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Men of Character: Nehemiah
One in a series of twelve books by Gene Getz examining role models of the Old and New Testaments in situations relevant to modern times.
208 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 1995
10 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
Gene A. Getz
150 books25 followersGene A. Getz, (B.A., Rocky Mountain College; M.A., Wheaton College; Ph.D., New York University), a host and teacher of Renewal Radio, served as a professor at Moody Bible Institute and Dallas Theological Seminary. He has authored more than 60 books, including The Measure of a Healthy Church, Elders and Leaders, and the Men of Character series. He has been a church planting pastor in the Dallas metroplex since 1972 and now serves as President of the Center for Church Renewal and Pastor Emeritus of Fellowship Bible Church North in Plano, Texas.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 10, 2011
I've read 100% of the book Nehemiah: Becoming a Disciplined Leader by Gene A. Getz. This book helped me by leading me to clarify my goals for the future of my disciplined life. It is full of suggestions for analyzing your current walk with Christ and setting new goals for yourself and your leadership. The book is in a study-guide form, so it starts with a chapter, there usually is an illustration in the chapter, and then it leads to a section called “Principles to live by”, in which numerical principles are laid out for simplification in learning. Finally, each chapter concludes with a guided prayer and a blank spot for you to write down your own application of these principles and goals for what you are going to do today and in the near future. The last section is the most important. Understanding proceeds application and thus we must seek to apply all that we read or else we will forget the material and it will be wasted away. This is why studying the Bible always includes a writing instrument and taking notes.
A chapter that really helped me was Chapter 4, “A Great Leadership Model”, which focused on Nehemiah 3:1-32, the story of the building of the wall, where Nehemiah had organized all the workers in specific locations on the wall in order for the project to be completed most efficiently. The practical application of this chapter was that in order to get things done, we must set clear, time-restricted goals and follow through with those goals. Specifically, it mentioned that we should have goals for the day, for the week, and for the month, and even more for 6 months or a year. These goals should be “set up against Biblical standards.” Essentially, we must make sure our goals align with the will of God. The value of this part of this chapter was immeasurable to me, and even the other principles in the chapter were extremely valuable: being an active participant in the body of Christ, using my human resources but also drawing upon God's divine resources, and being an encourager of others.
Another chapter that really encouraged me was Chapter 12, “A Leader's Toughest Task”, speaking on the principles of tithing and being a steward of God's money. There are four principles that he outlines for New Covenant believers in a section called “Generosity under Grace”, that is, that “we are to give systematically”, “we are to give proportionately”, “we are to give cheerfully”, and “we can expect God to meet our needs.” (pp 188-189). This section helped me realize that I might not have the character yet of a man who can be a good steward of God's money. My self-discipline in the area of budgeting and managing money is lacking, and I still need to grow it so I can become eligible for being a steward of His money. He tells a story of a woman who at once had no extra money for anything, being a poor woman with children in midst of the Great Depression, and yet when she decides to give all of her remaining money to God in tithing while trusting in God to meet her needs, she received abundant blessings and eventually ended up starting a multi-million dollar business.
I Got a lot of value out of Chapter 10, “When People Try to Hurt You”, because it speaks about practical wisdom and application for “Becoming a Man Who Handles Criticism Well.” Specifically, in the questionnaire, it asks, when people criticize you, to question, “Am I wise in the way I respond?”, “Am I counterattacking or questioning others' motives?”, “Am I patient and do I wait for motives to be revealed as right or wrong through actions that cannot be misinterpreted?”, and more. These questions helped me analyze my self and my reactions to people when I feel I am being attacked. It helped me become less defensive as a person and more open to allowing God's spirit to abide in me in these situations.
Gene A. Getz writes very simplistically like all non-fiction writers should, he spreads out his writing with exegesis, illustration, and practical application. One does not get too bored reading because of the flow of these different styles. The chapters are not too long, so as two can be read at a time during a twenty-five minute spurt. They do not draw out and there seems to not be any 'fluff'. The quality of the book was one that made me want to order the rest of the books in the series, “Men of Character”.
A chapter that really helped me was Chapter 4, “A Great Leadership Model”, which focused on Nehemiah 3:1-32, the story of the building of the wall, where Nehemiah had organized all the workers in specific locations on the wall in order for the project to be completed most efficiently. The practical application of this chapter was that in order to get things done, we must set clear, time-restricted goals and follow through with those goals. Specifically, it mentioned that we should have goals for the day, for the week, and for the month, and even more for 6 months or a year. These goals should be “set up against Biblical standards.” Essentially, we must make sure our goals align with the will of God. The value of this part of this chapter was immeasurable to me, and even the other principles in the chapter were extremely valuable: being an active participant in the body of Christ, using my human resources but also drawing upon God's divine resources, and being an encourager of others.
Another chapter that really encouraged me was Chapter 12, “A Leader's Toughest Task”, speaking on the principles of tithing and being a steward of God's money. There are four principles that he outlines for New Covenant believers in a section called “Generosity under Grace”, that is, that “we are to give systematically”, “we are to give proportionately”, “we are to give cheerfully”, and “we can expect God to meet our needs.” (pp 188-189). This section helped me realize that I might not have the character yet of a man who can be a good steward of God's money. My self-discipline in the area of budgeting and managing money is lacking, and I still need to grow it so I can become eligible for being a steward of His money. He tells a story of a woman who at once had no extra money for anything, being a poor woman with children in midst of the Great Depression, and yet when she decides to give all of her remaining money to God in tithing while trusting in God to meet her needs, she received abundant blessings and eventually ended up starting a multi-million dollar business.
I Got a lot of value out of Chapter 10, “When People Try to Hurt You”, because it speaks about practical wisdom and application for “Becoming a Man Who Handles Criticism Well.” Specifically, in the questionnaire, it asks, when people criticize you, to question, “Am I wise in the way I respond?”, “Am I counterattacking or questioning others' motives?”, “Am I patient and do I wait for motives to be revealed as right or wrong through actions that cannot be misinterpreted?”, and more. These questions helped me analyze my self and my reactions to people when I feel I am being attacked. It helped me become less defensive as a person and more open to allowing God's spirit to abide in me in these situations.
Gene A. Getz writes very simplistically like all non-fiction writers should, he spreads out his writing with exegesis, illustration, and practical application. One does not get too bored reading because of the flow of these different styles. The chapters are not too long, so as two can be read at a time during a twenty-five minute spurt. They do not draw out and there seems to not be any 'fluff'. The quality of the book was one that made me want to order the rest of the books in the series, “Men of Character”.
April 1, 2014
A friend recommended this book, and even though it is written for the Men of Character series, I learned a lot from Gene Getz and his perspectives on Nehemiah. There are discussion questions and thought-provoking applications throughout the book. I will never look at Nehemiah's life in the same way again, and I will also be gaining a new perspective on leadership.
May 9, 2012
Getz's writing style is easy to understand and make application of solid biblical truths. One of the most important leadership discipline is to seek God's direction through earnest prayer and then join in the work!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews