The Heist: How Grace Robs Us of Our Shame by Chris Durso

Some say there were two thieves crucified on Golgotha, but I believe there were Three 

In the ultimate act of sacrifice, Jesus robbed the Enemy of every claim he ever had on our lives. He stole all our shame and guilt, and gave us back our lives so that we could live in true freedom. 
The real scandal of Jesus' work on the cross is found not only in what it gives but also in what it steals. The Grace of God robs the enemy of his ability to shame us. It robs death of its sting. And it robs sin of its power to destroy. 

We've all felt the weight of shame and brokenness. Like the prodigal son, we've pursued our own path only to find ourselves far from home and out of options. We long for a fresh start, but what we need most is the ability to see ourselves through God's eyes of grace. 

New York City pastor Chris Durso believes grace is the central message of all Scripture. While there have been some daring heists and cunning capers throughout history, this book is about the greatest heist the world has ever seen...a daring raid where God's son took back what the enemy had stolen, freeing us from the power of shame, sin, and Satan. 

Through a fresh take on the parable of the prodigal son, and the fascinating account of a true modern day diamond heist, The Heist offers a bold invitation into God's boundless grace.

My review:

  I had never heard of Chris Durso before reading this book, but the title and premise intrigued me... so I requested it to review.

 There have been a lot of books written and sermons preached on and about grace. I am sure it is difficult to come up with something new and fresh on the topic, but Durso has done a great job of doing so. Comparing Grace taking our shame to a robbery/heist, he does indeed take a different approach and look at this immense topic of grace.

 Filled with personal stories and his take on grace and the prodigal son, he has written an intriguing, interesting, and encouraging book. I tend to read more fiction than non-fiction, but I found this book as interesting of a read as the average Christian fiction novel I read. No matter how mature the Christian, we often have trouble letting go of shame. Through his book, Durso shows how it is possible to get rid of that shame with God's grace and forgiveness and move on from it.

 I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

About the author:

Chris Durso is the founding pastor at Misfit NYC, a ministry for millennials in New York. He is co-pastor of Christ Tabernacle church in Queens, New York. Chris resides with his wife, Yahris, and two children, Dylan and Chloe, in New York.

The Heist is available from Waterbrook/Multnomah Publishing

Thanks to Waterbrook/Multnomah for the review copy.