Unfinished: Believing Is Only the Beginning

by Richard Stearns

Overview

"Unfinished might just challenge everything you thought you understood about your Christian faith...If every Christian read this book and took it seriously, the world would never be the same again."
—Bill Hybels, senior pastor Willow Creek Community Church

"Just when I've gotten comfortable with my faith, here comes Rich Stearns, reminding me what matters and who God loves and why...Just when I dare think my work is done, Rich reminds me that we are just getting started."
—Max Lucado, pastor and best-selling author

"More purpose. More meaning. More life. In Unfinished you discover how your life can be about more."
—Elisa Morgan, author; speaker; publisher, www.fulfill.org

"Every generation of Christians needs a wake-up call to remind us of how serious and strenuous are the demands of discipleship. May Rich Stearns's Unfinished be that alarm for our time."
—David Neff, editorial vice president, Christianity Today

So you believe in God. Now what?

Just before he left, Jesus sent his follower into the world with a revolutionary mission: to change the world by proclaiming God's truth and demonstrating his incredible love. But the single task he gave us to accomplish remains unfinished.

Rich Stearns takes us on a breathtaking journey to rediscover the critical mission of Christ in our world today and the richness of God's calling on our lives.

Why are we here, what is our purpose, and where do we fit in the bigger story that God is writing? How should our faith affect our careers, our money, our families, and our lives? And why does it matter? We will find our deepest purpose only when we discover the unique role God created for us to play in his unfolding story.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780849948510
Publisher:	Nelson, Thomas, Inc.
Publication date:	04/30/2013
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Richard Stearns went from success to significance when he left the corporate world behind to become president of World Vision U.S. in 1998. After 20 years as the longest-serving CEO of the Christian relief and development organization, he plans to retire in January 2019. Stearns holds a bachelor's degree from Cornell University and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. His professional career included leadership roles at Gillette, Parker Brothers Games, The Franklin Mint, and Lenox Inc., where he became president and chief executive officer in 1995. Stearns brought corporate best practices to World Vision, where he inspired a culture of outcome-focused management. His lasting legacy is his leadership in calling on the Church in America to respond to some of the greatest needs of our time, notably the HIV and AIDS pandemic and the global refugee crisis. Stearns and his wife, Reneé, have five children and five grandchildren and live in Bellevue, Washington.

Editorial Reviews

Like his previous work, this follow-up to the 2010 ECPA Book of the Year, The Hole in Our Gospel, points to a deficiency in the Christian gospel. But while Stearns, the president of the relief agency World Vision, earlier focused on the gaping hole in the lives of Christians who only accept the “ticket to heaven” belief, he now fleshes out the way Christians are called to be revolutionaries who must storm the gates of hell—he finds evil personified in world atrocities—in order to open the doors to the kingdom of God. He explicates Bible texts to explain that Jesus calls upon his followers to make disciples and further the kingdom. Stearns exhorts churches to stop looking inward and begin calling people to act with the love and justice of God to radically change culture and society. Stearns, who chose to leave corporate leadership to lead the nonprofit, has signed over all royalties to World Vision. He has written an inspiring, action-oriented book that is long overdue in evangelical circles, bringing social justice, evangelism, and kingdom together in a dynamic and logical exhortation. Agent: Lee Hough, Alive Communications. (Apr. 30)

Publishers Weekly

"World Vision president Richard Stearns shares scripture and inspiring stories of people who make a difference to encourage a renewed sense of passion, meaning, and purpose in all Christians. The book explains the Christian response to God's invitation to be part of His greater work, which Stearns describes as finding one's own unique calling. With warmth and clarity, narrator Wayne Shepherd explains why patience and faithfulness are necessary in a journey of self-discovery. He perfectly renders Stearns's counsel to live the teachings of scripture because that effort is how listeners will find their unique callings. Stearns also criticizes consumer-oriented churches that entice attendance with latte bars or Vegas-style music, efforts that he believes are contrary to biblical teachings."  G.D.W. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2013]

From the Publisher

World Vision president Richard Stearns shares scripture and inspiring stories of people who make a difference to encourage a renewed sense of passion, meaning, and purpose in all Christians. The book explains the Christian response to God’s invitation to be part of His greater work, which Stearns describes as finding one’s own unique calling. With warmth and clarity, narrator Wayne Shepherd explains why patience and faithfulness are necessary in a journey of self-discovery. He perfectly renders Stearns’s counsel to live the teachings of scripture because that effort is how listeners will find their unique callings. Stearns also criticizes consumer-oriented churches that entice attendance with latte bars or Vegas-style music, efforts that he believes are contrary to biblical teachings. G.D.W. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

JULY 2013 - AudioFile