Bill Hybels Fuels the Passion

Last updated on: August 2, 2007 at 1:19 pm by David Hayward

Bill Hybels Fuels the Passion 2007-08-02T13:19:03-04:00 David Hayward

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Thanks to Zondervan for approaching me to review some new books coming off of their presses. In exchange they are giving me an extra copy to give away at my discretion. So make a comment on this post before Sunday midnight Atlantic Time and your name will be entered into the draw. I’ll announce the winner Monday morning. Your name will be entered only once no matter how often you comment.

The book I’m reviewing this week is Holy Discontent: Fueling the Fire that Ignites Personal Vision, by Bill Hybels.

Hybels shows a deep and active concern for the critical social and justice issues that dominate the news. He pulls out the big ones like AIDS, racism, world debt, generational poverty, hunger, and more. He also pulls out the usual big guns, like Gandhi, Mother Teresa, M.L. King Jr. and Bono, including people from ministries that his own church, one of the most famous and one of the most attended churches in the USA, Willowcreek. As Hybels himself writes:

Whether you’re a high-powered marketplace person, a stay-at-home mom, a full-time student, or something altogether different, you (yes, you) can join God in making what is wrong in this world right!

He is interested in helping people find out what they are passionate about and to translate that into action. He is concerned with helping people find out what makes them tick, what makes them want to get up in the morning and live life to the full. He encourages us to find out what makes us really angry in the world, what makes us feel passionate, what makes us want to do something now. That’s our holy discontent. From then on, we are to feed it, fight for it, follow it and fan it into flames. If you’re looking for something that may awaken you from your sloth and start doing something meaningful in the world, this book may be just the book for you.

However, I know from my own experience that it is very easy to get almost immediately excited about some issue to the point where my neurons burst into flames and my heart races and my body wants to helpfully thrust itself into this world of chaos. I’ve also learned from experience that this isn’t necessarily right but can be a magnificent and even noble expression of my ego’s passion that is self-centered to the core. The last comment, understand, is more about me than the book. But the book fuels that fire within me that I think is, in the end, destructive. I’ve been there and got the tee-shirt: dreaming what the world would be like if only we were all a certain kind of people. In my opinion, this is the new violence.

This is a concise motivational book that may encourage you to discover what you’re passionate about. On the other hand, this may not necessarily lead you to your own transformation, which is where I think we need to begin.

Previous Post

August 2, 2007

Pastor's Apprentice #4: Mighty Mite

Next Post

August 3, 2007 Prayer From the Cell #40: via Bob Dylan

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category art cartoons cartoons 2 freebie music one minute message podcast Sophia teaching technology thought

Select a Month February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 March 2006 February 2006

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who said, "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Solomon Joshua Moses David