Issue No. 515 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting spotlights a new book from Peter Greer and Chris Horst on what leaders do after idealism fades. Stunning stories, plus listen to The Discerning Leader Podcast for Steve Macchia's interview with John. And this reminder: click here to download free resources from the 20 management buckets (core competencies), click here for over 500 book reviews, and click here for John's new blog, Pails in Comparison (PIC), with shorter book reviews of my latest “PICs.”
“Trite Jeremiah 29:11 memes assuring us our hardships are NBD (“no big deal”) because God has a plan aren’t helpful,” write Peter Greer and Chris Horst. “’It will all work out’ is not just untrue: It is hurtful.”
Bring Your Bible and a Wet Towel
(for the Tear Gas!)
NO WORDS. Really—no words. I don’t have an adequate vocabulary to persuade you to read The Gift of Disillusionment. But I’ll try.
First…there’s the title. The GIFT of disillusionment? No thanks! Then the sub-title, “Enduring Hope for Leaders After Idealism Fades.” Of course—you’ll agree—idealism is always inadequate, so do we really need this book? But then why am I so drawn to the stories? So captivated by the big idea—and the practical (not preachy) way that the Old Testament words of Jeremiah are fleshed out in this book?
Maybe…because trustworthy authors Peter Greer and Chris Horst have never disappointed. (Must-read: Rooting for Rivals.) Maybe…because the authors have diagnosed the current dilemma—there’s an epidemic of discouraged and disillusioned leaders. Burnout. Pain. Heartache. Quitting time!
So just in time, these two transparent leaders share their own vulnerabilities and stunning stories as they introduce us to more than a dozen heroes—in-the-trenches people who are beautifully positioned around the globe to meet needs. Their narratives (you guessed it) feature idealism, disillusionment, but finally—enduring hope.
The authors “sought leaders with a minimum of twenty years of service in their fields and interviewed those who demonstrated staying power, sticking around long enough to experience the thorniest and knottiest difficulties.” They add, “We intentionally sought leaders who had wounds and setbacks that could have forced them to give up—but who pressed on anyway.”
Are you discouraged—or know someone who’s burned out? Read this book and learn from these pioneers who lead organizations and demonstrate what Eugene Peterson terms “long obedience in the same direction.”
Greer and Horst issue this invitation to readers and leaders: “We want to be, as the book of Jeremiah puts it, ‘serene and calm through droughts, bearing fresh fruit in every season.’” With “The Weeping Prophet” (aka “The Persevering Prophet”) guiding and interpreting, these in-the-trenches stories of women and men ministering in oh-so-challenging settings…well, no words. Simply stunning! Memorable page-turners!
Noting Jeremiah’s prophetic challenge, the authors write: “Their leaders failed them. The city walls no longer protected them. Their security, safety, and certainty evaporated. Their hope ran very thin. Many gave up on God.”
OK. This is real life. I can relate. No Pollyanna here! They add, “And no amount of positive thinking or inspirational Christian wall art promising a hope and a future would change their circumstances. Yet Jeremiah remained faithful and hopeful throughout his journey.”
The true leadership stories are incredible:
• Jo Anne Lyons—deep disappointment in her own denomination’s position on social justice, yet she became its leader!
• Farai Mutamiri—a pastor (now bishop) in Zimbabwe (harassed, jailed, and more). When his congregation was removed from their church building, they met outside for five years (as did other churches). “We became so strong. People would come to church with their Bibles and with wet towels, so they were prepared for tear gas.”
• Tita Evertsz—abandoned a life of drugs (living in the U.S.), left her abusive husband, and with three young children returned to Guatemala. God uses her to live and minister in a 60,000-person slum. Disillusioned? Yes—neighboring churches outside the slum rejected new converts. Hope? Read her story.
• Dr. Phil Thuma—gratefully stuck with his calling to do malaria research in Zambia and launched a nonprofit in his basement. He’s featured in the “Discernment” chapter—a prevailing theme across every narrative. (See my review of The Discerning Life and The Discerning Leader Podcast with Steve Macchia and yours truly.) The authors quote Henri Nouwen, “Discernment is a life of listening to a deeper sound and marching to a different beat, a life in which we become ‘all ears.’”
• Camille Melki—founder of Heart for Lebanon, one day realized he was demanding answers from God about his difficulties, but was asking the wrong question. “Most of the time when you ask the why question, God won’t give you an answer. Should you try the how question…you better have a notebook and a pen, because the answer is very, very long.”
Amazingly, in this compact book (but also deep book), you’ll thank God for the other dozen hope-filled leaders from Poland, Philippines, Palestine, Haiti, Oklahoma, India, Detroit (whew—what a story!), and other neighborhoods where leaders are Jesus-in-the-flesh.
You’ll be convicted also. When Camille Melki was earning his master’s degree in the U.S., he agreed to serve as a youth pastor—but only on one condition. “He made the hiring committee commit to firing him the day he graduated” so he could return to Lebanon where God had called him to minister.
