Learning to Soar: How to Grow Through Transitions and Trials

The Lord, in the Bible, provides us with many illustrations for how to live a holy and Godly life. One of the most prolific and profound illustrations from scripture is that of the eagle. `Learning to Soar: How to Grow Through Transitions and Trials' is a masterful book which provides the Christian with life lessons learned from studying the patterns of the majestic eagle. The book was written by a grandfather and grandson. Avery T. Willis Jr. [...] is an international speaker, teacher and conference leader. According to his website: He served as pastor of three churches in Oklahoma and Texas for ten years before serving with his wife, Shirley, and their children as missionaries to Indonesia for fourteen years... He then served ten years as Senior Vice President for Overseas Operations of the International Mission Board overseeing the work of 5600 missionaries in 183 countries. He holds a BA degree from Oklahoma Baptist University, Shawnee, Okla., and the M.Div and Th.D degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas. He has received honorary doctor's degrees from Oklahoma Baptist University and Southwest Baptist University, Bolivar MO. Matt Willis also holds a BA degree from Oklahoma Baptist University. He is married and the father to two young children, and is currently serving in ministry in Asia. Avery Willis and his grandson Matt Willis show us in `Learning to Soar' how God uses hardships in your life to align with His purpose, and the result will allow you to "soar." Just as a mother eagle stirs her nest to encourage her eagles to fly, God "stirs your nest." The Willises compare our Christian lives to that of the eagle. Matt spent a great deal of time studying the habits of these majestic creatures. They show us the life stages of the eagle, from birth through maturity, and show us how our lives have to pass through similar stages of growth. Just as the parent eagles have to agitate the nest so that their eaglets learn to fly and don't become too comfortable remaining with them, so too does God have to our nests. The Lord takes the opportunity to stir us in order for us to grow and to soar, as He would like us to do. Dr. Willis offers this advice for when God is stirring our nest: "God never forsakes us when He stirs our nests, so the last thing we should do is forsake Him in our adversity. His stirring is the first step to move us through His plan for our lives, which He follows up with His next step - hovering over us. Look up at Him hovering above you and recognize that He can handle your adversity, that He is present, and that He is worthy to be followed" (p. 54). In the Epilogue, Dr. Willis states: "Where are you in the stirring-to-soaring process? What is your potential in life? Only God knows, and the only way you can find out is by stepping out in faith and giving yourself to Him and to His purposes for your life" (pp. 140-141). This book is particularly timely, with the econ

This is a great encouragement for new, mature, world-weary Christians and those desiring a stronger spiritual growth. It was enjoyable and uplifting to read and a highly recommended book to share with others, particularly as a reminder of God's providence in our lives and a reminder that He is in control. Reading the book really challenges the reader to leave life beyond the nominal and instead show how each of the reader can strive to the maxiumn in their lives, in and through our Heavenly Father and by taking up our cross and following Him, to better understand what the Christian journey is about. The book makes a wonderful gift, if you are in the mood for just an encouraging book about the Christian journey or if you are looking for that next bible study to do with friends or your church and is sure by the end of the study to give the reader more encouragement on what our Father in Heaven can do in our lives. Well written, the first 142 pages are devoted to focusing on the book and what the author(s) have to share, with the rest of the book, devoted to chapter study questions, for people who feel led in their hearts to use this for small group studies. With delightful ancedotes throughout each chapter, Learning to Soar, provides an intimate look at how our Father seeks to challenge and encourages us to take up our crosses and follow Him and in the process grow in our personal relationships with Him. Learning to Soar brings understanding that the circumstances that are thrown our way, are not to cause us to stumble or stop us, but is His way of growing us, refining and reshaping us and bringing us closer to Him. Using timeless principles and biblical based encouragment, Learning to Soar has something for everyone.

In Learning to Soar, Avery T. Willis, Jr. and his grandson Matt Willis compare the transitions of life and the trials we encounter with eaglets and their growing patterns. This is an excellent book with many examples of how God uses trials to move us out of the patterns of life in which we so often tend to become stuck. The style of the book is very easy to read with Avery writing the main dialogue and Matt using examples from his experience as a young adult. Matt and Avery write well together taking their cues from each other and expanding on the topic in ways that broaden the scope of their readership and better define ways to live through trials. One of the features I especially like are the questions at the end of the chapters. They helped me to stop and consider what I had read and how it applied to my life. In Chapter two the authors include an excellent list of ways to discern whether God is stirring your nest. All in all this is a very encouraging and easy read. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is experiencing trials of any kind.Learning to Soar: How to Grow Through Transitions and Trials

One of my favorite Bible verses is Isaiah 40:31 and I have watched several shows about eagles, but not until I read Avery and Matt Willis' book, Learning to Soar: How to Grow Through Transitions and Trials, did I fully begin to understand the story behind the verse. In an intergenerational and inspirational way, the Willis' (a grandfather and grandson team) tells us how God wants us to `soar' to the kind of life He wants us to have. Learning to Soar, is a book about intentional commitment to God and His purpose and mission here on earth. It is not a book about shortcuts as they note in the last chapter. Rather it is about a sustained commitment to let God lead us to greater spiritual maturity. I found Learning to Soar to be inspirational and helpful through a combination of story and exposition of the eagle's life. This book is not a theoretical book but a practical book about intentionally choosing to get out of the nest (and the image of the adult eagle `stirring the nest' to provoke the eaglet to eventually leave the nest has stuck with me) and soar as God intended.

In Learning To Soar, the authors use the analogy of eagles and their hatchlings to discuss what life with God's promptings can be. It is an image that is used throughout the Bible as a metaphor for the Christian life, and they utilize it well. The grandfather/grandson writing team does a good job of making the book feel seamless, with sidebars and plenty of personal stories to highlight the lessons they learned along their journeys. No deep relationship with God is always easy. There are plenty of times in our lives when God seems to be prompting us, pushing us out of the nest, to move us into new and exciting things. These seasons in live can be exhilarating as well as frightening, and the Willis' help us navigate some of those difficult times. There is plenty of solid advice in the book about how to discern God's voice and on how to move your life to follow Him. In addition, it contains a lot of encouragement about actually taking those steps with God and moving from a hatchling in the nest to someone who is able to soar with God. I appreciate books that are discipleship oriented, and Learning To Soar does not disappoint. It is a clear call to hear the voice of God, rely on His promptings and power, and live a life that will follow Him wherever He would lead.