BOOK REVIEWS

State Missionary Rick Lance is executive director of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions.

Other Recent Blog Entries:

The Caleb Spirit in 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
In my mind, Caleb is the Barnabas of the Old Testament. When others seemed to lose hope, he offered encouragement to them.

A Year to Remember
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
This can be the most wonderful time of the year if we allow the Christ of Christmas to guide us through the experience. Rather than being caught up in the routined frenzy of long lines at stores shopping for gifts and the endless social gatherings during the season, we can focus on what is called the Advent.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Thursday, December 8, 2011
This can be the most wonderful time of the year if we allow the Christ of Christmas to guide us through the experience. Rather than being caught up in the routined frenzy of long lines at stores shopping for gifts and the endless social gatherings during the season, we can focus on what is called the Advent.

Finishing Strong
Monday, November 21, 2011
I do not pretend to be a football coach, but I do believe this "sports experience" translates into our everyday lives, most notably in our Christian lives. There are times when we have seemingly given our all and we feel spent, emotionally, physically and even spiritually.

Be Encouraged!
Thursday, October 28, 2011
In periods of history like the one we now face, Christians have often done some of their most effective service for Christ. But in order to be an effective servant, we must find our source of encouragement in the face of these discouraging situations.

SBC Today: An Interview
Thursday, October 16, 2011
Managing ourselves means more than controlling the calendar, staying morally and ethically pure, reading the latest books, keeping family time balanced, and running things smoothly in one's ministry. I am convinced this means staying in touch with Lord and with yourself in such a way that you make the right decisions and lead in the right direction.

Dallas Willard is not as well known, as say, Max Lucado, but he is a serious and thoughtful writer nonetheless. His book, The Great Omission, is a well-written treatment of the essential teachings of Jesus concerning discipleship. In his mind, the term apprentice might best capture the fundamental core of what it means become a fully devoted disciple of Christ.

A statement in the introduction caught my attention in a special way. Williard writes, "People in Western churches, and especially in North America, usually assume without thinking that the Great Commission of Jesus is to be carried out in other countries. This is caused in part by the use of 'nations'...when a better translation might be our contemporary 'ethnic groups', or just 'people of every kind'".

"People of every kind" have come to our neighborhoods. This gives a deeper and richer meaning to the call to be Great Commission Christians. The nations have come to the neighborhoods.

Williard succeeds in stretching the mind and feeding the soul of disciples who wish to be faithful in fulfilling the Great Commission. The book is written for a general audience of committed Christians. By this, I mean it is not an academic work but more of a practical one.