Acting on a gentle yet persistent nudge to revisit the spot where he had given his life to Christ, author/pastor Bill Hybels found himself at an epiphany moment in his life. Initially, all Hybels wanted was to take a few private minutes to remember and contemplate all that God had done in his life since his conversion many years before. What he got, however, was so much more. As planned, Hybels spent some precious time recalling his life; afterward, he jumped back in the dilapidated truck with his newfound friend/guide and thus started a conversation about Christ that got him thinking about the simplicity of sharing one's faith.

Hybels considered what had just occurred. Step by step, he realized that God had prompted him to take a journey down memory lane for far more than simply his benefit. Rather, God orchestrated the time, the place, the driver and, most importantly, the driver's heart attitude toward spiritual issues. Hybels's conclusion? Sometimes all it takes is a few short steps across a room to initiate a conversation, begin a friendship, or serve as resource provider to open another person's heart and mind to Christ's message of redemption. Time and again, Hybels recounts similar incidents where he listened to the inner voice pushing him forward and how God worked --- sometimes in spectacular ways and other times virtually invisibly --- for good. 

Throughout his how-to text on using our daily 10,000 steps for eternal difference investing, the author offers practical and inspirational tips to sustain an attitude of lifetime evangelism by first developing genuine friendships, unraveling people's stories, and being sensitive to the "next steps" by guiding the relationship toward spiritual touch points. Hybels very ably admonishes Christians to share their own "coming to faith" stories with care, being acutely aware to avoid what he terms as the "good stories gone bad" syndrome. Practically, he encourages believers to curtail longwinded expositions of their meeting Christ; keep their narratives simple and easy to understand...digressions are a no-no; and forgo the Christianese lingo so glibly tossed around such as "salvation," "born-again" and "accepting Jesus." Finally, don't allow even a hint of superiority to take root either in heart, mind or speech. Says Hybels: "...there's no quicker way to send an unbeliever to the hills than to play the piety card."

Further, Hybels exposes evangelism myths and misnomers with frequent comedic style while maintaining real depth and on-the-mark sincerity. One of the highlights and most comprehensive chapters discusses lessons from the master, Jesus, and how He interacted with people. Hybels expounds on how Christ bridged chasms between unlike people/groups; He asked intentional questions, practiced patience, kept conversations on what's important and provided hope to the hopeless. In addition to his in-chapter suggestions, Hybels does an excellent job wrapping up each segment with study and takeaway thoughts for further consideration.

All Christians whose heartstrings are tugging to be more evangelistically minded will benefit from the fresh and inviting work of Bill Hybels.

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