Stop Being Weird -Be New Testament Normal: Turning the Church Right-Side Up

By David O. Harrison

NEW RELEASE.

Can a church flourish in full bloom if it trims away the very trellis God designed to hold it up?

I think of the Church the way Paul did-like a living, breathing body, flexing with Kingdom purpose. Yet every body needs a skeleton, every vine a lattice. Strip away the bones, and even the strongest muscles sag. Prune the lattice, and the vine collapses under the weight of its own fruit. God's blueprint for leadership isn't a footnote-it's the frame that lets His people rise and spread wide. God's Design Wears No Optional Tags

God's Design Wears No Optional Tags

Before a single hymn was sung, the Spirit etched instructions into the New Testament parchment (Ephesians 4:11-13; 1 Timothy 3; Titus 1). Apostles blazing trails, prophets pointing north, evangelists sounding the trumpet, shepherds mending bruised hearts, teachers lighting lamps-each role a rib in the same cage, knitting protection around the Church's beating heart. Ignore those ribs, and we're gasping for breath, puzzled that the Body keeps slumping.

Equipping Is the Engine of Thriving

Beth Moore would throw her arms wide here and shout, "Beloved, we were never meant to stay in the nursery " Christ gifts leaders so saints become servants, servants become soldiers, soldiers become family. Only then do we taste "the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." Thriving isn't bigger budgets or slick programs; it's unity thick as honey and maturity sturdy as oak.

When Boardrooms Replace Upper Rooms

Philip Yancey might lean back, eyebrows raised, and observe how corporate pyramids sneak into sanctuaries. Titles harden, pews turn into spectator stands, and the Holy Spirit feels more like a guest speaker than the Host. Numbers may swell, but burnout spreads like rust, and joy thins to a watercolor wash.

Obedience Unlocks the Blessing

Jesus whispered, "If you love Me, keep My commands" (John 14:15). Obedience is love dressed in work boots. A church that edits God's blueprint sidelines itself from the very downpour it prays for. Live the design, and watch windows flung open-revival air rushing in, old bones dancing once more.

The Bottom Line

A congregation can limp along without God's pattern, even boast impressive attendance. But thriving-deep-rooted, Spirit-saturated, fruit-bearing life-springs only from humble conformity to the design etched by nail-scarred hands. Let's rebuild the trellis, strengthen the bones, and see what wonders the Divine Architect has in mind.

Filled with real-life stories, hard questions, and the ever-provocative "IFs" of Scripture, STOP BEING WEIRD is more than a critique-it's a roadmap. A call to turn the Church right-side up. Because when we stop being weird-and start being New Testament normal-we just might become living proof of a living God.

"Retired" in name only, David and his wife, Wendy, host guests at their award-winning Airbnb in Muskoka, Ontario, recognized as Ontario's Most Hospitable Hosts in both 2021 and 2023. They attend Muskoka Community Church in Port Sydney.

The man who once failed English in school has since discovered a calling he never expected: writing. To date, David has authored six original titles and published six group study guides. He is also passionately working on a lifelong project to "translate" the entire library of C.S. Lewis into everyday English-seven volumes have been completed, with three of them becoming Amazon best sellers. Yet, among all his work, he considers Stop Being Weird-Be New Testament Normal to be his most important book to date: a heartfelt call for the Church to recapture the simplicity, clarity, and vitality of the early believers.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0F5BLLC2H
• ISBN13: 9798280233386
• Release Date: April 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 222 Pages
• Weight: 0.67 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"