Faith Is a Verb

by Chris Goodrich

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0976822105
• ISBN13: 9780976822103
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Gimlet Eye Books
• Length: 156 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Faith: Inspiring and Factually Informative

I've enjoyed Mr. Goodrich's earlier books (Anarchy and Elegance and Roadster), but Faith is a Verb really is more than enjoyable, it is inspiring. Mr. Goodrich manages both to give an objective history of Habitat for Humanity and make the reader want rise from his armchair, grab a hammer and nail gun, and do something for the community. Goodrich alternates chapters describing Habitat's genesis (the religious and social missions that infused it then and now) and how he participates in a local chapter, building houses in Bridgeport, Connecticut. First Goodrich describes the meeting of Clarence Jordan, a Southern minister, bible scholar and social activist, with a spiritually searching, burnt out businessman, Millard Fuller, in May 1968. In Louisville, Jordan, Fuller and handful of summer missionary students formed a "koinonia" or "fellowship". Goodrich reminds the reader how in the Bible, "The spirit of Jesus, through Peter, forms a koinonia in which he and his disciples `had all things in common: and sold their possession and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.'" In what I understand is one of the only accounts of the two men's relationship, Goodrich describes their meeting in a church in Atlanta. Goodrich says, "One word kept coming up: partnership. Koinonia Farm was founded on that ideal, of course, but this new project - however realized - would be fashioned after a different model, defined more broadly, because both men had seen previous partnerships - Fuller's marriage, Jordan's `demonstration plot' - damaged by overconfidence and impatience, narcissism and narrow-mindedness. ...Fuller... had learned the hard way that partnerships do not exist in name only; they must be worked at, cultivated, honored. As a lawyer, he knew the importance of gathering facts before passing judgment, and as a sales-savvy businessman, that customers respond better to carrots than sticks, to respect than condescension. Fuller believed he had The Answer to the world's problems - faith in God - but had learned that lasting commitment occurred mainly when people came upon answers in their own way, in their own time, with their own cultural inflections." Originally, Habitat planned to push three programs: manufacture, farming and homebuilding. However, only the third took off: "The work that captured many imaginations, to an extent no one had foreseen, was home building. Snapping lines, laying block, nailing shingles, hanging doors; there was something new every day, some novel obstacle to overcome, and you never knew, going in, whether you'd be teacher or student, expert or apprentice, brains or muscle. And the experience brought home more than the idea of building community; it embodied the thought, for both volunteer home builders and future homeowners. Everyone marveled at the like-mindedness of such different personalities and perspectives, and felt themselves part of Something Big... and soon to grow much bigger."

Made me Question my Values!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Faith is a verb by Chris Goodrich. The book covers facts regarding the history of the organization Habitat for Humanity and the author's experiences volunteering. Goodrich writes about the places, the people, and the volunteers he has encountered during his five-year experience with Habitat for Humanity. The author speaks straight from the heart, some of which brought tears to my eyes, some of sadness, some of laughter. Even through all the heart-wrenching sights, Goodrich and his crew persevere, regardless of the obstacles they face. Goodrich's experiences include traveling around the world, from America to London from London to Paraguay even getting lost in the Sierra, Faith is a Verb, is a fantastic read. In addition, the book opens a person's eyes and heart to the devastation and suffering that many see everyday of their lives. The book puts into perspective just how lucky we are even though we may not think so; it made me not only look at my ethics and values but also encouraged me to pick up that hammer.