The God Ask - A Book Review

There can come a point in a missionary or ministry fund raiser's job where raising support becomes burdensome or seen as a necessary evil. I was at that point when I happened to come across this book when I was at some training for my job with a collegiate ministry. The book was actually given to new staff who were at an orientation for the collegiate ministry I work for when I was also there for my training. I happened to see it and picked up the book and looked at the back cover. Since I am no a supervisor of staff with this ministry I thought it would be good to get a copy and read it for myself. It was in reading this book that I came to realize that I was at a point where I saw asking for financial support as a necessary evil. This book change my perspective back to what I was taught three years ago when I first joined the ministry.

The God Ask by Steve Shadrach is a must read for anyone who has to raise their own support, whether as a missionary overseas or working with a ministry not-for-profit. This book would also be a great read for pastors as the biblical teaching on money is top notch.

The graph to the right shows the interconnectedness of the entire God Ask (support raising process). Often the ministry worker only sees the relationship with the potential supporter but fails to see how God is connected to both the ministry worker and the potential supporter. By keeping God in the entire process it helps a ministry worker have the right attitude toward the process of raising support.

The author also attacks some of the ideas and practices that keep a ministry worker from getting to full support quickly. Some of the ideas that many ministry workers think they have to have is the idea of showing scarcity to get funded. The idea here is that if people think that I am poor they will give more. Actually the opposite happens because the potential supporter thinks the ministry worker can not manage money well. This doesn't mean the ministry worker lives extravagantly but the idea of living meagerly for the sake of funding is not a healthy one (there are instances where living meagerly for ministry is appropriate, so what I am talking about here is the attitude that drives us to our funding. Read the book for a better and broader understanding of how this can be a bad idea).

Steve also helps the reader know what a healthy and productive way of raising support looks like with great insight on how to go about raising support initially and then staying supported. He also shares how to increase support when the ministry budget grows.

Overall this is a great book and one of the best support raising books I have read. It is a must read and I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Learning How to Manage

A few weeks back I had to attend some training for work. This training was to prepare me for basically becoming a "middle manager." Probably the most beneficial and rewarding part of the week of training was the time spent on leadership, or how to manage people well. The material I was trained on (or in) was called Situational Leadership (by the Ken Blanchard Companies). 

The first thing that I learned was about my leadership preference style, which for me was S3. Now, it needs to be noted that there is no one style that is preferred instead a leader/manager is to use the leadership style that goes with the development level of the person.

Situational Leadership Chart

Much of the time was spent learning how to diagnose well where a person is in their development and then using the situational leadership style that fit. For example if a person is a D4 then the style of leadership to be used is a S4 style.

Learning this has completely change the way that I think about leading in all contexts. To maximize effectiveness of those I lead, whether in my job or other situations, I know this material is going to help me. I am thankful for this material and I now feel like I am learning how to manage.

Book Review of Radical

Radical by David Platt has been on my reading list for sometime and I finally got around to reading it. This was a good book, but not one that I think everyone should read. I give it three out of five stars.

There is nothing new under the sun here with this book. I know that many people have been completely changed by this book but for me there was nothing here that warrants the kind of praise as a MUST READ for every Christian. There are a lot of books that have spoken to the idea of living radical, sold out and a host of other terms that speak to the Christian life as found in the Bible. That is not to say that it is a bad book, but it is one in a chorus of many that are calling followers of Jesus to abandon the world and to take up our crosses.

With that said, I do think that David Platt wrote some very good things that no matter how many times you have read or heard them, you need to continually be reminded of them because the stakes are high. The first thing is that David reminds us that "The price of our nondiscipleship is high for those without Christ."

The next thing that David writes is that "the gospel requires a response." Not just a response to make him Savior but a response to all things that Jesus calls us to. We have accepted this idea that Jesus can be my Savior but I don't have to make him Lord. Scripture is pretty clear that this type of thinking is false. Truly understanding and accepting the gospel will require a radical response. As Platt puts it, "Jesus is no longer one to be accepted or invited in but one who is infinitely worthy of our immediate and total surrender."

The last thing that I truly enjoyed of this book is that David Platt reminds us who the object of our faith is. He writes, "The message of biblical Christianity is not 'God loves me, period,' as if we were the object of our own faith. The message of biblical Christianity is 'God loves me so that I might make him-his ways, his salvation, his glory, and his greatness-known among all nations.' Now God is the object of our faith, and Christianity centers around him. We are not the end of the gospel; God is." Not much more to say there.

