Peppermint-Filled Pinatas

Eric Bryant’s Peppermint-Filled Pinatas at 211 pages is a surprisingly easy read with a powerful punch! Eric’s conversational style makes this book feel like sitting down to a conversation with Eric himself over coffee (or like my experience, over Chik-Fil-A!). At first, his non-threatening, conversational style lured me in and finally hit me between the eyes with the reality that I have failed to love those different from me, and has helped to birth a desire deep inside to see others as God sees them. This book is a call to a radical kind of lifestyle that is ignorant of the ethnic, racial, social, or economic backgrounds of those we meet. Eric advocates for a type of discipleship that begins at meeting people, regardless of who they are, or where they are, and showing them the kind of love that Christ would. Peppermint-Filled Pinatas advocates moving beyond simply tolerating people who are different to engaging them, loving them as an expression of the love of Jesus.  

This book is divided into two sections. Part 1: People Matter Most, is a call to get out of the house and find ways to engage people. It essentially is a framework for why people matter and deserve our attention. Part 2: Love Is The New Apologetic, spells out the how. While Part 1 is the why, Part 2 explains that through practice and engaging others, we truly can have a positive influence on those far from Christ. Since Eric is based in the diverse city of Los Angeles, he realizes that most people will not decide to follow Jesus simply based on intellectual arguments alone. Rather, actions are necessary to break through the stereotypes that non-Christians often have of Christians. He advocates for building relationships that allow for belonging before believing.

Here are a few great quotes from the book:

• Our personal relationships often betray our feelings for the world as well. Rather than befriending and loving those who do not yet follow Christ, it seems that the longer we follow Christ, the fewer people we actually know who believe differently than the way we believe. (21)
• Some of our churches have so consistently become a refuge for Christians from the world that we fail to become communities that go out into the world, or even communities where seekers feel free to come and explore the possibility of a God who loves them and has a plan for their lives. (22)
• The greatest apologetic (argument for the truth of Christianity) is love. (32)
• We think others are willing to connect with us, even though what we offer is cheap and unsatisfying. We offer peppermints when the world wants Gobstoppers, Airheads, and Reese’s Peanut butter cups. We offer something sweet to believe; they want a new life that helps change the world.
• Throughout history, Christians have been at the forefront of caring for the marginalized and overlooked… sadly, at the same time, many churches have moved away from poverty-stricken neighborhoods and especially out of the cities. Most of evangelical america tends to be hunkered down in the suburbs, just beyond the reach of the city. (139)

I could go on and on with challenging and thought-provoking quotes, but suffice it to say that this book is a call to love blacks, whites, hispanics, gays, straight people, Muslims, Hindus, and any other type of person you could even imagine. God has used Eric’s words through this book to challenge me to stop playing safe Christianity in my little bubble and get out and meet people where they are. It’s going to require some big changes in my heart and life, but reading Eric’s journey as a true practicioner of what he preaches gives me hope. I encourage you to read Peppermint-Filled Pinatas and take the journey toward an exciting, scary, engaging, loving life yourself!

As an aside, Eric is an encouraging leader, and his blog contains tons of resources, and his site even has audio interviews with a bunch of people that will challenge and inspire you.  If you’re really bored, you can even watch Eric do stand up comedy (just kidding about the really bored part, Eric!)!  His site is here…