The book tells the story of Much Afraid, who lives in the Valley of Humiliation and serves the Chief Shepherd.  She is invited by the Shepherd to follow him to the High Places where she will be given a new name, and strong, nimble feet like the feet of a female deer (hind.)

Along the way Much Afraid is kept company by two companions, Sorrow and Suffering.  She is forced to go through many detours.  On each side trip, she finds herself struggling against he evil relatives, including Pride, Resentment and Craven Fear.  Every time the Shepherd saves her and she creates a small altar on which she sacrifices what is holding her back: self will, pride, etc.

The best part is that the book does not end with Much Afraid’s transformation.  Having been given the Hinds Feet, she looks back into the Valley of Humiliation, and sees her relatives with pity.  She returns home with a new sense of mission, imagining what her family would look like if they, too could be transformed.

Hinds’ Feet provides a much needed understanding of how God changes people.  It is not a story about getting to Heaven, but a story about how to become more like our Chief Shepherd.  The book has reminded me that life is journey, and, if done at his leading, each sacrifice made along the way serves to shape and form us into the image of Christ.

The book compares spider (centralized) organizations  to starfish (decentralized) organizations.  Despite being published in 2008, drawing heavily from  events that took place between 2000-2005, the book seems to already be outdated.  Yet the overall lesson stands the test of time.

The big idea is that the future belongs to decentralized organizations. Examples include Quaker Abolitionists, AA, Al Qaeda and Skype.  They reproduce faster than Fibonacci’s rabbits, and have the resilience of the Hydra.  If you want to stay in the game, decentralize everything you can.

The lesson for the church is also clear: if you want to survive in the future, give the reins over to those in the pew. Get them to sit in circles instead of rows.  Give them something simple enough to reproduce, and exciting enough that you want to.

Does anyone else want to be a part of that?

1.  Read the whole Bible. Knocked out Leviticus this morning.  Definitely helps.

2.  Run a full marathon. Check.  Knees still hurt.  The key now is create new fitness goals.  I’ve been slackin.

3.  Climb a 14,000′ Mountain. I really want to do this, but my financial situation will really have to change to make it happen.

4.  Visit somewhere I’ve never been. See numero 3.

5.  Find a full-time job. I’m praying a lot about this.  I’m hoping God will provide a clear opportunity.  Maybe even an alternative to a full time job that is more in line with my skills/passions.

6.  Take at least one graduate course. Researching grad schools today, actually.

7.  Read 40 books. I’m up to about 15, with Forgotten Ways and Spider and the Elephant in the hopper.

8.  Volunteer at least 1 time a month. Had a great time with the families over at Foundation for the Homeless.

9.  Pay off all debt, except school loans. Slowly but surely.

10. Share my faith regularly. I’ve had two really awesome chances to talk about my faith with non-believers recently.  I’m praying for God to send others to follow up on that.

11. Begin leading and/or hosting a regular gathering for skeptics and Christians to study the Bible. Taking a big step in this direction this weekend.  Definitely could use your prayers.

12. Write daily, including journaling, blogging and working on a book. Getting a little better at this, though there are more missing dates on my calendar than I’d like.

For the most part I think Tim’s crazy…but it’s the kind of crazy I can learn from.  So I’m hereby convening a little online book club to discuss Four Hour and the essential reads. I’ve decided to take him up on it and convene a Tim Ferriss Book Club here on the blog.  First up is The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz.

Thinking Big is a quick read that falls solidly into the self-help genre.  It’s a glorified list of things you can do to think positively.  It contains gems like every time someone asks you how you’re doing say “I’m so great, if I was doing any better I’d need an ambulance.”

Cheesy as it is, Schwartz is on to something.  The fact is, it’s pretty easy to get caught up in negativity.  I’ve found myself answering “I’m GREAT” in the weeks since reading it, and I’m better off for that.

How many of you have read The Four Hour Work Week or Thinking Big?  What are your thoughts?

1.  Read the whole Bible. Still at it.  Officially one month behind on my schedule, but I’ve got time to catch up, right?

2.  Run a full marathon. Check.  Knees still hurt.  The key now is create new fitness goals.  I’ve been slackin.

3.  Climb a 14,000′ Mountain. Thinking end of August.  No idea how to make this work.

4.  Visit somewhere I’ve never been. Well, the two conferences I wanted to go this year have come and gone…so I need a new plan.

5.  Find a full-time job. I’m praying a lot about this.  I’m hoping God will provide a clear opportunity.  Maybe even an alternative to a full time job that is more in line with my skills/passions.

6.  Take at least one graduate course. Circled fall semester on the calendar.  Still have some serious debt to pay off to make it happen.

7.  Read 40 books. Knocked a few more out in April.  Reviews soon.

8.  Volunteer at least 1 time a month. Worked with the children’s ministry at church this  month, but I’m not sure whether or not to count that.  Some cool opportunities coming in May.

9.  Pay off all debt, except school loans. I have got one big bill still holding me back.  Plotting to pull all the stops and pay it off this summer.

10. Share my faith regularly. Had a cool convo tonight actually.  I’m praying for more boldness in this category.

11. Begin leading and/or hosting a regular gathering for skeptics and Christians to study the Bible. Not there yet. More prayer needed, and less timidity.

12. Write daily, including journaling, blogging and working on a book. Really slacked on this in April.