Sun Stand Still: What Happens When You Dare to Ask God for the Impossible [Paperback]

Steven Furtick (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 21, 2010

If you're not daring to believe god for the impossible, you may be sleeping through some of the best parts of your Christian Life.
 
"This book is not a Snuggie. The words on these pages will not go down like Ambien. I’m not writing to calm or coddle you. With God’s help, I intend to incite a riot in your mind. Trip your breakers and turn out the lights in your favorite hiding places of insecurity and fear. Then flip the switch back on so that God’s truth can illuminate the divine destiny that may have been lying dormant inside you for years.

"In short, I’m out to activate your audacious faith. To inspire you to ask God for the impossible. And in the process, to reconnect you with your God-sized purpose and potential."
    —Steven Furtick, from Sun Stand Still

“Steven Furtick challenges all of us—from the missionary in the third world to the family in the suburbs—to believe God for the impossible and begin living a life of faith beyond the ordinary.”
—ANDY STANLEY, senior pastor, North Point Community Church

“I don’t know anyone better positioned to challenge you to rise above mundane living and embrace faith-filled audacity than Steven Furtick.”
   —Craig Groeschel, senior pastor, LifeChurch.tv

“For too long Christians have embraced a miniscule vision of faith.… Steven Furtick reminds us that the God who accomplished the impossible through the great heroes of faith still desires to do the same through us today.”
   —Jentezen Franklin, senior pastor, Free Chapel

“This book will show you that your hopes and expectations are truly just the beginning of what God can do.” 
   —Ed Young, senior pastor, Fellowship Church

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Steven Furtick is the founder and lead pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, named by Outreach magazine as one of the top 10 fastest growing churches in the nation. In four years, Elevation has grown to more than 6,000 people in regular attendance in three locations. Steven holds a degree in communication from North Greenville University, and a Master of Divinity degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Holly, have two young sons—Elijah and Graham—and make their home in the Charlotte area.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Welcome to Audacious Faith

Pastor Michael proudly showed me the place where his church was putting in new toilets. I was still adjusting to the smell, trying to pass it off like it didn’t faze me. Like I walked down urine soaked dirt roads every day.
   “These toilets would not be very nice by the standards of your country,” Michael explained. “I know that. But here in the slums of Kampala, Uganda, so many children are sick because the food they eat is cooked right next to the hole in the ground where they go to the bathroom. So our church is building the nicest toilets we can here…for the children.”
   I had a hard time concentrating as he went on laying out his plans. Because as soon as he said the word “children,” my gaze drifted to a cluster of kids playing some variation of Capture the Flag on the trash heap behind the church. The church was really just a shed. And instead of a flag, the kids appeared to be competing for an orange peel. It was weird how content these kids seemed playing with just a peel—more content, it appeared to me, than a lot of kids back home seem playing with a Wii. And this garbage heap here on the edge of Pastor Michael’s church property looked like the neighborhood hot spot. How, I wondered, would parents of elementary-school kids at my church react if they were asked to drop their children off at a playground like this one?
   Pastor Michael’s church members obviously weren’t worried about it. They had been under the shed worshiping loudly for about an hour, and I realized they thought nothing of the fact that there was a small goat eating breakfast on top of the trash heap right next to where their kids were tossing around the orange peel. A scrawny, hungry, scary-looking goat.
   Michael must have noticed that I was taking in the scene. “This is a Muslim hill,” he continued, yanking my attention back to our conversation. “I am used to facing a lot of opposition. A lot of people do not want me here. Especially the witch doctor who tried to destroy our church by threatening our members. But when we prayed for God to make fire fall down from heaven, and his house burned down that same week, he left us alone.”
   I shot him a questioning look.
   “Do not worry,” he said, a twinkle in his eye. “He was not home at the time.”
   For the rest of the tour, I could barely keep up with Pastor Michael. He was moving fast and talking even faster. I felt clumsy and white trying to dodge the mud puddles while he led me down alleys through the slum. This was his village, he said. With every step, he detailed how he wanted to transform it for Christ. A school on this lot. A doctor’s office on that lot.
   “For the children,” he kept saying…
   Tonia could act like a total diva if she wanted to. She’s pretty, well paid, locally famous, and uber-talented. So people in our community are noticeably shocked when they show up to help serve breakfast at a homeless shelter and see Tonia in the kitchen making scrambled eggs.
   It happened the other day. She was volunteering with an outreach group from our church when somebody asked me, “Isn’t that the lady from the news?”
   “Yeah, that’s Tonia. She’s awesome.”
   “What’s she doing here?”
   “She’s serving.”
   “Huh. Wow. That’s impressive.”
   Actually, I would describe the way Tonia does her life as a few notches above impressive. I’d characterize it as audacious.
   Strictly according to her job title, she is a news anchor—a multiple-award-winning one at that. But news anchor doesn’t begin to capture the essence of who Tonia is. She’s a community service superhero who has designed her life around leveraging her on-camera talent to make an off-camera impact. She’s better at it than anyone else I’ve ever met. Charlotte is filled with teen moms, homeless families, and shut-ins who have been touched by Tonia’s passion to serve. And she’s relentless about recruiting others to serve with her.
   In her latest project, she set out to convince thousands to join her for an initiative called Love Week. She was asking them to commit to giving five thousand hours of service to the city. In a single week. It had never been done before.
   I can’t say I was surprised when I heard that Love Week added up to more than ten thousand service hours. That’s just how Tonia rolls. When she gets a vision, it usually sounds a little out there. People try to explain to her that it’s never been done before. And I think she likes it that way. If it’s necessary, and it’s never been done, she seems to assume that’s because God intends for her to do it.

