Gordon MacDonald

At one time or another, every Christian goes through a period which is referred to as a "desert experience"?a time when they feel forsaken by God, in doubt about what God would have them do, a period of darkness of the soul. Many, during those times, feel they are alone in this experience, but this thought-provoking book shows readers that they are not alone?that in fact, many well-known Christians have been there also. Featuring personal testimonies from each contributor, The Desert Experience offers readers encouragement and valuable lessons from those who have made it through the "desert"?lessons of hope, humility, goodwill, and the sovereignty of God?all lessons necessary for the maturing of a Christian.

¿Alguien ha visto mi tiempo? Lo he perdido. Tenemos horarios, calendarios computarizados, teléfonos inteligentes y notas adhesivas para ayudarnos a organizar nuestros asuntos y nuestra vida social diaria. Pero ¿qué pasa con la organización de la otra parte de nuestras vidas, el lado espiritual?Uno de los grandes campos de batalla se encuentra dentro del interior de cada persona. Los valores de nuestra cultura nos ha hecho creer que las personas ocupadas y públicamente activas en el ministerio son también las más espirituales. Caemos ante la tentación de prestar más atención al mundo externo a expensas del privado y nos involucramos en más programas, más reuniones. Nuestras innumerables responsabilidades en el hogar, el trabajo y la iglesia han dado lugar a que mucha gente esté al borde del colapso.En este clásico actualizado, Gordon MacDonald equipa a una nueva generación para vivir la vida desde adentro hacia afuera, cultivando la victoria interna necesaria para la eficacia externa.«Con mucho entusiasmo recomiendo este libro a todos los que, como yo, necesitan ordenar su mundo interior». —Charles Swindoll, Rector del Seminario Teológico de Dallas«Este libro fue el instrumento principal que Dios usó para motivarme a integrar disciplinas espirituales en mi diario caminar con Cristo... Me estremece pensar donde estaría hoy si no lo hubiera leído». —Bill Hybels, pastor de la Iglesia Comunitaria Willow CreekHas anyone seen my time? I’ve misplaced it.We have schedule planners, computerized calendars, smart phones, and sticky notes to help us organize our business and social lives every day. But what about organizing the other side of our lives?the spiritual side?One of the great battlegrounds is within the private world of the individual. The values of our Western culture would have us believe the busy, publicly active person in ministry is also the most spiritual. Tempted to give imbalanced attention to the public world at the expense of the private, we become involved in more programs, more meetings. Our massive responsibilities at home, work, and church have resulted in many good people on the verge of collapse.In this updated classic Ordering Your Private World, Gordon MacDonald equips a new generation to live life from the inside out, cultivating the inner victory necessary for public effectiveness.“With much enthusiasm I recommend this book to all of you who, like me, need order in your private world.”?Charles Swindoll, Chancellor, Dallas Theological Seminary“This book was the primary instrument that God used to motivate me to integrate spiritual disciplines into my daily walk with Christ . . . I shudder to think where I’d be today had I not read it.”?Bill Hybels, Senior pastor, Willow Creek Community Church

Does your life feel cluttered? Maybe an overcrowded calendar isn't your only problem! In this updated classic, learn how our technology-focused generation can deal with stress and find balance in life by submitting to God in five areas: motivation, priorities, intellect, spiritual growth, and rest.We have schedule planners, computerized calendars, smart phones, and sticky notes to help us organize our business and social lives every day. But what about organizing the other side of our lives? The spiritual side?In Ordering Your Private World, Gordon MacDonald equips you to live life from the inside out, cultivating the inner victory necessary for effectiveness. Simplifying your external life begins with seeking internal order. In addition to focusing on spiritual and mental disciplines, you’ll discover:The difference between being driven and being calledThe lifelong pursuit of the growth of the mindThe importance of being a listener and readerHow to exercise your soul to keep it in good shapeOur culture encourages us to believe that the busy, publicly active person is also the most spiritual. Our massive responsibilities at home, work, and church have resulted in many of us on the verge of collapse. Learn to take a step back from the outer world and deal with the stress of life by developing your inner world: your soul.

Christian professionals and church leaders alike will find benefit in Gordon MacDonald's "Building Below the Waterline." In this collection of writings from the pages of Leadership Journal, he imparts wisdom to Christian leaders in all areas of ministry and encourages them to grow-- from the ground up--a strong, spiritual foundation. Anchored in Biblical truth, spiritual guidance, and life experience, his collection of essays covers a wide range of matters.Articles from "Leadership Journal" included in this collection:- Building Below the Water Line- Finding Your Center- Cultivating the Soul- What I Want to Be When I Grow Up- Searching Your Motivations- Extreme Faith- The Root of Leadership- The 3:00 Phone Call- Saying the Hard Stuff- When Things Get Ugly- The Cleansing Power of Public Prayer - Monday Morning Restoration- The Private Times of a Public Minister- Knee Driven Ministry- Did Not Finish- How A Mighty Church Falls- The Right Way to Handle Church Conflict- Sometimes You Just Need to Disappear- Pastor's Progress- Ten Conditions for Church Growth- When It's Time to Leave

Jump into the Deep EndWhat is a deep person? If you’d like to become one, would you know how? Would you like to help others become deep? If so, you have come to the right place.In this fascinating book, best-selling author Gordon MacDonald discovers that his small New England church could be headed for trouble. Why? Because of a serious shortage. There are plenty of good people, well-meaning people, sincere people—but not enough deep people.In his celebrated and engaging style, Gordon transports you back to the fictional setting from his critically acclaimed book, Who Stole My Church? He identifies the crucial missing component in his community: people of true depth, people of real influence. And he offers unforgettable insights on how to cultivate spiritual maturity and exhibit life-altering faith.As it turns out in Gordon’s town—and probably yours—what’s needed is people who are willing to seek Christ passionately with a hunger to go deep. This may be exactly what you’ve been looking for.

