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I thought this picture would give you a quick update on my reading over the last couple months. Because of the amount of reading I'm doing, I do not have time to blog about the specific books I have read. Therefore, this picture will have to suffice. The crazy reading schedule isn't over yet as my books for next semester have already begun to arrive in the mail. The new stack is at least as big as the stack in the picture.

Labels: book review, misc

I have been reading The Unhealed Wound: The Church and Human Sexuality by Eugene Kennedy over the last couple of weeks and have found it quite fascinating. Speaking about the Catholic Church and it's stance on birth control, priestly celibacy and women ordination, Kennedy, a former priest, effectively and quite ingeniously relates the situation to the myth of "Tristan's Wound" or the "Grail King" who is wounded in the genitals and awaits someone to come and offer a word of healing. Kennedy uses this imagery to refer to the church, making the comment that it has been wounded sexually and needs to be healed.

Kennedy's discussion is interesting and I learned a lot about Catholicism and its recent history. However, I continually found myself relating what I was reading to the wound that exists in the Evangelical Church. We, too, have often avoided sexuality, seeing it as something confusing, if not evil, and something to protect ourselves from. We have avoided this subject and not engaged many important issues related to sexuality in our lives and culture. In many ways, we still exist with the sexual wound that is uncomfortable because we refuse to look at it and pursue healing. I believe many of the sexual issues of today are more common place than we would like to believe and we, ironically, never really talk about them. This wound has not healed and we have, to our detriment, avoided the pursuit of its healing. Consequently, this avoidance has lead to continued discomfort of our woundedness. I am not quite sure of the answers, but at least we have begun to ask the questions.

Labels: book review

I have had this book sitting on my "to read" pile (the pile is now 34 books long) for awhile and thought I would finally get around to it. I know that it was the trendy and popular book about a year or two ago and I admit that I am behind in the times, however I am learning to live with my lack of trendiness - I just call it Retro.

I actually started reading it about a year ago and only got through the first chapter; I guess I wasn't in the right head space at the time. However, this time I found it fascinating. It was appropriately humorous and warmly compelling...none of the ideas were new per say but the narrative Miller wove was gripping.

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After reading this book the only word that can even possibly sum it up is "inspiring." You can't read about Billy Graham and his life, which is firmly and distinctly rooted in Christ, and not be inspired. Billy Graham is unique not because of his incredible talent and gifts (for which he has many), but because he is unapologeticly tethered to his faith in God and the one thing God has called him to. For someone who could have been the most powerful man in America as President, he chose a different path that in the end, has arguably made him one of the most influential.

The best parts of this book are not the methodological leadership gems offered but the anecdotal stories. My only wish is that the authors would have described more of Billy's failures, of which they mildly allude, as lessons in leadership as well. Maybe because this book was written as a tribute to Billy legacy it was skewed in it's content but I would have appreciate the stories where even great leaders like Billy make mistakes and those mistakes are not necessarily insurmountable but potential times of learning and wisdom.

This is one of those books that are a must to read in times of weariness where inspiration is needed to carry on - it is packed with it. In the end, it must be remembered: Billy's accomplishments are not his own but God's. I am positive that Billy would make this distinction and would be disappointed if I did not.

Labels: book review

• Being Leaders has reminded me of some of those fundamental leadership treasures that, by nature of being in active and busy ministry, you can forget or let your guard down.
• Building Leaders has started me thinking and rethinking the idea and concepts of leadership development and the need for an effective and dynamic leadership strategy in church ministry.
• Leading From The Second Chair has reminded me of my role in my current position; how it interfaces with the overall leadership team, church staff, mission and vision of the church.
• Gentle Shepherding was a tough book to forage through. It more reflected pastoral ethics from a mainline perspective, which was interesting but it was very philosophical and theological. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't what I expected and thus I found myself forcing my fingers to turn the pages are carry on.
• Revolution of Character was by far the best read. I have been intrigued lately with the topic of Spiritual Formation and this book kept me attentive, turning page after page with ease and expectation. As part of our classes assignment we had to participate in a weekly online discussion (one chapter per week); it was interesting to reflect along side others and get a glimpse of their perspectives on the topics discussed. I was once again reminded that my life as a pastor needs to ALWAYS center around and be feed by my relationship to GOD.
  

