Popular author and speaker, Simon Sinek, made a splash a few years ago with his book, Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action. His point is well-taken: people won’t truly buy into a product, service, movement, or idea until they understand the why behind it.
For Christians, our “Why” is a “Who!”
OK, I know this is beginning to sound like the old “Who’s on First?” bit by Abbott and Costello, but the truth is, Christianity begins with a Person—Jesus Christ—and this Person embodies our “Why.” Too often, however, we Christians forge on doing what we do without paying attention to the “Who” or the “Why” of our movement!
This is precisely why my good friend, Julianne Stanz, has written a very important book titled, Start with Jesus: How Everyday Disciples Will Renew the Church. Julianne reminds us that missionary discipleship is all about introducing people to a Person: Jesus Christ, who is “both message and messenger.” Julianne states emphatically, “It is a problem when we cannot articulate from whom our identity comes.”
I eagerly encourage you to make this the first book you read in 2020! I have known Julianne for about 10 years, and I continue to believe that she is one of the most talented evangelists and mystics in our midst. Several years ago, when Loyola Press asked me to write a book about the spirituality of catechists and to consider a female co-author, it took me all of about 2.5 seconds to blurt out the name, “Julianne Stanz!” The result was our successful book, The Catechist’s Backpack: Spiritual Essentials for the Journey. Now, she is sharing her vision for renewal of our parishes by focusing on the Person of Jesus Christ—the One who embodies our “Why.”
Start your New Year with Julianne’s book, and learn how you can “set the world on fire” if you Start with Jesus!
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