Glad to return to this foundational book on Christian leadership. It's so simple, but so full of truth bombs.

Henri Nouwen is maybe my favorite Christian author. There’s such a simple profundity to everything he wrote. He had a penchant for sharing basic truths in such challenging and impactful ways. His work is so relatable, so human. His love, humility, and vulnerability emanate from every page. You can read this book in less than an hour. Do yourself a favor and go read it.

Absolutely beautiful. Even though it was written in 1989, it feels integral to Christian leadership today. I think this will be a yearly reread for sure

Simple and deeply impactful if taken to heart.
"In the Name of Jesus" describes the temptations every Christian leader faces, argues that they are indeed temptations and not assets, then gives practices for combating those temptations.
"God asks us to move from a concern for relevance to a life of prayer, from worries about popularity to communal and mutual ministry, and from a leadership built on power to a leadership n which we critically discern where God is leading us and our people."
What Nouwen asks of his readers is deeply contrasted against a culture that tells us over and over again if we aren't "relevant" or popular, we won't be heard. And if we aren't heard, we won't be effective. Nouwen knows this, but doesn't shy away from the truth. The book is only 100 pages, but it is ministry and life altering.
I'm going to keep "In the Name of Jesus" in the commonly reread stack. Probably once a year. It's that important and also that hard to remember in our noisy world.
Any and all Christians should read this book, whether in vocational ministry or not. Nouwen speaks to anyone who wants to follow Jesus well and love His children well.