Reading Challenge for 2008

Previously I mentioned that one of my goals for 2008 was to read 28 books in '08. I won't decide on all 28 books because I need to leave room for some new releases and books yet to be determined for a graduate class I will be taking. I'd love to have some more suggestions, but here's the start of my list:

Go put your strengths to work by Marcus Buckingham

Going all the way by Craig Groeschel

Prayer by Phillip Yancey

Planting Missional Churches by Ed Stetzer

Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamont

Who moved my cheese by Ken Blanchard

Listening to beliefs of emerging churches by various authors

Vintage Jesus – Mark Driscoll

I became a Christian and all I got was this lousy t-shirt by Vince Antonucci

The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn

Glocalization by Bob Roberts

Words that Work by Frank Lutz

Emerging Churches by Eddie Gibbs and Ryan Bolger

Breaking the Missional Code by Ed Stetzer

'08 Challenges

I'm preparing some personal challenges for myself for 2008. I'm thinking maybe 8 different challenges fro '08. Has a nice ring to it. By 8 challenges I mean 8 BIG challenges. 1 of the challenges will be in my reading discipline. I really feel like I fell away from as much reading as I need to stay fresh in ministry. So I'm considering 28 books for '08. I know, again with the 8 thing. But that would put me at 4 more than 2 a month and would definitely be a challenge for me. I'd love to do a book a week, but that is just not realistic for my schedule. So anyway, I'd love to have some suggestions. Are there books you have read that have gripped you? I think I want to include fiction on this list as long as it is quality fiction. I have my list started, but I want to hear from others to see what they would recommend.

Deadly Viper Character Assassins

Every once and awhile a book comes along that is as much fun as it is helpful. This is one of those books. Deadly Viper Character Assassins takes on integrity issues with Kung Fu fun. Both the authors are big fans of Kung Fu movies, as am I, so they use the whole motif to describe those character issues that every single one of us face. The short pithy, proverb like wisdom filled chapters may not go deep into the issues at hand, but they describe them with Biblical wisdom that will help start the conversation with other leaders and have fun doing it. More then that they proved some great practical steps to defend yourself and prepare for an attack. The bonus for me was interviews on these subjects with the likes of Dog the Bounty Hunter, Marcus Buckingham and Craig Groeschel. Check out www.deadlyviper.org for some great extra content. In the blog section there are two posts with an audio interview with Craig Groeschel I thought were gold.

Key statement in the whole book: Radical Integrity AND Radical Grace. Many times we expect integrity from others but want Grace for ourselves. The need is to pursue radical integrity, helping others do the same AND accept radical Grace for ourselves while offering it as well. I think this means holding ourselves and other Christ followers to high standards but offering restorative Grace when others fail and seeking it for ourselves when we fail.

Hypocritical - Unchristian trait #1

In David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyon's book "UnChristian" one of the top perceptions of Christians is that they are hypocritical. For decades I have heard (I can't believe I can even use that phrase) from non-followers of Christ that they don't want to go to church because there are too many hypocrites. This new research among 16-29 year olds shows that this perception is still true.

Now the question that begs answering is, "Is it true?"

Being a hypocrite basically means you profess to believe one thing and actually believe another. More to the point, you say you act one way but you really act another. One caveat I have to give is that as a teacher for me to teach against a certain action and actually struggle with it myself is not being a hypocrite. It's being human. But if I say I don't struggle with it when in reality I do, then I'm being hypocritical.

My own personal observations on hypocrisy among Christians is that the perception IS based on truth. Many Christians tend to preach and rail against certain behaviors while they may actually participate in the behavior. A prominent example:

• Christians preach against divorce and yet the divorce rate among Christians is actually slightly higher than the national average.

So what's the answer? Not preach and teach what the Bible has to say about sin...not at all. The answer is really quite simple. Be human and admit that you struggle. I have found this to be one of the biggest ways to help people "uncross their arms." What I mean by that is, when I am honest about who I am and where I struggle, people tend to drop their guard which gives me the chance to speak truth into their life.

Essentially it is not trying to appear perfect. When I look at Jesus, I won't see Him admitting that he struggles because He actually was perfect. You probably wouldn't have to hang around Jesus very long at all before you would see this. But he didn't waste his time worrying about what the Religious leaders of his day thought. The thought that you had to appear perfect was the teaching of the religious leaders of Jesus day. Jesus didn't bother trying to appear perfect, he just was perfect and acted himself.

