In the Meantime: The Practice of Proactive Waiting

Brendle, associate pastor at an evangelical megachurch in Colorado Springs, Colo., aims his first book at 20- and 30-somethings who are in limbo: they may be called by God to be pastors, or gardeners, or parents, but they need more time to mature before taking the next step. Brendle's book is about living faithfully in the time between the call and its fulfillment. Too often, he says, we are tempted to "manhandle" God's plans for us or forget about our call because it seems to take too long to play out. Brendle urges us instead to follow the lead of the biblical David, who was anointed by Samuel, but then had to wait on the Lord until his calling was fulfilled. The life stage to which Brendle draws our attention is important, but the book is flawed. Many readers may not have experienced the same kind of clear call that Brendle presupposes and experienced himself in his career and marriage decisions. Brendle may also one day regret lines like "Okay, wow. That was heavy. I need to take a deep breath now because I'm fired up and the veins in my neck are bulging a bit." Perhaps he could have followed his own advice and let this book coalesce a little longer. (Dec.)