A Life of Listening

The Christian life is a life of listening. In this memoir, lifelong minister of the gospel Leighton Ford tells his story as a personal history of listening for God's voice. Beginning with his earliest memories, he recounts the different ways God has spoken to him, and the different ways he has learned to listen. Through the joys of ministry, first as an international evangelist, often in partnership with Billy Graham, and later as a leader of the Lausanne Movement and a mentor of emerging leaders, he remembers God's voice proclaiming, instructing, reassuring. Through the pain of deep loss, he remembers God's voice calling out to him, even in the deafening silence. What emerges is not just an account of a long and faithful life of Christian service, but a picture of the Christian life—the life of listening. What will it sound like, Ford asks, when God speaks to you? "All of us need giants in our lives, individuals who seem larger than life because of their character, their wisdom, and the remarkable lives they've lived. If we're lucky, two or three such giants cross our path during our journey. Leighton Ford is one of my giants. If you'd like to walk with such a man for a few hours, read A Life of Listening and just soak it in. This is one of those rare books that can change your life if you listen carefully. I plan to read it more than once." – Richard Stearns, president emeritus of World Vision US