tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46396568719453321142024-02-06T20:32:20.831-06:00Returned Sheep"For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." (1 Peter 2:25, ESV)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352303680423595922noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4639656871945332114.post-45192616815362723292010-01-21T10:00:00.000-06:002010-01-21T10:00:02.325-06:00Audiobook Review – A Sweet & Bitter ProvidenceI recently finished listening to the audiobook version of <a href="http://christianaudio.com/product_info.php?products_id=2230"><em>A Sweet & Bitter Providence</em></a> by <a href="http://christianaudio.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=John%20Piper">John Piper</a>. The audiobook is available through Christianaudio.com for purchase either on CD or in digital download form.<br />
<img align="left" height="169" src="http://christianaudio.com/images/A_Sweet_And_Bitter_Providence_large.jpg" style="display: inline; margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;" width="143" /> The book, which is narrated by <a href="http://christianaudio.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=Grover%20Gardner">Grover Gardner</a>, is an exposition of the Old Testament book of Ruth told in a very readable (or in this case listenable) form. I downloaded the audiobook from <a href="http://christianaudio.com/">Christianaudio.com</a> and listened to it on my iPod during longer drives in the car and while sitting at my desk in my office. The chapters are bite sized enough to enjoy one section at a time.<br />
One of the things I enjoyed most about the book was how the author showed this ancient book to be so very relevant in today’s world. Piper does a wonderful job of showing that this is no mere ancient love story. As the book’s subtitle suggests, Ruth is a story that speaks to our human struggles and to our understanding of God’s sovereign rule over this world.<br />
I enjoyed listening to the audiobook version of <em><a href="http://christianaudio.com/product_info.php?products_id=2230">A Sweet & Bitter Providence</a></em>. I would recommend this audiobook especially to those who may be new to audiobooks due to the relative shortness of this work.<br />
<em>Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from <a href="http://christianaudio.com/">Christianaudio</a> as part of their Reviewers Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.</em>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352303680423595922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4639656871945332114.post-40509871181726145002009-12-22T10:46:00.002-06:002010-01-20T17:19:20.875-06:00Book Review: Primal by Mark Batterson<a href="http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781601421319"><img align="left" src="http://www.randomhouse.com/images/dyn/cover/?source=9781601421319&width=142" style="display: inline; margin: 5px 10px 5px 0px;" /></a> The name <a href="http://www.twitter.com/markbatterson">Mark Batterson</a> is one that I have been hearing more and more come up within the evangelical universe. So, when I received word that I could receive a copy of Mark’s new book <a href="http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781601421319">Primal</a> through WaterBrook Multnomah’s <a href="http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/blogging-for-books/">Blogging for Books</a> program I naturally jumped at the chance.<br />
Batterson is the lead pastor at <a href="http://theaterchurch.com/">National Community Church</a> in Washington D.C. and he blogs at <a href="http://www.evotional.com/">Evotional.com</a>. <br />
In this his <a href="http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/author-spotlight.php?authorid=75404">third book</a>, Mark identifies his purpose right up front in the subtitle, “<em>A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity”</em>. I understand that catchy titles help move books, but honestly those words troubled me at first. It sounds a lot like the kind of book that promises to reveal the ‘real secrets of Christianity,’ secrets that you won’t find anywhere else. But it is always good to read on and not judge a book by it’s cover (or by it’s subtitle for that matter).<br />
Without giving too much away (because I would recommend that you read this book yourself), the author identifies the ‘Lost Soul of Christianity’ as what is often referred to as the ‘Great Commandment’. God’s people are to love Him will all of their heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30; cf. Deuteronomy 6:5).<br />
Mark does an excellent job demonstrating that love of God goes far beyond attitude; love of God is to be lived out in actions. He has clearly meditated deeply on these things and has taken concrete steps in his own life and ministry to enflesh the Lord’s commandment. For example, here is a statement that jumped off the page for me:<br />
<blockquote>“I think it’s easy to talk about things like faith and obedience and compassion in abstract terms. The more abstract, the less convicting the truth is. So let me get concrete. Faith equals God-ordained risks in the face of fear. Obedience equals God-honoring decisions in the face of temptation. And compassion equals Spirit-prompted generosity in the face of greed.” (p. 32)<br />
</blockquote>I do have one major concern with this book. I am troubled that the gospel is largely absent from this book. I am not suggesting that Batterson denies the gospel, rather that he seems to assume the gospel. That is something I believe to be too dangerous in an age when even among self-professed Christians the gospel is largely misunderstood.<br />
