Everybody’s Normal Till You Get to Know Them
By John Ortberg
Reviewed by Pat Beaty
This is a delightful but soul-searching book. In his first chapter, the author states, “From the time of Adam in the Garden of Eden, sin and hiding have been as inevitable as death and taxes. Some people are pretty good at hiding. But the weirdness is still there. Get close enough to anyone, and you will see it. Everyone’s normal till you get to know them.”
The writer goes on to explain, in a humorous, easy-to-read manner, how all of us are in, and in need of, community and he speaks to the subject of what God’s dream for community is. “Our need for community with people and the God who made us is to the human spirit what food and water is to the human body.” Reverend Ortberg goes on to state, “God’s ultimate desire for the world is SHALOM – the webbing together of God, humans, and all creation in justice, fulfillment, and delight.” He asks, “what is one step you could take to contribute to shalom in your little world?”
The author discusses loneliness, which Mother Teresa said was, “the leprosy of modern society,” and he concluded that, “no one wants anybody to know they’re a leper.”
In a wonderful and thought-provoking statement, the author says that “God exists as Father, Son and Spirit in a community of greater humility, servanthood, mutual submission, and delight than you and I can imagine,” and “you and I have been welcomed to the inner circle, to be held in the heart of Father, Son, and Spirit, at enormous cost to every member of the trinity.”
Reverend Ortberg discusses at length the story from the Bible of the paralytic who was lowered through the roof to meet Jesus. He relates this to our own lives and points out how we are members of the “Fellowship of the Mat.” He tells of his own belief that more than anything else, God uses people to heal people.
In part two of this remarkable work, the author discusses “how to get close without getting hurt.” He refers often to the scriptures as he explains his thoughts about living in a community. A notable chapter in this regard is “Spiritual Surgery: Forgiveness.”
One of the most noteworthy statements the author made in this work is “Ultimately, the choice everyone faces is the choice between hope and despair. Jesus says, Choose Hope.”
One of this reviewer’s favorite sections of this book was the author’s description of the “messed up families” in Genesis. He is obviously a sincere Christian and tells it like it is in his own fascinating style of writing.
In the section - Normal at Last: Heaven, Reverend Ortberg discusses the world beyond, our misunderstanding of it, the hope we have of going there, and states: “the loss of community is not God’s intent. He is building a community of blessed life, and He will be its primary sustainer and most glorious inhabitant.”
