Dug Down Deep

Editor of a magazine for homeschoolers, speaker at teen conferences, having a contract with a Christian publisher to write a book , Joshua Harris found himself living the "evangelical American dream." However, he realized it was only a surface faith that he portrayed, not one with a deep spiritual foundation. He began searching Christian doctrine and mentoring with respected preachers. And, he learned what it meant to have a sure foundation.
Dug Down Deep is the story of Harris' search and awakening to the truth of the gospel. For example, he says we are all theologians, but the main question is whether what we know about God is actually true or a conglomeration of false ideas. Our whole life can be wrong because of an incorrect foundation.

On our foundation: "Being a Christian means being a person who labors to establish his beliefs, his dreams, his choices, his very view of the world on the truth of who Jesus is and what he has accomplished..." (pg. 19)

On sanctification: "Christian growth can't be defined by whom we don't want to be like. It has to be defined by becoming like Jesus...It has to be built on real, Bible-rooted conviction." (pg.170)
"The truth of God's adopting love for me means I'm not obeying to get into his family or even to stay in the club. I obey because I'm already in." (pg. 173)

On the Holy Spirit: "To be indwelt by the Spirit of the living, eternal God is a greater gift, a more overwhelming honor than any position, any possession, any amount of wealth, or any human achievement." (pg. 186) "The truth is that there is no such thing as normal or nonsupernatural Christian living." (pg. 187) "But we can never settle for merely knowing doctrine....We need the power of God's Holy Spirit to give us 'strength to comprehend'....God's love for us..." (pg. 191)

On the doctrine of the church: "So God doesn't come out on a big stage once a year to prove himself to the world. He does something so much riskier and more daring....he makes us the show." (pg. 197)

I now know the story called "The Room" was his own dream. Harris also disliked an old tale about a train conductor who sacrifices his son in the gears of a bridge so people on the train could be saved, equating that somehow with Jesus and the cross. I never liked that story either, but could not figure out why it bothered me so. Now I know it's because it wrongly portrays Jesus as a victim.
Dug Down Deep, by Joshua Harris, is a thoughtful, well written story of a personal search for a sure foundation. It's worth reading.

2010 hardbound by Multnomah.