Practicing the Presence of People

Mike Mason used to be severely introverted. However, God gave him an epiphany and Mason learned that he needed to really, truly love people. Mason's introversion had spread beyond preference and into fear and anxiety, which are not of God. As a result, while he still enjoys his time to himself, Mason no longer has fear and has had his view of love transformed. This book, Practicing the Presence of People, explains the lessons he learned in a practical and theological way.

Mason has split his book into 5 sections: People (loving others), Self (loving yourself as well), Presence (how God fits in), Practice (how-to), and Friendship (kind of a summary). Each section has several mini-chapters that deal with a smaller issue, provide examples, or tell a story.  There are 65 chapters in addition to chapter introductions, a prologue, and an epilogue. Over the span of 270 pages, this allots less than 4 pages per segment. It's a quick read, and could be done as a devotional.

Mason's basic message is to love others. That's a message that never grows old. Christians and non-Christians alike have attempted to spread that message through the years, but we still haven't quite gotten there yet. Mason has a lot of insight into this topic as he relates his journey through the concept of love. He uncovers many different levels and aspects of loving others and provides some practical ways to put this into practice.

It's an easy uplifting read with some definite takeaways. It probably could have been done more succinctly - there is some redundancy - but that's probably my only complaint. It's certainly worth a read, and it's a manageable read that could change the way you interact with others.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

(71/100 books...I'm starting to think that maybe I'll be done by the end of this calendar year, which would be 2 months ahead of schedule!)