A Challenge to Expand Your World View

A few members of our missions team here at Grace encouraged me to read A Hole In The Gospel by Richard Stearns. This is far more than a book to read, it's a direct challenge to your heart to expand your passion and reach for lost and hurting people. This is a story of how a CEO faced his own struggle to obey God, whatever the cost, and his passionate call for Christians to change the world by actively living out their faith. Believing that the “good news” is more than a private transaction between God and us, Stearns challenges readers with this question: What does God expect of us? Two thousand years ago, twelve people changed the world. Stearns believes it can happen again. You can order a copy at the Grace book store after any of the weekend services.

-pastor mike

Bill Hybels
Willow Creek Community Church
“Richard Stearns is quite simply one of the finest leaders I have ever known. I first met him when he was a high-flying CEO of a major U.S. corporation. Despite the rarified air he was accustomed to operating in, I was struck with his humility and Kingdom-centered worldview. When he became president of World Vision, I had a front-row seat to witness the way God used his mind and heart to inspire thousands of staff and donors to do their absolute best in alleviating poverty and eradicating the effects of AIDS from the planet. His new book, 'The Hole In Our Gospel,' will call you to a higher level of discipleship. I am rooting that you will allow God to take you to a new place of compassion and activism. Now is the time...Richard Stearns has the strategy...your move!”

Luci Swindoll
Author and speaker, Women of Faith
"Brace yourself...this is one powerhouse book! In a knowledgeable, loving way, Richard Stearns carefully explains why there's a hole in our Christian belief system. He redefines words like neighbor, wealth, possible, awareness....then, with challenging directives, shows us tangible ways this hole can be repaired — even eradicated — when each of us pours hope and compassion into it. He expands our thinking, gives us courage, believes change can happen, and when you've finished reading, you'll believe it, too."

John Ortberg
Author and pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church
"This is the World Vision legacy at its best. 'The Hole in Our Gospel' is a trumpet call to action as thoughtful as it is urgent. It is a prophetic and hope-filled word for our day. If enough people read and do it, the world will change."

Jonathan T.M. Reckford

CEO Habitat For Humanity
"Rich Stearns makes a compelling case that Jesus' good news needs to be good news for everyone in the world. The whole gospel requires us to not just care about the poor but to do something about it. This book should also be required reading for marketplace leaders to see a wonderful example of how God can use business skills and a willing heart to build things of eternal value."