Drop the mask and get real
Steve Brown calls readers to live honestly
and embrace God’s shocking grace
It’s easy to imagine high-powered executives
and egotistical politicians having hidden agendas. What may not be so simple to
accept is that deep down, all have a secret plan for getting themselves from
where they are to where they want to be. As author and radio host Steve Brown has written in Hidden
Agendas: Dropping the Masks that Keep Us Apart (New
Growth Press/May 16, 2016/ISBN: 978-1942572657/ $17.99), people, especially Christians, wear disguises
to make it easier to accomplish these concealed plans. These masks might be religion,
appearance or power, and the pressure of keeping it all together can be
overwhelming. For most, though, it will be a cold day in a hot place before they
are fully honest with anyone else about their fears, struggles and sins.
Why do Christians do this?
While they may begin their walk with Christ basking in the light of forgiveness and redemption, they soon feel the sting
of judgment when they fall short, whether from their own guilt or the criticism
of others. As a survival mechanism, they hide their failings to avoid pain and
accomplish their personal goals, lying to themselves, others and even God.
Brown knows how they feel. After serving 25
years as a senior pastor, he resigned his post at his church, feeling crushed
by the weight of the pressures he had created in his life. Since those
difficult days, he’s learned there is so much more to living than hiding,
pretending and never being loved. “We’re all phony, ashamed, guilty and
afraid,” Brown writes. “It’s killing us and hurting those we love.” Inspired by
his experience, Brown invites readers to move beyond hiding to finding the
courage to get real.
In Hidden
Agendas, Brown explains “being real” starts first and foremost with their relationship
with their heavenly father. After all, God already knows his children inside
and out, and his unconditional love is the true reason they can live without
fear of rejection or judgment. “It does no good to tell God you’re sick when
you’re drunk, you love him when you don’t or you didn’t steal and eat an apple when
you have apple juice dripping down your chin,” Brown says. “God always
recognizes and loves the ‘you’ behind the mask.” Readers will learn that once
they grasp the true nature of the forgiveness and grace God offers their sinful
selves, they will finally be able to drop their masks and live in freedom and
honesty with others.
Hidden
Agendas is easy to read and perfect for either individual
or small-group use with its chapter-by-chapter questions for reflection. Raw
and real, this book forces readers to confront the ugly truth of the conscious
and subconscious deceptions they practice and the dangerous behaviors that can
sabotage any real chance for authentic, loving relationships.
With his characteristic dry wit and good
humor, Brown calls readers of Hidden
Agendas to embrace God’s shocking grace and live freely and courageously in
the truth about ourselves and others.
About
the author
Brown
has a B.A. in philosophy and religion from High Point College and an S.T.B.
degree from Boston University School of Theology. He is a visiting professor of
practical theology at Knox Theological Seminary and at Westminster Theological
Seminary. Brown is also an in-demand speaker and the author of numerous books,
including A Scandalous Freedom, How to Talk So People Will Listen and Approaching God. His articles
have also appeared in many top Christian publications.
Additionally,
Brown is a former
member of the Board of Directors of the National Religious Broadcasters and a
current member of the Board of Harvest, USA.
With
such varied experience, Brown refuses to be a “guru,” doesn’t want to be
anyone’s mother and gives, in his teaching, the freedom to think. He lives in
Florida with his wife, Anna. They have two daughters and three grandchildren.
Keep
up with Steve Brown at www.keylife.org,
on Facebook
(Dr.SteveBrown)
and via Twitter
(drstevewbrown).
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