There is a whole category of books that I have grown to love: Wisdom Books. They are books that curate and culminate a life of learning and thinking into a simple presentation that blesses the reader with a life of wisdom. My post about George Verwer's life and his book "Messiology" highlights an example from this category.
The latest addition to this category that I have read is Adjith Fernanado's book "Joyful Perseverance." Adjith channels decades of ministry service, preaching, writing and thinking into a simple and helpful book that is designed to encourage readers to greater joy in their service.
I first really engaged with Adjith's thinking during the lead-up to the Lausanne Congress in 2010. I was leading the Lausanne Blogger's Network and we spent time interacting with his thoughts on suffering, interacting with him directly, and writing about them as a community. Here is a curation of the articles and here is a direct link to what I wrote. Since that video interview so many years ago, I am always on the lookout for his insight.
In this latest book, he describes his main point directly in his conclusion, "My main contention has been that God's grace is sufficient for every challenge and that he is able to give us freshness that can helps face every challenge that comes our way." pg. 151
Early on in the book, he made this observation that set the stage for what he would go on and share, "I have come to notice that the most joyful people in my life and ministry are also the most thankful, and joyous people experience freshness as they go about their service." pg. 29
He also described another key to flourishing in ministry when he shared, "...the key to longevity in ministry is constantly experiencing God's grace and letting grace has the wounds that come from disappointments and challenges in life and ministry." pg 2
I appreciated how he focused on very tangible issues like pragmatism in ministry. The book stays true to values over results. "One of the greatest challenges that Christians encounter today is believing that it is worth following God's principles as taught in the Bible; it is truly worth paying the price of living according to one's principles." pg 98
He also addressed sorrow, pain and suffering very directly. I loved his framing of lament when he said, "Lament does not ensure that our problems will be solved immediately...lament is an affirmation of faith. It places God at the forefront of our thoughts." pg 63
To wrap up this introduction to the book, I wanted to share six pithy words of wisdom that I found buried in the pages of this inspiring and encouraging book:
"Ministry is an overflow of experiencing God's love." pg 8
"Grace is our great qualification for ministry, not our own skills and commitment." pg 13
"When the joy goes, the strength goes." pg 32
"Praying for others is an act of love." pg 81
"Envy is the result of thinking about significance using unbiblical categories." pg 109
"Friends are key to maintaining freshness." pg 133
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