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The average length of Jesus’ conversations as recorded in the Gospels was 42 seconds long. This is good news for all of us. It frees us up to talk about the most important part of our lives in a way that’s natural, meaningful, and helpful instead of clumsy, awkward, and irrelevant.
Anyone who has spent countless uncomfortable hours walking from house to house with a clipboard or flash cards that talk about four spiritual laws understands.
Jesus’ conversations were remarkably simple. Contemporary Christian lingo has set up a dichotomy between what we call “discipleship” and “evangelism,” but the Bible doesn’t do that. Jesus had conversations all the time with those who thought they were close to God, as well as with those who deemed themselves lost and without hope. He invited all of them to come and learn from Him.
42 Seconds is a simple book that uses the ordinary moments of our lives the way Jesus used the same moments in his own. The premise is straightforward: If we can learn from Jesus how to have great conversations, it will change our lives and the lives of those around us. Its four-part structure, including five short chapters per section, is for churches and small groups to engage with the practical ideas together. 42 Seconds includes discussion questions to help groups and individuals implement Jesus’ natural rhythm of interaction in their own lives.
Carl Medearis
Thirty years of living in and traveling to the Middle East have given Carl Medearis (www.carlmedearis.com) a true insider's view of the region, making him one of a handful of American expert voices in the field of Arab-American and Muslim-Christian relations.
Carl serves as a catalyst for a number of current movements in the Middle East that come together around the life and teaching of Jesus of Nazareth in order to promote peacemaking, as well as cultural, political, and religious dialogue leading toward understanding and reconciliation. He is the author of the acclaimed books on these issues: Muslims, Christians, and Jesus as well as Tea with Hezbollah, and most recently, Speaking of Jesus: the Art of Not-Evangelism.
Carl, his wife, Chris, and their three kids lived in Beirut, Lebanon, for 12 years. Through their unique and strategic approach around the Arab world, they encouraged university students, business professionals, and political leaders to live their lives by the principles and teachings of Jesus in order to change their societies and nations.
Today Carl spends much of his time working with leaders both in the Arab world and in the West with the hope of seeing the Middle East and the West experience full and fruitful relationships through Jesus of Nazareth. He is also the director of The Middle East Studies Program at William Jessup University.
Carl leads a grass-roots movement in America to reconnect with Jesus called "Simply Jesus," anchored in a yearly conference. Speakers include N. T. Wright, Philip Yancey, and Tony Campolo. Learn more at the website www.SimplyJesusGathering.com.
Carl has spoken several times at Harvard, been the Chairman of an Arab League meeting (in Baghdad), preached in mosques, churches, and universities across the Western world, and most of all he's loved Jesus, his wife, and his three kids.
More by Carl Medearis
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