Fail - by J R Briggs (Paperback)

About the Book

What do we do when we've failed? J.R. Briggs, founder of the Epic Fail Pastors Conference, explores the landscape of failure, how it devastates us and how it transforms us.

Book Synopsis

What do we do when we've failed? J.R. Briggs, founder of the Epic Fail Pastors Conference, explores the landscape of failure, how it devastates us and how it transforms us. Without offering pat answers or quick fixes, he challenges our expectations of success and gives us permission to grieve our losses and receive the grace of healing and restoration.

Review Quotes

"Fail is like a barn for a tired, overburdened mule. That mule is us: preachers, pastors, leaders in the church. The wonderful gift we are given here is a re-yoking, where we come into that barn and have our yokes removed-which are of impossible weight to carry and manage-and slip into the yoke of Jesus, who carries all the burden of ministry and lets us join him, side by side, on the journey."

"Fear of failure is a power that holds many church leaders in a death grip. In this important book, J.R. Briggs boldly speaks from his own experience and that of others, reminding us that failure is inevitable, but the crucial question is how we find grace and eventually recovery in the aftermath of failure. The gospel that we encounter in Fail is undoubtedly good news, true liberation for our fearful, weary and broken selves. May we heed its call!"

"Here is a theology of failure to go with Jesus' sacrament of failure ('shake the dust off your feet and move on'). Find out why the best fail the most, and how the 'great cloud of witnesses' in Hebrews 11 is a cumulonimbus cloud haloing a rogues' gallery. Briggs's solution to a failure of nerve-the nerve of failure-deserves wide reading."

"If you are struggling in ministry, this book will be like sitting down with a good friend who knows and understands what you are enduring. No quick fixes. No pat answers. No formulas. No judgment. Just gentle wisdom laced with grace to help you continue in God's calling."

"In Fail J.R. Briggs succeeds in shining a light on an often taboo subject in modern-day ministry. Through the lens of the gospel, Briggs provides a vision to see failure as an invitation to grow in the grace and knowledge of God. If you are a minister, a former pastor, a fallen pastor or a struggling believer, Fail will encourage, strengthen and instruct you in the freedom offered at the cross. For 'by his wounds, we are healed.'"

"J.R. Briggs captures the struggle of pastors in his new book Fail. The fear of failure is enough to freeze us in our path to ministry. J.R. not only shows the facts as to how this is affecting ministers across every denomination but also points toward solutions for pastors to find their way out in the midst of failure. Pastors often find themselves incapable, inadequate and even incompetent in the task that God has placed before them. J.R. reminds them that the only hope they have to complete the mission God has placed on their calling is to rely on the Holy Spirit."

"J.R. Briggs goes beyond giving us a robust theology of failure; he opens his veins and shares his life. He calls us to be faithful not efficient, to live vulnerably without shame. He gives us grace-filled opportunities to be our true selves. If you are a pastor, you need this book!"

"J.R. Briggs has something to say to pastors about our American obsession with 'success.' He holds to the Jesus-endorsed notion that those in ministry are called to faithfulness, not success, and that sometimes faithfulness takes the peculiar form of failure. Fail dares to tell the truth and will bring much-needed clarity and comfort to a multitude of ministers who, though faithful, have drunk from the bitter cup of failure."

"J.R. Briggs offers a sobering look at the pain, loneliness and shame we pastors regularly face. Like the apostle Paul, he understands that the best ministry happens when we allow it to flow through our own weakness and failure. Reading this book was like 'a kiss from God on my bruises.'"

"Someone needed to write a book that would cast vision for the transformational possibilities contained within experiences of failure. J.R. Briggs has done just that! In a voice that is honest, winsome and hopeful, he offers hard-won wisdom for leaning into God's gracious purposes even in the most painful experiences leaders face. Thanks be to God!"

About the Author

Peterson, now retired, was for many years James M. Houston Professor of Spiritual Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. He also served as founding pastor of Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Maryland. In addition to his widely acclaimed paraphrase of the Bible, The Message (NavPress), he has written many other books.

J.R. Briggs serves as Cultural Cultivator of The Renew Community, a Jesus community for skeptics and dreamers in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. He also serves as the Director of Leadership Congregational Formation with The Ecclesia Network. He is the creator and curator of the Epic Fail Pastors Conference.