The Integral Life: Complete Passion and Purpose for God
What Reviewers Are Saying . . .
The antidote to a fragmented view of faith...
—Dr. Ted Esler, Missio Nexus
A breath of fresh air to the church.
—Dr. Will Ryan, Covenant Theological Seminary
David helps us answer not just the questions of who we are and why we exist, but also how to live in light of the who and why.
—Dr. Phil Norris, University of Northwestern–St. Paul
David Cross casts a vision for what a life oriented around a passion for God looks like.
—Dr. Justin Irving, Southern Evangelical Seminary
An authentic and practical book about discovering one’s Christian mission and calling in a world that competes for our passions.
—Dr. Tim Kowalik, University of Northwestern–St. Paul
NOW AVAILABLE AT BOOKSELLERS EVERYWHERE!
Pastor, author, speaker, and missions leader David Cross serves as senior pastor of Bethany Baptist Church. He writes from twenty years of missions experience, most of which were as a tentmaker in the Middle East and the United States.
David is currently a candidate for a Doctorate in Religious Studies in Christian Apologetics and Culture at Trinity Seminary in Indiana.
His passion for Scripture led him to obtain B.A. degrees in Bible and Biblical Studies from the University of Northwestern - Saint Paul as well as an M.A. in Linguistics from the University of North Dakota.
Work of Influence
Principles for Professionals from the Book of Daniel
Your work matters. It matters because it has intrinsic value in and of itself. It matters because the integration of faith and work presents a powerful witness of transformation in your life. Through that integration, we take part in God’s mission for his people so that we can influence unreached people for the Gospel.
That’s the message David Cross offers in Work of Influence, a biblical commentary like no other—a commentary for professionals. The twenty-five principles he identifies guide the reader into an engaging integration of work, faith, and witness for finishing the Great Commission--whether that work is at home in the family business of generations or in borders beyond.
Whatever your work, this book will guide you to view your contribution as a work of influence and make an impact for eternity.
Endorsements
“Having served Christ for over 30 years in the business world with a heart for the unreached, I found Work of Influence to be extremely biblical, practical, and profound. The 25 principles drawn from the book of Daniel are both instructional and inspirational to anyone who wants to serve Christ and integrate their work and faith in reaching the world’s Unreached People Groups. The task is great, but our God is so much greater!”
Bruce McKenzie
Senior Vice President, Wealth Management
Northern Trust Company
“Business people have felt like second-class citizens in the church for a long time. Work of Influence helps us understand that God ordained the business role for many of us to internationally bring blessing and the Gospel to those we touch. This may very well be a central strategy for reaching the remaining unreached groups of the world.”
Durwood Snead
Businessman and Pastor
North Point Ministries
“David’s call is to see work—whatever it is—as a work of influence. God wants to do great things through work. When we understand a biblical vision of work, we embrace the understanding that whatever we do, we can work heartily for the Lord through this work.”
Justin A. Irving, Ph.D.
Director, Doctor of Ministry Program
Professor of Ministry Leadership
Initiative Director, Bethel Work with Purpose
“Work of Influence helps make the book of Daniel come alive and relevant for those of us in the workplace. We are reminded through these 25 principles that work isn't confined to SUPPORT missions; it is missions.”
Chi-Chung Keung
Director News Media and Senior Communications Counsel
California State University, Fullerton
Board Chair, Pioneers USA
“Have you thought about your role in the Great Commission and how it might intersect with your life in the marketplace? If so, this book will challenge you to think strategically about how one can fuel the other. Perhaps never before have there been as many open doors as there are now, in our globalized world. David highlights these open doors while laying out a firm Biblical picture of God's desire to see tentmakers take the Gospel to the nations.”
Ted Esler, Ph.D.
President
Missio Nexus
“The message David is highlighting is one that is necessary to follow if we are to change the reality of those who have not, nor will not, hear or see the Gospel lived out. It goes beyond accessibility and credibility to simple obedience to a Biblical mandate with countless examples of how God worked with His people throughout history. I am praying for many more voices like David's to be raised up to engage our generation in their God-ordained purpose on this planet.”
Andrew Scott
Author of Scatter: Go Therefore and Take Your Job with You
President/CEO, Operation Mobilization USA
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Mondays in the Middle East
The Lighter Side of Arabian Nights
Wholesome humor with a fresh perspective on the Middle East.
What happens when you put an ordinary Midwestern guy smack dab in the middle of an Arabic-speaking region? Sounds like a recipe for disaster, doesn’t it? Instead, author David Cross cooks up something ingenious with his comical account of the differences between the Middle East and the Midwest in Mondays in the Middle East: The Lighter Side of Arabian Nights.
“Everyone wants to be informed about the Middle East, but they haven’t gotten the whole picture,” says Cross. “Here they’ll find a piece of the puzzle that’s missing. They’ll find real life cast on the backdrop of their own backyard.”
The entertaining travelogue oozes hilarity every step of the way while providing readers with a valuable takeaway: the Middle East is not just what the mass media present. Cross learned the lasting value of maintaining the integrity of his own beliefs and culture while respecting and interacting with the beliefs and cultures of others. “Doing this on a global scale has given me an even deeper appreciation of who I am and where I am from,” says Cross. “It also gives me a unique viewpoint in relating to the world’s cultures, whether I meet people at the Pyramids of Giza or the grocery store in Minneapolis.”
It began more than 15 years ago, when Cross was studying abroad for a semester in a Middle East studies program in Cairo, Egypt. Through his courses and his continued exposure to the Middle Eastern lifestyle, he soon gained an appreciation for and a deep interest in the Middle Eastern perspective. “Since that time,” he says, “I’ve spent several years living in different parts of the Middle East, and the curiosity has simply become a lifestyle.”
Print Version (transitioning to new publisher)
Kindle Version ($.99)
Audio Version (FREE PODCAST!)
The Desert Is Alive
Streams of Living Water from Muscat to Marrakech
In days of increased concern about terrorism and fundamentalism, how inspiring it is to learn that Muslims are coming to Christ in increasing numbers in the Arab World!Through stories of Muslim background believers and the stories of tentmakers who often introduced them to Christ, we learn about how spiritual life is forming in the deserts of the Arab world in the face of adversity. This book will give you a new appreciation of the power of Christ to transform lives in the most unlikely places.
David Cross, Contributor