A modern example to me is Craig Groeschel in his book "Confessions of a Pastor" where he essentially lays it all out there and admits openly what he struggles with. I love the book and love the effort to essentially say not all Christ followers are hypocrites.

I think we live in a good time when more and more Christ followers are holding up this value of authenticity and shunning the facade of perfection. We are embracing 1 John 1:8:

"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us."

UnChristian

Perception is reality. Whether we like it or not, what others think about Christians, for them, is reality. This book based on extensive research by the Barna Group reveals what many Christians already know, Christians have a negative perception in culture.

The research behind the book studied the perception of 16-29 year olds and revealed that the majority of this age bracket believe that Christians no longer represent what Jesus had in mind.

This book confirmed statistically what I have heard and sensed for some time. We can have one of two responses:
1. We can grow defensive and refuse to listen to a generations' views claiming that they just don't understand because they are not Christians.
2. Or we can listen and seek to understand so we can meet people where they are at in their beliefs.

This does not mean we compromise our beliefs or morals but it does mean we seek to actually follow Jesus and his pattern of loving people right where they are at.

What I like best about the book is that it doesn't just present the problem, it also presents some solutions. I would like to take several posts and comment on the issues raised.

The big idea that I think we have to hear is this: To be liked is not the point. To accurately represent Jesus and love like He did is THE point. It always has been the point and always will be the point. Sometimes we just forget that and get too focused on ourselves choosing to create a safe club where we feel loved and are comfortable instead of reaching out and stretching ourselves so that the Gospel can be heard and seen in our lives.

More to come...

The Gospel According to Starbucks

It shouldn't surprise anyone who knows me that I would read a book titled this. It only fuels my passion for the black drink. I just finished this book by Leonard Sweet who I think is a bigger fan than I am. Basically the book is about what Christ followers can learn from the success of Starbucks...and it is a lot more than just serving great coffee. Here's some hightlights:

• It is known that coffee delivers more health-giving antioxidants to our diet than fruit, vegetables, and nuts. At six cups a day and under, coffee reduces yoru chance of getting Parkinson's disease, liver and colon cancer, cirrhosis of the liver, Type 2 diabetes, and, if you are a fast metabolizer, heart disease. As a bonus, coffee improves male fertility. Caffeine can also protect you against skin cancer - but you'd have to smear it on yoru body for it to work (3).
  
• Life is meant to be lived with passion, and that passion is found and practiced through experiences, connection, symbols and images, and the full participation of every part of being (4).
• God has set up shop where you live. The doors are open and the coffee is brewing. God is serving the refreshing antidote to the conventional, unsatisfying, arms-length spiritual life - and God invites you in. God won't make you stand in line (9).
• In the early 1990's Starbucks was bunning for two thousand stores by 2000. By 2006 there were six thousand stores in USAmerica and four thousand overseas and in Canada (11).
• T.S. Eliot, one of the most influential poets of the twentieth century, liked to tell of a sign outside a baker's shop advertising bread for one dollar a loaf. You go into the shop, he said, hungry for bread and imagining the fresh smell of bread right out of the oven, only to find that inside the shop all that is for sale are copies of the sign advertising bread. Eliot suggested that the church was too much like that shop (50). I fortunately am a part of a church that is not that way, but I have seen that in other churches. Promise of hope and Grace but really only a shadow of it.
• When the swiss biologist Adof Portmann went ten miles down into the ocean depths, he found in the virgin darkness useless beauty - fish and other oceanic creatures festooned with complex designs and brilliant colors that no one could see or appreciate. No one except a God whose eyes hunger for beauty (57).
• The church has more than enough mission statements and not nearly enough mission relationships and mission movements (61).

Overall, this was a great read. The first half was better than the last. I am still chewing on some parts of it. One part I was really interested in was his highlighting Starbuck's desire to be a "third place." This is a place other than work and home where people gather. The application for the church is huge. If we could be that third place, then we get a natural environment for the Gospel to take root. Here are the necessities:

• It is neutral ground.
• It is inclusive and promotes social equality.
• Conversation is the central activity.
• It is frequented by regulars who welcome newcomers.
• It is typically in a nonpretentious, homey place.
• It fosters a playful mood (132).

How can the church be this third place? How can Suncrest more of this? Is it better to think that our church be that third place or that we create that third place somewhere else? Can our homes that are used for community groups be that? Some of the questions I am wrestling with.

