T4T A Discipleship Re-Revolution

T4T A Discipleship Re-Revolution
by Steve Smith with Ying Kai
pages: 349; paperback
2011


Steve Smith has done a great job searching the scriptures concerning church planting, compiling a training guide based on Biblical principles, and giving several examples in various contexts of how these can be lived out in today's changing world.  T4T A Discipleship Rerevolution is a well-tested tool that can help many as they desire to live life as a"follower of Jesus and fisher of men" (a phrase Steve uses frequently in both his written training and in his verbal teaching).  Each chapter builds on the previous chapter in going step by step into the concepts of what Steve calls a process that coupled with the Holy Spirit's moving can lead to a church planting movement. Examples from his own ministry as well as many excerpts from the life of Ying Kai provide deep insights and rich dimensions to the training material.  Steve is a good communicator; he knows that both repetition and practice are necessary for new ideas to take hold and new habits to be formed. The book T4T A Discipleship ReRevolution gives a solid foundation and additional information can be gained from his website.
The  book's continual references to Biblical precedent and promise along with a thorough index of terms and scripture make this an essential resource for those pursuing church planting movements.   Pages 185-186 touch on a key reminders of how each believer is to both grow up in Christlikeness and walk in good works that fulfill God's mission.  May God's Kingdom continue to extend throughout the world so more and more people can trust that Jesus is indeed the way, truth, and life and through him to live life abundantly.  Thank you Steve, for sharing what God has shown you and thank you for the book!  I  recommend that this book is studied with a partner so concepts can be discussed and implemented in ways for God's goodness to be known and lived.                   

Finding God's Will

Finding God's Will
Seek Him, Know Him, Take the Next Step
author: Gregg Matte
256 pages, hardback
2010

We were introduced to Pastor Gregg and his wife Kellie after a brief missions meeting at Houston's First and in conversation I commented about the book he had recently written. Pastor Gregg stepped across the hall into the church's bookstore, grabbed a copy and signed it for Russ and I.  I asked his wife if she had read it and if was any good, and she said yes to both, so in early December 2011 I opened it up.  Life is filled with seasons of unknowns, and at the time I began Finding God's Will, these were a few of the unknowns before me:

• The news of an abnormal mammogram came just before Thanksgiving.
•  It had been 6 months since leaving Asia and we still do not know what is next.
• I thought 14 years of nearly monthly 3-day migraines were over after lots of testings and taking thyroid medicine for the past 8 weeks, but I just had another migraine.

Life is uncertain but I know God is faithful and it is good to be refreshed with the truth of this book as I go forward with seeking the God of God's will.   Pastor Gregg does a very good job of parallel-ing the journey of Moses (from burning bush to God's protection and provision through the Red Sea) with modern day examples of several biblical principles of knowing God and knowing His will. After each brief chapter he lists a few questions to ponder and it is in these questions that ownership of the seeking journey takes place.
In chapter 5 (called: Three Oranges: God's Will for Everyone) he writes how God's will is in some sense very general; it is His will for all to have relationship with Him, to grow in that relationship and then out of that growth to have an impact for good in the world around them.  It reminded me again that life is a process that is not to be rushed but to be lived in closeness to God who knows all things and desires good for me.   A later chapter dealing with exchanging the known for the unknown helped bring about clarity for me in this empty nest season.   At the very end of the book, there are 40 verses from the Bible highlighting various aspects of God's will which are a big encouragement providing strength, hope and purpose.  It took me nearly a month to prayerfully read through this book, seeking to apply the things I felt God was/is teaching me, and what has risen to the top is the choice to live life bravely.
There will always be forks in the road where seeking then knowing God's will makes all the difference in the journey, and I believe it is wise to remember God's past care as we sojourner on.  Here are some things I know now that I did not know when I began the book:

• The second mammogram, led to lots of reflection, a painful biopsy, then a phone call just before Christmas with the good news of no cancer.
• Russ and I believe that our 15 years of serving with the IMB may be completed and with gratitude for the past we have excitement to move forward to the unknowns... for now that seems to be somewhere in Texas where we will seek to live life meaningfully in a local community.
• A new medicine has been added to the synthroid I'm taking in hopes of alleviating my migraines...more blood work coming up.

God is God of the on-going and you do not find God's will once and are done, but finding His will is an on-going discovery.  This book can help give framework and inspiration with the process allowing faith to replace fear.