If “you want to be part of something extraordinary… something bigger than yourself,”[1]but wonder how to get started, I’ve got a great book for you. I’ve been reading Butterfly in Brazil, hot off the press from Tyndale Publishers. It’s written by Glenn Packiam,  a worship leader and songwriter for Desperation Band, and director of the New Life School of Worship at New Life Church in Colorado Springs. (Yes, that New Life Church—and yes, we attend there.)

I sat down after lunch to skim a few pages, and found myself halfway through the book before dinner time. I kept wondering how much of it I could quote here without running afoul of copyright laws, and finally decided to just encourage everyone to read the whole book.

We all want to make a difference in the world. As Christians, we want to create lasting change that glorifies God and makes Him famous. (If a little of that fame rubs off on us, then more the better.) But here we are, going nowhere. We’ve told God we’re available. Now what?

If this is a familiar feeling, then I highly suggest you pick up a copy of this book. While there’s no formula for achieving significance, there are principles, and Packiam has done a great job of making them clear and accessible.

He encourages us to start making a difference here and now, in a small way, and leave the big results up to God. “Everything that God has put inside us must be expressed and acted on here and now—or it will never multiply and grow. No matter how small and seemingly insignificant it might be, we can do something today; we can get started with something.”

I love his comparison of life with improve theater, “… with God as the writer, director, producer, and lead actor. It’s a work in progress, and we, the other improve actors, have the opportunity to put in a few scenes of our own. We’re not just extras in a busy boulevard scene; we’re characters with unique parts, personalities, and idiosyncrasies.”

Drawing heavily on scripture and history, with plenty of humor, and rare insight, this book instructs us how to make a difference “… when you start small, act where you are, and stay faithful over the long haul.”

[1] All quotes from Butterfly in Brazil, by Glenn Packiam