Labels: book review

I bought the book The Myth of a Christian Nation after seeing the author Gregory A. Boyd on PBS. Do I sound smart and sophisticated after disclosing the fact that I at times watch PBS? During his interview on PBS, I was impressed by his knowledge and perspective and though the book was worth the read and I was glad that I did. It is one of those books I read expecting to agree with most of it and for the most part, I did. Boyd engages this controversial topic on many levels including the destructive intertwining of the politics and the church. Boyd sees an important distinction between the Kingdom of God with the Kingdoms of the World, one in which the North American Church has too often interwoven together. Using history (distant and recent) as well as theological arguments he makes a case for the separation of the two and the dangers of entangling them.

Instead of getting into specifics, I would just make a general comment that I think the concept of the Kingdom of God is intriguing. Just the discussion on how much of our theology (eschatology, ecclesiology, etc.) feeds in and out of our view of what the Kingdom of God is and isn’t, is worth pursuing. My interest in this topic was intensified this last week after taking a class on the Gospel of Matthew and spending, as Matthew does, a lot of time talking about the Kingdom of God and what it is and isn’t.

Although I have some issues with Boyd’s conclusions, especially his views on passivism (that is a topic for a whole other day), the book is well worth the time. This is especially true if you have been working though the concept of the Church’s role in government and issues related to it. If nothing else, this book will get conversation going.

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I read Steve Brown’s book “A Scandalous Freedom” recently and it has left me thinking, evaluating and re-thinking my view of the grace of God. A good friend recommended this book to me and it did what he promised it would. Consequently, I find myself constantly pondering the reality of my freedom in God and conversely the self-imposed prison’s I put myself in. This book has definitely “rattled my cage” and although I don’t hold to everything that Steve Brown says, it accomplished its purpose and made me really think on this subject.

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I read Intelligent Church: A Journey Towards Christ-Centered Community by Steve Chalke with Anthony Watkins. It is an interesting book, but for me it was a lot of similar material that I have read over the last several years, thus nothing struck me as life/ministry altering. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t a bad book, there just wasn’t a lot of new material I haven’t read or heard before. I did however, react quite strongly to the assertion that the chapter about the church being politically active – I reacted this way until I finished reading the chapter and realized that the author was talking about being socially active (caring about the social problems in our community and world). In fact, they come out against the church being one with a political party and the important need to be independent. I agree and what I thought was going to be a HUGE difference in opinion ended up being a semantic difference with language.

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My friend James recommended Frederick Buechner’s book Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy and Fairy Tale to me and I was not disappointed. Speaking about communicating and understanding the Gospel, it is insightful on so many levels. It has helped me understand and reflect on preaching in a way that I never really thought of before. It reminded me that the gospel is tragedy that is bad news before it is good news. That the gospel is comedy: “The folly of preaching Christ crucified, preaching the king who looks like a tramp, the prince of peace who looks like the prince of fools, the lamb of God who ends like something hung up at the butcheres.” It also reminded me that the gospel is fairy tale calling people to something that seems to good to be true - otherworldly. Or as Buechner writes: “With his fabulous tale to proclaim, the preacher is called in his turn to stand up in his pulpit as fabulist extraordinary, to tell the truth of the Gospel in its highest and wildest and holiest sense. This is his job, but more often than not he shrinks from it because the truth he is called to proclaim, like the fairy tale, seems in all but some kind of wistful, faraway sense too good to be true, and so the preacher as apologist instead of fabulist tries as best he can to pare it down to a size he thinks the world will swallow.”

This book has made me realize the nature of the gospel story and that it is more than just an apologetic step-by-step process but so much more. It is Tragedy, Comedy and Fairy Tale and I want to be one who communicate the gospel for all that it is and not one that pairs it down to some palatable size, consequently making it “simple” and in the process strip it from it’s fullness and power.

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I just finished Henri Nouwen’s book, In The Name of Jesus, and once again a Nouwen book that doesn’t disappoint. It is an insightful and soul (not just thought) provoking and inspiring book. As I read, I found myself convicted and inspired. I often wonder how much of my drive, passion and ministry comes from a place other than my call from God. This book has helped to make me reflect on that reality and start chiseling alway some of my misunderstandings and begin seeing my life and ministry through the loving and freeing call of God.

I read this book in the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains in Banff while I was at Pastor’s Prayer retreat and the beautiful setting dovetailed with what God was teaching me: the limits I have are not something to begrudge but are a gift from God – what a tough and freeing reality to grasp.

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I recently read Rob Brendle’s book, In the Meantime: the practice of proactive waiting. This was one of those risky books that I found in the clearance box. It was a risk that was interesting in ways I would have never expected.

In terms of the content of the book compared to the title, the first several chapters were interesting and there is no doubt that Rob is a gifted author and communicator. But as the book wore on, I found it losing focus and changing directions.

