Born just two days prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, author Wallace Henley has spent most of his life learning to deal with a world in crisis. Born to a couple who had survived the Great Depression and were understandably alarmed when their nation was cast into a world war only days after their first son’s birth, Henley learned at an early age that stability could not be found in an unstable world.
By the time Henley reached high school the threat of communism was rampant and the constant threat of a nuclear war made him wonder if his generation might not be the world’s last. A few years later, he was once again called to bear witness to the world in crisis mode when, as a young reporter in Birmingham, Alabama, he was assigned the violence and unrest brought on by the Civil Rights movement. And a few years after that, while working as an aide in the White House, he witnessed the dissolution of the troubled Nixon administration. Returning to journalism following Nixon’s departure from the White House, Henley soon began to feel drawn to the ministry – a career choice he’d once sworn to never make – and within a few months became pastor of his first church.
In the time since, he has traveled the world as a speaker and writer, authored more than a dozen books, served as a Congressional chief of staff and as a leadership consultant and worked in over 20 countries, all the while gaining a keener grasp of scripture and a deeper understanding of human nature.
Today he serves as a senior teaching pastor in the 56,000 member Second Baptist Church of Houston, led by Ed Young and is a columnist for Christian Post. He and his wife of over 50 years, Irene, live in the Houston area. The couple have a grown son and daughter and when not working or traveling, enjoy spending time with their grandchildren.
(Bio information taken from Henley's website found at www.wallacehenley.net.)
I don't think anyone could argue that our world is unstable. You could surmise that by just a few minutes of news viewing in the evening. From the economy to the war in Iraq to the neighbor next to you losing his home, this quake of sorts is certainly a global problem. Fear is in the hearts of many as we feel the shake and uncertainty of the future begin to grip us.
However, for those who are trusting in Christ and His unshakeable Kingdom, fear has to flee.
GlobeQuake is divided into three parts. In Part 1, Henley paints a clear and concise picture of the quake going on all around us. No part of our lives are untouched.
"Ultimately everything that can be shaken will be shaken and brought down. At the end of the day, all that is left standing is what is established on the eternally immovable."Even in the midst of writing the dismal state of affairs surrounding us, Henley points his reader to the sure hope that we have:
"Foundations are no stronger than the soil in which they are embedded. God Himself is the rock in which the foundations of faith are laid. 'I, the LORD, do not change,' He says (Mal. 3:6)...But the foundations of faith don't ride on a soupy base of mud. 'The LORD is my rock!' shouts the psalmist (Ps 18:2). If the base on which the foundation rests is unshifting, then the foundation is unshakeable, and the structure rising from it is stable."In Part 2, Henley details ways to stabilize the spheres in which we all live; those spheres are the sphere of Person, Church, Family, Education, Government and Business. He speaks in each sphere of the need for renewal, reinvention and transformation. This is accomplished through an evaluation in each sphere of the vision, values and the Kingdom mission for each area.
Part 3 is an excellent summation of the hope that anchors us while all else shakes around us.
Henley presents a lot of information in GlobeQuake. However, the book is not overwhelming. I found it to be an easy and extremely encouraging read. Henley's writing is clear and his ideas are well organized. The thoughts he shares are spot on for our present times and he points directly and unapologetically to "Christ in you, the hope of glory" Col. 1:27.
"The joy of people whose worldview is framed by Christ as they ride the rolling tsunamis spurred by the GlobeQuake is not because they live in denial or simply don't know what's going on. They do know, at a level the rest of the world doesn't. While many people try to deny the existence o f evil and sin, people whose worldview is set on Christ acknowledge sin's corrosive power in their own lives and world and know Christ has dealt with its penalties in His work of justification, and the Holy Spirit is restructuring the redeemed individual through sanctification."GlobeQuake: Living In The Unshadeable Kingdom While The World Falls Apart would be an excellent choice for a small group study or for individual use. Challenging and encouraging, this book is must read for anyone who wants to make sense of the crazy world in which we are living.
You can order the book from Amazon.com by going HERE.
Blessings,
Jennifer
0 comments:
Post a Comment