Are you walking with God, dragging your feet or running ahead of Him? Take the first step in living at God's pace and let Shaun Alexander show you how to embark on the greatest adventure of your life.
Walking with God gets you from where you are to where God wants you to be. Standing still is not an option in your relationship with God. Growing in Christ means you’re on the move; it is a process of learning to walk into greater spiritual maturity. God is inviting you to get in step with what he is doing in the world. When you walk with him, you allow him to set the pace for every aspect of your life. And as you walk through the five stages of spiritual growth, you will be transformed by biblical wisdom and God’s direction, by the challenge of investing in others, and by the power of the Holy Spirit. When you start walking through life with God, you will have an unprecedented impact on others, discovering faith and strength that overcome doubt, fear and temptation.
Excerpt that most affected me: "...as you mature in Christ, you start to shift your focus from 'don't' to 'do'. Love God. Serve Him with all your heart. Love your neighbor. Care for the poor. Forgive those who hurt you, and do it without being asked. Forgive in advance those who you know are going to hurt you. Let go of the rights you've clung to all your life - the right to be treated well, the right to have your own way, and the right to get mad when things don't go your way. Get rid of the right to be materialistic and only think about yourself and the right to put yourself first and take care of your own concerns before you help others. Make the shift in perspective, from avoiding the 'don't' to doing the 'do'. That is the victory of the Believer.
Shaun Alexander—an outstanding professional athlete—gave me a geography lesson on the land of Spiritual Maturity. No short cuts can take a person through this territory. It’s a mountainous region and everyone starts at the bottom as an Unbeliever. Walking is the only mode of transportation and Shaun Alexander describes the marks of a citizen of each region and identifies the trial, traps, and victories found there. He uses the Apostle Peter as his biblical example of spiritual growth from the valley to the peak.
As a senior citizen and a woman who never played in any sport, I was skeptical that I would be able to relate to Shaun Alexander’s book. By the end of the second chapter, I knew that I was wrong. We share the only thing that matters: a strong desire to bring glory to God by walking close to Him and discovering the adventures He prepared for us. I strongly recommend this book for anyone interested in a dynamic discussion of spiritual maturity.
This is a great book! When I started to read , I expected it to be more autobiographical. It is actually more of a guidebook with inspirational stories about Shaun's life woven in to provide encouragement, give reasons for why he is advising something in particular and demonstrate what can actually happen in a person's life when they truly walk with God on a daily basis. I like this book because it was not only packed with information and useful advice, it also entertained me and grabbed my attention in the first few pages. I wanted more to read after I was finished, so I re-read many chapters multiple times. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in getting serious about their faith, as well as those who want to learn more about the life of one of the University of Alabama's best players of all time.
This book was awesome in detailing the steps in our life with God. It explicitly explains each step so that you can identify with where you are in that walk with God. It then helps you find the next path you must take to get to the place where God wants to see all of us.
I love reading about professional athletes that are Christian and Shaun Alexander does an excellent job of letting you know how he got where he is today.
This was an excellent read and I have referred it to several people who are already walking the walk but my have slightly gotten a bit off course.
Family Shepherds is a book that is hard not to get behind, the premise being such a stick at our politically correct, post-sense, nonsense culture. The driving idea behind Shepherds is that families are responsible for the discipling of their children. Listen closely. That distant sound like popping popcorn. That is the sound of minds being blown. It's true.
Baucham goes even further: Husbands are responsible to disciple their wives, Fathers are responsible for their children. Of the hundred and ninety or so pages seven are given to discuss the responsibility of the church. The other one eighty focus on the responsibility of Christian men to lead their families.
The book opens with an introduction to the idea that the family is ultimately responsible for their own discipleship. The the concept of the family shepherd is introduced. Closing the introduction Baucham gives an example family, cleverly surnamed the Joneses. This introduction lays the ground work for what follows in the actual meat of the work. With the relevance of family shepherding established Baucham is free to elaborate on the most important aspects of the work of the shepherd. Namely, family discipleship and evangelism, marriage enrichment, training and discipline of children, and lifestyle evaluation.
