Holy Ambition: What it Takes to Make a Difference for God [Hardcover]

Chip R. Ingram (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2002

When God speaks, how close to the edge do you get?God wants us sitting on the edge of our 'life seats,' leaning forward to pay attention to His word. To really live this Christian life 'on the edge,' Pastor Chip Ingram teaches that we must be eagerly anticipating what God will do next, ready and willing to fully participate. Drawing wisdom from the life of Nehemiah, Pastor Ingram masterfully leads readers through six key components to achieving a life lived with a biblical perspective and an eternal purpose: 1.Developing a dislocated heart 2.Experiencing a broken spirit 3.Practicing a radical faith 4.Creating a strategic plan 5.Exercising personal commitment 6.Growing a courageous soul

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

What God is seeking, what He’s looking for are not the brightest and the best.  God is looking for people who are willing to live on the edge.  People who so long to see God’s agenda fulfilled in this fallen world that they attempt what seems impossible, ridiculous and “outside the box,” for God’s glory.

 

“With piercing honesty and ‘in-your-face’ conviction, Chip Ingram challenges believers to make a difference for God.  Using the Old Testament model of Nehemiah he offers hope to dislocated hearts, broken spirits and all of us.  I highly recommend it for the development of a Holy Ambition!”  -Dr. Joseph Stowell, former president of Moody Bible Institute

 

“After all the shallow books on leadership, we finally have a biblical, balanced model in Chip Ingram’s fascinating study of Nehemiah!”  -Rick Warren, Author, The Purpose Driven Church

About the Author

(Preferred Short Bio)
CHIP INGRAM is the new president and CEO of Walk Thru the Bible and teaching pastor for Living on the Edge, a national radio broadcast ministry. Chip is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary. From 1990 to 2002, he was senior pastor at Santa Cruz Bible Church, a large non-denominational church located in Santa Cruz, California. Under his leadership the church grew from 1,000 to 3,500 members. Chip’s vision and passion is to be an agent of catalytic change in the church and culture-at-large by transforming how America thinks about God, how pastors think about preaching, how churches think about their communities, and how individual believers think about their faith at work and home. Chip has authored two Moody Publishers books: Holy Ambition and Holy Transformation. Living on the Edge can be heard on nearly 500 stations nationwide, and on the Internet at www.lote.org.  Chip and Theresa, his wife, reside in Atlanta, Georgia; they have four children and one grandchild.
2/03

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Moody Publishers; 5 edition (March 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802429785
• ISBN-13: 978-0802429780
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,070,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Chip Ingram's passion is to help Christians really live like Christians. As a pastor, author, coach, and teacher for twenty-five years, Chip has helped people around the world break out of spiritual ruts to live out God's purpose for their lives.

Today, he serves as Senior Pastor of Venture Christian Church in Silicon Valley, California, and President of Living on the Edge - an international teaching and discipleship ministry. Chip and his wife, Theresa, have four children and eight grandchildren.

For more information about Chip or Living on the Edge, please visit www.LivingontheEdge.org.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Motivates you to move beyond hohum, February 8, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Holy Ambition: What it Takes to Make a Difference for God (Hardcover)

This is a must read book inspiring you to move beyond the hohums into action for Christ. If you want to make a difference in your world for the kingdom, to be a person whom the Lord will strongly support then you'll want to read Holy Ambition. It will help you launch on a road to a life of significance and impact for the Lord.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read it....because it will change your life!, January 12, 2007

By 

Running (United States of America) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Holy Ambition: What it Take to Make a Difference for God (Paperback)

Holy Ambition is a book all Christians should read. It talks about what it takes to make a difference for God. Chip Ingram, a teaching pastor on Living on the Edge and President of Walk Thru the Bible states that in order to make a difference for God, you need the following six steps,

1. developing a dislocated heart
2. experiencing a broken spirit
3. practicing a radical faith
4. creating a strategic plan
5. exercising a personal commitment
6. growing a couragous soul

Don't stop here. You may think you're not "good" enough to be used by God, but let me tell you, God uses ANYone at ANYtime, ANYwhere, so what does it mean to have a dislocated heart, a broken spirit or a radical faith? You will understand once you read this book.

I'm almost half way through already and let me tell you, in the four chapters that I have read so far, I am already moved by God. In that four simple chapters, I learn that we should live a life for God and give ourselves for Him, not the way we want, but the way HE wants. Notice this phrase, `it is not about you, it is about God.' All our treasures are stored in Heaven. Whatever you lose on earth for Him, is what you get back in Heaven. "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it." Luke 9:23-24 NIV.

What I learned most is, a Christian having a big house, a loving spouse, happy kids, nice cars and a 6-figure income doesn't mean anything to God. The question you should ask yourself...is that what God wants for us? Right now, the key is not what we want in life but what He wants for us. Don't get me wrong, it is not bad to have those treasures, but what is important is our intention. Why do you have them? Do you use them to satisfy yourself or used for serving God or helping others? If God asks you to give up everything (savings, assets, treasures) in order for you to follow Him, what would you do? These questions are not meant to scare you, because your answer doesn't affect me. It is for God. If you answer "no" to the last question, don't feel bad. We're on the same boat. Now is the time to ask God, "I am here for You, I am willing to take whatever you have for me, use me God."

You may think you have to be "good enough", well let me tell you folks, God will use you, me or even Chip Ingram himself no matter where we are in our Christian walk. It doesn't matter whether you're an amteur Christian or you're a faithful Christian, God will use you, in times you least expected at a place you wouldn't want to be. You don't have to be a good speaker or smart to be used by God, you just need to follow the six steps above and Ingram will teach you what it takes to make a difference for God and a great way to start...is by reading "Holy Ambition."

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Challenging and Convicting - a Great Read!, July 2, 2006

By 

Matt Soderstrum (Story City, IA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Holy Ambition: What it Takes to Make a Difference for God (Hardcover)

This book has been the most challenging book I have read since "Experiencing God" by Blackaby. It forces you to look at what it really means to live out your Christian faith and seek to make a difference for God in this world.

I am a pastor of a church and have given out at least 35 copies to individuals within our congregation. If a few people in a church could put these biblical views into practice, that church would impact its community and the world for Christ.

Move this book to the top of your "to read" list!