The book is "Holy Discontent" by Bill Hybels. I figured a book by Hybels must be good, because I've heard him speak several times and his messages are always incredible. However, this book seemed like kind of a dud to me.
I don't mean that nothing in the book was relevant or true—because it all made a lot of sense. I just found that each chapter tended to repeat what the last one said.
In the book, Hybels lays out his theory, which he calls holy discontent. Basically, God has wired us all to be "discontent" with some issue in the world; poverty, the spiritually lost, the AIDS crisis, etc. Hybels suggest that instead of accepting the world for the way it is, we should embrace our holy discontent and allow it to fuel us as we change the world in one small way. This is a great idea which Hybels supports with solid scripture in the first chapter.
Unfortunately, that's pretty much all you need to read. Very little new information or expansion on the idea is presented in the rest of the book. It's still an interesting read, as Hybels shares stories of people he knows who have embraced their holy discontent to make an impact on the world. He even gives some examples from his own life about how his holy discontent over lukewarm churches drove him to build Willowcreek, which as you probably know is one of the most influential and thriving churches in the world today.
This book is definitely not a bad one by any means; it's very well-written and has some good inspiring stories in it. I got really excited over the first chapter but was disappointed to discover that the remainder of the book was basically just a series of rewordings.
However, if you're a person who doesn't quite have your own "holy discontent" quite figured out yet, this book could definitely help. There are tons of inspiring stories that might just trigger something in your heart and show you what God might be calling you to do with your life.
A "ministry leader" guide is also available for the book, which I haven't had a chance to read. If anyone's checked that out, please post a comment letting me know how it is.
 | Holy Discontent: Fueling the Fire That Ignites Personal Vision By Bill Hybels |
 | Living and Leading from Your Holy Discontent: A Companion Guide for Ministry Leaders By Bill Hybels & Ashley Wiersma |
2 comments:
Great... guess I'm not reading that book.
Way to ruin it for me, B-rad :P
Cheers lad,
I read that book a couple years ago! Alas, I came to a similar conclusion as you. Quite brilliant, but would've made a better pamphlet than a book! lol!
Blessings,
Bro. Paul
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