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The Call to Joy and Pain: Embracing Suffering in Your Ministry
 
 
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The Call to Joy and Pain: Embracing Suffering in Your Ministry [Paperback]

Ajith Fernando (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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Book Description

September 7, 2007

2008 Christianity Today Book Award Winner

Joy and pain are both aspects of the call of God for theChristian. The Bible even presents pain as a trigger for joy.The Call to Joy and Pain explores how this is so,showing the connection between rejoicing and suffering, howsuffering draws us nearer to God, and how suffering makes us moreeffective in service.

Ministerial veteran Ajith Fernando combines biblical exposition,keen pastoral insight, and cross-cultural wisdom in his writing. Heopens readers' eyes to a truth they may already suspect: we in theWest have much to learn about suffering.

By examining Paul's words on the subject of suffering for Christfrom Colossians 1:24-29, Fernando thoughtfully explains howsuffering can be a blessing to the individual Christian and to thechurch as a whole. His book will help Christians joyfully embracethe life of service and total devotion to Jesus, despite the painit entails.


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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Ajith Fernando understands the pitfalls of pain, as well as the heavenly heights of Spirit-blessed joy. As one who is intimately acquainted with the hardships of a wheelchair, I am truly grateful for the insights he shares in this exceptional new book."
Joni Eareckson Tada, Joni and Friends International Disability Center "Blending biblical faithfulness, gripping stories, and pastoral compassion, this book shows us how God uses pain for our good and his glory and reminds us that if we embrace our suffering, we will discover a contagious joy that makes Jesus beautiful in the eyes of a watching world. Written as a series of thirty short meditations, here is a book to be savored."
Ray Pritchard, president, Keep Believing Ministries; author, An Anchor for the Soul, Discovering God's Will for Your Life, Stealth Attack, and many more

"Ajith Fernando demonstrates that the call to suffer is an invitation to joy. We do not find a dour or depressing vision of the Christian life here. Nor can Fernando's work be dismissed as unrealistic-he does not deny the pain we experience in suffering. The work is biblically grounded, refreshingly honest, and full of practical wisdom."
Thomas R. Schreiner, James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville

"When I moved from the sterility of the academy to the real life of pastoring, I had no idea of the amount of conflict and pain that could come from within a church. I wish I had been prepared for the joy and pain of ministry and how I was being called to embrace that suffering. Thank you, Ajith, for putting my experience in biblical perspective. We are called to embrace joy in the midst of pain, to lean into the pain and become like Christ."
William D. Mounce, Senior Pastor, Shiloh Hills Fellowship, Spokane

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Review

"Ajith Fernando understands the pitfalls of pain, as well as the heavenly heights of Spirit-blessed joy. As one who is intimately acquainted with the hardships of a wheelchair, I am truly grateful for the insights he shares in this exceptional new book."
Joni Eareckson Tada, Founder and CEO, Joni and Friends International Disability Center

"Blending biblical faithfulness, gripping stories, and pastoral compassion, this book shows us how God uses pain for our good and his glory and reminds us that if we embrace our suffering, we will discover a contagious joy that makes Jesus beautiful in the eyes of a watching world. Written as a series of thirty short meditations, here is a book to be savored."
Ray Pritchard, President, Keep Believing Ministries; author of Credo, Discovering God's Will for Your Life, The Amazing Journey of Faith

"Ajith Fernando demonstrates that the call to suffer is an invitation to joy. We do not find a dour or depressing vision of the Christian life here. Nor can Fernando's work be dismissed as unrealistic-he does not deny the pain we experience in suffering. The work is biblically grounded, refreshingly honest, and full of practical wisdom."
Thomas R. Schreiner, James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

"When I moved from the sterility of the academy to the real life of pastoring, I had no idea of the amount of conflict and pain that could come from within a church. I wish I had been prepared for the joy and pain of ministry and how I was being called to embrace that suffering. Thank you, Ajith, for putting my experience in biblical perspective. We are called to embrace joy in the midst of pain, to lean into the pain and become like Christ."
William D. Mounce, Senior Pastor, Shiloh Hills Fellowship, Spokane; President, BiblicalTraining.org


Product Details

  • Paperback: 192 pages
  • Publisher: Crossway Books (September 7, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1581348886
  • ISBN-13: 978-1581348880
  • Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #982,756 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ajith Fernando, ThM, DD, is national director of Youth for Christ in Sri Lanka and a Bible expositor with a worldwide ministry. He studied at Asbury Theological Seminary and Fuller Seminary, and spends much time mentoring young workers and counseling Christian workers. He is active in Colombo Theological Seminary as chairman of the academic affairs committee.

 

Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A Joy to Read!, November 23, 2007
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This review is from: The Call to Joy and Pain: Embracing Suffering in Your Ministry (Paperback)
Ajith Fernando provides us with a solid theology of suffering and pain. But this is no stuffy theology tome. It is written in an easy to read format and backed by a life full of suffering and ministering to the suffering. Thus Fernando is uniquely qualified to speak into our lives at the point of our greatest pain. I am grateful for this book and its timeliness in my life. I think you will be as well.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Transcending Joy, June 12, 2010
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This review is from: The Call to Joy and Pain: Embracing Suffering in Your Ministry (Paperback)
Ajith Fernando knows about suffering. He has seen horrendous suffering during his ministry as national director of Youth for Christ in Sri Lanka. Since the 1980s that island nation has been torn and ravished by civil war and political corruption. Over 60,000 Sri Lankans have died in sectarian violence, and another 20,000, mostly rebel Tamils, "disappeared" after their arrest. Just when a tentative peace between warring factions was taking shape, the Indian Ocean Tsunami stuck, leaving more than 31,100 dead, 4,100 missing, and 519,000 homeless.

Despite the suffering all around him, Ajith Fernando has found a transcending joy, a joy that transforms pain and suffering into a closer walk with Jesus Christ. This book is greatly needed, especially in America, where much of Christianity has become shallow, self-centered, and materialistic. Fernando contends that Christians are not only not exempt from suffering and pain, but they are called to suffer for the Lord's sake and for the good of others. Yet through that sanctified suffering--even because of it--the Christian finds true, lasting joy.

Though specifically written for those in the ministry, the book's truth, which draws heavily upon Scripture, applies to every Christian. The book's thirty short but rich chapters take us to a higher plateau in our Christian life, and to greater service for the Master.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding book, April 5, 2008
This review is from: The Call to Joy and Pain: Embracing Suffering in Your Ministry (Paperback)
The Call to Joy and Pain: Embracing Suffering in Your Ministry
This is perhaps the best book that Fernando has done yet. I would reccommend it to every Christian who is serious about his or her faith. It deals with the most important aspects of our lives, yet it is an area often overlooked by the church today.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
suffering helps the church, everyone mature
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Sri Lanka, Holy Spirit, New Testament, Old Testament, Christ Jesus, Sundar Singh, Blind Chang, God's Word, Jesus Christ, Elsewhere Paul, Martin Luther, Good Shepherd, Second Corinthians, Graham Kendrick, Disciples Are Made, John Wesley, Roman Empire
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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