What I found most interesting about this book had nothing to do with the book itself. When I was half way through the reading of the book the news about Ted Haggard’s deception, drug use, and sexual history came out. I then, it Da Vinci Code like fashion, began putting the pieces together. Rob Brendle is one of the pastors at Haggard’s Church and I began to get an insight into the ministry and ethos of New Life Fellowship. Take this quote for example from the book as Rob refers to his call:

“This is what I am called to do. God had shown me only this: that I was to serve Ted Haggard. And serving Ted meant doing what Ted wanted done. It was my calling-to serve Ted-and in a way, it was my salvation.”

Rob Brendle’s book, especially the first half, was interesting, but I have to say that with the news headlines of late, the brief glimpse into the ethos of New Life Fellowship was most interesting. There is little doubt that after the news this book will be reduced even further in price.

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After reading the book “a.k.a. Lost” by Jim Henderson I was disappointed. I wasn’t so much disappointed with the book’s content but I think I set my hopes way to high. It isn’t that I think it is poor book (On the contrary, I think it is a good filled with great ideas), I was just expecting some newer ideas. Maybe it's because I’ve read a lot of recent books on evangelism and for the most part this book echoed similar ideas/concepts.

There are several things I took away from this book. One is the idea of doing the common in evangelism, using the analogy of Seinfeld Evangelism and that we need to look at our evangelistic opportunities more like a Seinfeld episode where it is just about ordinary life. I agree…I am just an ordinary person and need ordinary forms of evangelism and ways to look at it. Second, I really liked the book’s focus on listening, something we can all do more of whatever our religious bent. It is something I need to practice more in my life and Henderson’s idea of “non-manipulative intentionality” was interesting. I think that is something we all need to consider.

Although it is still mulling over in my mind, the question Henderson asks of the Church and as individual Christians is poignant: “What business are we in? Are we defenders of God’s refutation, or are we the proclaimers of his love?” (Page 84) This is something I have thought a lot about and have been working through in my ministry and life in various ways. This has once again prompted me to think and reflect on that question in greater detail.

What I found troubling was that although he argues against the sales-pitch approach to evangelism, which is evident in modern evangelism techniques (even that phrase demonstrated that), the alternative he gives still seems to smell like a sale pitch - just in a more relational one. I guess I wonder if we aren’t talking about getting rid of sales evangelism and instead we’re talking about replacing it with a different, more relational, sales technique. Much like the change in sales techniques in our culture, which is now more relational than ever. It seems that instead of looking at a completely different model we are just altering the modern on to better suit our culture.

It isn’t that I am arguing with what Henderson is presenting…his ideas are a welcome change and I agree with many of them. I guess I am just wondering if we can ever be free from the concept of selling the gospel, because in some way we are by nature of persuading, attempting to have someone buy into the concept of God that we are in some way “selling.” Thus, ultimately the question needs to be asked: is that necessarily bad? A great question worth pondering but I think we’ll leave the question of persuasion for another day.

When it comes to evangelism, I think we need to focus on the great commandment and remember that we are called to love with nothing in return. The opposite of sales…we are called to radically give away love because we have been loved - to live through word and deed the message of love. Maybe in that there is an element of persuasion…to persuade to the point of love…and is that bad? Is that manipulative? I think that is a question we need to continue asking of ourselves. It is one I need to reflect upon.

Labels: book review

I finished reading “The Secret Message of Jesus” by Brian McLaren. It was thought provoking, introducing some new ideas and concepts that were fairly intriguing. Although I don’t always agree with Brian I always find myself in a virtual conversation with him as I read his books – there is something compelling about that. With all the hype leading to the release of this book about it being controversial, I found it almost a let down as it was not as controversial as I was expecting. Maybe I am not as conservative as some and find his writing less problematic.

If you are interested in reading a great article/review of the book my friend James (I now call him Prof. James) has written a fabulous one here. For me I found several things compelling. First, you have to begin with title and the overall theme of the book. I have asked similar questions as to why Jesus made his message so seemingly unclear and almost hidden in metaphors and parables. If you have read the gospels you have probably asked this exact same question. I think McLaren does a great job at unpacking the historical context which I think helps to free the often entrapped message of Jesus from our North American individualism that often seems to imprison Jesus’ message. Second, McLaren has wonderful explanation about the Kingdom of God being the Dream of God and how Jesus’ radical message of how to live can produce a change - a transformation - that is revolutionary.

