links

I have not really been in the mood to write anything lately.  Not sure why.  Probably because I am simply focused on getting stuff done for my wedding at the end of the month plus despite having no seminary this summer, I am still super busy with weddings (not just my own) and other opportunities that are becoming available to me.

So to keep you in the Bunch Information Loop, here are some links that I have found interesting:

1. Interview with Matt Redman about moving to America to join Giglio, Tomlin and Watermark with the new mega-chuirch to begin soon in Atlanta.
2. This has to be one of the best pics that I have seen recently. 
3. Despite the influence that Michael Jackson had on my life, I didn’t see the need to write about it.  Don’t get me wrong, I was sad to see him go.  And I will continue to be sad that he died, but like Evan, he might have died (at least, influentially and possibly musically) a long time ago.  But to honor who he was, this is the best tribute that I could find (and believe me, I looked around a lot).  May MJ rest in peace. 
4. I love what Seth Godin has to say.  I also love what Dave Ramsey has to say.  When both get together, you get this. 
5. I am a big fan of Carlos Whitaker’s blog, because a) he is real and authentic, and b) he is funny.  This post is more for those who listen to worship music because it is about great female worship leaders.  I have to admit – I don’t really like listening to female voices.  Not sure why but it has never caught on with me.  But reading this article, I am going to start venturing out and listening to some who are highly recommending. 
6. Have you ever had an urge to pee during a movie at the theaters but you didn’t because you didn’t want to miss anything good?  Well, check out runpee.com and you will know just when is the right moment to get up and go do your thing.  By the way, runpee.com has one of the best slogans that I have ever heard – “Helping your bladder enjoy going to the movies as much as you do.”
7. Michael Hyatt has a great blog.  I read it every day.  This post about the necessity of obstacles is worth checking out. 
8. And last but not least, Mark Batterson had a great post a few days ago about studying more and praying more.  Great for preachers, but good for everyone else.  It is about time we step in not just praying for what we are doing, but preparing more in the midst of that same process. 

Collapse of Distinction – Scott McKain

This book caught my eye in the Thomas Nelson Book Review Bloggers program that I am a part of.

I loved the title of this book and honestly I really enjoyed the concepts of this book.  McKain spends a great deal of time showing the reader that most businesses, and in my case, most churches, don’t offer anything different. 

I have heard it said that people who follow where everyone else is going can only expect to get to, duh, where everyone else is going.  This book offers practical ideas on how to take your business, your customers, your networks, your group to a place of a new distinction. 

McKain points out that it is all about differentiation.  If you don’t have distinction in what you do, no one will see you.  No one will go looking for you.  He points out many examples from Apple to Southwest Airlines and all the places in between who are different from those who sell the same things they sell. 

Here is probably my favorite quote from the book:
“We’re often a mile wide and an inch deep when it comes to knowing what would really make a difference for the very people we seek to serve.”  

We need to learn about our audience.  What do they desire?  What do they wish to see happen? 

For me, this means looking at the way people do church and figure out what works (or more specifically, what connects) and then go and improve on that. 

What does it mean for you to succeed in what you do?  What kind of picture comes to mind?

3 out of 5 stars.

Sacred Marriage

This book took me a while to get through likely because 1) it was required reading for marriage counseling and required readings mess with my mind and 2) because of Gary Thomas’ writing style (he writes in a very straightforward and dry way that leaves me yearning for some humor or life. 

Despite going into this book with my eyes clouded because of the above mentioned issues, I enjoyed this book.  He has some very great ideas about marriage and the holiness that can be attained through it.  I now see that our pastor was right when he recommended this to us.

Some of the jewels from the book are as follows:
 - “To spiritually benefit from marriage, we have to be honest.” (13) 
 - “If you want to be free to serve Jesus, there’s no question – stay single.  Marriage takes a lot of time.  But if you want to become more like Jesus, I can’t imagine any better thing to do than to get married.  Being married forces you to face some character issues you’d never have to face otherwise.” (21)
 - “I wouldn’t be surprised if many marriages end in divorce largely because one or both partners are running from their own revealed weaknesses as much as they are running from something they can’t tolerate in their spouse.” (97)
 - “Yes, we need a changed partner, but the partner that needs to change is not our spouse, it’s us!” (101)
 - “Creating a family is the closest we get to sharing the image of God.” (241)  

Although this book points more to the idea that marriage is not about holiness but about happiness, the author does let you know that if you and your spouse are seeking holiness together, ecstatic joy could be right at your doorstep, however, it could be found where you least expect it.

my prayer for today

“Sovereign God, expand my vision of You today. Give me some grasp of Your majesty and declare to me Your glory. Then draw me to my knees in awe and reverential worship. Amen.”

dying wishes

I saw a link today that I thought I should share with you. 

