Steven Furtick's book, Sun Stand Still (What Happens When You Dare to Ask God for the Impossible) is well worth the cost to buy and read. However, reader beware: you may want to be sure it's worth losing your calm, complacent Christian life.
Furtick, the lead pastor and founder of the growing Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, snagged my interest and enthusiasm in the first chapter, where he warns:
This book is not a Snuggie.Furtick largely delivers on that promise, even for this reader, who has walked with God and pastored and written for decades. I still learned much and was incited, as he promised. I've already begun praying "Sun Stand Still prayers," as he urges.
The words on these pages will not go down like Ambien.
I'm not writing to calm or coddle you.
With God's help, I intend to incite a riot in your mind.
I also loved it when, also in the first chapter, he says, "if you're not daring to believe God for the impossible, you're sleeping through some of the best parts of your Christian life. And further still: if the size of your vision for your life isn't intimidating to you, there's a good chance it's insulting to God." His second chapter ("Prayer That Stops the Sun") and third chapter ("Page 23 Vision") just added to the momentum, enough to carry me through to the final chapter, in which Furtick prayed several "Sun Stand Still prayers" for me. And for you.
Not only is Sun Stand Still a challenging and inspiring book, Furtick and his associates have made it part of an important movement. The related website, www.sunstandstill.org, offers links to download the first chapter free, to submit your own "Sun Stand Still prayer" online, and download valuable resources (short film series, group study curriculum, sermon aids, etc.) to disseminate and reinforce the book's message.
(This book was provided for review by the publisher, Multnomah Books)
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