This post brought to you by....Starbucks

As I drank from my Starbucks on Sunday, I shared that Starbucks is an image of a Sabbath rest, otherwise known as "viennefesh" to me. Now at Suncrest, we have quite a few Dunkin Heads, which is a completely different image. Starbucks is about experience. Dunkin is about getting your coffee and getting on with your day. That's why I love Starbucks. Okay, I do really like the taste. Some don't...with weaker taste buds. :) But my point is, I don't want something else in my life encouraging me to hurry up. Get in, get out. I like it that there is a place, a coffee place even, that reminds me to slow down...stop...and reflect. Hmmm...I sure hope our church does that.

A great resource for Sabbath is Mark Buchanan's book, "The Rest of God." Mark masterfully writes about the need for Sabbath and how to actually practice it. Here are some highlights for me:

"The truly purposeful have an ironic secret: they manage time less and pay attention more (78)."

Quoting Henry Nowen: "My whole life I have been complaining that my work was constantly interrupted until I discovered the interruptions were my work (79)."

"Those who sanctify time and who give time away-who treat time as gift and not a possession-have time in abundance (83)."

"God loves to make his power perfect in our weakness, to show up in splendor when we show up in faithfulness, obedient but inadequate, trusting but inept, with nothing in our hands but our need for him (169."

Pick it up. You won't regret it.

And just for some fun, I'm not the only one who thinks Starbuck's rocks. You can click here to read about it even though stinkin' Consumer Reports gave props to McDonalds. What???

Message Reflection #3 - Experiencing God's Will

There's nothing quite like talking God over a freshly ground cup of coffee. That in a sentence describes the community group I am a part of. Last night we talked about Lost, 24, life and discovering God's Will. What a great combo! Just wait for the post on how we can see signs of God in Lost and 24. :)

Through life, I have always been impressed by people who constantly talk about something being God's will. There have been many times when I wished I could have been as confident as some of them. "How can they be so sure," I would ask. I have learned that they may not always have the confidence they appear to have, but they do have faith. And their statement, "This is God's will for my life," is more of a statement of faith than fact. That is, they have sought God's direction and this seems to be the compass for their lives.

One resource that I have found extremely helpful in discovering God's will is the book Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby. If you read nothing else this year, read this one. If you are wrestling with questions of God's purpose for your life then this book will help. Here's the gist:

Big Idea: God is at work in the world around us, always!

So God's will is not like this: God is waiting around for us to get on board with His purpose for our lives, otherwise He can not do anything.

Rather, God is working around us and when we see Him at work THAT is our call to join Him. There are some things that help confirm whether or not we are seeing God at work and He is calling us:

• The Bible
• Prayer
• Circumstances
• The Church
  

All of these together both help us see God at work and they can confirm whether or not He is calling us.

So, if you are wresting with whether or not something is God's direction for your life, view it through the lens of these 4 questions:
1. Does the Bible say it is wrong?
2. Am I hearing anything in prayer?
3. Do circumstances in my life seem to point in this direction?
4. Do the people in my church, community group, ministry team, that is the people who I am doing life with, agree that this is a "God direction."

In the end, these questions can help but to follow Christ is always a step of faith. Everything may not be as crystal clear as you want it, but you can have a measure of confidence that will keep you moving in the right direction.

And yes, I was going for the longest post...

Off the shelf

I love it when a book just captures and I can barely read a page without stopping to ponder what I just read. That is the case with Reimagining Evangelism by Rick Richardson. I had read one of his prior books Evangelism Outside the Box and loved it, so after meeting him this week I decided to give the new one a try. Boy am I ever glad. It is so thought provoking concerning how we help others know Jesus. Here's some excerpts I have found particularly engaging:

Three skills to help us collaborate with the Holy Spirit in Evangelism:
1. Listen to the whispers and nudges of the HS to show us where God is at work in the lives of those around us.
2. Ask great questions of others to find clues for where God is at work in their lives.
-Do you have any religious background, and does it mean anything to you today?
-Have you ever had what you would consider a spiritual experience?
-Do you think there is a God? What do you think God might be like.
-What do you think about prayer?
-When have you experienced turning points and crises?
-What have you done with the spiritual side of life?
-Where do you seek perspective and help with your inner questions, doubts and struggles?

3. Pray for seekers and skeptics with seekers and skeptics.
-This one hit me because just the day of reading this I had a phone conversation with a skeptic and I felt the urge to pray with him and I didn't. Got to make that one by calling him again.


Good stuff. Pick up a copy if you want a good, challenging read on Evangelism.