Third, I also think that the reason the message of Jesus isn’t clear is because it, in itself, is part of the message. Jesus asked questions and invited interaction, which is fundamental to any relationship – real relationship based on love. Think about that…Jesus answered a small fraction of questions in the New Testament and asked them in disproportionate abundance. That promotes relationship; Jesus listened and taught in ways that made people think, reflect, contemplate, mull over, question, argue, debate, seek clarification. It is not only compelling but highly effective.

McLaren also takes the book of Revelation and sees it through the lens of the Kingdom of God. I think he is on to something here… I too would argue that when we take the culture, the genre and the message of Jesus in the New Testament and interpret the message of Revelation, we end up with a very different view then your typical pop-culture interpretation. A fantastic book on this topic is a book written by a brilliant former professor of mine, Paul Spilsbury, entitled: “The Throne, The Lamb and The Dragon.” Spilsbury, along with many Biblical Scholars, interpret the book of Revelation in a way that is more connected with its original intent – that is a post for a different time.

I think the danger of McLaren’s interpretation is that you soon begin to find the Kingdom of God in everything – even to the point of finding it in places it was never intended to be. Much like the allegory of old, we begin to read into the next rather than have the text read into us. That being said, there is something also very dangerous about limited the message of Jesus as well. In North American, we have largely limited it to personal salvation and ignored the rest. Think about it, if the Message of Jesus was just about personal salvation…one parable or sermon would have been enough but it is so much more. That doesn’t dismiss the individually responsibility of each person to make a commitment to Christ, but it is also so much more. The problem is we have focused on the former and in the process buried the later.

Labels: book review

While in Bolivia I finished the book Your God Is Too Small by J.B. Phillips. I started reading it on the plane on the way down and it is clearly thought provoking. This is one of those books that expanded on things I have been asking and contemplating over for the last several years.

Phillips deconstructs our often marred, confused and distorted picture of God (resident policeman, parental hangover, God-in-a-box, second-hand God, projected image, etc.) and proposes, or rather constructs, an alternative view. I think the view he begins to construct moves closer to the life, message and ministry of Jesus – and if nothing else, it is the beginning of such a journey. Like many authors today, Phillips proposes that we have misunderstood and, even possibly, distorted the message of Jesus. For example, here is a quote I found rather interesting on evangelism: “Christ very rarely called men “sinners” and as far as we know never attempted deliberately to make them feel sinners, except in the case of the entrenched self-righteous, where He used the assault and battery of scathing denunciation. (This, we may surmise, is an instance of what He saw to be desperate ill requiring a desperate remedy.) Some evangelists, whose chief weapon is the production of a sense of sin, would find themselves extraordinarily short of ammunition if they were obliged to use nothing but the recorded words of Christ.” (Pages 103-104) For me, this exemplifies some of our twisted understandings of Jesus and His message. This practical outworking can be traced back to our often confused and wrongly perceived cultural understanding or misunderstanding of God and who He is as well as whom He is not. It is precisely this dichotomy that Phillips addresses.

This book touches on a number of different concepts and constructs and although I don’t agree with every conclusion and construct that Phillips presents, the conversation is intriguing. This book is not new to bookstores and Phillips has passed on over twenty years ago now, but the questions and discussions raised are equally valuable today. In fact it demonstrates that the questions others and I are asking and conversing about are not new but have been asked for decades now… In fact, I think that what started out as a few whispers from the back row is now moving into a louder voice in Christianity today that cannot be ignored.

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I read The War Between Peru and Chile by Clements R. Markham (written in 1883) on my journey down to Bolivia. I was given this book by friends who thought it might interest me as I prepared for my experience. Because the book is well over 100 years old I had to first get accustomed to the old English it was written in (it is never easy to get use to phrases like “social intercourse”) but after about the first fifty pages I got into the “groove.”

What intrigued me most about the book was the complicated and vast history of Bolivia and South America in general. Being educated in North America it is hard to comprehend the effects of colonialism and the wars that erupted as a result.

I found it interesting that although Bolivia has been in several wars, they have never won. For a Canadian this is a hard concept to grasp but one that would undoubtedly have a profound effect on a country’s psyche. You can see these effects on both the culture and the unstable political system in Bolivia.

This book was fascinating to read as it gave me a glimpse into the history of a country I visited, a history I previously knew very little to nothing about.

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I read Liquid Church by Pete Ward and it is an interesting and thought provoking book on the future of the Church. His distinctions between Liquid Church and Solid Church are fascinating. Although I think the book was somewhat lacking in historical context and at times I found the theological arguments wanting (he could have flushed these out further), it was well worth my time.

There is so much I liked about the book and the concept of the fluid church. Unlike the solid church of modernity (indicating a concept that the church of modernity was often defined by a building, organizational structure or institution), Ward suggests that the emerging church will be based more on a network of relationship that is harder to identify and impossible to solidify.

