Bo's Cafe
This is one of the best books I (Claire) have read about creating safe places in which we can find freedom. It is the story of what happens when we lay down our defenses and start to live in honest relationship.
In the North American church, we have believed the lies that we can fix ourselves, that God wants us to try to fix ourselves, and that He is angry when we don’t try harder. And because we can never try hard enough, we feel like screwups. We feel a lot of shame, so we have learned not to trust anyone with our real selves. Bo’s Cafe is an experience of grace that breaks down this distrust, so that we are no longer robbed of the love that heals.
It is a novel about Steven Kerner, whose high-profile, high-octane life has always provided everything he’s wanted. But when his bottled-up pain and unresolved anger threaten his marriage, and his attempts to fix it only make it worse, he is pushed to the end of himself. An invitation from an eccentric mystery man may be the greatest hope Steven’s ever been handed. This book is a model for all who struggle with unresolved problems and a performance-based life.
Imagine a place so safe that we can share the worst about ourselves and we would be respected more, not less. In that kind of safe environment, healing and transformation can finally take place. This novel paints a picture of what the church is called to be.
