How to Be Present in an Absent World
A Leader's Guide to Showing Up, Paying Attention, and Becoming Fully Human
- Christian Living
- Publisher: Zondervan Reflective (Zondervan)
- Published: 2020
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Publisher's Description
Experience the fullness of life that Jesus promises by learning how to engage with the present--even in the increasing busyness of work and family life. Do you ever wonder how long can you keep: grinding out eighty-hour work weeks? putting your marriage on the backburner? treating your employees like cogs in a machine? pushing your life aside before you realize your time is all up? At the heart of this collaborative project is the belief that the pain we experience is the result of absence --living disconnected from our authentic selves and lacking deep, meaningful relationships with others and with God. Daniel Montgomery, the founding pastor of Sojourn Community Church; Kenny Silva, a PhD candidate at Trinity International University; and Eboni Webb, who holds a doctorate of Clinical Psychology, pooled their efforts and expertise to focus on the problem of modern absence and the pain it causes us and those around us. This book is a guide for how to cultivate a self-awareness that empowers you to take ownership and engage in every area of influence. It's arranged into five sections, each focusing on one of the major areas of our lives where many of us struggle with absence: Time Place Body Others Story How to Be Present in an Absent World provides biblical, practical ways to handle the daily pressures of life without denying or escaping the present. Its goal is to help you rediscover what it means to show up for your own life. With interludes that offer a deep dive into the neurobiology of presence as well as principles and exercises that Dr. Webb employs in her clinical practice, Montgomery and his coauthors will equip you with the kind of self-understanding that allows you to realize God's design for human flourishing--whether in your church, in your job, or in your family.
Endorsements (8)
“Engagement is going to be the keyword of the next decade. Whether it’s employees engaged at work, families engaged in busier and busier homes, or people engaged in an increasingly virtual world, engagement will be crucial. Daniel Montgomery and his coauthors have created a fabulous resource for upping your engagement game. Get a copy and get prepared for one of the crucial issues on the leadership horizon.”
“the fullness of life Jesus promises, even at work.”
“Navigating today’s leadership and societal challenges as a healthcare professional often feels like treading water in the open ocean. Daniel’s coaching and writing brings me safely back to shore. He has an impressive ability to ground me and to foster peace and focus on the journey back to my authentic self.”
“How to Be Present in an Absent World is unique for being so well-written. It keeps you engaged and turning pages as it drives you to redeem the absence in your life and to become fully present and engaged. People need committed companions present with them in all parts of life: friendships, families, workplaces, and churches. How to Be Present in an Absent World is ultimately about those relationships. It journeys with you to find your time, place, and space in the world. It encourages you to collaborate with others in identifying and living out the story God is writing for you according to his purposes.”
“Here’s a unique book that meets us at the intersection between marketplace and soul and then guides into self-aware engagement in the hard world of business. If you’re feeling dehumanized in your role and responsibilities, this book supplies timely and invigorating gusts of wisdom. Buy it, read it, reflect on it, and then buy it for your team and insist they do the same. You’ll be thanked. More importantly, you’ll live wiser.”
“The temptation with books on leadership is to rush through to get to the practical how-tos, but this work has made me pause in deep consideration of what it means to truly be present as a leader. It has caused some deeper stirring in my soul. Not easy—but necessary. In a world tempting us to be mindless producers of commerce, I am thankful for Daniel and his team for sharing their wisdom on how to be holistically engaged in the world around us.”
“Daniel Montgomery, as an experienced churchman and businessman, brings spiritual wisdom into day-to-day life while encouraging us to be more present and practical in our spirituality. Here is soulful direction we all desperately need: a reminder that we are only human—and essentially human. Professionals of all kinds need to be encouraged and refreshed by what he has to say.”
“and wisdom into the business world with surprising agility. A builder of people, he explains with insight and acumen how leaders are not exempt from basic spiritual needs. Far from being preachy, Daniel models a platform of professional leadership, himself led by a heart that follows Christ.”
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