Customer Reviews

Kingdom Assignment, The

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This little 109 pages inspirational book is a very captivating page-turner. As a Christian you will not read it without being changed or having your paradigm on money and possesions changed. As a non-Christian you will understand the rich meaning of the "Parable of the Talents" (book of Matthew chapter 25 verses 14-30) and what, at the practical level, Christianity is all about and what it means to work for the Kingdom of God.

The closest analogy that I can think of is that this book is the Christian counterpart of the movie "Pay It Forward." Actually the idea behind the "Kingdom Assignment" that pastors Denny and Leesa Bellesi felt compelled to follow, was God's brainchild idea for the church that they served in. The Bellesis were inspired while watching the famed movie in a theatre, and then prayed about the seed that God had planted in their hearts.

The book not only tells the story of that seedy "Kingdom Assignment," but also discusses what Jesus taught about money and possesions. As a result of prayerful consideration, at the beginning of October in 2000, the church handed out $100 dollar bills to 100 people (a mix of volunteers and volunteered members). Then the pastor told them what their assignment is with their individual $100 bills:
1) the money does not belong to you, but it's God's money.
2) one has to use the money to further or to benefit God's Kingdom,
3) in three months all 100 of them were to come back and tell the church how they had put the $100 in God's service.

I will not spoil the results for you, but I will mention that this real event and the aftermath has been covered by Dateline, People magazine, and the Associated Press from which many national newspapers carried the story.

You will be inspired to always help your neighbor, in good and bad, and to think of material possesions and non-material talents as something to use, manage, and be a stewart of for God's Kingdom and the well-being of fellow mankind.

The Kingdom Assignment is a very easy read with lots of amazing stories. It's a call to not just learn about Jesus but to actually take part in building his kingdom by making the most of each dollar that we are entrusted with.

If you choose to buy this book and take the time to read it I beg of you to try the assignment!! 100$ is not that much money. Take the risk and see if God doesn't reveal himself to you and others in an amazing way.

Wow! What a great little book! Denny and Leesa take a profound biblical truth and put in very "doable" terms. Anyone can be involved in a kingdom assignment. Not only were the stories of what God was able to do with $100 amazing and moving, but also what He did in the lives of those given the assignment. Their lives were also forever changed. This has challenged me to look at how I spend money more carefully and also challenged my family to do our own kingdom assignment. This is a must read for every believer!

Warning, this book may stir your heart in ways you did not expect it to! Why? Because it encourages you to give back in proportion to what YOU have been given.

The concept behind this book is to demonstrate one part of living out the Parable of Talents where a master gives 3 different amounts to 3 different servants to be stewards of while he is away. Two of the stewards invest the money the way they believe the master would have willed and earn him a greater return, while the third steward buries the money underground until the master's return. To show some application to this parable, a church pastor gives $100 to 100 members of the congregation (volunteers and a few urged to participate).

The first part of this book describes the intent and details in more depth. It also lists stories of the impact made in a feel good Chicken Soup for the Soul sort of way. The latter part of the book is more discussion of the concept of stewardship.

The greatest part about this book is not the challenge of what you do with YOUR resources; it's the challenge of your perspective on what you do with GOD'S resources that have been entrusted to you. To me, the thing that is most encouraging and thought provoking about this book is that it makes you think about gifts, talents, passions, and resources specific to you. It doesn't tell everyone that they should be doing the same thing. It leaves you with the freedom to give back in proportion to what's been given to you in all aspects of your life - not just money!

The only thing that I felt the book was lacking, was more of the answer to the question, "Why?!" If this were a secular book, the answers given in the "What's in This for You" chapter would be satisfactory. But since this book deals specifically with being a steward of God's gifts to you, I was surprised that it never really presented or emphasized the gospel. The gospel is the answer to the question "Why?" Yes, God is good. Yes, God loves us. But the truth of the matter is, Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead. This is why I would want to be a good steward of the gifts I've been given - because God has always been faithful and has saved me from sin and death. That is the reason why I want to honor Him in how I handle what He's given me. While the book mentions honoring Him for who He is and because He's the King, the fact remains that we've fallen short of the glory of God and no amount of good stewardship can redeem us. Only Christ's blood can. Therefore, good stewardship is really an act of thanksgiving.

For the non-Christian reading this book in a purely social view, it has practicality, and I would still recommend reading it. Society would be immensely helped if people really thought of sharing their gifts with others in need. But in a Christian setting and a Christian book, good stewardship is empty and pointless outside of the gospel.

Overall, this book is fabulous little read! I highly recommend it. I read it over the course of 3 lunch breaks. I encourage you to read it and think about how you've been gifted, and how you can share your gifts with others. This book itself would make a great gift. Enjoy and God bless!

"The Kingdom Assignment" is not merely a best selling book, it is an example of what happens when stewards are obedient to the voice of God.

True stewards already know that we own nothing. Everything that we have belongs to God, regardless of what it is that we have. This book not only encourages us to be the best steward possibe, but it also challenges us to step out and do something to make a difference.

God gave the Bellesi's something that they could not accomplish in their own power, which is how God operates. It is amazing what the body of Christ can do when we are on one accord.

This is a though provoking book about a leader in church taking money and saying 'use this money to do good'. Each person who recieved money that is discussed in this book doubled and tripled their money and did good works with it. It was a thought provoking book and made me look differently at even just paying 10 percent to the Church with a new light. It was touching in that the people the author wrote about did great works with a little bit of moeny. It is not a difficult read but well worth the amount of time it does take to read this book.

Enjoy.

I just love the practicality of this book. The inspiring stories are wonderful examples of how God's work can be done through anyone, young and old, even if you have only a few dollars a month to give to charity or someone in need. You can read it in an afternoon - and be inspired for a lifetime.

What would you do if someone gave you $100 and said change the world? That is exactly what Pastor Denny Bellesi did and life has never been the same. This incredible book tells the true tales of life changing faith, and people motivated by God's good graces. A wonderful story of faith in action that will get you thinking about how you can accept your own Kingdom Assignment.

I loved this book! "The Kingdom Assignment" is an incredible book that has stretched me out of my comfort zone and given me the more abundant life that Jesus promised us. It reminded me God can use me even more mightily than I could ever have imagined if I just let Him. It showed me how I can use the resources I've got to make an eternal impact on the world, and for that I am grateful! Every Christian should read this book to see how much more they can do to positively impact their world. TWO THUMBS UP!!

This book changed my life. Little did I know I would be accepting a Kingdom Assignment at my church. I read the book and opened my mind and heart and blessed 7 homeless men with a night to remember (i.e., Limousine ride, steak dinner and hockey game). We made a two page feature in the Houston Chronicle (4th largest market in the U.S) and my guys are now my band of brothers. I have since had a chance to meet the authors who have been on Oprah and featured in other national media showcases. The challenge of The Kindgom Assignment is phenomenal. Do a Google Search to see what I mean. Warning! This book will change the way you view your Godly influence and how you manage your talents, treasures and time!