John Chandler, leader of the Spence Network, recently released three books — Praying the Kings, Praying the Prophets and Praying Wisdom — aiming to engage leaders more deeply in Scripture. He recently discussed his motivations for writing the books.
Q: What prompted you to take this approach to devotional use of the Scriptures?
John Chandler
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A: It really began out of a rededication to listening deeply to the Bible as the feeder for my daily decision-making. My grandparents used to read a different translation of the Bible all the way through every year, and that had been my pattern as well for about a decade. But I felt the nudge of the Spirit to move in the direction of listening to a single chapter of Scripture deeply every day. It really reawakened my hunger to listen to God before I began trying to do things for God — what a thought! As I began to do that, I began to see more and more instances of things I had been sensing first thing in the morning through the Scripture become alive and applicable to leadership situations I was facing during the day.
Q: Why did you focus, at least initially, on the Old Testament? Do you plan to include the Gospels or epistles in the future?
A: Well, I had the God-given opportunity to write down some of these daily reflections for a very influential leader. (I won’t tell you who it is publicly, but if you ask me personally, I will!) I tried to keep the devotions to three hundred words or so. I tried to let Scripture speak in such a way that would help him make decisions that day from a vantage point of biblical guidance. I started in the Old Testament because I happened to be studying there myself, so I trusted that whatever God had to say to me would speak to someone else as well.
I’m currently working on Praying the Law, covering Genesis-Deuteronomy. There will also be a 365-day e-book coming out later this year. I may follow that up with something on the Psalms. I was a New Testament major, but we’ll see how helpful these books are first. Because if they’re not helpful to ordinary folk and raising the overall leadership quotient, why bother?
Q: There are many books which help Christians engage Scripture more deeply, and you’re probably familiar with most of them. What’s distinctive about your books?
A: I think that there are a couple of angles to these books. First of all, they look at the Bible with a leadership lens. The reflections are very intentional about guidance and daily decision-making. And I’m not trying to wow anyone with my own insights; the real magic is demonstrating how you can learn to listen to the Bible in a way that will change the way you think, speak, decide, guide and lead. You know, teach a person to fish ….
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The other thing that distinguishes these books is that they really try to help you hear from God through visual means. I’m a visual learner and I think a lot of people learn that way. The illustrations for each devotion are back-of-the-napkin simple and repeatable, and so is guidance. God is not trying to be obscure to us. If we will reset our rhythm of life and make space to listen to the Spirit through Scripture, voilà — God will help us with daily situations. It’s a very Baptist idea — we all have access to God as priests.
Q: What audience did you have in mind as you wrote these books? Young, old, clergy, laity, expert, novices?
A: I was writing for myself at first, and for this significant leader. But what I began to see as I would share daily insights with others was that they were having impact on leaders I would meet in day-to-day situations. I want the books to help deacons, truckers, school teachers. The books are academically and theologically informed, but they are definitely non-technical. Alan Hirsch in the foreword says they are “mature, adult-type reflections.” That’s what I’m aiming for. I want to help ordinary followers of Jesus learn how to order their life so that they can receive and give biblical guidance on a regular basis.
Q: How have your own spiritual and professional experiences shaped these books?
A: Two things come to mind. First, much of my work takes place with high-potential young leaders through our “Uptick” networks. Again and again, we have been learning that the key to hearing and responding to God — “repent and believe,” if you will — depends radically on getting your life into a better rhythm. Most people who want to do something significant for God are hindered because their days, weeks and lives are too busy and full of talking, and almost devoid of listening. We see major breakthroughs with leaders when they learn to make listening to the God of the Bible part of their rhythm of life. Funny, when you listen well to God, you are more attentive in general, and that makes for better leadership.
The other thing I’m trying to do is scratch my apostolic itch a bit by seeing if I can help people lead through a broader platform than what I can personally touch. I have lots of opportunities to lead and mentor individuals, groups and congregations. I’m hoping these books can be helps to folk I’ll never meet personally.
Q: Any other big goals for the books?
A: My big dream would be to have them translated into Spanish and have the proceeds from Spanish sales go toward the work of the first missionary couple commissioned by the Argentina Baptist Association. I spent time with Esteban and Mariela Licatta in Cholila, in Argentina’s Patagonia, and watched them teach humble people there the way of Jesus. If these books could somehow contribute to that, it would be an answer to prayer for me.