The themes from Jeremiah and real life will touch your soul: False Hope, Faint Hope, Forgotten Hope, Suffering, Surrender, Commitment, Justice, Sacrifice, Forgiveness (powerful!), Discernment, Obedience, Perseverance, and Community.
The writing is superb and a delight—and helps soften the hard themes. A Haitian leader recommends, “If you don’t have patience, don’t go into ministry. Especially in this country, we need barrels of it.”
It’s impossible to read this book without a pen. The quotable quotes from Eugene Peterson, Tim Keller, and others jump off the page, like this one from C.S. Lewis: “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” Or this from Oswald Chambers at the beginning of the “Discernment” chapter: “The purpose of God is not to answer our prayers, but by our prayers we come to discern the mind of God.”
If it’s been a while since you’ve read a gritty, honest book—read this one. It’s contrarian. “The sun will come out tomorrow”—not always true. And this: “We’ve all heard that ‘failure is never final.’ But for many, it is final.” But—there’s hope! (Read the powerful poke-in-the-ribs questions at the end of every chapter, like this one: “Is your tendency to live inwardly or outwardly? Why?")
Note: Kudos to Greer and Horst who had numerous opportunities to promote their organization, Hope International—but they didn’t. They shared the platform with other heroes. (So well done—and another shout-out for their book, Rooting for Rivals.)
If cynicism and lost hope have you by your ankles—read this book. (There is enduring hope.)
To order from Amazon, click on title for The Gift of Disillusionment: Enduring Hope for Leaders After Idealism Fades, by Peter Greer and Chris Horst, with Brianna Lapp and Jill Heisey. Listen on Libro.fm (6 hours, 7 minutes). And thanks to Bethany House Publishers for sending me a review copy.
YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING QUESTIONS:
1) Have you moved from being an idealist to a cynic? “Cynicism prompts us to slip back from the dance floor and move to a place of safe distance in the balcony, where we can smugly critique the moves of others. Look at those ridiculous dance moves, we criticize.” Where are you today? Idealist? Cynic? Disillusioned? Hopeful?
2) The authors remind us that we are in a grueling battle. “We don’t wear sandals to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, and we don’t show up to push back darkness without the Light. While there are plenty of surprises in life, we know one thing for sure: This journey will be exceedingly difficult. We all have firsthand experience and the promise of Jesus to confirm it: ‘Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.’” Are you wearing sandals or combat boots as you battle evil?
ASSIGNMENT! Read The Gift of Disillusionment and identify each hero’s social style!
Buckets Countdown:
The People Bucket (#7) Insights from Mastering the Management Buckets Workbook: Management Tools, Templates and Tips from John Pearson, with commentary by Jason Pearson (2nd Edition, 2018) - Order from Amazon.
The People Bucket Core Competency: “We celebrate the God-designed uniqueness of our team members, our customers, our donors, and our volunteers. We are diligent about understanding the four social styles—Analyticals, Drivers, Amiables and Expressives—and helping our people find their comfort zones as they grow in their interpersonal versatility skills.”
ASSIGNMENT! Download the chart in the People Bucket, “General Overview of the Four Social Styles,” and then as you read about the heroes in The Gift of Disillusionment—discern each person’s social style: Analytical, Driver, Amiable, or Expressive?
And…as you lead and manage your team (or connect with family and friends), discern if you are leveraging your versatility in finding your comfort zone—and also adapting to others’ styles and comfort zones. (Example: I’m a Driver. My wife, Joanne, is an Analytical. Versatility required!) Read Mistake #16 in Mastering Mistake-Making.
The 20 management buckets are perfect content for the lifelong learning segment in your weekly staff meetings (you do have weekly staff meetings, right?). Visit the 20 buckets webpage here. For more, visit the People Bucket here.
BONUS! Listen to The Discerning Leader Podcast for Steve Macchia's interview with John Pearson (Episode 4, April 21, 2022). And click here to read John's review of Steve's new book, The Discerning Life.
Well…this is encouraging! Even inspirational! The author of ROAR says that he’s “fond of asking eighty-year olds, What is your favorite future?” He’s on the constant search for role models “who are doing extraordinary things in their seventies and eighties, ignoring self-imposed ageism or the refrain that ‘you are too old to do that!’” Visit John’s PIC blog to read Roar: Into the Second Half of Your Life (Before It's Too Late), by Michael Clinton.
JASON PEARSON: UNEXPECTED CREATIVE. We’ve “rebranded" the four social styles into these four descriptors: Info-Sponges, Just-the-Facts, Heartfelts, and Share-Meisters. (Read more.) To communicate effectively to all four social styles, contact Pearpod Media (Design, Digital, Marketing, Social).
Your Weekly Staff Meeting is emailed free one to three times a month to subscribers. We do not accept any form of compensation from authors or publishers for book reviews. As an Amazon Associate, we earn Amazon gift cards from qualifying purchases. As a Libro.fm Affiliate, we earn credits. PRIVACY POLICY: Typepad, Inc. hosts John Pearson's Buckets Blog. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform for Your Weekly Staff Meeting eNews. By clicking (above) to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy policy here.
Comments