THE IRRESISTIBLE COMMUNITY

an invitation to life together

BILL DONAHUE

foreword by DR. HENRY CLOUD

a division of Baker Publishing Group

Grand Rapids, Michigan

© 2015 by Bill Donahue

Published by Baker Books

a division of Baker Publishing Group

P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

www.bakerbooks.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Donahue, Bill, 1958–

The irresistible community : an invitation to life together / Bill Donahue ; foreword by Dr. Henry Cloud.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-0-8010-1709-4 (pbk.)

1. Interpersonal relations—Religious aspects—Christianity. 2. Christian life. I. Title.

BV4597.52.D655 2015

248.4—dc23 2015007076

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

Scripture quotations labeled CEV are from the Contemporary English Version © 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations labeled ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2007

Scripture quotations labeled NASB are from the New American Standard Bible®, copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Some names and details have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals involved.

To all those who believe

that the life-changing power of a little group,

gathering in the name of Jesus,

can transform the world … one life at a time.

Contents

Foreword by Dr. Henry Cloud

Acknowledgments

Introduction: A Personal Invitation

Part 1: Join the Fellowship of the Table

1. Finding Your Place at the Table

2. Table Manners

3. Choose a Table, Any Table

4. Table Tales

Part 2: Practice the Ministry of the Towel

5. Your Towel Has a Name on It

6. A Dirty Towel Is a Happy Towel

7. Arranging Our Towels in a Circle

8. Don’t Throw In the Towel

Part 3: Live in the Circle of Truth

9. A Hunger for Truth

10. Telling Ourselves the Truth

11. The Truth Hurts, the Truth Heals

12. Truth Is Dangerous

Conclusion: Becoming an Answer to Prayer

Foreword

Recently I read a review of a book on how people change and overcome longstanding patterns in behavior and life. It caught my attention because it was written by one of the most well-known researchers in the field of change. I tend to gravitate toward books that are empirically based, meaning they have solid research to back them up.

In the ...