Although I agreed with Ward through most of the book, I found myself questioning a couple of his proposals and concepts. First, he repeatedly talks about the fact that the emerging church will be less build around the common regular assembly (church worship service). Although I don’t believe that a church has to be a set number of people who meet every Sunday at 11:00am, there have throughout history beginning with the early church, been some kind of regular meeting/gathering for the local church. I am not saying that this has to be as “solid” as the modern church but it can’t be so “liquid” as not to exist. I also found the idea that the liquid/emerging church needs to embrace consumerism troubling. He is not referring to materialism (he makes that distinction clear), which we would all say is problematic, but the idea that humanity at its core are consumers and it is that driving desire we need to get to as the church. He has some great ideas and theories in this area but I struggle with any concept that says we need to give people what they are looking for just because they are looking for it and embrace that part of our culture. What happens when what someone is looking for is wrong or mistaken?

Once again, I found this book to be intriguing and stimulating. What I really appreciated is what I see in many emergent writings, the commitment to historic Christianity and orthodoxy (something often missed by its critics). To quote Ward: “A commitment to orthodoxy provides assurance in the midst of the flow.” (page 71)

Well off to Bolivia and hours of travel which hopefully will allow me amble time to catch up on my delinquent reading schedule.

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I just finished The Search to Belong by Joseph Myers. It isn’t so much a book specifically on small groups (although its implications for small groups is fascinating) as much as it is a book on community and belonging. Myers uses the work of Edward T. Hall (four spaces: public, social, personal, and intimate) to discuss the concept of community and belonging with specific attention to its impact on the church.

I found his critique of the modern small group movement thought provoking and insightful with potentially radical implications for the church. I also found Myers’ use of Emergence theory (his slime mold analogy) within small group structures to be intriguing. It isn’t that I agree with everything that Myers proposes or that I will fundamentally change the ministry to which I give oversight and direction but it has impacted the way I look at community and belonging. It may not lead to radical change but I won’t look at my role in the same way again or have the same concept of what community and belonging is and isn’t.

This is one of those books that needs to percolate in my thoughts and it will no doubt ultimately lead to some interesting conversations in the future.

My next book: Liquid Church by Pete Ward.

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I just finished the New York bestseller Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores The Hidden Side Of Everything by Levitt and Dubner. Much like my experience with Shane Hipps book, I was about a quarter through before I had to take a necessary reading detour with school last semester. After refreshing myself on the first 50 pages, I dove in and it was fascinating. This is one of those unique books that I found entering into a plethora of conversations on many different levels. Like a water drenched sponge, it saturated my thinking to the extent that I found it distilling into various areas of my thinking, reflections and conversations – coercing me to ask deeper questions about seemingly ordinary things.

Freakonomics may not have a solidifying theme but it does have a common thread as it discusses and critiques conventional wisdom from an economist point of view. I found myself repeatedly and verbally saying “fascinating” and “interesting” or “You’ve go to be kidding me” to the point where I was sure that others around me thought I was going crazy. All in all, it is an intriguing read and one that has made me question “conventional wisdom” and the fears and agendas it often feeds from.

If you haven’t read it yet…it is worth your time and money.

Well off to my next book: The Search to Belong by Joseph R. Myers.

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I got a little behind in my reading this last weekend (things were insanely busy) and I am in the process of catching up. I finished Coming Home: To The Father Who Loves You a few days ago by Robert Jeffress and was disappointed. I guess the book is what it is but I was expecting something different and more profound. The book is based (more loosely than I anticipated) on the biblical story of the prodigal son and since I am thinking of preaching on it soon, I thought would be helpful. This was one of those times when the jacket cover seduced me. I though it might be better, more theological and reflective, giving me insights into this amazing story of Scripture but instead, I would define it as your typical “problem + solution = success” book. There were points where the book implied that if you felt far from God then with “these three or six things” you can fix the problem and have success in your relationship with God and thus in life. I don’t know? I just find the Bible and my life to be way more complicated than that and I ironically find that complication soothing. I don’t think God created us as a spiritual math problem and the Bible as the formula for success (as we in North America have defined it).

Instead, I think God is way more complicated and mysterious than that and on many levels I find books like this, or any spiritual message like this, troublesome. Maybe I’m just weird and bizarre and I’m alone in my questions, but I have a sneaking suspicion there are others out there like me. Others who find their spiritual lives to be way more complex and even their relationship with God to be more elusive and unformulative (I think I just made that word up) than these books or messages portray? Or, perhaps, I am quasi normal and there are others out there who either feel guilty their loves don’t line up with the formula or their problems easily solved by it. Or maybe they just think they are alone and are too afraid to speak up. If that is the case, I hope you can find comfort in others like me.

