Having already read this book when it initially came out the audio narrated by the author just gives this already strong and powerful book more power. Lester is an inspiring writer and even more so when he is reading his own works. A necessary read in today's world temperament. Lester is a voice that needs to be heard today and in the future - literally and figuratively. All readers need to get their hands on this book.

As someone who isn’t part of the Church, I still found much of this book resonated with my world view and the importance of becoming involved in your community to invoke real change.

I found this to be a very insightful examination of the social justice call many people have found themselves experiencing over the past 18 months between the pandemic, police brutality incidents, and oppressive legislation that has been passed across the nation.

A lot of the examples in the book focus around homelessness, and I found it very inspiring to hear the different ways in which people have been helping those living on the streets not only get access to things they need, but also to be treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.

My big take away from this book is...find the thing that drives you to change and focus on that thing. We all have a role to play and we can’t do everything ourselves. It takes a village, and you have to start your journey with that first step.

I’ll leave you with these quotes:
“Find your inspiration. Unsurprisingly, many people who undertake social justice work have been affected personally by the issues they get involved in. It is incredibly powerful to see someone who has come out on the other side of addiction, step into the role of a counselor, or an advocate for someone else who is currently facing the very same struggles.”

“Your fight may be found in what makes you burn with frustration, or what lights you up with joy. Yet, even with a desire to help firmly in place it’s natural to feel a bit nervous about the process of becoming involved in justice projects. My hope is to empower you to move beyond your fear.”

When we stand is a book that seeks to educate readers upon the multitude of injustices people face in this world, including race, disability and poverty. This book features numerous real-life examples from not only the author, but also other people across the globe, making it appealing and accessible to anyone regardless of where they live. The book also focuses on what the reader can do, as an individual, to tack various forms of injustices within their area.

I followed the audiobook version of When We Stand, and I found it a very interesting and empowering listen. It is a book I feel I could return to for reference when I need it. Many of the topics featured in the book made me pause for a moment and consider what I can do to support people in a similar situation within my neighbourhood/country. I also really appreciate that the author tried to cover all aspects of injustice including religion and LGBTQ+ communities.

Over all I really got allot out of this read and would recommend it to everyone, as you can never know to much about topics such as injustice in the community and how to prevent it. I would like to thank the author for everything they do and wish them the best of luck with this book.

Motivational | Contemporary | Engaging

“…𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.”

When We Stand is a call to action, reminder of self care, and collection of Terence's stories of how this has worked in his life, mainly through his charity, Love Beyond Walls. Terence drives home the point that the ministry of presence, to ease the loneliness of others, while inviting others to join in is a core part of who we are as Christians and as humans, and is also vital to those in need. I love that he is creative in suggesting ways to serve others, but also focuses on the balance of self care, making time for your own family, and evaluating your level of busyness as well. Terence reminds us that we need each other and are called to walk together in a “we” instead of “me” mentality to have a greater impact.

This is a must-read for those interested in social justice and taking action to help those in need.

"𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦, 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳."

Thank you to InterVarsity Press and Terence Lester for the ARC!