To the untrained eye, a pastor standing in the slums of Kampala, Uganda, and a news anchor scrambling eggs in Charlotte, North Carolina, don’t have much in common. The challenges they face are as different as the hemispheres where they live. But I see them as twins: They share the same spiritual DNA. They’re driven by the same passion. They accomplish ridiculously amazing things for God’s glory. Their faith seems to be turbocharged from some source that the average Christian never quite taps into.
   It’s hard to define exactly what sets Michael and Tonia apart from other people who claim to believe the same things they believe but lead, by contrast, mediocre lives. Most believers I’ve met actually do want to find the source of Michael’s and Tonia’s high octane faith—and they want it desperately. They just don’t know where to look for it.
   Sun Stand Still is all about discovering that kind of faith. I call it audacious faith. By the time you finish this book, the same faith that pulses in Michael’s and Tonia’s everyday life will be pumping through your veins too. You’ll understand that God has much more in mind for your existence on this earth than merely surviving. What you consider possible for your life will expand beyond anything you’ve ever imagined. And the way you approach God and experience him every day will change too. Radically. Suddenly. Irreversibly.
   But first, some honest disclosure.

A THEOLOGY OF AUDACITY

This book is not a Snuggie.
The words on these pages will not go down like Ambien.
I’m not writing to calm or coddle you.
   With God’s help, I intend to incite a riot in your mind.Trip your breakers and turn out the lights in your favorite hiding places: insecurity and fear. Then flip the switch back on so that God’s truth can illuminate the divine destiny thatmay have been lying dormant inside you for years. In short, I’m out to activate your audacious faith. To inspire you to ask God for the impossible. And in the process, to reconnect you with your God-sized purpose and potential.
   You could think of this book as a one-volume theology of audacity. You probably don’t have one of those yet, but it’s essential. In fact, if you ever encounter a theology that doesn’t directly connect the greatness of God with your potential to do great things on his behalf, it’s not biblical theology. File it under Heresy.
   I’ll take that further: if you’re not daring to believe God for the impossible, you’re sleeping through some of the best parts of your Christian life.
   And further still: if the size of your vision for your life isn’t intimidating to you, there’s a good chance it’s insulting to God.
   Audacious faith is the raw material that authentic Christianityis made of. It’s the stuff that triggers ordinarily level-headed people like you and me to start living with unusual boldness. When you live this way, your eyes will be opened to see your day-to-day life in vivid color. Your spiritual growth will accelerate at a supernatural pace.
   If you’re like most Christians, audacity is not a word you use to describe your faith. Audacity, my dictionary says, makes regular people behave with “boldness or daring, especially with confident disregard for personal comfort [or] conventional thought.” And, if you think about it, confident disregard for the status quo is the essence of the gospel. It describes the radical path Christ’s life took on earth. It goes to the heart of what it means to live by faith.
   Of course, every believer in Jesus has a measure of faith—it’s the prerequisite to salvation. But after that, if we’re honest, we think of faith primarily in terms of a spiritual thought or a comfortable feeling.We hope it’s enough to get us to heaven when we die. But in the meantime, it’s barely enough to keep us praying, giving, and going to the eleven o’clock service.
   Let me ask you: does the brand of faith you live by produce the kinds of results in your life that you read about in the biblical stories of men and women of faith?
   Chances are, not even close.
   For most of us, this disparity is hard to live with. The chasm we see between our mundane spiritual experiences and the overcoming faith we read about in the accounts of biblical heroes is downright discouraging. It can create a heavy weight of condemnation and a sense of failure in our hearts. We can begin to feel like maybe our faith isn’t the real thing. S...

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Multnomah Books; First Edition first Printing edition (September 21, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1601423225
• ISBN-13: 978-1601423221
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.9 x 8.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (404 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,623 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Steven Furtick is the founder and lead pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, named by "Outreach" magazine as on of the top ten fastest growing churches in the nation. He and his wife, Holly, have two young sons and make their home in the Charlotte area.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

73 of 78 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Powerful Challenge for Audacious Faith September 21, 2010

By Laurence T. Baxter VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

One thing is clear as soon as you pick up Sun Stand Still - it's an extremely challenging book! Pastor Steven Furtick is the lead pastor and founder of the growing Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC. He's a very talented young man, a passionate and biblical preacher, and someone who demonstrates audacious faith. The tittle of the book comes from a passage in the Old Testament describing a highly unusual event. Joshua prayed and God caused the sun to stand still for a full extra day (!) The theme of the book can be summed up in two words: audacious faith. Furtick's clear goal is to encourage us to trust God to do powerful things through us, to awake a sense of vision "lying dormant inside you for years. In short, I'm out to activate your audacious faith. To inspire you to ask God for the impossible. And in the process, to reconnect you with your God-sized purpose and potential."

I found this book to be simultaneously very easy to read, and very hard to read. It was inspiring, but at times discouraging. It was easy to read because Furtick writes heart-to-heart, in plain terms. It was hard because it's so darn challenging! He succeeds at encouraging the reader to consider a faith and a life far beyond what we can do in our own strength, and for this he is to be commended. The difficult part for me is that much of what he talks about assumes the reader has a clear dream or vision from God, a definite purpose that perhaps seems too big to tackle. He says "Before you can pray a Sun Stand Still prayer, asking God to do the impossible you've got to set your sights on the specific impossible thing God wants you to trust him for in your life... When I use the word 'vision' I mean a "clear sense of purpose regarding what God wants to do through your life...." Some people would refer to it as a calling or life mission." Therein lies the difficulty. How do you respond when the sense of calling or "life purpose" is but a small cloud?

In any case, there were a number of powerful insights I took away from the book.
- The key to being a disciple is being completely available to Jesus: unconditional obedience.
- Whatever you're good at, that's your calling. Wherever and wherever it may lead you, is holy ground.
- Every member of the body of Christ is a link in the life-change process of other people
- Furtick also hates the phrases "just a volunteer" and "full-time Christian ministry"
- The scope and impact of your vision will be determined by who you believe God is.
- "If you're going to pray for God to make the sun stand still, you'd better be ready to march all night!"

Sun Stand Still is an important and powerful call to trust God to do things completely beyond our own ability, while also giving it absolutely all we've got. If you've got a dream but are lacking the faith to see it come to pass, or if you just find yourself too stuck in comfort and safe prayers, this is definitely a book worth checking out. Read more ›

110 of 131 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Like it-Loathe it Tug O'War October 14, 2010

By Jeffrey Borden VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Sun Stand Still: What Happens When You Dare to Ask God for the Impossible by Steven Furtick

I'm not sure where to start with this review. My impressions are all over the map with this book; I like it, I hate it, I'm encouraged, I'm depressed, I wanted to quit reading it, I wanted to read "just one more chapter," and those are just some of my reactions to it. I found it simple at times and profound at times, I found it condescendingly redundant at times and full of inspired repetition at others. Honestly, I still haven't determined if I like it or loathe it. Maybe that is the sign of a "good" book or a "stirring" read.

