I'm grateful to the Willow Creek Association for sending this book to me knowing that I would post a review of it on my blog,"In Pursuit" and on the Amazon.com web site.
I've been a fan of Bill Hybels and the Willow Creek Church from the beginning. I was a senior in High School, living in the northwest suburbs of Chicago when Bill began knocking on doors in Palatine to announce the start of Willow Creek in the local theater.
I've the read the books; listened to the tapes; watched the videos and DVDs all along the way. I've heard the criticisms and the praises. And I continue to respect this man and his ministry more than ever.
I've heard Hybels speak on the topic of leadership a number of times. It is obvious that he is a devoted student to the topic of leadership and an avid reader of books on the topic. I even have a list of the leadership books that Hybels has read and recommends. He has also surrounded himself with men and women who are renown for their own leadership abilities. But when I read "The Power of a Whisper" I came away knowing that Bill Hybels was a man who relied upon more than leadership principles for his ministry and life.
Very early in his life, Bill learned to hear God's whisper and learned to have the guts to respond. There were times when folks opposed him; were confused by him; but he always stood his ground knowing that he had heard God's voice.
It was refreshing to hear that someone like Bill Hybels continues to rely upon the voice of God to lead them. This doesn't mean there is anything wrong in studying how to be a more effective leader. It is not an "either/or" situation. To be effective, you need both. You need the ability to hear God's whisper and the ability to lead others as you follow God's instructions.
Hybels did one other thing that impressed me. Perhaps it was solely for the purpose of research for this book, but there were other benefits from it.
Bill sent out an e-mail to the people of Willow Creek encouraging them to share with him about times when they too had heard God's whisper. The responses he shares from this exercise will bless you!
What a great encouragement to the people of Willow Creek. And what a great time of teaching to the people of Willow Creek. I'm sure many of them had heard God's whisper but didn't know it was God. Perhaps they didn't think God would speak to them. But with the encouragement of their pastor and some instruction along the way, "the whisper" became more clear; and they became more confident in hearing God's voice. After all, they now a new source of encouragment to respond to God's whisper in their pastor.
I highly recommend this book. It will bless you; it will challenge you; and it will cause you to be more attentive to the voice of God and encourage you to have the guts to respond!
Always in Pursuit!
