I’m currently working on a couple of different projects…

The first is a devotional that will feature more traditional reflections on scripture, while also incorporating some different spiritual practices and re-creation ideas. I had never imagined that I’d some day be working on a devotional of this kind, but here I am. Funny how God sometimes chooses to use us!

The second project is a three-part series, or a single volume that will depict three distinct movements, exploring how God shapes and forms us when we step into leadership roles and experiences.

 

Here are some books I’ve already finished…

 

Noise. Hurry. Crowds. On Creating Space for God Amidst the Chaos of Campus and Culture

In 1978, author Richard Foster wrote: “In contemporary society our Adversary majors in three things: noise, hurry, and crowds. If he can keep us engaged in ‘muchness’ and ‘manyness’ he will restsatisfied.”

We’re not quite sure what Foster saw in the world around him back in the late 70s, but how much more has our North American culture – and college campuses – become defined by noise, hurry, crowds, and the pursuit of “muchness” and “manyness?”

Today’s student is living a life that is distracted by the chaos of campus and culture – a life where they often struggle to discern or experience the activity of God in their midst. It’s not that He’s absent, but more so that the volume, pace, and context of their life leaves little if any room to be able to experience the presence, purpose, and peaceful existence that we have available in Jesus Christ.

In his new book: Noise. Hurry. Crowds. On Creating Space for God Amidst the Chaos of Campus and Culture, Guy Chmieleski explores these major cultural distractions, introduces readers to specific spiritual disciplines that are positioned to counter these cultural distractions, and then provides some easy “steps in” to beginning to incorporate these formative practices into everyday life on campus.

* For more information on Noise. Hurry. Crowds., including endorsements and pre-order information, please visit the Noise. Hurry. Crowds. Homepage.

 

Shaping Their Future: Mentoring Students Through Their Formative College Years

The college years are some of the most formative years of life. The context of the university campus is unlike any other—rich with educated voices, diversity, freedom, opportunity, and space for students to explore who they are and who they are becoming. However, for far too many students today, the formative college years are being wasted. In a lot of ways college has become high school, part 2, but with a lot of debt incurred. The college experience demands a transition, or series of transitions, and our young adults need to be encouraged to work with God to make the most of their formative college years.

And that’s where you come in. Most of today’s students will not find their way into these significant transitions on their own. They need you. They need a mentor—someone who can help them to recognize God’s present work in their life, and the direction they need to move in. This book is designed to assist mentors—the parents, pastors, professors, coaches, employers, etc.—serve as a guide, a rudder, or even a springboard into conversations surrounding specific arenas of life that require our students’ attention, consideration, and application or action. It’s about the rest of their lives and best utilizing some of the most formative years they will ever have available to them. Now is the time for students to co-labor with God—and you—to become the women and men they are intended to be!

* For more on Shaping Their Future, including a book trailer and endorsements, visit the Shaping Their Future Homepage.

 

CAMPUS gODS: Exposing the Idols That Can Derail Your Present and Destroy Your Future

The North American campus is filled with things — ideas, opportunities, and experiences — that vie for the attention and allegiance of today’s student.

Both Christian and non-Christian students will give themselves to something — with the hope that it will be significant and change everything. And although there are a lot of interesting things to think about, opportunities to explore, and experiences to have — these things fail to be understood correctly when given the Supreme position in one’s heart — and life.

It’s with this sensitivity to the college experience that Guy Chmieleski wrote his new book, CAMPUS gODS. CAMPUS gODS steers clear of the typical moralizing tone so often taken with today’s students in favor of meeting them where they are and outlining a reasonable faith with spiritual depth.

Despite boldly foraying into the seductive minefield of “campus gods,” the book maintains a conversational and even invitational tone. The book will be perfect for small groups of college students to read and talk through together.

* For more on CAMPUS gODS, including a video trailer and endorsements, visit the CAMPUS gODS Homepage.