Peppermint-Filled Piñatas: Breaking Through Tolerance and Embracing Love

By Eric Michael Bryant

SPANISH EDITION: How can we move our churches to become relevant, responsive, and reflective of the global community? That's the question that Eric Michael Bryant poses in Peppermint-Filled Pinatas.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0310273846
• ISBN13: 9780310273844
• Release Date: May 2007
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.6" x 5.4"

Customer Reviews

Discovering the uniqueness of those around you

Most churches don't react well to diversity. The inclination is to turn inward and preserve what is familiar. But is that the right way to react to those people that are different? Not according to the author, a staff leader at Mosaic, an LA church known for its diversity. Using humor and personal stories, Eric re-introduces a better way, one that originated with a humble Carpenter over two thousand years ago. People need to be seen as unique individuals, important in their own right. Love is the strongest apologetic there is, but has been lost in the plethora of programs and rules. Outdated ways that no longer work in this more diverse world. But this new, yet not new, way is risky. Relationship building takes time. Stepping out of one's comfort zone is a frightening prospect for many. Pain can be the result when one's attempts at friendship are rejected. Most people are content to remain within the familiar, under the sometimes false assumption it is a safer place to be. Eric speaks from experience. As a BWG (bald white guy) he's experienced rejection and criticism based on his looks and others' assumptions. But he hasn't allowed those experiences to make him bitter or cynical. Instead, he reacts with humor and grace, telling us of a better way to live and interact with those around us. This is a book that has a home on my keeper shelf.

Embrace Love, Love Your Neighbor

Eric Bryant did a wonderful job showing, explaining, and encouraging the reader to love those and our neighbors we tend to overlook on a daily basis. He even shows us how to show love to those we might even dislike. And how we are to befriend everyone so we can help them to discover and experience what a true relationship with God is all about. Isn't this what Jesus did? Isn't this Jesus' call to all of us? Eric used first-hand accounts throughout his life and in his leadership role at Mosaic in Los Angeles to help the reader to show love and grace and to understand how to build relationships with those who hold radically different beliefs from dispite what their race or religious background may be. I highly recommend this book.

You'll love this book

Eric Bryant has written a great first-hand account of going beyond tolerance to love in living out the gospel in his LA community. Filled with Scripture, biblical insights, and authentic experiences, Eric weaves a story of love, grace and hope for the world we find ourselves in. Robert McKee has written, "Storytelling is the creative demonstration of truth. A story is the living proof of an idea, the conversion of idea to action." Eric lives the story and so proves the idea of the life-changing, life-engaging gospel.

Must Read for all Christ Followers

Approaching this publication with a non-critical mindset, I found it honest and direct. Peppermint filled pinatas genuinely approaches the importance of relationships with intentionality and humility. Eric displays humanity as God sees it, a beautiful thing in all its diversity. The later chapters brilliantly tie together God's heart for his church. Be intentional to complete the entire book. This truly is a must read for all those who call themselves Christ followers.

Great book!

I highly recommend this book. Eric does a masterful job of reinforcing Jesus' call to love others, in a very practical way. He also reveals some of the "secrets" he has learned in his life and leadership role at Mosaic in LA that have helped people connect with Christ despite of ethnic, religious, political, and even moral differences. This book encourages us to love the people we might normally overlook or even dislike, befriending them and helping them to discover a true relationship with God.