I believe truth is more than a formula or pattern…Jesus (the way the truth and the life) lived in a way that was unformulated. Even though the Pharisees tried to evaluate Jesus by their legalistic and self-serving spiritual formulas, Jesus reversed their formulistic view of God. In fact, I think human formulas by nature of their human origin, are self-serving. Like any postmodern, I question any formula that starts with a preferred answer and builds the formula to create that answer. This is the same reason why I agree with others that in many ways the modern scientific method is flawed – but that is a post for another time.

Anyways off to a completely different book I need to finish: “Freakonomics” by Levitt and Dubner.

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Well I finished my first of 30 books in 90 days and I've been keeping up with my Bible reading. I enjoy reading and I normally do a decent amount of it, but this much reading is proving to be a bit of a challenge.

In terms of the book The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture by Shane Hipps, I found the first half incredibly interesting. I have to admit that I started reading the book several months ago but only worked my way through the first third of it until life got too crazy and the book ended up collecting dust. After re-reading some of the first third and the working my way through the rest, I found the second half to spark a lot of thought and reflection. I disagree with some of his conclusions but the main point of the book is fascinating. I agree with Hipps that the church has not dealt or reflected on how much it, as a medium, has affected the message (referring to the writings of McLuhan). The old adage that the medium can change but the message stays the same is well critiqued throughout this book. I agree with Hipps that the medium can’t remain neutral and inadvertently and with profoundly affects alters or even skews the message.

I also found his comments of Satellite churches to be interesting in regards to the medium having a profound affect of the message – even contradicting itself. If, as Hipps asserts, the church is the medium Christ choose to communicate his message, then we need to take that seriously. We can’t continue to pretend that media and technology are neutral in the life of the church. I am not against using technology, anyone who knows me knows this, but the medium has to always be evaluated and reflected upon so that we may understand how it is affecting, changing or altering the message. If we ignore that reality and ignorantly assume it is neutral and unbiased, then we are in danger of radically affecting the message of the marvellous gospel we are commissioned to share.

This book has prompted and reminded me to think and evaluate my use of technology personally and within the church. I am not going to give it up, but I will try to persistently consider its affect on the message and my faith.

Overall, it is a stimulating read. It has much of the same base material as authors like Postman and McLuhan but from a theological/ecclesiological point of view – one I found fascinating. Once again, I don’t agree with some of Hipps solutions but his critiques and insights are well-worth the price of the book.

Well, on to my next book: “Coming Home: To the Father Who Loves You.”

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I finished No Perfect People Allowed by John Burke and it was remarkable. The book is worth reading just for the stories of people coming to God and God changing their lives. It is not a “how to” book but it is the story and journey of what God is doing in and through Gateway Community Church in Texas. It is a great read and although Burke can at times come across as always knowing exactly what to say and when to say it (probably the inevitable result of writing your own stories), he has some fantastic insights into church – especially the church in a postmodern culture.

This book really caused me to think and reflect on my ministry. I am not saying that I would do everything he or his church does, but I think there are some incredible lessons to be learned through it. Here are a few of the lessons I learnt and things I have been reflecting on:
1) We need to learn to give people space in church – allow them to be themselves and for God to work in their lives at His pace and not our own.
2) We need to create and facilitate a culture of dialogue where people can feel comfortable expressing and talking about their thought and even doubts without fear of judgement and rejection.
3) I love the fact that they are able to be relevant, accepting and tolerant (all ideals I share) without losing their convictions (something Jesus practiced).
4) I was reminded that we need to allow people to be human again – broken and bruised, to not be afraid by that brokenness as it is much like our own, whether we like it or not.
5) I was reminded that Jesus is the one that heals and changes people not us – something we preach about in church but seldom practice.

All in all I was moved, convicted, inspired, disturbed and propelled as it has permeated by thoughts over the last week or two. All in all it is a great book and definitely worth reading.

Labels: book review

Last week, I read Understanding God’s Will: How to Hack the Equation without Formulas by Kyle Lake and for the most part I liked it. Although it has been on my every expanding “to read” pile on my bookshelf, I read it mainly because I was preaching on God’s Will and I found it was helpful in many ways as I was formulating my thoughts and ideas. Although there wasn’t anything really new in the book for me, it is rather well written and he is very good at relaying his thoughts with an effective and humorous use of sarcasm. The book would be great for those who have grown up in the church and have been indoctrinated with a very formulaic (modern) view of God’s will and want to read a basic but well-written critique of that view with a simple presentation of an alternative view. If however, you are already versed in different views of God’s will, specifically the difference between modern and postmodern views, than this book may be simple review.

