICE IT HAS ONLY BEEN A FEW DAYS, AND MY HEART IS already exploding with joy. It has only been a few days, and I already feel at home. It's amazing what can happen in a matter of days when you're on the other side of the world. Maybe that's what it takes sometimes. From the mansions of politicians to the shacks of humble farmers, I've seen the city and the countryside and everything in between. But everywhere I go I am told the same thing: you are welcome here. Despite all that has happened since I arrived, the event that stands out to me the most is when I went to the local church Sunday morning to worship. The joyful energy in the room was incredible, and the angelic voices of the children's choir were enough to make me feel like I was worshiping with these wonderful people in the throne room of heaven. I promise, an African church service will ruin you to anything else. When the sermon was over, I was greeted by more people than I could count. The adults showered me with handshakes and hugs. The children greeted me with curious looks, shy smiles, and contagious laughter. —Jonathan's blog post, written on his third day in Cameroon, West Africa For nearly a year Jonathan had agonized over how to save the world. What was his part? What was his purpose? And then within six weeks every detail fell into place. Eight thousand dollars of support were raised in just over a month. Thirty guitars were donated so that he could give African orphans the gift of music, teach them what he had been taught in a privileged youth of weekly music lessons. The newspaper covered his story; his college highlighted his sacrifice. He got all his shots, was granted his visa. The insurance company bent the rules so that he could secure a year's worth of antimalaria medicine. He was prayed over, sent out, chosen. His path was made straight. He aced his last exam of the semester, finished up his thank-you notes, and boarded the plane—all on the same day. We, his happy family—his father, his mother, his sister—cried and hugged him