Customer Reviews

Good to Great in God's Eyes: 10 Practices Great Christians Have in Common

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Contrary to what another reviewer says, "Good to Great" is not about earning God's love but about finding greater ways to express His love for us by serving others and helping to grow His kingdom for His glory.

Personally, I am very concerned about people who profess to be Christian and just want know that God loves them and that's all there is to the Christian life ("Jesus loves me this I know and that is all I want to know!"). The Christian life is so much more than that! In our increasingly self-absorbed culture, God does not want us to just live for our own pleasure, but to also love and serve others in Jesus' name. How, pray tell, is that competition over others and trying to earn God's love as charged by the earlier reviewer?

Anyway, Ingram focuses on 10 areas on how we can become greater Christians:

1. Think Great Thoughts

2. Read Great Books

3. Pursue Great People

4. Dream Great Dreams

5. Pray Great Prayers

6. Take Great Risks

7. Make Great Sacrifices

8. Enjoy Great Moments

9. Empower Great People

10.Develop Great Habits

Among the important points covered in the book include:

1. 5 ways to develop healthy habits.

2. Great dreams see possibilities instead of what has already been done.

3. While praying for our needs is okay, we should spend more time praying for God's agenda for our lives.

4. 3 ways to be a great risk taker for God.

5. God will periodically test our devotion to Him.

6. 5 reasons mentioned in the Bible why we are to enjoy great moments with God.

7. Distorted views we have of God and leisure/pleasure.

8. 5 practices to help us enjoy time with God.

9. In the world, being #1 is great while in God's eyes, being great means that you serve others (Did that reviewer really read this book? If she did, she must have missed this point!).

10. 3 reasons so few people leave a legacy.

11. Good habits can save effort, ease routines, increase efficiency, and release power.

12. 4 ways Jesus empowered others.

"Good to Great" is a great book to read! Read the book yourself and see what you think. Highly recommended.

The profound simplicity of this book is refreshing! It's all about Christ and growing more and more into His image, and in this book Chip lays out ten observations he has gleaned from studying others who have lived well for the Kingdom. Who in their right mind would dare criticize that?!

This book is definitely not written from the perspective of a "works" based theology as a previous reviewer commented. Rather, it is written in the same style that a father would take with his son by taking him aside and speaking wisdom into his life. Just as Jesus grew in "wisdom and stature and favor with God and man," so I need to grow also. Chip has provided an excellent tool to help me accomplish that.

If you're serious about becoming more like Christ, read this book and apply it.

I wonder if the person who rated this book one star has read it, or only the title. This book is about growing closer to Christ. This book does NOT say that you get to heaven through works. It gives you guidance in how to become closer to Christ as you live your life on earth, which is what God wants from us.

I am listening to Chip Ingram's radio broadcast based on this book and it contains wonderful insight and practical tools to help any person in their desire to walk with Christ.

Great resource!

Sometimes the tendency for Christians is to be humble to the point of mediocrity. We are almost ashamed to think and dream big, even for the sake of our role as a servent of Christ, so as not to "think too highly of ourselves". Chip Ingram does a great job of dispelling that belief through the use of sound logic, testimonials and scripture. We can and should be thinking and doing great things for the kingdom of God. Super book that helps to take you to the next level in your walk with the Lord.

I have to disagree w/ Connie Jo about the book anyways. I'm a STRONG believer in nothing more or less than God's grace is sufficient for a wretch like me. This book is so incrediblely encouraging. After each chapter I found myself saying, "That was good!" And so was each additional chapter. Tons of info backed w/ scripture. You will not be disappointed. I'm kinda tired of living around Christians who are just along for the ride and don't have much of a drive to live FOR God. I want to live my life for HIM. I don't want to be one of those Christians who enter HIS gates and didn't live FOR HIM. We are HIS disciples..let's help increase HIS Kingdom. I wish I could buy a copy of this book for everyone I know. Keep it real, keep your focus and drive on Jesus!

This is a great book for any Christian who is serious about deepening your walk with Christ. The questions at the end of each chapter lend itself for great discussion and easy homework for small groups or Bible studies. The first chapter lays the foundation for the book as it describes how our struggles in life begin in the mind and how we are to measure all things up against Philippians 4:8. Each chapter builds upon the next as chapter two gives practical suggestions how to fill our minds with Christ.

I definitely disagree with the reader who claims that Ingram in any way pushes a salvation by works mentality. He only wants Christians to rise above spiritual mediocrity and excel as mature believers. (See the older Addicted to Mediocrity as a companion book). Ingram has also proven himself out in the trenches. He is no slick, savvy evangelist whose greatest concern might be whether his greased-down hair and flashy sportscoat will look suitable before TV cameras. This guy is for real. The book is practical and helpful. My only criticism is that I expected something a little different. For example, I'm an incessant reader and I was hoping that he would devote a chapter filled with excellent books I may have missed. Instead, he mentions only a choice few---great ones but barely touching the surface of Christian literature. Otherwise, I liked the book and benefited from reading it.

This is an early candidate for being one of the best and most helpful books I have read this year. Chip Ingram explain that Great Christians Read Great books, live pure lives, take great (calculated and prayerful) risks, think great thoughts, pray great prayers, enjoy great moments, develop great habits, dream great dreams, and and pursue great people. Along the way, Ingram shares inspiring stories from his life and from the lives of others.

But what is best about this book is that it is deeply anchored in Scripture. Many books under the caption "Christian Living" are more about living than they are about Christ. This is to say that they present powerful principles, but they do not stem from a proper understanding of what God is saying in a salient text.

This book is an exception. This is the kind of book I will probably return to year after year for inspiration, guidance, and encouragement. It is also a challenging book. Highly recommended.

I've just read the first chapter of this book, and after glancing at the reviews I noticed one that had only one star and decided to see what in the world was going on! Connie simply did not get the underlying point, and substantially motivating issues that Chip Ingram is trying to tackle. Just by the first chapter, "Think Great Thoughts," I've noticed this book is going to be well worth the read. Recommended! For any spiritual activist! I encourage Connie to re-read the great news this book has to offer!

God has really used this book to challenge me to be striving for excellence in my Christian life. It is thought-provoking and has practical steps to help you apply the information. This book is for those who are truly committed to doing great things for God.