In terms of sparking my thinking, I really liked the following quote as it resonated with me and sparked further reflection:

“The very nature of formulas [relating to the will of God like a recipe formula] collides head-on with the ways of God, because formulas are about control, predictability, and certainty.” page 8.

I think there are so many things we like to control about God, whether that is through understanding his will, our prayer lives, our hermeneutical (interpretation of scripture) practices, or our theology. The problem is I don’t think you can ever put God in the proverbial box and when we do, it only presents itself with problems. I also wonder how much of our current theological practices go back to the birth of the scientific method in which one presents a theory (hypothesis) and then tries to prove that theory with empirical, observable and scientific evidence. Although that may work for science, does it work for theology and can we ever understand God like the created natural world through a formula or a system? Maybe you can get a glimpse of the creator by his creation much like you can begin to understand an artist by their art, but how far do you take that? As usually, I don’t have answers, just questions but these are important question and ones I find filling more and more of my thoughts these days.

Before I end this post, I wanted to say that it is deeply saddening that Kyle is no longer with us - he tragically died recently. I never knew Kyle or heard of him before his death, but I have to admit his death had an impact on me. I think it is primarily because he would be about the same age as me, with a family (including twins) that are the same age as mine. He seemed like an amazing man, husband, father, pastor, leader, author and speaker that I wish I could have gotten to know – even if it was just through more of his published works.

Labels: book review

I just finished the reading book Church Re-Imagined by Doug Pagitt. This book outlines a week in the life of the church, Solomon’s Porch (they are apart of the emerging Church movement). It took me a few months to get through it (I kept getting side tracked with other books) but overall it is mediocre. It is filled with different perspectives and practices on ministry and spiritual formation. Overall though, it didn’t grab me the way I thought it would. Maybe I read it with too high of expectations, but it was a good book with some interesting methodological ideas and practices, some of which are really interesting and unique. I wouldn’t, however, say it was ground breaking or life/ministry transforming. Would I recommend it? Maybe…It depends. It is entirely church autobiographical and methodological without any real theological reflection but it is an interesting glimpse into the life of a unique church using a unique model of ministry.

Labels: book review

Over the last 6 weeks or so I have read numerous books for school (pictured above). I usually make it a practice to write some thoughts on the books I read but at the pace I was going and the other school work I was doing, it just didn’t get done. Instead, I thought I would write a brief overview of the highlight and lowlights of my reading adventures.

The best and most insightful book I read was Paul Spilbury’s book, The Throne, The Lamb and The Dragon. It is a helpful guide for reading and interpreting the book of Revelation. It helped to put into works a lot of what I was thinking about through my study and research for a class on the Apocalyptic Literature and Revelation. That leads me to another important work that any pastor doing work in Revelation should have, Revelation: Four Views by Gregg. It is a parallel commentary that looks at the four main views of Revelation (Spiritual, Futurist, Historical, and Preterist).

The book that made me think the most was Honest to God by Robinson. It is part of a Contemporary Theology Class I am in and it has got my brain moving and stretching.

I also liked The Reformed Pastor by Baxter written nearly 400 years ago. Its timeless nature gives it credibility and although you (like myself) may not agree with it all, it is a great perspective on the calling and work of pastor.

The most practical book was God’s Gifted People by Harbaugh. Although it has bad exegesis, it is a great resource for Meyers-Briggs applications in the church.

The worst book by far and ironically the most entertaining was Racing Towards The Mark of the Beast by the Lalonde brothers. It was part of an assignment to critique a popular book relating to the book of Revelation. Need I say more?

That is the fast summary of my reading over the last few weeks. So it is on to the next stack of books as I prepare for a major paper presentation on “Hans Kung” - the contemporary rebel catholic theologian.

Labels: book review, misc

I just finished the book Body Prayer by Doug Pagitt and Kathryn Prill and was disappointed. I wasn’t disappointed so much in the book or its content but the price. Maybe it is the inevitable risk of purchasing a book online but the book I received wasn’t the book I expected. I liked it, don’t get me wrong, and I’m sure Doug and Kathryn had absolutely nothing to do with setting the price (and probably will only receive a measly $0.25 royalty per book) but it was just way too expensive. It is a good resource, one I will use, but in my opinion it is really only worth about $10 instead of the $21.00 price tag I paid at Chapters.