A challenging, innovative approach to a delicate subject. It’s sure to benefit church leaders and members of all ages who dream of a “reinvented” church. —Publishers WeeklyHas your church been stolen out from under you?A storm hits a small New England town late one evening, but the pelting rain can’t keep a small group of church members from gathering to discuss issues that lately have been brewing beneath the surface of their congregation. They could see their church was changing. The choir had been replaced by a fl ashy “praise band.” The youth no longer dressed in their “Sunday best.” The beautiful pipe organ sat unused. How will this group overcome a deepening rift in their fellowship and nourish the relationship between the young and old? Can their church survive or even thrive?Who Stole My Church? is a fictional story that tells the all too real tale of many church communities today. In this book you can walk alongside an imaginary community, led by real life pastor Gordon MacDonald and his wife, Gail, and discover how to meet the needs of all believers without abandoning the dreams and desires of any.

“It makes little difference how fast you can run the 100 meters when the race is 400 meters long. Life is not a sprint; it is a distance run, and it demands the kind of conditioning that enables people to go the distance.”—Gordon MacDonald Running Strong Whose heart doesn’t leap at the sight of a beautifullyconditioned runner, effortlessly gliding along, stride-bystride, mile-by-mile? And what runner gets to this place without a thankless—and often lonely—regimen of strategy and self-denial? Isn’t this the perfect metaphor of what your heart is longing for—running life’s race with intentionality and grace? With strength and focus? Well, you can. Veteran pastor and best-selling author Gordon MacDonald says you must develop resilience—the courage and ability to get up when you fall, to keep running when you’re bone-weary, and to keep your eye on the goal even in the murkiest moments. Using the backdrop of his own experiences as a champion runner, MacDonald demonstrates how resilient people Practice spiritual self-discipline to build stamina and grit;Know what’s up ahead, what obstacles they will likely face; andBond with special friends who share their commitment to finishing well.Because he has also run many long, punishing laps in the tough race of life, MacDonald is uniquely qualified to coach and encourage you in developing that resilient spirit—to weather adversity, to finish what you start, and to never be satisfied with anything short of God’s best for you.

Mid-Course Correction is written for those who sense a need for putting order back in their lives again. It offers hope not only for those who have experienced defeat and disappointment in their lives, but also for those who have been "successful" yet yearn for something more. MacDonald focuses on making choices that lead to personal transformation, significant communal relationships, practical service in the kingdom of God, and a revitalized life of faith and worship. He demonstrates that new significance and meaning are available no matter what your situation has been.

What happens when your ideals and desires, plans and strategies, all go awry? From what sources might one find the resolve to begin a rebuilding process? "The fact is," writes Gordon MacDonald in Rebuilding Your Broken World, "the God of the Bible is a God of the rebuilding process. And not enough broken people know that." No stranger himself to brokenness, Gordon MacDonald draws from personal experience and discusses the likely sources of pain, the humiliation, and the long- and short-range consequences of a broken personal world. And he offers encouraging answers to the questions everyone asks when their worlds fall apart: Is there a way back?

Now refreshed with up-to-date examples and references, Gordon MacDonald's book encourages readers to borrow from the workplace proven time-management and planning skills in order to free up space for spiritual growth.

In The Life God Blesses, author and pastor Gordon MacDonald asks the question, are we prepared to weather the storms of life? In this book, MacDonald steers us toward the disciplines, convictions, silence, beauty, and spirit that feed and prepare the soul to recognize and recieve God's blessing.MacDonald reaches into the Bible and into the experiences of godly men and women of history to discover what can be done to lead a blessed life, then leads you through the steps that are necessary to develop a mature soul.

Gordon MacDonald explores questions men ask about measuring up to what they ultimately want to become in their quiet times. In When Men Think Private Thoughts, MacDonald offers insights and encouragement as he discusses topics that often define a man's life such as identity, masculinity, relationships, and spirituality

What compels me to write about the renewal of spiritual passion? I write because I sense out there in the real world of Western Christians that there is a growing weariness of spirit. We have tried the gimmicks, the programs, the promises of a thousand and one "gurus" of the faith. Here and there one view or another seems to catch on. But for many, the journey is a boresome task, and like my family on the dark road, we can't tum back, but we're almost too tired to go on.Renewing Your Spiritual Passion is disarmingly simple. I merely want to ask the question, what are the things that tire us out and drain us of our desire to be people of God? Let's name the issues and face them squarely for what they are. Then let's ask, how did men and women of spiritual antiquity face these same agents of weariness? Did they have insights we've ignored? And finally, what difference would it make if we followed their advice? My guess is that we would find some ways not only to restore spiritual passion but also to maintain some of the passion we still have.At least that's the way it seems to me.