Paul R. Dekar

Holy Boldness: Practices of an Evangelistic Lifestyle Paul R. Dekar

Evangelism arises from an overflow of the experience of God?s love. We begin with four practices of holiness by which we humble ourselves before God. Through prayer, Sabbath observance, holy play, and discernment of God?s call on our lives, we recognize God as the bedrock of our lives. Knowing God and ourselves as God?s children, we are impowered by God?s Spirit to practice loving kindness through loving, listening, blessing, and giving testimony. We practice just living through the practices of compassion, reconciliation, jubilee, and Godly ordering of our household economics. Finally, through our practices of Thanksgiving, Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost, we lean into God?s coming realm or commonwealth of justice, peace, and grace.

This book approaches evangelism as what ordinary people do daily in ordinary ways. With boldness, members come alive in the day-to-day world sharing Jesus with the world, serving as agents of God?s reconciling love, inviting people to become part of God?s family and nurturing them in their newborn life.

Micah 6:8 provides structure for the book. Regarded by Biblical scholars as a summary of prophetic faith, the text states, "What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" Around each of these expections are clustered four practices: Prayer, Sabbath-observance, play, discernment (practices of humility): love, listening, blessing, giving testimony (practices of lovingkindness); compassion, reconciliation, jubilee, household economics (practices of just living). In addition the book explores ways in which our seasonal practices may be transformative.