In an interview with Jeff Keady and Jonny Craig of the 200Churches podcast, I asked them what books they recommend. One of those books was God in My Everything by Ken Shigematsu. Therefore, I was pretty happy when I got my hands on a copy of this book.
The basic goal of the book is to help the reader develop a rule of life. Such rules have a long Christian history, especially within monastic communities. But you do not need to be a monk or a nun to need a rule.
Ministry within a local church or parachurch ministry can easily lead to burnout. The same can happen to Christian leaders in the business world. Many of the people who are successful in such contexts are able to achieve their goals because of their drive. Unfortunately, it is this same drive that often leads to burnout.
Shigematsu has experience both in the business and church worlds. It is from this experience that he has discovered the blessings of developing a rule of life.
To many people, a rule sounds very legalistic. Images of strict commandments that eliminate all freedom come to mind. This book presents something very different. Shigematsu offers ideas that can be freeing and life-giving.
Shigematsu shares ideas from ancient sources and then contextualizes them into our modern world. He illustrates these principles with examples from his own life as well as others that he is personally acquainted with.
I strongly recommend God in My Everything for every Christian leader, for those in the church and any other context.
