Didn’t realize it had been so long since I last blogged. Sorry about that. I just finished reading Follow Me to Freedom
It’s a really good book. It’s all about leadership and followership. I love the format, which is just a series of conversations between the two men ranging in just about everything from prayer to civil disobedience. Like all of Claiborne’s other books, it has the potential to mess you up inside. He challenges most assumptions Christians have about leadership and dwells in the land of gray (as opposed to seeing things in black and white).
Although they cover a variety of topics, the one thing that purveys throughout the entire book is theme of leaders entering into the pain and suffering of their followers. Christian leaders have almost tended to be too protected from their own people by board room meetings and planning committees. A great leader, the authors suggest, is someone who can deeply relate to the suffering of his/her people. Jesus was the ultimate example of this in coming to us to be a servant, not some highly exulted “leader”. God chose death for our sake. We must do the same. If we really want to be leaders, we must kill our selfishness and see the needs of those around us.
I loved this book because it really did read like a conversation. I had the privilege of hearing these great men speak together at a conference, and I could hear their voices as I flipped the pages. I had a hard time underlining things because you obviously can’t underline someone speaking.
Read it. It might not change your life, but it’ll probably at least make you think, which I’m sure is exactly what Claiborne and Perkins are hoping for.
Some snippets just from Chapter 1:
- Movements require deep faith and revolutionary patience.
- Jesus was always available and attentive to the interruptions and surprises. He was never so fixed on His vision for the Kingdom that He missed the folks right next to Him.
- Before we can lead we need to have confidence in God.
- There must first be leaders who can imagine a different world from the one in which they live.
- The content of your character will determine the caliber of your relationships.
- Stashing away our resources is not how we’re supposed to live. The best way to take away money’s power is to give it away. Keep doing that, and eventually it won’t be worth much.
Love and Peace,
Jeremy
P.S. If you don’t recognize the name of John Perkins, you should. Wikipedia him here. It doesn’t do a justice to his life, but he did incredible things for the Civil Rights Movement in the ’60s. He’s an 80-year-old man and the humility enough to write a book with a young dude who makes his own clothes. That is awesome.
This is great to see resources like this. Now if only I had more free time… I agree though. Too often Christian leaders (and leaders in general) get stuck in their own protected bubble. I had a conversation just last night about the importance and necessity of meeting people where they are. This is what Jesus did. If we claim to be followers of Christ, why are we not doing the same?
Apple now has Rhapsody as an app, which is a great start, but it is currently hampered by the inability to store locally on your iPod, and has a dismal 64kbps bit rate. If this changes, then it will somewhat negate this advantage for the Zune, but the 10 songs per month will still be a big plus in Zune Pass’ favor.
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