The Hole in My Soul

God never intended that we do life alone. The Hole in My Soul creates a refreshing renewed meaning and urgent call for every one of us to find value in the role of a mentor in our lives … someone we trust … who can help us navigate our spiritual journey. Dr. Perry helps us visualize a mentor as a God-sent ambassador of hope, honest counselor, intimate guide and godly model who grants us the capacity to appropriate the resources we have available to fill the empty inner places in our lives. This book is a must read for every leader, small group study and ministry team. Devour each chapter and take the next major growth step in your journey with God and others as you find a mentor … and discover that you don’t need to do life or ministry alone, anymore!Doug FagerstromSenior Vice President, Converge WorldwideBiblical, Practical, Proven: The Hole in My Soul is not a book of mentoring theory. These are the real life principles involved in mentoring that are mined out of the scriptures and proven over a lifetime of use. I have known Dr. Dwight Perry for more than 25 years and have been privileged to see his life and ministry up close. Dwight is a mentor. That’s who he is. That’s what he does. God has used mentors to shape his life and ministry, and now God is using him to shape others. You will find this book not only a practical guide to mentoring, but also a story that inspires.Larry AdamsSenior Pastor, Golden Hills Community ChurchIf there is one man who epitomizes the essence of a mentor, it is Dwight Perry. He has been a generalist, specialist, and remote mentor to countless people including myself. Dwight has been a student of our culture and ideally equipped to provide accurate reflections of the state of our society. From those reflections and extensive experience building into the lives of others he has written a timely book on the importance of mentors today. He practices what he teaches and lives out with integrity the principles he presents. The guidance he provides will help you find a mentor and be a mentor. Life is difficult at best and navigating life’s journey requires a guide by the side and sometimes a sage on the stage. Research indicates that those who finished the race well have had anywhere from 10 to 15 mentors in their lives. Dwight offers a framework for identifying the mentors we need, the qualities they must have, the role they play, the benefits they present, and the dangers to avoid in a mentoring relationship. I highly recommend this book to men and women who desire to become all God has created them to be. Greg Bourgond, DMin, EdDPresident & Founder, Heart of a Warrior MinistriesAuthor, A Rattling of Sabers, Papa’s Blessings

Dr. Dwight Perry, District Executive Minister is known and appreciated for his straight-talk approach to ministry. He has served as a senior pastor, church planter, denominational executive and full time Professor of Pastoral Studies at the Moody Bible Institute. He oversees Converge Great Lakes (formerly known as Great Lakes Baptist Conference) with pastoral care and dynamic leadership. Prior to coming to the Converge Great Lakes, Dr. Perry served as a professor of pastoral studies at the Moody Bible Institute, as a denominational executive with the Baptist General Conference and as a senior pastor and associate pastor in several churches in Illinois. He is a sought-after national speaker and is passionate about proclaiming God's Word. As a pastor and teacher in homiletics, he is one of the premier expository preachers in the United States of America. He also is a ministry consultant to churches large and small both within and outside of his denomination. He is the first African American to graduate with an earned PhD from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL. He is the author of Turnaround: Renewing organizations small or large from the inside out, a guide for leaders of churches, megachurches, parachurch organizations, and denominations can find themselves in crisis or decline. In this book, he equips leaders with the tools they need to assess organizational health and determine the appropriate steps needed to bring renewal and revival. He is also the author of Connect: Proclaiming the timeless truths of Christ in an ever-changing world. This book, written for the busy pastor and lay person who wants to more effectively communicate biblical truth whether it be from the pulpit on Sunday morning or in a small group during the week is based on Dr. Perry's three plus decades of public speaking and his ten years as a full time professor in the area of homiletics (preaching) and leadership at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago Illinois. He is the author of Breaking Down Barriers: A Black Evangelical Explains the Black Church and Building Unity in the Church in the New Millennium. The second focuses on discrimination in the evangelical church in the areas of race, class, gender, age and physical disabilities and is a landmark book in the area of practical theology. Dr. Perry and his wife Dr. Cynthia Perry have four adult children and four grandchildren. They live in Madison, Wisconsin.