Thank you for the past two weeks of learning, stretching, and growing with us on the Bloggers Bookstudy journey. Yesterday, Lili covered Chapter 11, if you missed it click here. Today, we will dive into Chapter 12. Soak it in guys, let’s continue to learn together…

Chapter 12 is titled “Developing an Enduring Spirit”. Hybels asked a group of senior pastors. “If you could ask your single most pressing question and with the wave of a wand walk away with a solid answer – what would your question be?” The reoccurring answer was on endurance. Hybels, like many of us, struggle with enduring through tough times. So how do we overcome this? Hybels offers us a curriculum from the “Graduate School of Endurance”. If God called you to accomplish a task, He has equipped you to accomplish that task.

As Good As It Gets Or Impending Doom?
Hybels remembers his childhood days when he and his friends would create makeshift skateboards, climb to the top of the neighborhood hill and take the plunge. At the middle of the hill the reality set in that the skateboards didn’t have brakes. Ouch! He draws a parallel to serving in God’s ministry. A pastor starts a church, seekers come, Christ followers are born, they grow, they mature, and they lead others. Everyone is happy. Then, gravity happens and what goes up must come down. Hybels' answer to the inevitable pull downward question in ministry is this...if “you do it right, you can endure” it.

Class is now in session…

First Course: Make Your Calling Sure And Stay Focused
This is a basic 101 class based on 2 Timothy 4:5b. The Apostle Paul says, “Fulfill your ministry.” Leaders, be yourself and not a photocopy of someone else. Run after the goal God gave you and while you are running remember to stay focused. Hybels recalls having the following statement posted outside his door, “What part of the word NO don’t you understand?” For a period of time, people would walk into his office and tell him he needed to do this and that and he simply pointed to the sign.

Second Course: Enduring By Developing The Courage To Change
This is a 201 class based on 1 Timothy 4:16. Paul says “Pay attention to yourself, and then to your teaching.” Hybels paraphrases the verse: “Examine yourself and examine your life. Then change whatever you can change that will lighten your load and help you prevail in your calling.”

-Changing The Pace Of My Life

-Changing How You Do Ministry

-Making Difficult Personal Changes

-How To Handle The Things You Can’t Change

Third Course: Enduring By Discovering Safe People
This is a 301 class based on Galatians 6:2, “Bear each other’s burden and so fulfilling the law of Christ.” Hybels implore us to find safe people. Your safe people are your trusted friends who you can share your deepest feelings with, the ones who have your back when you take a risk, the ones who show you grace when you mess up, the ones who cheer you on. Jesus had his safe people i.e. His disciples. If you don’t have them, find them. You need them.

The Final Class: Enduring With An Eternal Perspective
This is the “Learning How To Live with an Eternal Perspective” class and it deals with the nature of time. Hybels use the example of crossing Lake Michigan by sailboat. He compares his sailor’s perspective to his pilot’s perspective. As a sailor, you only see what’s in front of you but as a pilot you can see the big picture from above. As leaders, there will be challenges that will make you want to quit, don’t. Develop a pilot’s perspective and you will endure what is in front of you right now.


Questions for discussion:
Can you hang a “What part of the word NO don’t you understand?” sign on your door?
What is your restorative recreation?
Do you have your safe people?


We’ll take a break from the Bloggers Bookstudy for the weekend. See you at one of our campuses for “Life. Money. Hope” with Dave Ramsey.

Join us on Monday, Genie will start the next book, Crazy Love by Francis Chan.