Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership
Seeking God In The Crucible of Ministry
Author: Ruth Haley Barton
Publisher: InterVarsity Press (2008)
Pages: 221 (hardcover)
The staff and board of KidZ At Heart International have been reading this book. It’s a great book that everyone in ministry ought to read. I asked my good friend, Gordon West (Founder/President of KidZ At Heart) to offer a review of this book for the blog, so here it is!
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Review by Gordon West:
Life changing. Those are the best words I can come up with to describe Ruth Haley Barton’s book, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership.
As the daughter of a conservative preacher and an experienced pastor and Christian leader herself, Barton truly understands what she calls “the crucible of ministry” in which we as Christian leaders find ourselves trying to live out a personal walk with God, which so often gets lost amidst the demands of helping others enjoy our Master. Her honesty and transparency make this book a delight to read. Her deep insights into God are combined with her practical tips for the Christian leader’s everyday practices.
This book challenges the reader to live counter to our modern culture…including our prevailing church culture. She has the audacity to suggest that God can hold the universe together for a whole day while we enjoy a Sabbath rest. She goes so far as to say that we can unplug our electronic toys for an hour each day to sit quietly, listening to our God! And in each chapter of the book, Ms. Barton challenges the reader with specific ways to newly apply what are truly age-old practices of God’s people: solitude and silence, calling, living within boundaries and establishing a healthy rhythm of life that leaves space for us to enjoy our relationship with God.
Few books do I ever read for a second time. I’m currently on my third reading of Barton’s Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership. I’ve given copies to several friends, and I’ve asked the board of directors and staff of the ministry I lead to read and practice the concepts in this book, as we seek to become a community of faith that is more concerned about what God wants then anything else, an all-too novel concept in many Christian leadership circles!
“So if seeking God with all of you heart, soul, mind and strength is the journey you are longing for…if you are willing to allow yourself to be transformed by what takes place there…if you are interested in forging a connection between your own journey of transformation and your leadership…then let us get on the path together and see where God leads” (Barton, p. 19).
Gordon D. West, President
KidZ At Heart International
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Thank you, Gordon!
As you can see, this book comes highly recommended, and I second that recommendation. Want to buy it? Just click on the picture and it will take you straight to Amazon where you can get it.
Blessings!
Greg Baird
