Unshockable Love: How Jesus Changes the World through Imperfect People

by John Burke

Unshockable Love (formerly Mud and the Masterpiece )Why were people so attracted to Jesus? They knew that he was  for  them--not against them. It had everything to do with the heart of Jesus. What do you see when you look at the imperfect people around you? What do you see when you look in the mirror? Are you shocked at the faults, failures, and moral shortcomings? Or do you see the beauty and potential that God said was worth dying for, the masterpiece hidden beneath the mud of sin in every person? How you frame a person in your mind makes all the difference.
Get ready to change your life and the lives of others by learning how Jesus truly sees all people. Through John Burke's powerful lessons gleaned from his study of every encounter Jesus had, combined with real-life stories of ordinary people having Christ-like impact, this book will inspire you to truly love the messy people around you--and the one staring back in the mirror--with the unconditional, unshockable love of Jesus.

Genres: Christian, Christian Living

304 pages, Paperback

First published August 26, 2014

Reviews

[Carly · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was wonderful! I gave it 4 stars because it felt a little bit long/repetitive by the end, however, I loved all of the stories the author had about people with various backgrounds and stories that came to faith in Jesus and what they did because of that. Also really liked how he talked about reaching out in the community and what the body of believers/the church should look like, and how to effectively move people from the stage of curiosity to digging deeper to making the decisions to growing them in the faith and making them people who effectively impact their own community. also love that the heart of this book is truly focused on centering the truth of the message of the new testament which is that Jesus seeks out everyone and we should never judge what God is able to do with someone's life. Even those we deem the most "broken" or "most sinful" (even though we are all sinful and fall short of the glory of God), God loves them/all of us so deeply, and can do so much through anyone who is willing and obedient.

[Laurie Zeck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book and likely the subject of many sermons - how to convert more people in our daily lives to Christianity without turning them off. Great book and hope I can use some of these tips in my daily life.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Has good points, reminders, and encouragement.

[Connie Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Mark Whitman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life changing

John Burke first shows us the love of Jesus and then shows us how to bring Jesus’ love to others.

[Jason Kanz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I like this book. Unshockable Love (Baker Books, 2013) by John Burke is really a book about the love of Jesus. Burke, the pastor of Gateway Church in Austin, Texas makes the case that too often Christians are prone to evangelizing with the model: bad news first, then good. Admittedly, I have typically operated from this mindset and I think it has its place at times. I once heard someone say that Jesus came to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable, or something like that. Some people, self-righteous people, often need to be shaken up a bit. Nevertheless, I think that he is right in suggesting not enough people hear the good news of the gospel. Early on in the book, he indicated that he intended to look at the life of Jesus and make a case, based on Jesus' own way of interacting, for how we should interact. He made headway toward this goal, though I expected it to be a more central part of the book. Rather, the book seemed to be filled primarily with stories of redemption that occurred through Gateway Church. It seems that a large part of these stories of redemption was rooted in the belief that every person is an image bearer of God and, given grace, mercy, and the love of Jesus, will often flourish. The final 100 pages or so presents a model for how to put this into practice, though admittedly, I found this less engaging then the first half of the book.

On the whole, I think this book gives an important message. Too often, we look like Pharisees, not Christ, in terms of how we relate to others. We are called first to love, and this book helps show the way.

I received a complementary copy of this book from Baker Books for purposes of review. I was not required to submit a positive review of this book.

[Jennifer Pickwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Unshockable Love, Pastor John Burke tells story after story of imperfect people showing others the way to Jesus. These imperfect people make such an impact because they themselves have been remarkably changed. I delighted in the endless stories of one life change resulting in several more. A domino effect than can be duplicated if we can see people the way Jesus sees them.

Simply put, Unshockable Love is a guide-book for reaching people for Christ by changing our own vision. I love how Pastor Burke reaffirms the value Christ places on each person. How He views each as a masterpiece, and that we should do the same. This book offers helpful direction in what should be the obvious. Perhaps one of the most helpful reminders is that of serving your neighbors. We don't have to go far to see people who are in need. They are all around us, at work, across the street, and in our schools.

I would easily recommend this book to any Bible Study or small group. It would easily start a conversation that could light a fire in the community in which you live. It is an excellent read and well-worth your time.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book by its publisher BakerBooks in exchange for an honest review. I have not been compensated and all opinions are my own.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can catch flies with honey... That complete cliche kept coming to mind as I read, but it is true. We are followers of Jesus, so why do we have the need to point out the bad in others? He didn't, except for the bad in the Teachers of the Law! Makes me wonder what He would do with me today.

Anyway, this book shows us how to engage people for Christ. We don't avoid those who don't fit our moral scheme; we love them as Jesus loved. This is the message Unshockable Love clarifies.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was an eye opening experience. John introduced us to many people and stories where Christ love had changed them. as a Christian youth worker this was a challenging and enlightening book. It was not my favorite, because of the writing style but the message was clear. I will look for the Masterpiece in everyone!