The Empowerment Pivot: How God Is Redefining Our View of Normal

by Douglas A. Balzer

Empowerment Pivot The

192 pages, Paperback

Published March 30, 2020

About the author

Douglas A. Balzer is a spiritual renewal catalyst based in Calgary, Canada. He and his wife Teri have led more than fifty spiritual renewal retreats in six countries. Doug has a Doctor of Ministry from Alliance Theological Seminary (New York) and is host to the reKindle Renewal podcast.

Reviews

[Jon Coutts · Rating 1 out of 5]

If this book just emboldened readers to pray for people, it'd be harmless. Unfortunately it also puts you on Jesus' throne, pits individual hunches over community care, and amps up faith-cures in ignorance of disability theology.

[Brenda Walde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doug encourages us, through the vulnerability of his own story, to take a fresh look at who Jesus is. He awakens us to the person of the Holy Spirit and the power in our lives that is forfeited if we choose not to recognize and be open to who He truly is. Doug challenges our small view of God and pushes us out of our comfort zones. He points to a journey of discovery to the deeper things of our souls that are in need of God's transformation.
A great read to reawaken us individually, which in turn can have a great effect on our local faith communities.

[Don Ritz · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1992 while on a Jesus film project in Mexico City I saw miracle after miracle, and experienced a personal one, when at the end of the project we went to the beach for 2 days of R & R. I got caught in a rip tide and was carried out into the ocean. When I came to I was lying on the beach with people gathered around me telling me a big man had brought me in from the water but disappeared right after. This started my journey of seeking to understand why we saw miracles outside of our western nations, but not in our daily lives and almost never in our churches. I also had the benefit during the last part of my corporate career to travel literally all over the world and became exposed to ministries where miracles were just part of everyday life.

Since then, I have become involved with a number of ministries that take the bible literally and see manifestations of the Spiritual gifts including healings.

As I started to read The Empowerment Pivot, I got excited, as this book presents very thoughtfully, the transition in thinking that our mainline churches and individuals need to pivot to. I grew up in a denomination that caveated everything with “if it is God’s will”. The Bible is very clear about God’s will. Doug has laid out a combination of biblical truth, experiential examples, and bared his soul from his own personal journey that provides for a very compelling read and self examination of one’s belief system. His transparency will hold the reader’s attention.

If you read this book with an open mind, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal truth to you, your life will never be the same again.

[Nathan Hildenbrandt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever felt that maybe, just maybe, God has more in store for you than what you’ve experienced to this point? In The Empowerment Pivot, Doug not only encourages you to believe that this is the case, but he articulates and walks you through several key ‘pivots’ that serve as a framework to help you along the way.

Doug reminds us that we serve a God who is infinitely bigger and better than we often dare to believe. As I read this book, one of the things I loved the most was the balanced blend of biblical truth combined with personal testimony. The personal stories woven throughout the pages of this book will inspire you to greater levels of faith in the God who longs to redefine our view of normal.

This book will encourage you to believe that, in Doug's words, "there is more." There is more freedom, more healing, more life-change, and more of the presence and power of Jesus available for you, for the Church, and for those God has called you to reach. If you long to experience the presence and power of Jesus in greater ways, and to see the kingdom of God come here on earth to a greater extent, this book is for you. The Empowerment Pivot will inspire you and equip you to chase after the ‘more’ that God has to offer.

[Drake De · Rating 5 out of 5]

How we need a new normal to define how we view ourselves, how we view God, and how we view the mission of the church! I have a small list of books that I keep as must-reads for every follower of Jesus and this is now one of them. Balzer not only takes the time to carefully lay out the theology for this new normal but also brings it down to a practical way that above who reads it will be inspired, equipped, and empowered to live their faith walk in a new and powerful way! You don't need to be a theologian to read this book but nothing is lost in the profound impact it has either.

I also appreciate the vulnerability that Balzer brings as he doesn't simply bring theory to the page but real-life transformation seen in his own life and those he has worked with. His story shows that he not only believes what he is writing but lives it out in the everyday life.

I couldn't recommend this book enough, you won't regret it!

[Kris Corbin]

I will never forget the day I found myself standing in a field, yelling at God: "There has to be more than this!" I was tired of living a life of empty rituals and religious duty - always feeling like there was more to faith in Jesus than what I was experiencing. Doug captures perfectly the struggle that I felt... that perhaps "my current view of normal isn't the normal that God intended", at the same time, he provides hope that there is indeed more! Interweaving both Scripture and his own (even humorous at times) experience, Doug breathes fresh life into the reality that God desires to awaken and empower His church for His glory. There is in fact a "new normal" that God longs for each one of us to experience. A highly recommended read.

[Denise Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Walking in the power and illumination

A great reminder of what our life in Christ is to be: to live on mission empowered by the living Christ to preach the Good News, bring healing and freedom to the world.

[Genghis Chan · Rating 5 out of 5]

“No Plan B” - pivot to an infinite and incarnate God, Let Him show you the transformation pathway from self-empowerment to limitless Holy Spirit empowerment.

[Colleen Jantzen · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you don't read any other spiritual book this year, read this one. 5 stars.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Balzer makes a compelling case for expecting more of God's power in our lives as Christians.