sun stand still (review)

I had the opportunity recently to listen to Steven Furtick’s book Sun Stand Still. My favorite way to take in a new book is to listen to it on a road trip. That’s the case this time.

This was one of the more inspirational and motivational pieces I’ve been through in a while. It may be a matter of timing for me or it may be the quality of the material, but it connected on several levels.

The basic concept behind the book is that God has an audacious faith for each of us that He wants us to live out. He did not design us to be ordinary. The Biblical platform for the book and message is Joshua, a young leader of Israel. In Joshua 10, God is preparing to work a huge miracle utilizing the faith and leadership of Joshua. He had the courage to pray an outrageous prayer, “God, make the sun stand still.” This is exactly what God did.

Furtick utilizes this story to share his experience as the planter and leader of Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. He tells many interesting stories of his own faith development and that of the people who are part of this church. He documents many who had the nerve to ask and expect God to do amazing things.

I was motivated by what Steve shares. I was also motivated by some things I observed about him. One of the reasons I love to hear a book, especially when it is read by the author (which is the case here) is that you get voice inflections, accents and personality that simply reading a book does not provide. I was glad to learn that Steve Furtick is not nearly as cool as I had originally thought. He is a normal guy whom God is using to do great things. His simple speaking and writing style, as well as his straightforward approach to some touchy subjects, left me with a sense of trust of his work. He is even willing to utilize what some may consider to be cliché. This is refreshing to me in that we don’t always have to be original or innovative in order to be successful.

The book helped me to further resolve to pursue the audacious vision that God has given me.

Because the message is so vital to what people need to hear and act upon, I am considering starting a mens book group to go through it together. There are lots of free resources on the web site, in case you are interested in the same.

Thanks Steve for writing Sun Stand Still. I highly recommend it!