I loved it so much! Henri Nouwen doesn’t miss. I’ve been reading it alongside my quiet time and it has been so great. To hear the way he talks about the Christian leaders of the future is beautiful. A leader with outstretched hands moving at a downward mobility. He speaks with so much humility and gentleness in a way that is so simple but so reflective of the grace of the Lord. It was truly such a great book.

Ante las tres tentaciones de sentirse importante, ser espectacular y tener poder, Jesús pregunta "¿me amas?", entrega la tarea de "apacentar las ovejas", y el desafío de que "otro te conducirá. Sólo la práctica de la oración contemplativa, la confesión y el perdón, y la reflexión teológica hacen creíble al lider cristiano del siglo XXI.

Me llamó la atención sobretodo el entender el liderazgo no como el pastor que guía las ovejas, sino como el que sirve al rebaño haciéndose parte de él, vulnerable, reconociéndose pecador como todos, desentrañando en la realidad el modo en que Dios va guiando, sanando, construyendo su Reino.

This is simply one of the best perspectives on Jesus' way of leading, and an invitation to follow Him into His life - His perspective which is actually right-side-up in a world that is actually upside-down, although it often seems the reverse to us. Love Nouwen's heart that comes through so strongly in his writings, and his embracing of Jesus' way.

My first by Nouwen. It was another solid, light read for a small group setting. His chapter on the minister’s approach to power stood out the most to me. I suppose the book’s main point is that God’s “first love” must inform and instruct everything that we do as people of faith.

The single greatest book on leadership I have ever read!

This book reminds me of the many teachings of Jesus: Simple, yet transformative. As Nouwen says in the end of this book, these points aren't new nor are they revolutionary, but they are packed with the potential for real change in the realm of Christian Leadership.
I'm thankful for Nouwen's vulnerability. I enjoyed hearing about his journey with God through his transition from Harvard to L'Arche and serving the handicapped. This book reads as a mentoring conversation from Nouwen to us. It's casual, yet formal. Conversational, yet structured well.
This book is a worthwhile read if you're looking for fresh vision for your leadership, perspective on Jesus' leadership, and even an example of someone who is selfless following Jesus!

Re-read, and I cried again. This is such a beautiful, concise, and revolutionary sermon/reflection on the heart of Christian leadership (or, really, just Christian life in general). Nouwen is brilliant, but his interactions with Bill leave the lasting mark (as Nouwen fully acknowledges!).

The Christian leader, Nouwen asserts, must reject the temptations of relevance, individual heroism, and power, and instead embrace the sacrificial love of Jesus as a way of life. The temptations are battled through the disciplines of contemplative prayer, confession and forgiveness, and true theological reflection (discerning the guiding hand of God in all our affairs). This is the hope of an irrelevant leader that Nouwen has, and it's a beautiful, convicting vision.

As usual, Nouwen is concise and brief yet ever-profound, filling his deceptively short chapters with insight that are worth continual thought and reflection long after the book is closed. In this book, Nouwen's wisdom helps us to evaluate the way in which we engage our leadership responsibilities and perceive subtle temptations and obstacles that prevent us from growing. He then offers Biblical insight into ways that we can find spiritual life in our ministry, allowing us (and those we serve) to grow. This book is essential for anyone who is serving or leading in ministry, and it is helpful for anyone who truly wants to follow Christ and love others.

This is definitely a book I will come back to again and again. I’m so thankful for the reminder to seek to be a humble and vulnerable leader rather than a powerful and popular one. As always, Henri Nouwen’s beautiful words and stories brought me to tears.

“It seems easier to be God than to love God, easier to control people than to love people, easier to own life than to love life” GEEEEEEEEEEEEESHHHHH

Timeless and rich. Nouwen moves beautifully through the chaos of leadership into the focused simplicity of leading like Christ.

My roommate gave this to me for Christmas, since I just started working as a college campus minister this past November. I've been struggling a lot, especially in the midst of the pandemic, and this book hit me with a lot of hard, but beautiful, truths. Highly recommend for anyone who is in any sort of ministry or leadership position in the Church, even if just as a volunteer.