Let's get some of the technical details out of the way. The book is about faith; faith in God, faith in life, faith in action, faith in purpose... Faith... Audacious Faith (remember that, you'll hear it a lot). The book is not a difficult read and it's not loaded with deep theology. The book is broken into twenty short chapters; helpful for those readers with short attention spans or for those readers who don't have time to read for extended periods. The story is also filled with alliterated one-liner twitterific quotables; great for people who like those types of easy-to-remember inspiration snippets. There is also an equal portion of real-life testimony and personal experience to help support the message of audacious faith... I found the mixture of "cheese" and "classic" content to be almost equal portion. As I said, I have had a love/hate relationship with this book from the start to finish.

I realize that my review may seem a bit unfair or lacking grace, but that is not the case. I'm sharing my opinion and an honest impression from my read. I'm not a shill or a hater of Pastor Steven or Elevation Church.... I've followed the history of Elevation since some of its earliest days of posting podcasts of its sermons. I've watched videos and followed the blogs of its ministry leaders. Two years ago, while on vacation, I specifically routed our travel so my family could visit Elevation Church and meet with some of its ministry leaders. I have used some of the model of Elevation's ministry philosophy as example to my own church family. See, not a hater. I believe in the work Pastor Steven is doing and I believe in the work and ministry of Elevation Church. I simply believe there is a little more hype in the book than there is practiced reality. For instance, chapter thirteen "When the Sun Goes Down," is a very balanced and real examination of "what about when you pray audaciously and the sun doesn't stand still." Personally, I think there could have been more than a single (and short) chapter devoted to this. Again, in fairness, Pastor Steven does give time to "the other side of the prayer coin" (what about when God says no or says nothing), but throughout most of the book this balance comes across as an embarrassed whisper... or at least it did to me.

In closing let me add, I'm living an audacious faith life. I've staked my entire being on following the Way of Jesus. I've left secure jobs (yes, more than one), and left comfortable ministry positions in order to pursue an outrageous dependency on God. I'm in a waiting-for-God to answer my audacious faith prayer even as I type out this review, so I give props to Steven Furtick for living and writing about Sun Stand Still type of faith. I've needed the inspiration, but could do without the cheese. Like I said, love it and hate it... you'll have to be your own judge.

I received this book free from Multnomah Books as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." Read more ›

55 of 67 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Book Review: Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick June 22, 2011

By Brian M. Murphy

Format:Paperback

I began this book wanting to like it.

Steven Furtick, the author of Sun Stands Still, is pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina and the church has exploded since it's inception around 5 years ago. I rejoice with the idea of church growth, people newly coming to faith in Jesus, and churches reaching a young generation.

Elevation Church is a Southern Baptist Church. I am part of a Southern Baptist Church.

Steven Furtick received his theological education at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. I am soon moving to Louisville where I, too, will pursue theological education at Southern.

I did not like this book, nor would I recommend it to others.

Here is my greatest concern:

Furtick's focus throughout is what we can do for God, through audacious faith, if we dare to believe the impossible. His focus is on us - not God.

His definition for audacious faith is found on page 40:

Audacious faith isn't some newfangled, extrabiblical variety of faith. It's a return to the core of Christianity: trusting Jesus completely in every area of your life and setting out to devote your life wholly to revealing his glory in this world.

I have no problem with his definition. I agree that those who call themselves the church need to go through life with an audacious faith in God. Our goal should be to "reveal his glory in this world". I simply disagree with his emphasis.... The church needs to be challenged to trust and obey God in little things - sacrifically loving their spouse, leading their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, integrity in personal and business affairs, being charitable with those nearby in need, offering food to the hungry and shelter to the homeless, pursuing holiness and purity in all things, putting to death fleshly desires... Furtick challenges the church not in these areas, but in dreaming big and asking God for the impossible. His challenge is to dream big, pray hard, and with audacious faith step out to accomplish big things for God. Where is the waiting? Is their value in pouring over requests in prayer to God?

This book contains hints of "word of faith" and "prosperity gospel" theology - If we want it, if we can dream it, God is big enough to deliver, so ask, believe and step out in faith.

I have waited many months to write this review. I have attempted to be fair and balanced. This is Pastor Furtick's first book, and I sense that he is a man full of ambition, zeal, and vision. I hope that this, his first book, is an overflow of such enthusiasm and not a complete picture of his theology. I will look forward to his second work, hoping for more theological balance.

(I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. It was not required that I provide a positive review.) Read more ›