David writes a good book and it is one that could be very beneficial for some. If you like his writing style then by all means read this one. However, as good as it is, I still don't put it in the Must Read category.

Book Review of Think Christianly

Jonathan Morrow's book, Think Christianly: Looking at the Intersection of Faith and Culture, is a phenomenal book on helping Christians understand how to engage the culture we live in by first understanding the culture and whether or not the shaping influence is for or against our following Christ. This is a book that I highly recommend Christians to read. The reason I believe Christians need to read this book is the same reason Jonathan has for writing the book. He says, "We live in a time in which Christians are more consumer driven than truth driven. We have unknowingly become apprentices to the blind guides of hedonism, naturalism, and pragmatism, and this is eroding our ability and motivation to communicate and embody the Word of God in this generation. I [the author] believe that to become who God calls us to be, we must move in our thinking from isolation to integration....Our great danger is to compartmentalize our Christian lives that one area does not impact, influence, or inform another, resulting in the equally tragic outcomes of fragmented lives and diminished impact for the kingdom of God." (pg. 13, Kindle version)

The book is laid out into three main sections: Section 1 - Understanding Our Intersection, Section 2 - Preparing to Engage and Section 3 - Areas We Must Engage. Section 1 is mainly a background section and helps the reader understand what culture is, why Christians are called to engage culture and why and how to pass on the knowledge of cultural engagement on to each of the next generations. The second section lays the groundwork for how to think Christianly about all of life. This section helps us to understand that being a Christian doesn't mean checking one's brain at the door. Faith requires us to use our mental faculties to discern truth and also how to explain it well. The third and final section touches on current areas that Christians need to be engaging the culture. You can get a full list by clicking on the link above, but some of the topics are sex, injustice, faith and science, and Christians in the public square.

This book is not only informational but gives solid application. This book is about just gaining more knowledge but about gaining knowledge and putting it into practice. Again, this is a MUST READ!

Book Review of Coach Your Champions

Coach Your Champions by Eric Foley is a great book on fundraising. I work for a ministry in which I have to raise my own support, so finding ways that build a partner base is crucial for me. This book helped me to see that people don't want to just be ATM machines but want to feel a part of the ministry. This book is not just great for missionaries, not-for-profits and fundraisers but also for churches and their leaders. I highly recommend this book.

The first thing that I learned (actually relearned) and I think Christianity needs to be reminded of is that Giving is learned, not latent (Loc 85 in Kindle). I have become more and more aware of this as I have talked with younger adults who have no concept that God's Word speaks to the invitation that every follower of Jesus is called to give of their time, money, possessions and talents. The church has spoken well of the talents part but we have lost the rest. Scripture shows us that we need to disciple people into the joy of giving and teach them what Scriptures teaches on the subject.

As the book unfolds in a parable, it helps shows that more and more people don't want to sit in the stands and cheer. As well, people don't give so that we can run our ministries/organizations (i.e. pay the bills and get paychecks which they know that is what the money may go to) but to reach the people or solve the problems our ministries/organizations were created to do. People want to be a part of the ministry.

To help understand that last part more the author sets out to show that fundraising is more than just raising funds but raising up and equipping others to be apart/catch the vision of the ministry/organization. It is our job to stop seeing people only for their money but to see how each potential donor can bring something to the ministry/organization. Instead of using the word donor is better to see people as partners. The author asks this question on page 63 (Kindle), "What if donors are categorized by their involvement and ownership of the ministry, rather than the number of zeros on their check?" The answer to this question could revolutionize the way we think about funding our ministry.

The last striking thing I want to share from this book is that "Raising money God's way is about growing the donor, not the bank account." (page 104, Kindle version) God wants us in ministry and He will provide. We need to believe that!

I encourage you to read this book as it will definitely challenge you about how you raise up partners and may even challenge you in your own giving.

"Speaking of Jesus: The Art of Not-Evangelism" Review

Carl Medearis' book Speaking of Jesus: The Art of Not-Evangelism  (pick it up here on Amazon.com) was a fresh look at how to talk about Jesus to non-followers of Jesus. This book challenged me to rethink how I talk to people about Jesus and if the ways I had done evangelism were even effective. The first thing that Medearis does is to challenge the us verses them mentality that many Christians have. He says, "What if I told you that this 'us verses them' model of Christianity also misses the point? And that when you speak of Jesus from that paradigm, you are not only ineffective--you will also lose the game?" These two questions set me on the journey through this book that has changed the way I look at evangelism.