Here it is:
1001 Books you must read before you die.

At the end of my life, I wish that I could say that I read that many books, among many other things. 

What do you want to see have happened in your life at the very end?

links

Some links for you to take a moment and look through:

1. Violins and hip hop.  How can this be leveraged in a church setting? 
2. What you do after you do your thing (in this case specifically, it is preaching) can be just as important as what you do preparing.  Check it out at Furtick’s blog here. 
3. I love Seth Godin’s blog.  Probably my favorite.  Check out his ideas here on what to do now if you can’t find a job or if you are not in a job you truly desire for your life.
4. I am a big fan of jazz and blues music.  Check out a clip here that rivets my soul to desire excellence in those artforms. 
5. Speaking of jazz and the blues, Steven Furtick shares some great ideas here that he has about leadership taken from those artforms. 
6. Contextualization is the key to success.  Is your preaching killing your church plant? 
7. I just saw this and thought that it would be beneficial for those in leadership.  Its long but what I have read so far is really good. 
8. I really want to read this new book by Driscoll.  One of the funniest titles I have seen for a book. 
9. I love movies and I love speeches that inspire.  Combine those and you get this. 

the church

There is nothing like the local church when it’s working right.  Its beauty is indescribable.  Its power is breathtaking.  Its potential is unlimited.  It comforts the grieving and heals the broken in the context of community.  It builds bridges to seekers and offers truth to the confused.  It provides resources for those in need and opens its arms to the forgotten., the downtrodden, the disillusioned.  It breaks the chains of addictions, frees the oppressed, and offers belonging to the marginalized of this world.  Whatever the capacity for human suffering, the church has a greater capacity for healing and wholeness.

Still to this day, the potential of the local church is almost more than I can grasp.  No other organization on earth is like the church.  Nothing even comes close.” 
- Bill Hybels, Courageous Leadership (23)

Tozer for the day

I can safely say, on the authority of all that is revealed in the
Word of God, that any man or woman on this earth who is bored and
turned off by worship is not ready for heaven.”  – A.W. Tozer

the winner

Ever since school got out for the summer, oddly enough, I have been reading a lot. 

I picked up a few books at a local church book sale. 

I have heard really good things about David Baldacci (mainly because of the movie based on his book, Absolute Power) and I found this book for $.50 so I thought I would give it a try. 

In fact, when handing my money to the cashier at the sale, the lady said that this was her favorite David Baldacci book.  She had good taste. 

You should read it.  If you want a copy, ask me and I will send it to you. 

Short overview for you:

LuAnn Tyler had nothing at all going for her.  She then gets a mysterious call from a man saying that he can guarantee her $100,000,000.00.  She accepts but not under the best circumstances so she must go on the run.  But after 10 years, she returns.  However, some are still looking for her. 

I will let you read it to fill in the blanks. 

4 out of 5 stars.

Divine Commodity

Skye Jethani is one of my favorite authors.  As far as I am aware, he has not written any other books, but I am going to plead with him to write some more.  Many more.

This book was great.  I loved it so much.  And I needed it so much.  I, myself, am a Consumer Christian.

Using his words, “My secret is that I want to be relevant and popular.  I want my desires fulfilled and pain minimized.  I want a manageable relationship with an institution rather than messy relationships with real people.  I want to be transformed into the image of Christ by showing up at entertaining events rather than throguh the hard work of discipline.  I want to wear my faith on my sleeve and not look at the darkness in my heart.  And above all, I want a controllable god.  I want a divine commodity to do my will on earth as well as in heaven.” (174) 

Starting off at a worship service filled with lights and sounds not uncommon to concert venues, Skye sensed his growing frustration with the church being all about entertainment so he began searching for a life that needed rejuvenation.  So using some of the descriptions of the life and art of Vincent Van Gogh, he immediately captures the reader’s imagination and captivates their spirit.  He directs us to the disciplines that we so often forsake – fasting, prayer, worship, silence, etc – and leads us on a journey to the heart of what God desires for us. 

Skye Jethani writes with a poetic quality untapped in many pulpits.  And his imagination astounds me.  It is no wonder that he is one of the leading voices in the church today as the managing editor of Leadership Journal. 

If you are searching for something past the mundane of your life, read this book.
If you need rejuvenation in your soul because your imagination has wandered off, read this book. 

This book will hit you in the teeth and leaving you gasping for air.  I cannot recommend this book more highly than I am now. 

5 out of 5 stars.