Book Review: Without Apology, On Call For God

Without Apology: On Call For God
By Marion Clark Ingram
Reviewed By Theresa Harvard Johnson

After reading Without Apology: On Call For God by Marion Clark Ingram, I found myself leaning back in my office chair thanking God for the impartation of truth and wisdom shared between its pages. What I read was a compilation of earnest, thought provoking and spiritually challenging testimonies from thirty years of walking in intimacy with the Lord.

The writings are drenched in humility and passion while boldly and unapologetically reminding us that ministry has very little to do with our busy schedules, pomp and circumstance, and everything to do with living life seeped in the Spirit and yielding to the voice of the Lord. Ingram shows that the “shine” many seek is but a vapor in light of Father’s desire to touch every soul assigned to us with compassion and the aligning power of His love.

I’ve read a number of autobiographies and biographies that chronicle the spirit-filled experiences of pioneers and trailblazers in ministry who have gone before us. They often pull us through their childhoods, tribulations and ministry highlights that speak to Christ’s triumphs. So often, these books read the same. Ingram, however, has taken a different approach. While it is indeed an autobiography, the focus is solely on the Work of Christ in her life. It’s as if the author is saying: “I don’t have time to tell you about me. The testimony of what He has done is way more important.”

Every chapter highlights a different aspect of how God uses her life as a vessel, an instrument or a change agent in the lives of others and in the regions assigned to her. There were moments while reading that  I felt as if I was sitting at the foot of a great sage (thus the lean-back in my office chair) who was presenting biblical truths through testimonies eager students would catch only by revelation. With keen ears, some readers will grasp hold of a great wave of admonishment concerning how ministry is perceived and walked out in this present age. Great conviction will come, and repentance. I know, I had to comply with the Spirit as Father continued to present a wider picture of what “pure ministry” — ministry without motive is all about. (For the record, sages were godly wise men in Jewish history and referenced in scripture who walked in apostolic wisdom and revelation.)

Without Apology: On Call For God is not heavily laden with dynamic terminology. There are no bells and whistles to position the author as a superpower. It is a simple, yet powerful book that reminds us that we should remain as children before God. It is a book that affirms souls in their unique call to ministry and purpose. It is also a subtle reminder that puts ministry in proper perspective, and boldly declares: One person, yielded to God in secret, can have exponential  impact in the earth – whether confronting evil head-on or walking into the bowels of a rejected, broken people to release life in Christ’s power.

I would highly recommend this book to followers of Christ and especially to rising leaders who are:

• Seeking to understand the call of ministry upon their lives;
• Seeking understanding concerning what it means to walk in authority and power in Christ;
• In need of a lesson or reminder in humility and servanthood; and
• Who may be in or entering into a time of refreshing and transition.
   

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