Sunday, June 28, 2009

Drops from a leaking tap - A Review

“She was definitely not in love with me, but I persisted. Eventually, we got engaged. I never wanted to spend any money, because I wanted even the smallest coin of money to go to the gospel. “Why buy meals when Moody provides them,” was my mindset. One day when we were together sitting by Lake Michigan, (I often skipped meals, but didn’t think it was right to ask her to skip a meal), I asked the Lord if he would somehow supply food for her without us having to spend any money. The people sitting behind us were having a picnic, they packed up and left. I went to the wastebasket, pulled out the brown paper bag which they discarded and discovered a sandwich which was not unwrapped. I gave it to my fiancée. She got a real taste of what she was getting married to!” – George Verwer, Drops from a leaking tap, page 17

I was amazed! As an Indian I thought of the umpteen, garbage disposal places maintained by our Municipal departments, which lie for days unclean; I thought of the rubbish bins in Parks I saw even at the elite Lodhi Gardens in New Delhi, full of half eaten food thrown inside and then I thought of George Verwer, with his first date after two years of social starvation, in order that he could not be “derailed” from his spiritual journey, this woman Drena, he was going to marry, and wondered what kind of man this must be, to be so utterly stingy, to think it okay to pick up a sandwich from the garbage can to give it to his would-be-wife to eat. I was amazed, to say the least!

But as my rational mind came to act, I also realized that he had courage. He was brave enough to come forth with who he was and what to expect of him, to his fiancée much before she was to marry him. Thank God for unabashed behavior, before than after marriage.

George Verwer is the Founder and former International Director of Operation Mobilisation (OM), which is a ministry of evangelism, discipleship, training and church planting. Around 1964 he came to India and spent a number of years here, spreading the Gospel and serving the poor and the dalits.

“We lived in Bombay. People were drawn to our discipleship, forsaking all, world mission and prayer. Rather than feeling we needed to import foreign missionary every time we wanted to get something done, we partnered with the church in India and supported nationals in ministry”.

He was shortly turned out of the country and had to move to Kathmandu, where he and his team specialized in Leadership Training.

And that is exactly what “Drops from the leaking tap” is all about. It is a book that tells you the story of one man who became an evangelist at the age of sixteen and founded the OM movement across the world.

“I am sorry to confess that at the age of sixteen I began, among other things, to peddle pornographic literature. My unconscious and conscious mind was wrapped by pornographic filth that pours out in our country. But I can confess today that because of the Power of the Word of God I have a new mind. I want to tell you it is a liberty, and freedom beyond anything you can ever experience. That which Jesus Christ can give, I believe, makes drugs seem like a useless pill, to say the least”.

But it lists the dream recipe for every marketing and human resources specialist. Turn quickly to Chapter 20, page 131 and read on till you come to page 153. And in between all the talk you will come across, the magic formula you may have studied in your Harvard Books, or read them in What They Don’t Teach you at Harvard Business School. Add “Drops from the leaking tap” to your list of best reads for here you will come across, not only lessons on mission and vision, leadership qualities and action plans, setting goals and achieving them, knowing how to mobilize and get things done, but also what they did not even think of in Harvard or any other business school – the need to wait on God’s timings, for every act ahead.

You call it what you will – the existential prompt, Call from Within, or just-in-time, the chi, it means the same that all people who are involved in the birthing process of the New World we envision, which is more human and more compassionate to the world around it, the birds and the bees, the trees and seas, the earth and all the life it supports and is burdened with, in the midst of the dire need for best business practices and conscientious managers and Leaders, it’s a book you can’t do without - “Drops from the leaking tap” is about being inward drawn, with eyes and ears turned inward to hear the voice of God or what you will, speak to you, about the destiny you are born to fulfill as a Leader in His scheme of things.

To get your free copy of DROPS FROM A LEAKING TAP write to:
George Verwer
Email:
george@verwer.om.org

You can also get your free copy from:

Authentic Books

P O Box 2190, Secunderabad

PIN: 500 003 Andhra Pradesh

Website: authenticindia.in

Worldwide: www.georgeverwer.com

4 comments:

Amrita said...

Thank you for that very perspective review Julia. I liked all aspects of it.

GV is such an honest and forthright man, he doesn 't hide behind a religious mask.
I gained so much from his years of experience in leading such a huge organization, specially what he says about relations.
Even after retirement he is involved in God 's business.

Julia Dutta said...

Hi Amrita,
This is how I saw it Amrita. Reading this one, I am also interested to read the Book on Dalits. Recently I have been to many villages where the dalit/pandit divide is very sharp and guess what Amrita, I found that while in the cities we make a lot of noise about it, in the villages it is somewhat accepted and there is no fight about it. I began to question: Is dalit feelings of being "under caste" an acquired metrointellectual feeling? Mind you I am not denying the sameless behaviour by so called upper castes on them, it is just a thought I want to explore/research.
Thanks for reading pal!
Julia

Mridula said...

Julia, I am so sad to read your comment about the rural divide still being quite sharp.

Julia Dutta said...

Hi Mridula,
It is a fact. Like it or not:(((

Thanks for dropping by
Julia