What I’m Reading — January 2021
A TALE OF THREE KINGS
A Study in Brokenness
By Gene Edwards
This book should be REQUIRED READING for LEADERS, especially CHRISTIAN LEADERS.
During Christmas I’ve read it three times. Each time, it has…
…moved me,
…convicted me,
…challenged me,
…and, I pray, is changing me.
It’s a book about brokenness, authority and submission. It’s a book about LEADING without giving in to our tendency to control.
The book is a glimpse into the leadership of Saul, David and Absalom. It is beautifully written and profound in the mark it leaves in your mind and on your soul.
“God has a university. It’s a small school. Few enroll; even fewer graduate. Very, very few indeed.
“God has this school because he does not have broken men and women. Instead, he has several other types of people. He has people who claim to have God’s authority . . . and don’t—people who claim to be broken . . . and aren’t. And people who do have God’s authority, but who are mad and unbroken. And he has, regretfully, a great mixture of everything in between. All of these he has in abundance, but broken men and women, hardly at all.
“In God’s sacred school of submission and brokenness, why are there so few students? Because all students in this school must suffer much pain. And as you might guess, it is often the unbroken ruler (whom God sovereignly picks) who metes out the pain. David was once a student in this school, and Saul was God’s chosen way to crush David.
“As the king grew in madness, David grew in understanding.”
—Edwards, Gene. A Tale of Three Kings (p. 22). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition
In a world where leadership is defined by personality, charisma, demands, rules and raw displays of power, this 40+ year old book reminds us that LEADERSHIP in the eyes of God, looks different. Very, very different. I highly recommend this book!