Each section is divided into three chapters. The first will usually introduce the section as a whole and elaborate what has been said on it so far. The second and third turn toward the practical implementation. For instance the first section on family discipleship opens with a discussion of the gospel and what exactly the gospel is. Then the second chapter discusses catechism and doctrinal education within the home. The final chapter gives an overview of family worship and suggestions for its practice. Each portion follows a similar structure with variation for the subject matter.
Minds are blowing every day. While reading through Shepherds this tight interior structure is not apparent. One reads cover to cover oblivious to the way in which the author paces each bit of information and only at the end looking back does he see the pattern. Much like rambling along a trail in a forest, where the path has been well worn and well prepared the walker is free to enjoy the walk and forget about the walking.
Baucham explains in one of the appendices that he breaks up their church calendar into four blocks which correspond to the major ideas of family shepherding. There is not much of a caveat here, but the implication was clear enough: without constant feedback and focus a community will not implement this plan. A church's men's group won't become shepherds without a change in focus of the church en masse. This is not to say than a particularly devoted individual would not be able to plow through the springtime of a new idea and stay the course as competing commitments encroach upon his new dedication to shepherding. No, there will certainly be men who will read Baucham's work and be changed for the better. What remains to be seen is if there will be the implementation of a such a plan which focuses intently on the heads of household in a wider scope one that couldn't be talked about as 'families' but churches and communities of families.
My only real issue with the work is the paper that the cover is printed on. I'm not sure if it is Touche or not, but it feels like it. And FiberMark may claim that it is 'luxuriously appealing to the touch' but I for one am not convinced. It has an half rubbery feel that I just don't care for. Moreover, this book is obviously geared toward men, and I for one cannot understand who thought 'luxuriously appealing to the touch' was the sort of marketing that appeals to men. And again the it doesn't match up with the rugged 1st century shepherds robe, staff and sandals as portrayed on the cover (see the above image). Regardless of how one feels about the paper stock this should not be ample deterrent for reading this book. It is excellent after all.
4/5
Propter Sanguinem Agni, RS
This book was provided to me free of charge by the publisher. They asked only for my honest opinion. Nothing weird or anything like that. I am only disclosing this information because it is illegal if I don't. I'm pretty sure that I would go to prison, probably for life, seeing how reviewing a product you are given for free under the guise of having purchased it yourself is similar to murder. O laws, like whitewashed tombs!
The Walk by former NFL star Shaun Alexander is apparently written for those Christians young in their faith, but its bland, trite style and theologically questionable premise make it a book only someone with a fairly mature understanding of Scripture ought to attempt to slog through. Even then, there would be very little reward in the end.
Alexander’s premise is this: Since “God is not a God of confusion but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33 - often translated as “order” rather than “peace”), that He has created a very specific path to maturity in Christ. That path consists of this series of stages: “Unbeliever, Believer, Example, Teacher, Imparter.” (pg. 21)
Up until this point in The Walk, I had actually been pleasantly surprised. I had fully expected it to be another Christ self-help book – “Here’s how to get spiritual power for your life – to be everything you want to be!” It wasn’t, and I was glad of that.
However, Alexander completely lost me here. The passage he quotes as the basis for his sequence of spiritual maturity clearly relates to worship in the church – not the progression of a believer’s growth. While it is true that 1 Corinthians 14:33 is a statement with broader implications, there is absolutely no Scriptural support for this order that The Walk is entirely based upon. Consequently, it took me about six weeks to read this short book because I felt compelled to continually question the author’s credibility. And I continually found it lacking.
He essentially invents his premise and tells the reader it’s from God, and this plagues the entire book.
There are notes of truth throughout the book, and I would encourage any believer from a non-charismatic background to read the final chapter with an open mind. Like Alexander, I believe that there are still miracles out there. We just don’t see them happen because we have cut ourselves off from this kind of working of the Holy Spirit.
At the risk of being too harsh, The Walk turns out to be a more or less useless book. I absolutely would not recommend it.
I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review as part of the Blogging for Books program.
“The Walk” by Shaun Alexander is an enjoyable read. I believe the author is correct in his assertion, “follow [God’s] order in your life, and you will see amazing things happen”.
Shaun takes the reader through a crucible of five stages of development. He utilizes these as a benchmarking system in the development of disciples. In a church world that often highlights large numbers ahead of personal development I found Shaun’s work to be deeply personal and encouraging to believers who desire to grow. Shaun has his own God given game plan. For this reader it follows the Great Commission and encourages transformation and spiritual formation in both real and practical ways.
While I love Shaun’s heart and what this book intends to give us, there are two changes I would suggest to improve the focus and depth of this book.
First: Skip the description of the non-Christian as ‘Wanderer’ and ‘Wonderer’. These terms and descriptions are very unhelpful to the overall point of this book. Discipleship.
Next go beyond the recurring focus of spiritual growth resulting in the outpouring of power in the life of a believer to heal physically. From his opening story of a football player being healed to the majority of his examples of ‘The Imparter’; Shaun seems to assert the greatest power believers can possess are supernatural outpourings of physical healing and external signs of wonderment. More impressive is the very heart of what Mr. Alexander desires in this passionate writing: The growth of believers to maturity, by subjecting their will and entire lives to Christ and His power.
In closing two great things stood out to me in “The Walk”. First the passion for growth and mentoring Shaun displays within these pages. I have no doubt Jesus is this man’s pacesetter! Next the great phrase “God is not out to make you a success at anything other than a success at hearing His voice”. Obedience, not perfection is what God wants from us!”
While this book is not ‘perfection’ it does show this reader the heart of a man who is seeking to be obedient. If Shaun follows this plan he will continue to grow and grow others on “The Walk”.
I received this book for free from waterbrookmultnomah.com in exchange for this review. Opinions expressed in this article are only those of Chris Kinner and cannot be cited without my written consent.
The Walk by Shaun Alexander was an enriching journey down the path of discipleship. Many aspects of this book blessed me and caused me to think about where I am in my walk with Jesus. The stages of the journey were most interesting to contemplate. While each offered insight into my own spiritual life, I found that it may not be quite as clear cut as the author stated it. In my experience as a youth pastor, with my own walk and with the walks of those students I have been blessed to disciple there are moments when people take a leap forward and become teachers or imparters as they still travel the necessary path of being a new believer. As Alexander addressed the traps of a teacher there is a great reminder that all teachers need to ultimately remain students of God's Word, closely embracing the wisdom that God blesses His followers with. This intimacy with God's Word must exist apart from the materials studied in order to be a teacher to others. In addition, as Alexnder explored the stage of being an Imparter, he confronts the common pitfalls common to anyone who finds themself in the situation of being an influencer. We all need to be aware of the three g's (Gold, Glory and Girls/Guys). We also all need to approach the responsibility of being an Imparter with humility. Jesus says, "blessed are the meek"--this must apply to those who are Imparters. I truly enjoyed the biographical elements of this book. I am not a huge football fan, though I do enjoy the game. It was really great reading of his career. Even more awesome was reading the story of his nine city journey at the end of the book. This journey was very illuminating in regards to how an Imparter lives. Unfortunately, it left the impression that if you don't have certain charismatic gifts then you are not an imparter. I do not think Mr. Alexander meant to leave this impression, but it was their nonetheless. I also want to mention that many of his illustrations are useful when sharing the journey with others. I used a portion of this book on a youth retreat this past weekend and it connected with the youth really well, especially as we are in the midst of the playoff season. I recieved this book as part of Multonomah Pulbishers Blogging for Books program.
