Do you ever wonder if you're pious enough, good enough, perfect enough or spiritual enough to be a Christian? Do you ever look at other Christians and wish you could be more like them? But then do you go back to real life and get caught up in a life that is messy, hectic and imperfect?

If so, welcome to my life.

I think that is why a book I just finished -- "Messy Spirituality" by Michael Yaconelli -- quickly became one of my favorite books. Full of stories of what it really looks like to live out faith in the real world, this book reminds you that Jesus was not a fan of the Pharisees. It reminds you of the parable of the vineyard workers, each receiving the same pay regardless of how long they worked. It reminds you of the their dying on the cross and receiving redemption. It reminds you that God loves us all and seeks hard and long after a relationship with us. We as Christians talk about following hard after God. I have used that phrase a lot. In the words of my great uncle Vince, though, "Fuhgeddaboutit!" God is the one who follows hard after us.

"Messy Spirituality" is easy to read but yet you want to linger with each page and each unfolding story.

Read this book. Buy copies for your friends. Give copies to those who are trying to figure out what this faith thing is all about. This book will make you laugh, cry, think, be encouraged, and give yourself a swift kick in the pants. All on the same page.

"...spiritual growth is more than a procedure; it's a wild search for God in the tangled jungle of our souls, a search which involves a volatile mix of messy reality, wild freedom, frustrating stuckness, increasing slowness, and a healthy dose of gratitude."