Unbinding Your Heart: 40 Days of Prayer & Faith Sharing (Purple Ribbon)

I was unsure about using this book for our small SS class (average 6 attendees). MGR is a DOC minister and since our church is DOC we decided to keep it in-house. I'm glad I chose this book. It's not a program (no knocking on doors), it's not a 'five fingers of faith' approach. If you are looking for that, look elsewhere. What it is is a way to improve/build/rekindle your relationship with God through prayer. Since evangelism starts with you, it's essential that your relationship with Him be in good standing. The prayer journal in the back is very useful, and the book is easy to read. We are going into our fourth week using the book and our SS class has tripled in size. People who haven't attended SS in years are coming. It has been a very positive experience for our church.

Unbinding Your Heart is the third book in the evangelism series by Martha Grace Reese. This is the study book for an "E-vent" - a congregation-wide study of evangelism for Mainline Churches. It is a great study and many of my church members are in the material for the third time - yes, there's that much to consider, ponder, and pray about! If you want an initial introduction to Reese's study project, upon which this series is based, begin with her first book, Unbinding the Gospel. Church leaders should then read Unbinding Your Church to organize the leadership for an E-vent. This series has brought new life to my congregation! It has changed us for the better; opened our eyes; renewed our hope! Words can not express how well Reese nurtures the soul, motivates believers, and makes evangelism something hopeful (and NOT a dirty word!).

Martha Grace Reese has spent years studying that dynamics of church evangelism and offers her wisdom in this three book series. But for Reese this is a personal passion - she believes in the life-changing gift of the church and is empowering us, through these books, to make a difference. Reese has "unbound her heart" in this book so that we can see a glimpse of the possibilities before us as local church pastors and leaders. This is a must read for every pastor and leader of a mainline church.

Mainline churches have not won any evangelism series for a long time. Just as the Boston Red Sox broke the curse of the Bambino, the Real Life Evangelism Series knocks one out of the park. Reese equips mainline church leaders with prayerful and practical tools needed to change the church through the power of Christ's redeeming love.

This approach is, of course, based on "Unbinding the Gospel" and works best with a leadership-based understanding of those principles. And you really want to read that, anyhow. But if you've felt like you've tried "40 Days of . . .whatever" and it just didn't fly, try this -- really. Especially for mainline/oldline congregations who find some of the language or approaches in Saddleback or other denominational programs too, um, "too," this approach is basic, straightforward, but utterly non-condescending. Members and visitors at churches looking for an approach to spiritual growth and congregational vitality will find these books an answered prayer -- which is, in fact, the whole point of what Gay Reese is writing and speaking about. God answers prayer. But you have to ask, and -- big step, this -- you have to listen. And then you have to do something about what you hear . . . which is where the real adventure begins. These books give you a clear run at making the "leap of faith" to do all of that and more. In Grace & Peace, Jeff Gill http://knapsack.blogspot.com