M. Scott Boren - Difference Makers: An Action Guide for Jesus Followers

2013 by M. Scott Boren

Published by Baker Books

a division of Baker Publishing Group

P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

www.bakerbooks.com

Ebook edition created 2013

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means for example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

ISBN 978-1-4412-4264-8

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

Scripture quotations labeled Message are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson, copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

The internet addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers in this book are accurate at the time of publication. They are provided as a resource. Baker Publishing Group does not endorse them or vouch for their content or permanence.

To the people and leaders
of Woodland Hills Church in Saint Paul , Minnesota .

Thank you for the opportunity
to be a part of a difference-making society.

Contents

Foreword

The moment anyone mentions kingdom work we gravitate toward the heroic and the magnificent . We may perhaps think of Augustines colossal efforts , or the Reformers powerful revolution , or the revivals under Jonathan Edwards , or Billy Grahams crusades , or the stories of the many authors whose books rocket onto the bestseller lists .

But Scott Borens Difference Makers gently reminds us that kingdom work, the business of being difference makers and people of significant impact, does not begin on Wall Street or in Hollywood or Silicon Valley. It does not just happen back then or over there.

It begins at home, with your family; it begins in your neighborhood, with those around you; it begins in your church, with those with whom you worship weekly; and it begins at work, with those with whom you often spend your days. Difference makers, in fact, have concrete, ordinary strategies to reach out with Gods love and grace to those around them.

A student of mine, deciding daily to remind himself of Jesus s summons to love God and love others in the ordinary ways of life, decided to befriend some homeless folks he had met. He decided to invite them to a party at his home. That one act of service and love led to a life of service and lovenow he is in DC in a Christian ministry, making a difference and influencing many, including leaders of our nation. An ordinary act of compassion or service or love can unleash the grace of God and create a momentum of influence and difference.

What Scott Boren does in this book is this: he gives you forty days of short readings and exercises that, if done faithfully and adventurously and with openness to Gods promptings, will lead you to the influence a follower of Jesus is meant to have. In fact, these readings could lead to substantive changes in your life and career. They certainly could lead you to do things you never dreamed of doing but are so glad you did.

In short, Difference Makers has the potential to lead you into the grand company of people who have been summoned by God to enter into the gospel work God is doing nowbeginning with you and your neighborhood.

Scot McKnight

Acknowledgments

Where do you begin when it comes to thanking people who contribute to the writing of a book ? A book is much more than a set of ideas . Its an overflow of an authors heart , and authors are shaped by so many . Even though one name is on the cover , all books are really coauthored .

First , to Shawna, my partner in life and ministry, you are my muse, my inspiration. To our four children, my prayer is that I can pass on to you a life that I talk about in this book.

I owe so much to people who have shaped the specific words you read on these pages, especially my editors, Chad Allen, Rebecca Cooper, and Kristin Kornoelje. Thank you for all that you contributed. To those who offered critical feedback, Michael Mack, Gene Wilkes, Randall Neighbour, and A. J. Swoboda, I am grateful for your counsel and your help to get me unstuck in my words.

To the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit . This is your dance, after all. Thank you for including me in your love that makes all the difference.

An Invitation

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

request the honor

of your presence

to participate in a journey

of becoming a difference maker

in your neighborhood

and within your networks

Introduction

I can see our mailbox from the window of my home office . When the mail truck passes , an uncontrollable sense of anticipation rises within me . Might the carrier have a box for me ? An unexpected package ? An interesting catalog ? With electronic communication and social media , I no longer expect personal communication in the form of letters or cards . However , one form of personal communication remains that arrives in a traditional envelope and printed on formal paper : an invitation .

You are holding a formal invitation of sorts. This book is inviting you to join the God who acts in this world to redeem all of creation. You are invited to embark on a journey to become a difference maker, something you will learn to be as you go.

While in my twenties , I lived in Vancouver, British Columbia. Within minutes of my apartment, I could be at the start of a number of hiking trails that led up a mountain, to a waterfall, or along a river. Having lived in various cities in Texas that did not have things such as expansive woods or mountainous trails, I was unaccustomed to taking journeys like this. I had to take on a new mind -set, one that fit in with hiking through forests and up mountains. I had to leave behind the expectations created by my experience of living on the rolling grasslands of Texas. I had to venture out, letting the tree-filled journey teach me along the way.

As you take this journey of becoming a difference maker, you can take action in one of two ways. Lets call the first a leap-of-faith action. Such action reflects those people who attack a trail or run up a mountain. Those who respond to Gods invitation to make a difference in this way take action that is radical, substantial, or even wild. They dont just step out on the journey; they run it. If you are a radical who likes doing bold and passionate things for God, then go for it. However, most of us are not leapers.

The second kind of action is for the rest of us , for Jesus followers of the more ordinary sort. Lets call it a step-of-faith action. This kind of action requires us to put one foot in front of the other.

This is a step-of-faith action guide . Leap-of-faith radicals can implement these actions quickly and see results, but if we assume that it takes leaps of faith to make a difference, then most peopleelementary school teachers, accountants, farmers, firefighterswill be left in the wings watching radicals who have the gumption, time, and freedom to take the leap. Im inviting you to join me on a step-of-faith journey, one that frees all of us to follow Jesus into our neighborhoods and our networks and to live in a way that makes a difference.

The Journey of E Difference Makers

When I moved to Vancouver , I could have just stayed in and watched television every Saturday . I had to choose to get up , turn off the television , and head out to a trail . The choices I made shaped my actions . On my first hike , I was tentative , but after two or three ventures on different trails , I began to look forward to my weekly outings . Hiking became a part of my life . In other words , my actions shaped my practices . And the more I hiked , the more hiking became a habit . The more I practiced hiking , the more it became a part of who I am . I became a novice hiker . When we repeat life practices , they become habits , and those habits become a part of our character .