Books by Dr. Standish
Humble Leadership
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There comes a point at which leaderhsip can break down precisely because of our success as leaders. When confidence turns to pride and arrogance, we lose sight of the people that we have been called to serve and become consumed with following our own vision. Graham Standish offers a way forward that moves us through this paradox by seeking to humbly follow God's plans rather than our own. |
Humble leadership, grounded in the teachingsof Jesus, means recognizing that what we have and who we are is a gift from God, and our lives should reflect our gratitude for this gift. It requires us to be radically and creatively open to God's guidance, grace, and presence in everything. When we lead out of such openness, God's power and grace flow through us. The path Standish proposes is not easy. Humble leadership can be personally dangerous, exposing our weakness, powerlessness, fear, and anxiety. Our cultural need for strength infects Christian leaders with a pride that causes them to ignore biblical teachings on humility. But a humble leader says to God, "I'm yours, no matter where you call me to go, what you call me to do, and how you call me to be. I will seek your will and way as I lead others to do the same."
Becoming a Blessed Church
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Pastor and author N. Graham Standish describes how a church that is open to God's purpose, presence, and power can claim God's blessing.
Standish shares the story of Calvin Presbyterian Church in Zelienople, Pennsylvania, and its journey to become a spiritually deep congregation, one that is inwardly and outwardly healthy: spiritually, psychologically, physically, and relationally. |
Becoming a Blessed Church will help you discern God's purpose and the path God is calling your congregation to walk. This book will help you find Christ in your midst and become aware of the many ways the blessings of God's Spirit flow through your congregation.
Discovering The Narrow Path
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In a time when competing and often irreconcilable belief systems seem to dominate all religious conversation in Christianity, N. Graham Standish offers an alternative to leading a spiritual and faithful life. Providing models that embrace elements of many spiritual traditions within Christianity, |
Discovering the Narrow Path seeks to hold all extremist positions in perfect tension, by integrating their essential truths yet also recognizing their flaws. In doing so, Standish surveys the wisdom of the mystics, the practice of forming a Trinitarian faith, the openness of healing traditions, and the value of balancing prayer and action, as well as spirituality, theology, and religion.
Paradoxes for Living
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This book is an exploration of how Christian paradoxes shape our faith. Reflecting on these paradoxes, the author argues, can help us move forward on the continuum of spiritual maturity and can deepen our relationship with and understanding of God. There are eight chapters, each with questions for reflection and study, and two appendixes: An Introduction to Spiritual Reading and A Guide for Group Reflection. |
Forming Faith in a Hurricane
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True to its title, Forming Faith in a Hurricane encourages us to strengthen and deepen our faith by exploring what it means to grow spiritually amid life's sometimes stormy contingencies. Graham Standish puts forth four central ideas about faith: |
that faith is always a process —an ongoing journey requiring nurture and care; that faith always entails balance —between passivity and responsibility, prayer and action, the individual and the community; that faith is always relational —rooted in a loving relationship with God and neighbor; and that faith requires us to anchor ourselves in God —choosing spiritual disciplines not as ends in themselves but as activities that help us seek God.