About the book: it is filled with great, creative and ancient ideas of using our bodies as we pray. It is completely practical and if you are looking for a historical or theological book on the subject you will be disappointed.

Like I said, I liked the book but if you are thinking of buying it, wait until it goes on sale, as it just isn’t worth the high price tag.

Labels: book review

I just finished reading “The Sacred Way” by Tony Jones. Along with other things, it prompted me to think about doing a Spiritual Pilgrimage some time in my life. I am not sure where or when, but it definitely intrigues, excites and scares me. Previous to reading this book, I would have never really thought about doing a pilgrimage, but after hearing the history behind it and from Tony’s personal experience, I think it is something that I have real interest in.

In a paradoxical sort of way, I like/dislike books on prayer and spiritual disciplines. One of the things I really liked about this book is the personal dynamic in it. It made it real, raw and drew me into a subject that otherwise has a tendency to be dull, boring and guilt driven.

Labels: book review

I just finished reading "The Gospel Reloaded" by Chris Seay and found it interesting and thought provoking. In fact, it has made me want to watch The Matrix again just to see it with deeper insights, understanding and appreciation. Previous to reading this book (about three months ago), I also read "The Gospel According to Tony Soprano" by Seay, which I found for $1.99 in the Chapter’s bargain section. It, too, was an interesting refection. I think both of these works constitutes and explains why I think just as much conversation, discussion and spiritual good can come out of the dialogue from any “secular” movie and TV show then the Christian alternatives. I think Christians should spend more time dialoguing about the movies people are seeing, even if they disagree with them. People see movies for a reason; they resonate with them. So as Christians, I think we can have more influence, and integrity for that matter, in our culture if we can talk honestly and intelligently about the movies people are seeing.

All of that too say, although some people despise books about movies or drawing spiritual conversations out of them, and granted it too can be taken to the extreme, it is an important part of our culture and I think and important part of our dialogue within it.

Labels: book review

I just finished reading Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell. It was a quick and interesting read and made me continue to think about my faith and working it out in our every changing world. I liked the book, not because it was profoundly challenging, but because it put some substance and articulation to a lot of what I have been already thinking about. Granted, there are things I don't agree with, which is fine, but for what it is, I think it is definitely worth the read. In terms of critique, I find some of his interpretations of scripture troubling...not necessarily the bad kind of "troubling"...just the "I never thought about it like that before and I need to find out more" kind of "troubling" (an example would be his interpretation of Binding and Loosing).

Labels: book review

School is over and I finally get a reprieve from reading school assigned books and doing papers. I am looking forward to these next few days and being able to read books I want. I have several on the "to read" pile that I have been looking forward to and will no doubt make some comments on them in the bloggs to follow.

Labels: book review

I bought and finished the book "Preaching Re-imagined" by Doug Pagitt this week and it was one of the most challenging books I have read on preaching. I am not saying I agree with every thing Doug says but he make some valid points and compelling critiques on preaching as speaking and offers what I think is a viable alternative (although I still have questions and concerns with it). He echoes a lot of the sentiments that I have felt and others I know have expressed when it comes to the typical way of preaching and speaking. I have a lot of questions about how "progressional preaching" would actually function and work and hope that I would watch it in action some day. Regardless, he makes several great points and even if you disagree with his solution his critique of the current style/process of preaching as speaking is compelling and worth reading.

Labels: book review

I just finished reading Gordon MacDonald's book, "Ordering Your Private World" for class and I was struck but the following quote:
"Almost every pastor is judged on the basis of whether he/she has a vision. And this usually means a vision of how the church can grow, grow, grow. The pastoral care of the people - which for hundreds of years has been the aim of a church - is less important in comparison to the gathering of more people." (Page 35)

I was struck not because it was a new idea for something I have never heard of before, but because it was speaking to something inside of me. Maybe it is part of my personality but there has always been a drive in me - a voice telling me to do more, grow more ministries, or get more people. I am not sure why that is and there is probably a deep physiological reason for it I'm sure, but it is there and our North Americian church culture doesn't help it. I'm a creator, visionary and entrepreneurial by nature, all of which are qualities I'm proud of but I am prone to what Gordon MacDonald describes. That is my fear - that my drive becomes vision, growth and ministries rather then people. The Kingdom of God is not an institution, ministry or a human creation but people. I know that by my effort I can grow an institution and maybe even a ministry but I can not under my power or effort grow the Kingdom of God and that is what I am commissioned and called to do. I love people don't get me wrong, but maybe like you, it is hard to consider successful what our world (and dare I say even some churches) doesn't seem to consider important.

Labels: book review