Guidance from Overlooked Men and Women of the Bible

Category: Books (Page 10 of 15)

This Change is Everything

img_0019You can see that on my desk is a copy of a new book on missions by my friend and co-worker, Shane Sebastian. This Change is Everything is the best new book to come out regarding missions since, well, my book that came out last year regarding missions!

There are two aspects to this book that make it important to anyone considering missions and to anyone working with young people who are considering missions. First, Shane helps us see how young people have been changing the world for centuries. Young people, mid-twenties and younger, have been making a kingdom impact since the days of the Old Testament. Why should it be any different today? We need to encourage people to see how much of a difference they can make in their youth.

In the second part of the book Shane deals with common barriers people face as they consider going to the world. These thoughts are spot-on, as Shane has been working with college students for twenty-five years and helping them work through these very issues. His wisdom comes from years of practical ministry. You will benefit from the hard lessons Shane has distilled for you.

Buy this book for yourself, or buy it to give away, but read it and and let’s help send a new generation to the world!

Heroic Leadership

What a good book and what a different sort of leadership book than I normally read! Heroic Leadership by Chris Lowney examines and draws leadership principles from the Society of Jesus, better known as the Jesuits. The Jesuits have been around for over 450 years and Lowney attributes much of their success to the four pillars that guide their leadership: self-awareness, ingenuity, love and heroism.

I was struck by the principle of “indifference” practiced by the Jesuits, which encourages the freedom from inordinate attachments. If you’re free from the things of the world that hold you back, then you’re free to go anywhere in the world the Lord might take you. So unlike most teachings on leadership that I read and a teaching rarely heard today.

The Jesuits focused on finding and developing “as many as possible of the very best.” They worked at finding great young leaders and then putting them in challenging situations to further hone their leadership skills. They forced people to stretch and grow, all the while pushing them to live like Jesus and to treat people like Jesus would treat them.

I was also struck by the Jesuit’s Latin motto, “magis” or “more.” This does not refer to accumulating more money or stuff, which would put it in conflict with the principle of indifference, but rather magis represents the reality that there are new places to go. There are unexplored regions that have not heard about the Christian faith, there are more ways to improve the educational experience of the students under their care, things around you can be better. I love the push that results from aiming high.

Lowney does not sugarcoat the Jesuits and there are issues to be found in their work, but his insight into their leadership culture is rich and worthy of your time, especially if leadership is something you’re trying to live out. May we all be captured by the principle of magis!

 

I Once Was Lost

I recently finished this book on communicating the Christian faith in today’s postmodern culture by Don Everts and Doug Schaupp. As I read, I found myself intuitively agreeing with the five steps to belief they identify that young people go through today – first, trust a Christian; second, become curious; third, open up to change; fourth, seek after God; and fifth, enter the Kingdom. The author’s observations and insights are helpful and on point and people involved in communicating the Christian faith with young people will agree.

This book is short and practical. This should be resource you own and use if you believe that communicating your faith is worth the time, energy and thought to do it well. FYI – we’ll be giving this book to the students participating in the Cru Study Abroad program starting the fall of 2016.

Movements That Change the World

I just finished Movements That Change the World, by Steve Addison.  It’s a fabulous book and should be required reading for anyone interested in missions. The book details spiritual movements both historically and in contemporary terms.

Addison describes 5 aspects of what contributes to a spiritual movement:

White Hot Faith
Commitment to a Cause
Contagious Relationships
Rapid Mobilization
Adaptive Methods

Here’s my favorite quote from the book:

“In the renewal and expansion of the church, the breakthroughs always occur on the fringe of ecclesiastical power – never at the center. In every generation, in some obscure place, God is beginning something new. That’s where we need to be.”

I encourage you to check it out!

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