What I liked about the book: This book is straight to the point and an easy read. Some evangelism books are so technical that I wonder if it is useful in helping a Christian share Jesus with anyone. Medearis also points out in this book that the gospel is not an idea, a what or a how. The gospel is a Who. The author helps the reader get reconnected with the fact that the gospel is about Jesus not some model of how to share the gospel.

Probably the biggest thing I liked about this book is that it showed that evangelism is not a single or once in awhile action that Christians do but is a lifestyle that we live. Medearis says, "...because evangelism is an -ism, it encourages people to think of it as a philosophy or methodology as opposed to a lifestyle." Instead Medearis is calling us to make disciples (for a great book on that see this post.)

What I didn't like about the book: The first thing that almost turned me off from the book was on page 20 (Kindle version) when Medearis writes, "The problem was, after He [Jesus] moved in, He started throwing some of my stuff out, and I had pretty neat stuff. I had a college degree, I had a ministry, and I had a whole bunch of really valuable Christian things. Solid doctrines, good theology, and a vision for the lost. And He threw them out." I understand that he was trying to make a powerful illustration about how often Jesus is removed from salvation and these other things are put in its place, but these things are still valuable and there could have been another way to make his point.

In the end this is a great book and a good read. I encourage you to take the time to pick this book up and read.

"Real Life: A Christianity Worth Living Out" Overview

James Choung's book Real Life: A Christianity Worth Living Out is a great read and has been one of my favorite books read this year. Not only is it a great read but a great practical book that helps Christians understand the connection between evangelism and discipleship as not two distinct activities but are actually closely connected (if not the same activity).

Choung lays out in this book a discipleship/disciplemaking plan that he personally has been working on for some time. He calls it the Real Life Continuum and I think that it sums up how as Christians we can help disciple a person from being a non-Christian into being what Choung calls a world changer. Choung says this about it, "The Real Life Continuum is an offering of what a box top for discipleship might look like. It's an attempt to make sense out of the various pieces of discipleship, pulling it together in some simple and coherent form without losing some oft-neglected pieces."Below is the Real Life Continuum as presented in the book and I will just briefly talk through the parts.

First, discipleship needs to happen in community (that doesn't mean one-on-one shouldn't happen and isn't beneficial) but well rounded discipleship happens in community. Second, every believer is called to make disciples, so no matter where a believer is personally at on the continuum (follower, leader or world changer) they are called to disciplemaking. 

Discipling others happens when we hear-respond-debrief. First, we need to hear what God is calling us and our communities to. Next, we must respond and lastly it is important to debrief. As Jesus shows us in Luke 10 debriefing is encouraging and correcting. Those we are discipling need to hear encouragement but also correction so that they know they are on the right track.

Thirdly it is important to understand that none of this process happens without God, specifically the Holy Spirit.

Briefly here are the stages a disciple goes through.  A skeptic is someone who doesn't trust Christians. The job of the disciplemaker here is to build trust with the person. The seeker is someone who trusts Christians and is wanting to explore their faith and how it is relevant to their life. The job of the disciplemaker here is to challenge them to the next step, eventually challenging them to make a decision about Jesus Christ. A follower is someone who has "pledged allegiance to Jesus and his kingdom." The job of the disciplemaker here is to help the follower learn to recognize God's voice and follow it. As the follower learns to obey Jesus and align their lives after him the follower can follow God's leading into becoming someone who influences others. As a follower becomes a leader it is the job of the disciplemaker to help the new leader gain resources (power) and authority. A good disciplemaker will help a new leader grow in their leadership. Lastly, as a leader begins to understand that they not only can influence their Christian community but the larger world (world here is any area of influence a person has) they become a world changer. The disciplemaker helps the person understand how to impact their world and be a blessing. A disciplemaker does this by helping world changers develop a vision of their calling for this season.

This is a just a brief overview of the book and I hope it is enough to wet your appetite to get the book and read it. It is a fast read, in my opinion. It will challenge you to think about how to disciple others and if you are in a position like me to challenge others in their discipleship.