"Being a Lifeboat Church in a Cruise Ship World" - by Steve Elzinga

Amazon.com Link: http://amzn.com/0615642888

My rating:  8 out of 10

Imagine you are one of the few in the life boats, while watching the Titanic sink. What thoughts would go through your mind, while your fellow passengers are drowning or freezing to death? What would you be willing to risk, or what action would you take, to rescue these dying souls? Now take that scenario, and use it as an allegory for Christian evangelism and the call to reach out to the "lost". That is the idea behind the new book from Steve Elzinga.

Steve takes historical stories from the Titanic, and uses them as object lessons for how the Christian church could view evangelism. Integrating stories from his own past, Steve tells of ways the church may have become self-obsessed, or afraid of reaching out to the "drowning" for fear of losing our own lives. Elzinga confesses to still be learning (aren't we all?), while he offers many ideas to encourage Christians to reach out and help rescue those dying around us. Most of the ideas do not involve huge changes to our daily lives, but simple small steps to reach out to a friend and/or neighbor. What also caught my attention are Steve's own stories of struggles, and his willingness to share his failures with us. In my opinion, few things are as motivating as reading stories about working back from a mistake, and what new or changed approaches have been developed or learned. Each chapter ends with some thoughtful questions, to either ponder on your own or discuss in a group setting.

"Being a Lifeboat Church in a Cruise Ship World" is an easy read, and will help challenge the Christian to take a good look at the opportunities (both large and small) which God has put in each of our lives. If you are looking for some encouragement in your Christian walk or simply a different perspective on evangelism, I'd recommend the book.