AHA (David C. Cook, 2014)
AHA: Awakening. Honesty. Action. is the latest book by Kyle Idleman, teaching pastor at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky. Kyle bases this book on the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15). Pastor Idleman emphasizes that AHA is the antithesis of a self-help book. While we are aware that something is wrong in our lives and we need help, that help must come from God. All of us are in a Distant Country in some area of our lives because we’re rejecting a god of our own creation. God then rises up early (takes action) to sound the alarm. The effectiveness of that alarm is in direct correlation to how much we don’t want to hear it.
AHA moments, the author notes, most often comes in the midst of difficult circumstances. Desperate moments reveal our inherent dependence on the Father and are the number one contributor to spiritual growth. After our awakening, we really must want to see our need for the power of the Holy Spirit. In order to do this, we need a time of solitude and silence to turn down the interfering noise. A trusted Christian friend may be necessary to lovingly speak God’s truth to us. For there is no recognition without repentance. Conviction must lead to confession. Unless we are brutally honest with ourselves, we will get stuck in the pigpen of projection (blaming others).
Like the younger son in the parable, it’s time for us to get up and take action. If we take a passive approach, minimizing not only our responsibility but also the repercussions of our decisions, we are honoring something else more than God. Rather than procrastinate, we must take action here and now. With Jesus, it is never too late. Our Father ‘s house is a house of mercy, not merit. Pastor Idleman concludes:
” . . . through Jesus, He [God the Father] gives us love and grace when we don’t deserve it. Ultimately, the story in Luke 15 isn’t about two sons who disobey. It is about a Father who loves His children unconditionally.”
