Stephan Bauman

Unfortunately, it felt like the story of the refugee crisis within Seeking Refuge took a backseat to the message of God the authors sought to bring across in this book. However, there were a few key messages I took from this book that bear repeating:

1. Refugees are human too. It is important to remember we must treat others as we wish to be treated should we find ourselves in the situations described within. I pray someone would be kind to me and providing shelter and food to my own family should we be upended. We all need to be more welcoming and forgiving.

2. It is not appropriate to ask if said “refugee” is legally or illegally here. We must not discriminate as HUMAN means HUMAN. All humans have the same basic needs and we should not judge based on legal status.

a. Good points were made surrounding those that chose to discriminate based on:

i. Economy – there is proof refugees ADD positively to our economy. In the work they do, the spending they put back into the local economy and community service they often provide in return. In fact, of the governmental dollars used to bring refugees into the U.S. these same refugees often pay more in taxes than they ever use over their lifetime. Also, refugees are often more likely than natural born citizens to be entrepreneurial in spirit, further boosting the business economy.

ii. The Bible – Jesus was a refugee, seemingly an illegal one at that. I implore you to read this book to understand the insight and specific bible study verses that further back this statement.

3. Rather than seeing refugees as a “threat” or “burden” approach them as you would any other relationship you hope to develop or nurture. Overcome whatever timid fear you may be experiencing and think of it as an opportunity to communicate and learn from others. Show compassion, because when you know someone personally “that person stops being a stereotype and becomes a complex human being like oneself,” (p. 50).

Important messages are certainly contained within Seeking Refuge, it just takes some wading through the MANY biblical references, themes and undertones to get to the gist. I also urge everyone to further explore World Relief to learn more about the great work they are doing to easy the welcoming of refugees, further discussed within this book.

For the full review, please visit: https://fortheloveofthepageblog.wordpress.com/

*Disclaimer: A review copy of this book was provided by Moody Publishers in exchange for an honest review.… (altro)

Fear has slipped in the American culture. Xenophobia, arguments of national safety at stake because of terrorism taking place elsewhere, consequences of Pax Americana deployed worldwide, all frame our ideas of freedom, and heavily influenced faith as well. The magnitude of suffering we witness on the global stage - whether from acute acts of terrorism, chronic violence, or sudden injustice - invites a torrent of fear and raises a thousand questions. Yet our actions as a nation seem to undermine the very virtues we so passionately profess. Faith should be a beacon of hope, a testimony of God's truth that sets us free. Stephen Bauman takes Jesus Christ's Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount as guidance for Break Open the Sky.

Both Bible, and Christians elsewhere can teach so much on meekness, peacemaking, being poor in spirit, faith, truth, and love. This book is not self-help guide #67,873 to become better people. It hopes to rediscover God's plan with mankind to shine His light, provide hope and shelter, make His Kingdom visible on Earth. Christian life should be divine and dusty, uncertain, and adventurous again. Bauman shares a lot from his experience on Mercy Ships and mission field trips throughout the world. He knows the theologians and thinkers he's quoting, and really appeals to fellow believers that find their lives locked up in this very cage of fear that shouldn't be there. Let's break open the sky, and disrupt the culture of fear!… (altro)

So you want to start a revolution? Yeah, we all want to change the world. Ministers, activists, non-profits, NGOs, world-relief organizations all have a vested interest in making the world a better place. We all want to change the world. The question is what we can do to bring about transformation and lasting change to a hurting world?

Stephen Bauman is president and CEO of World Relief and has devoted years of his life to bringing about transformation to the two-thirds world. To this end, he considers his African friends his most important teachers (he and his wife Belinda six years serving at-risk communities in West Africa). He has seen the ravages of war, poverty and violence and yet he is hopeful. Though we live in hard times, God has given us a part in changing the world through Christ. So if you want to start a reformation, Bauman has a blueprint about how to go about it in Possible.

The four chapters of part one explore our call to change the world. Bauman argues that the world suffers because of a crisis of vision, not a crisis of will (6). People really do want to help and give their life for a cause but old methods and approaches don't work. Bauman urges us to change the world through clear vision and thoughtful action (9), and a sense of urgency to address the problems of our age. In chapter two he explores change from the periphery. Recounting biblical, historical and contemporary examples, Bauman demonstrates that this is where change happens:

Shifting our expectations from the center to the periphery is essential if we are going to seize our moment in history. If we remain fixated on ourselves or on the "important" people. we will miss the reformation among us, the groundswell of unlikely people--some who have been written off as victims as incapable, or--worse--as unworthy (26).

Chapters three and four zero in our personal calling. helps us take up our unique destiny and mission to bring meaningful change to the world.

In part two, Bauman helps us reframe the problem. Chapter five discusses 'six impossibilities'--things that keep us from pursuing the possibility of real lasting change. Two significant orientations defeat us: the belief of some atheists, that faith does more harm than good and the belief that we can not do good without God. Bauman acknowledges that injustice has been done in God's name through the centuries, but calls believers to act in accordance to God's nature (75-76). While non-believers can certainly do good through common grace, Bauman argues that God and goodness are inextricably linked whether the do-good-er acknowledges it or not (79-80). Bauman encourages us to pursue justice, the eradication of poverty and suffering by treating it by seeing them as symptomatic of the larger problem: broken relationship (83). Bauman argues that "when we reframe the fundamental conundrums in the world as relational rather than problems requiring projects, we begin to see the need for the seismic shift [in our approach]"(84).

Chapter six explores the anatomy of heart change. Bauman pictures a tree: the roots of the tree are our beliefs, the trunk our values, the branches and leaves our behavior, and the fruit our results (90). Bauman says that what we believe to be true about our world, determines our values, which determines our behavior, which effects our results: Beliefs→Values→Behavior→Results. Thus Bauman argues that change begins with changing our beliefs, so scriptural meditation is key to getting us to act in ways that welcome God's kingdom. This also gives a vital role to teachers in effecting lasting, change. In chapter seven, Bauman pushes us to spark genuine, relational and heart change.

Part three is a practical look at how to bring change to community. Chapters eight gives advice on creating a vision for change within your organization. Chapter nine talks about our need to be changed as we work for change. Chapter ten talks about how hope is essential to the change process. This is followed by an afterword and two appendixes which help readers to think practically about the nature of change.

Despite its depth, this is an easy read. My summary doesn't do justice to Bauman's passion that his personal stories convey. He has a lot of wisdom and inspiration for those of us who care about change.. Bauman inspired me and gave me good insights on how to lead the process of change in my role as a pastor. I give this five stars and highly recommend it.

Note: I received this book from Multnomah in exchange for my honest review.

… (altro)