Working The Angles By Eugene Peterson

Are you tired of sharing your God-given message that you know more people need to see, but only a few people see it? Would you like to know one of the main reasons you’re not reaching many more people with your God-given message?

This book will show you the steps to become a person who reaches and impacts many more people than you are right now. And this is the great thing, you don’t need to compromise who you are. Working The Angles Is A Must Read

Welcome back to book club, this book today is Working the Angles by Eugene Peterson. And the great thing about the book is, it’s written for pastors of churches but applies to anyone who desires to reach the masses with a message. I’m not a pastor of a church, and I have no intentions of being a pastor.

But the lessons in Working The Angles are for anyone who wants to impact large groups of people. This was one of the best books I read last year. I’ve shared this with friends. I cannot recommend this book enough. And now I want to share it with you too.

So in this article, you will get three takeaways that prepare you to move the masses with your message. And this leads me to something I’ve thought about ever since I read it. This just blew my mind when I read it, and it’s been putting it back together ever since.

The Power of Words

Look at what he writes early in the book. Page thirteen says,

“Ascetical is a ruined word in this late twentieth century. C.S. Lewis’s Screwtape advised his demon tempter Wormwood that one of the most effective ways of discrediting a virtue is first of all to ruin the word: introduce associations that subtly alter our feelings and perceptions so that the word no longer works the way it was intended.”

A big way the Devil stops people is getting you to think negative thoughts about words that are good. Click To Tweet Because if you have bad thoughts about the words, you won’t get the right definition or results from the word.

Take the words blessing, prosper, or success. These are good, Godly, Biblical words. But when a Christian talks about it, it’s automatic. You think about evil “prosperity preachers” who want your money. The association is negative.

Because I said those words are good, Godly, and Biblical, people automatically will think I’m a wicked “prosperity preacher”…That’s by design. The System wants you to act this way.

The System actively taking all nowhere wants you programmed to think this way. And because the link is negative, you think expecting blessing, prosperity, or success is evil. But that would make God evil because He gives these things to His children all through the Bible.

When I hear those words now, Joshua 1:5-9 comes to mind. Psalm 1:1-3. James 1:22-25. There are so many passages. I fill my mind, and renew my mind with these passages. I meditate on all the times the Bible says these are good, Godly, and Biblical.

I focus on what the Word says about blessing and prosperity, not what the World says.

Reprogramming Your Mind

I uninstalled old, deadly software, which made me cringe if I heard blessing come out of a preacher’s mouth. It didn’t matter who they were.

I stopped believing the lies. To get to a place now, where I strive to get blessed, prosper, and succeed, in everything I do.

Now, it’s normal, expected, and joyous with my new operating system.

Salvation is Spiritual prosperity. Being in good shape is physical prosperity. These are things God wants for you. God doesn’t want you overweight, breathing heavily after walking up a flight of stairs. Obesity is a sign of gluttony.

But because pastors are afraid to get branded a prosperity preacher, they won’t tell you what the Bible says. They’re afraid.

I’m not attacking anyone who is obese, I used to be obese. I’m trying to renew your mind so like me, you can get set free in this area.

Embracing “Asceticism”

Look at what he says next,

“Now that the word is ruined the demons don’t have to bother with evidence or argument. Who of us would be pleased to have someone call us an ascetical pastor and then have the adjective grow into a reputation.”

I don’t want to get called a prosperity preacher because I know what gets associated with it. But you know what…I want to get called a Good Bible teacher more. I’m not afraid.

This is only the introduction to this point in Working The Angles I’m highlighting. But this was worth the price of the book one hundred times over. Assigning the right meaning helps you become a person who moves masses with your message.

But this is the point of mentioning this from the book. Look at what he says here…

“Ascetical is an athlete’s word. It means training for excellence. It is the practice of the disciplines that fit us for performing our very best in an event.”

When you first heard ascetic, you didn’t think of training for excellence, or doing your best. But now you want to be an ascetic, don’t you? This is the power of learning terms and using them to your advantage.

God says His people got destroyed for lack of knowledge.

The Path to Excellence

He continues,

“Few people are unmoved when seeing an athlete perform at a world-class level: winning a race, breaking a record, throwing or jumping or diving in beautifully coordinated precision.”

Since I was a boy I’ve enjoyed all kinds of sports. I remember as a boy I would come home from school and watch Snooker. I would watch people like the Rocket, Ronnie O’Sullivan win with ease. He would dominate his competition.

How did he get so good?

How does he hit the ball with such excellence, that it pots one, and lands at the exact spot he desires to pot the next ball?