In The Walk, Shaun stresses the importance of order in becoming a mature Christian. He lays out 5 stages that each person can walk through: Unbeliever, Believer, Example, Teacher, and Imparter. He states that if a believer were to "skip a stage in the maturity process, error will creep in. Get ahead of God, and things will start to go wrong. But follow His (God's) order in your life, and you will see amazing things happen." p. 21
He breaks each stage down into becoming a Believer, Example, etc and expands on the trials, traps, and victories of each stage. As you walk through this book, Shaun gives concrete examples not only from his football days, but also real life situations many people can relate to. He cites Scripture throughout the book, yet many times they are only referenced. A Discussion Guide is available for small groups to read together.
I feel that Shaun Alexander over-stresses the order of the stages and not enough on the actual learning and living of each. He does state near the end that different people will proceed through the stages at different rates - some faster than other.
Star Rating - 4 out of 5
A complimentary copy of this book was provided to me by Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group as part of their Blogging for Books Program. I was not obligated to write a positive review. The opinions in this review are strictly my own.
this book wouldn’t have hit home quite as effectively for me if i didn’t have a dog… it may sound strange, but there it is… here’s the deal… putting my dog – a puppy – on a leash and trying to train him to walk nicely has worked in conjunction with this book, opening my eyes to the importance of walking “humbly with our God”…
my dog is half beagle and half jack russell terrier (adorable, but a handful at times), so when we walk – he’s either nose-to-the-ground sniffing out crickets or running full steam straining at his collar… it’s nothing like the picture perfect march you see on the televised dog shows… and it’s often the same way when we walk with God… we’re either racing ahead with our own plans or stubbernly holding our ground until God sees things our way…
anyway, this book touches on that in the early chapters and then proceeds to talk about the five stages of our spiritual journey – unbeliever, believer, example, teacher and imparter – and relates it all with personal anecdotes as well as a light study of the life of Peter (the apostle)…
i’m not sure i agreed with everything i read and there were certainly times where the book seems to come unglued organizationally, but i often feel like even one good takeaway makes the whole book worth while… and for me, it was in the title and the first few chapters… and the rest was all just icing…
Another recent review copy received is The Walk by Shaun Alexander. I wanted to like this book; I really did. I think the main issue is just that I wasn't the target audience.
Football references mostly worked for me because I watched football for years with my dad. However, the steps a Christian moves through in his life are completely action based. As a woman, I am more emotion based. For me, spiritual maturity is more about beliefs and emotions and the actions that come from that, rather than a desciption of behaviors that a Christian would exhibit during certain stages.
Also, if you were to look at what God prefers - actions or heart - the Bible comes out on the side of the heart.
As a woman, the book just doesn't resonate. Hopefully it appeals more to a male audience, as I feel the book does have merit. Just not for me.
Thank you to Waterbrook Multnomah for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Shaun thinks that Wanderers and Wonderers are non-believers. I think that there are a lot of Wanderers and Wonderers who are believers. The "Walk" with Jesus is never ending, always wondering and wandering. The book talks about the order God wants us to follow to spiritual maturity. From Wanderer to Wonderer, then to Believer, Example, Teacher, and Imparter. The premise is good and the thoughts are provoking, but I'm not convinced that God really wants that strict of order.
This was a very inspiring book teaching about walking with God. I found the book very helpful as a new Christian. I never knew until I read the book that there are many steps of Christianity: unbeliever, believer, example, teacher, and imparter.
I recommend to anyone who is a new Christian like me who wants to learn more about being more Christlike and Christianity.
This book lays a good foundation to the levels of spirituality, from the Unbeliever to the Imparter. The scripture references to Paul, Peter, and the other disciples added a lot of value and insight on God's order. I truly enjoyed this book.
I initially thoight Shaun would give more personal examples however, had he done that I don't believe the message would be as well received.
Earlier this year I had the privilege of assisting former NFL running back Shaun Alexander with preparation of his latest book, The Walk. It's now available at local retailers and online at all the usual places.