Overcoming Your Shadow Mission, John Ortberg
Overcoming Your Shadow Mission, John Ortberg
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Overcoming Your Shadow Mission

Author: John Ortberg

Narrator: Maurice England, John Ortberg

Unabridged: 1 hr 35 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Zondervan

Published: 08/19/2008


Synopsis

The challenges, isolation, and relentless demands of leadership can inspire a variety of fears in the heart of a leader; among them fear of failure, fear of mutiny, fear of criticism, fear of disappointing people. However, the greatest fear leaders face is not something that might happen to them, but something that can happen in them—a degeneration of the heart that robs them of their calling and leaves a deep soul dissatisfaction in its place.John Ortberg describes this menacing fear in terms of mission and shadow mission. A mission is the highest purpose to which God calls us; a shadow mission is an authentic mission that has been derailed, often in imperceptible ways. Ortberg writes, “Part of what makes the shadow mission so tempting is that it’s usually so closely related to our gifts and passions. It’s not 180 degrees off track; it is just 10 degrees off track, but that 10 degrees is in the direction of hell.”Every leader has a mission—and a shadow mission. Even Jesus had to battle a shadow mission; it was to be a leader without suffering—to be the Messiah without the cross. Ortberg writes, “If we fail to embrace our true mission, we will live out our shadow mission. We will let our lives center around things that are unworthy, selfish and dark.” Using characters from the remarkable Old Testament story of Esther, Ortberg demonstrates the disastrous consequences of succumbing to shadow mission, and the stunning rewards of whole-hearted commitment to mission. With characteristic humor and insight, the author invites us to follow Esther’s example and courageously choose to embrace the mission God gives. Like Esther, we can lead without fear—even in threatening circumstances—because we know God is always at work in unseen, unknown and unlikely ways.

About John Ortberg

John Ortberg is the senior pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church (MPPC) in the San Francisco Bay Area. His bestselling books include Soul Keeping, Who Is This Man?, and If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat. John teaches around the world at conferences and churches, writes articles for Christianity Today and Leadership Journal, and is on the board of the Dallas Willard Center and Fuller Seminary. He has preached sermons on Abraham Lincoln, The LEGO Movie, and The Gospel According to Les Miserables. John and his wife Nancy enjoy spending time with their three adult children, dog Baxter, and surfing the Pacific. You can follow John on twitter @johnortberg or check out the latest news/blogs on his website at www.johnortberg.com.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Alice on May 28, 2020

Great little book (very little...)......more

Goodreads review by Denise on April 12, 2023

So insightful!......more

Goodreads review by Jeanetta on March 14, 2017

Mission, purpose, and counterfeits How many books on finding your purpose, being a good leader, and developing your gifts have I read...dozens...hundreds? I had heard of Shadow Missions before, but was guessing that it meant something like being in the wrong job or serving on too many volunteer minis......more

Goodreads review by Steven on October 10, 2018

I'm sorry to learn that this book is already out of print! Too bad because it's a great little mirror into our lives and how we can let self-centeredness or cultural values derail us from the mission God has planned for our lives and adopt instead a "shadow mission"--that mission that is close, but......more

Goodreads review by Jonathan on January 08, 2017

People are always searching to discover the purpose/meaning for their life. This short book is an essential read for those who don't want to replace their mission with its antithesis (a.k.a shadow mission).......more