As a young boy watching from home, I joined the live audience in awe at what happened. It tells you how in Working The Angles. I could say the same thing about loads of sports.

But there’s a specific reason I’m talking about Snooker, and it’s not because I’m British. I’ll tell you why in a moment.

The Impact of Preparation

He writes,

“Our admiration is spontaneous when we see anyone excel in an athletic act.”

At any moment, when watching someone perform, the crowd’s primed to cheer, or watch in awe. But Look at what he says about the crowd’s spontaneous reaction…

“Every such action is backed up by years of repetitive behaviours that are the very antithesis of spontaneity.”

For one moment that moves the masses, it takes many days of dedication to deliver with delight!

One thing you must do if you want to move the masses with your message is, realize it takes much time practicing when no one is watching, to give the people you want to impact a moment of majesty.

It’s a paradox.

This was only 14 pages in. This is why you need to start asap, it’s not too late for you. Don’t put off sharing your message another day.

The Importance of Rest and Play

The reason I talked about Snooker earlier was that last year I started watching it again. It had been years. It’s the second thing I’ll share with you, that helps you transform into a person that moves masses with a message.

I’m watching snooker again, And with this principle in my mind, I’m watching it in a new way.

Decades later, the Rocket is still the best. Only now, he has 20 more years of asceticism under his belt. I’ll watch him take a shot and the ball goes right to where he wants it for the next shot. That happens over and over because he’s prepared.

But like most athletes at the top, they show disappointment when what they expect to happen doesn’t. The time the ball doesn’t land where he wants it, he’s concerned.

Why?

Because he’s practiced over and over again for the ball to do what he wants, exactly the way he wants it to. I’m thinking about the book, I’m thinking about the Snooker and it’s all making sense. It’s clicked in a way it hasn’t before.

The best prepare to prosper, that is what makes us Winners. But losers hope to prosper without preparation. Click To Tweet

Imagine a fan at the snooker table taking shots, but reacting like Ronnie O’Sullivan after a bad shot. That is what many people are doing and wondering why they don’t have results. Instead, I prepare in private, so I prosper in public.

Integrating Rest into Your Routine

One of the reasons I started watching Snooker again was to have more fun when I was resting. This is another gem I took from this book.

He talks about what he calls praying and playing. Praying is a big part of my life, playing games was too. But in the hustle and bustle of life, playing became less important to me.

He combines the two in a powerful way, when it comes to your day off. We’ve taken a day off as a family for a while. There are so many good things that come out of it. And I know what you might be thinking. It’s the same thing we all think until we start doing it and seeing how good it is.

Look at what he says on Page 80,

“Having selected the day we need also to protect it, for our workday instincts and habits will not serve us well. It is not a day when we do anything useful. It is not a day that proves its worth, justifies itself. Entering into empty, non-functional time, is difficult and needs protection, for we have been taught that time is money.”

And this is one of the biggest lies the system has programmed many to believe. I’m not going to go down that path right now, because once I go down it, I’m not coming back.

But you can do more in one day, in five minutes, than your whole life combined. God can collapse timeframes for you because he dwells in eternity.

I talk about that in my video on why it’s not too late, for you to be great. I talk about it in my, how they tricked you to be poor video. I mention it in several videos. Time is not money. Don’t fall for that poverty-laced lie, the system wants you to believe.

Praying and Playing

When I rested, play was never on my mind. It was always stop and drop everything and relax. This book helped us not only rest, but look for, expect, and enjoy fun times when resting. And it looks like different things on different days.

It is playing games with each other. Having fun in parks and on walks. Staying in bed all day and talking.

Pray without play, or play without praying, each miss a huge chunk of what makes taking a day off worth it. In that time of rest, God is working for you. He’s active in healing your mind and body. But He’s also active in keeping your work together in ways you don’t know.

Of course, you can decide not to rest every week. But it’s such a wise thing to do, it’s surprising more people don’t promote this. This is a golden Gem, God has shared with us from the first page of the Bible. But that’s for another article.

Leadership and Impact

At this point, I know some still think, how does a book for pastors help me move the masses with my God-given message?

The reason I loved reading Working The Angles so much, and share it with so many people, is because to me, it’s about leadership. That’s the third takeaway I want to give you.

If you want to reach masses with your God-given message, you need to lead your life, lead the people following you. And most important, is to get led by someone.

Conclusion

I pray this book blesses you richly. I pray this book leads you to more fun in life. And I pray the people God sent you to serve, experience the fruit that comes when you read this book.

Go Win And God Bless Winners.

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