Reviews for Out of Their Faces and into Their Shoes: How to Understand Spiritually Lost People and Give Them Directions to God

The average rating for Out of Their Faces and into Their Shoes: How to Understand Spiritually Lost People and Give Them Directions to God based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2018-03-18 00:00:00 Joslin Ferrara The past year or two have been a period of growth for me. Specifically, God has been prodding me to be more gospel-oriented. While I've heard passages such as the "great commission" all my life, it wasn't until a year-and-a-half ago I realized it could be directed at me. And then, every time I opened the Bible, there it was, staring me in the face: "Share Jesus. Talk about Jesus. Go to those who don't know Him yet and let them know!" The trick, as in so much of life, is balance. Out of Their Faces and Into Their Shoes is all about knocking off the pushy, plastic, tract-dependent type of evangelism and changing our thinking to looking at people as "lost". The author calls his new mindset "lostology" (the study of lost-ness and seeking the lost), and uses examples from his own life and the Bible to help us get away from the seminary courses and toward actually reaching out to people around us. Understanding Lost People I found the author's lessons on "lost people" very helpful. He organizes all his major points into "laws of lostology" (one per chapter) such as: Being lost can be fun. You don't always know you're lost. Asking for directions is embarrassing. In church since I was in utero, it's easy for me to forget that others don't have the same foundations of understanding that I have. Phrases like "Jacob and Esau", "Paul and Silas", "that passage in Corinthians where…" won't mean anything to my non-Christian friends. Likewise, we in the church think of those outside as miserable, and obviously in need of a change. But lots of unbelievers have found something else to fill their lives, and go along happy and oblivious to their spiritual needs. For these people, it's useless to throw blanket statements like, "Jesus has the answer!" or "Do you want to be happy forever? Jesus!" when they're not actually asking any questions or feeling unsatisfied with their current life. ( Vessels of Honor did a wonderful job illustrating this in a fictional work.) The Holy Spirit must work on their hearts first, before anything we say will make sense. The Search and Rescue Workers The book focuses on evangelism as "search and rescue" work, heading out into a dark world to bring spiritual directions to the lost. But sometimes there are good and bad ways to share these directions. Ever asked for directions and gotten the "you're so stupid" eye-roll? Even if you didn't get the eye-roll, did it feel like everyone nearby was doing it internally? Lost people are not stupid ' they're just lost. We were once as lost as they were. They need a map, not a lecture. The author pulls Biblical examples from the parables and Jesus' interactions with people. While talking to the Samaritan woman, Jesus didn't make snide comments or talk over her head. He let her know He understood exactly where she was hurting, and told her honestly what she needed to be healed. In the parable of the prodigal son, when the son finally comes to his senses and heads home, the father doesn't say, "I told you so." He hugs his son and celebrates, because he loves him. *😂tearing up; give me a moment* I work in retail, and sometimes I feel like throttling the next person who asks, "Do you work here?" while staring at my company-emblazoned smock. But Jesus in me leads me to smile, and respond in kindness and patience. They just need directions to get on the right track. (That reminds me of another Law of Lostology: When the lost is found, celebrate!) Another important point that encouraged me was the idea of building bridges. Shoving tracts into someone's hand and walking away might be easier. But investing in people's lives, developing trust, and establishing yourself as someone reliable - with reliable answers - is the method most evangelism has been done over the centuries. Jesus genuinely loves and cares about the people around us ' we should do the same. A Valuable Resource The book is well-organized, with lots of lists and bold section breaks for easy reading. The author also has an easy style and quiet, frequently self-deprecating humor. While there wasn't as much heavy referencing of Bible verses as I might have expected, the lessons felt very Biblically grounded, pulling from Jesus' and the disciples' relationships with the lost, and foundational Christian principles. As always, the chapters about getting out into the community and making friends with non-Christians were scary and challenging. However, there was a lot of encouragement and advice in this book as well. If a little boy was lost in the woods near your house, wouldn't you go out and help search for him? Especially if there were bears in the woods? Especially if it was your boy? Maybe one day I will have the same passion to search for the spiritually lost around me as I would for a lost child. When that happens, I'll know it's all the work of God.

Review # 2 was written on 2017-12-20 00:00:00 Carole A Holland John Kramer embarks upon what he coins "lostology." It is defined as the study of the lost. The book is delivered in four parts: 1. I have always been taught that everyone that wanders is not lost. Some people have been so hurt by the church or church member that they simply withdraw. The author hypothesized that most lost people are miserable and for some reason, they enjoy this dilemma. They may not enjoy the abundance that is their by our Savior's death, burial and resurrection, but I don't think "wandering and wondering" is embraced wholeheartedly by anyone, 2. Here, he writes about how they feel when they admit their lost. He also openly encourages parishioners to open their eyes and not only pay attention, but recognize when lost souls are encountered. He also states when lost souls enter into the sanctuary, from the pulpit to the sanctuary, everyone should be in the ready position. 3. Kramp introduces the concept of evangelism. Evangelism should always be a PRIORITY! He wrote about the many excuses that are given as not to evangelize. The Bible is clear...go out to the byways, seek and return and 4. Here is where the rubber meets the road. With scripture, a love for the lost, and a true servant's heart, he seeks to witness to the lost. He writes in such a way that talks about staying the course as well as seed time and harvest. Throughout the book he gives great illustrations and reminds us of the beautiful undertakings of Jesus when it came to the lost. It definitely revealed that I can and should be on fire with evangelism. There should never be a time when others and myself aren't boldly speaking of how "The Almighty " never rested and never rest on our accord. And, just like with us, the author reminded us that witnessing and evangelism is not a one and done effort. It takes serious commitment and serious follow up. If we are still a work in progress and need to daily repent and ask for forgiveness.....shouldn't we understand and accept that it would be the same with the lost? Question: when we know to do better...shouldn't we...then why don't we? Note: I loved the concept and premise of the book...not the author's view that the lost loves their lot....or where they are at this pint in their life. I am just dumb enough to believe that sometimes actions, activities and the wrongdoing of others can have a big impact on us all,,,,,and can sometimes lead, even a Saint that's girded up, down the wrong path until they come to themselves.