Posts tagged Stephen Witmer
Hearers & Doers: A Pastor's Guide for Making Disciples

Evangelical Christians worldwide define this little word by primarily using the same words. Regardless of denomination, I have found that most define the word disciple with its lexical meaning of follower, learner, student, or pupil of a teacher or master. So, what is the big deal? Why are there so many evangelicals writing about this tiny little word that most Christians define with the same words?

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You Lost Me: Why Young Christians are Leaving the Church

Jesus demonstrated love by engaging with and listening to the lost. Christians love to run to the cross, saying, "Jesus died for sinners." It is true, Jesus' love culminates in his life-giving death on the cross and resurrection from the dead that solidifies the possibility of a new life and the secured hope of a future resurrection and life with him. But he didn't just die for sinners.

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Transforming Leadership by James Burns

How does the moral leader create transformation in an increasingly morally subjective and diverse world with technology advancing exponentially? Burns contends leaders must learn from the transformational leaders of history. The latter attempted to capitalize on the needs of the people to evoke lasting transformational change.

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In, But Not Of: A Guide to Christian Ambition and a Desire to Influence the World

Should a Christian seek power and influence in the world? Or is it wrong for humble Christian men and women to desire, plan, strategize, and passionately pursue powerful roles in society, culture, and government? Is ambition for social and political recognition to gain the ability to direct policy that shapes tomorrow wrong?

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Leadership: Transformational and Transactional Leadership

“The crisis of leadership today is the mediocrity or irresponsibility of so many of the men and women in power, but leadership rarely rises to the full need for it” (1).

Burns wrote those words 43 years. Years later, we have leadership books on every shelf, workshops in-person and online, retreats and executive getaways, coaches and coaching organizations. Yet, somehow, we still feel the irritation of mediocrity.

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Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream

Since today in New Years' (I am writing this at 12:41am PST), I thought I’d revisit one of my go-to motivational and direction shaping books from David Platt called Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream.

The problem is simple. American Christians are settling for a Christianity that caters to our own comforts when the Christian message continually talks about abandoning ourselves.

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Love Does: Discover A Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World

At the start of 2020, our church was reading together a book written by a truly fascinating character. He is Consul for the Republic of Uganda, professor at Pepperdine Point Loma Nazarene University, and his primary office is a table at Tom Sawyer Island inside Disneyland theme park. His name is Bob Goff.

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A Grief Observed: 3 Lessons Learned from C. S. Lewis for 2021

It seems appropriate to reflect on the human emotion of grief on the last day in 2020. For many people around the world, this unprecedented and historical year has brought a considerable amount of pain. And globally, humanity has been divinely allowed to sip from the terrifying elixir of mortality.

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The Meateater Guide to Wilderness Skills and Survival

It is book 45 of 52 in the Tim Challies 2020 reading challenge, and I have chosen The Meateater Guide to Wilderness Skills and Survival by Steven Rinella, although I highly doubt that he actually wrote a word of the book. The book clearly reads like a ghostwriter and is arranged in the purest form of a publisher looking for profit.

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Ordinary Radicals: A Return to Christ-Centered Discipleship

The evangelical church is thirsting for true discipleship. This is evident from not only the many sermons, lectures, articles, blogs, and social media posts written in the years following 2000, but also the conglomeration of recent publications surrounding discipleship. Clearly, evangelicals have recognized a need to go beyond mere emotional attractions to gain converts for Christ, but actually “teaching them to observe all that” Christ has commanded.

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