I have wanted to read this book for a while. I first heard about it through his blog, which is one of the best in the church world. His posts are short and sweet. It is the same way with his book.
It is an inspiring, adventurous and sometimes revolutionary book. If you want some fresh insights into leadership, either in the sacred or secular world (if those exist), this is a must read for you.
The only thing I have to say about this book is that you must read it slowly. I believe that I tried to digest too much all at once. There is going to be a day soon that I will have to read through it again. After all, Tony doesn’t really have chapters. Instead he has simple ideas that are worked through a page or so which are sometimes rehashings of his blog posts, so it is a quick read. I am thinking about even putting one copy in my bathroom for readings on the john (do people still do that?)
Here are some of my favorite quotes throughout the book:
- quoting Sir Francis Bacon: “If we are to achieve results never before accomplished, we must expect to employ methods never before attempted” (57).
- “So what does it take to encourage an environment that fuels innovation? How do we develop a culture where positive change is both expected and embraced? It begins by shifting what we value” (58).
- “As Christians, we can become so focused on our own faith journey that we forget God’s command to go tell others the good news” (61).
- “We should be just as committed as local businesses are in making sure our guests feel valued” (64).
- quoting Kathy Sierra: “People aren’t necessary afraid of change. They’re afraid of being changed. And the only way to help overcome that out-of-my-control feeling is to be proactive, to innovate and initiate change…’the best way to predict the future is to invent it’ – Alan Kay” (107).
- “People who feel more alone in their passion are often those who don’t have anyone to share it with” (108).
- “The reality is that there certainly is a consumer mind-set in our culture, and unless we acknowledge that and deal with it, our message – the gospel message – won’t be heard” (127).
- “We can continue ignoring MTV and their audience. We can complain about their programming that influences young lives. We can explain all the reasons why their music doesn’t fit in our services. We can argue why their issues and questions are not appropriate for our messages. That same MTV audience, however, seems to be ignoring the church” (132).
- quoting Nelson Searcy: “Meetings are the best time-saving devise ever invented. Meetings are the playground of highly effective ministry teams. The problem is not with ‘meetings’ but with how many meetings are run” (135).
- “If the message doesn’t relate to their world, they probably won’t hear it, no matter how ‘deep’ it is” (137).
- “Technology is a wonderful tool, but ultimately it’s not about the tool. It’s about what we accomplish with the tool. At the judgment seat, Jesus won’t say, ‘Hey, Phil, you did a great job with those emails.’ He’ll ask if I accomplished my purpose and calling” (151).
- “If your church closed its doors tomorrow, would anyone really miss you and why?” (155).
- “I don’t think it’s a stretch to say people listened to Jesus teach because he first listened to the people’s needs” (157).
- “Creativity rarely sneaks up on us” (174).
- “Sometimes God doesn’t fully reveal his will until you take the first step” (206).
- “Maybe we’re too focused on arguing about what we’re against instead of being what the church was intended to be in people’s lives” (207).
- “People will begin to form perceptions of what they’re going to experience before they ever step foot on your campus” (214).
- “Shouldn’t my life and my worship make sense to both God and others?” (222).
- “When Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth, he cautioned them to consider the reaction of unbelievers when the church gathers” – speaking of worship music (224).
- “We’re afraid to engage the culture. We prefer to yell at it. And ironically, the louder we yell, the less the world listens” (226).
- “We must address their needs and their questions before we can impose our agenda” (227).
- “When you have a chance, it might be a good idea to make sure your audience can respond to your message” (228).
5 out of 5 stars.
Check out this video for it:
With most of the books I read, it is easy to tell right away whether I like the book or not. This book was not one of those. 
Vickie and I watched this movie last night through Netflix. 
blindly pursuing life 