17 July, 2024

Read It for the Stories

by | 26 July, 2011 | 0 comments

By Mark A. Taylor

 

I”m reading Unleashed, Dudley Rutherford”s brainchild and Standard Publishing”s new release based on the sermons at this summer”s North American Christian Convention. And I”m a fan.

I expected the book to be full of solid scriptural teaching. But I didn”t expect the book to draw me in so that I didn”t want to put it down. I didn”t expect it to make me laugh out loud or fight back tears.

Unleashed will be purchased for many reasons, but my advice is, get the book for its stories. You”ll share them with your spouse. You”ll use them in sermons or lessons. You”ll repeat them to coworkers at coffee break.

Read what happened when . . .

Dudley Rutherford confronted Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Phil Allen embraced a self-described racist.

Dave Stone asked his elders to give away $250,000.

Jeff Vines faced genocide perpetrators in a crowded Rwandan prison.

Jeff Walling baptized a Satan worshipper.

Daryl Reed, a black man from the city, attended an all-white church beside a cornfield.

Mike Breaux got a vision from a racetrack chaplain on his way to Norway.

Greg Nettle climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.

Francis Chan prayed.

And after you”ve read the stories, you will want to discuss them with others in your circle of faith. You”ll agree with Gene Appel”s testimony on the back cover. He praises Unleashed “for calling us to break loose and serve with new courage, pray bolder prayers, and trust God for supernatural results.” The challenge it offers is practical and encouraging.

A whole set of resources is available to help you discuss and apply Unleashed with your group. Dudley”s team at Shepherd of the Hills Church in Los Angeles has created videos and lesson plans for each chapter. These new teaching resources are available as instant downloads from Standard Publishing.

The Unleashed DVD Download is available in individual segments for only $1.99, or get the whole set for $14.99.

The Unleashed Study Guide Download is designed to involve each member of your group in the book”s lessons and is priced to encourage bulk purchases: $9.99 for up to 12 copies, $18.99 for up to 24 copies, and $24.99 for more than 24 copies of the guide.

Get all the details about these resources, as well as the book itself, at standardpub.com/unleashed.

If you”ll do this, I”m guessing you and your group will be telling and retelling the Unleashed stories””and deciding how to take up its challenge to see the church turn the world upside down.

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