The Message? Simply, when God is in it, God does it! I belong to a rural church. It is a country church and after reading this book I have more respect for my Pastor Ben Kingston than ever before. This book takes us to the rural church, it's struggles and blessings. We see God's mission is not always our plan of action. When God calls us, are we really ready to go? Are we in it for God or for ourselves? If we are not in it for God, well them, it is never going to work. I loved V.A.L.U.E. 1) Vision 2) Attitude 3)Leadership 4) Understanding 5) Enduring Excellence. Pastor Shannon O'Dell is honest, pure and opens up his heart so the world can learn and grow from all God has done in his life. He gives insight to the blind.We seem to settle and God is calling us to much more. This book is about change. It is about seeing God's mission and putting aside our comfort zone and accepting His will. It is a wake up call for America and her churches. He provides when He calls. He gives the vision and sets the path before us. Church growth is more than numbers. The Principles of Leadership is another one that brought wisdom to my eyes. 1) A leader is anyone who resists the urge to settle. 2) Leadership is born out of life change. 3) Your best leaders are sitting in your pews. This is a must read for every Christian. It is an awesome book to give as a gift to your Pastor and will soon reach the hands of mine. I enjoyed this book greatly. It teaches us that with our love for Christ comes passion. With that passion we must get up and move. I highly recommend this book as one you should have in your collection. It is one that will set you on a new course on your walk with Christ!This book was a gift from Thomas Nelson.