What I mean is that apart from the gospel or with a distorted gospel, the ‘Christian’ will find what Batterson challenges the reader to do (love God wholly) to be virtually impossible. Much of what was said in this book could just as easily been rooted in Deuteronomy 6:5 rather than it’s New Testament counterpart. That’s not to suggest that the Old Testament command is somehow less authoritative. What I was hoping the author would have brought out more clearly was to identify what about the Great Commandment is distinctly ‘Christian’.<br />
My concern should not prevent the reader from picking up a copy of Primal and seeking to be challenged by it. There is much within these pages that can be mined for the reader’s benefit. Primal is on bookstore shelves today and is available for order directly from <a href="http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781601421319">WaterBrook Multnomah</a> or from your favorite <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1601421311?ie=UTF8&tag=retushee-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1601421311">online book retailer</a>.<br />
This book was provided by <a href="http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/">WaterBrook Multnomah</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352303680423595922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4639656871945332114.post-67798604339018140652009-10-21T04:00:00.002-05:002010-01-20T17:19:20.879-06:00Book Review - SimChurch<a href="http://www.zondervan.com/media/images/product/large/0310287847.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.zondervan.com/media/images/product/large/0310287847.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 264px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 175px;" /></a><i><a href="http://www.zondervan.com/Cultures/en-US/Product/ProductDetail.htm?ProdID=com.zondervan.9780310287841&QueryStringSite=Zondervan"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">SimChurch: Being the Church in the Virtual World</span></span></a></i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"> is a new book written by Douglas Estes and published by Zondervan. Estes, an adjunct professor of New Testament at </span></span><a href="http://www.discoverwestern.com/SanJose/index.htm"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">Western Seminary-San Jose</span></span></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"> and lead pastor at </span></span><a href="http://www.bvchurch.com/index.php/welcome.shtml"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">Berryessa Valley Church</span></span></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"> in San Jose, CA, is taking his new book on a </span></span><a href="http://zondervan.typepad.com/zondervan/"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">blog tour</span></span></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"> today (for a list of tour sites see below). It is my privilege to host one of the stops along today's blog tour here at Returned Sheep. </span></span><br />
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</div><div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">Before reading this book I had no real awareness of the virtual church world that exists online. My assumption was that the virtual church was made up of various church websites and presence on social media sites. Estes provides this helpful statement and definition of what is and what is not a virtual church.</span></span><br />
</div><div><blockquote><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">"A virtual church is not a website (building or place), a podcast (ritualized institution), or a blog (fellowship or activity). A virtual church is a place where people professing to have faith in Jesus Christ gather regularly to be in meaningful community appointed to build up the kingdom -- or more specifically, a virtual church is the confessing people gathering in a synthetic world."</span></span></i><br />
</blockquote></div><div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">The key words in Estes' definition are "meaningful community". Can Christians gather in an online, virtual world and truly find meaningful community in such a way that it not only mirrors the real-world church, but that it actually possess all of the necessary marks of a healthy church.</span></span><br />
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</div><div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">Estes says about his book that in writing it he expects that it will raise more questions than it will answer. In reading this book I found myself pondering some of those questions, trying to arrive at what I would consider to be a helpful answer. Fortunately for me I had an opportunity as a part of this blog tour to ask the author a question about his work.</span></span><br />
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</div><div><span style="border-collapse: collapse;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">Question:</span></span></b></span><br />
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<span style="border-collapse: collapse;"><blockquote><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">“In your chapter entitled </span></span><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">WikiWorship</span></span></i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"> you mention that the church in the virtual world is in some sense still a ‘beta version’ methodologically speaking. In the software world developers and programmers have to prioritize which concerns must be addressed for their next release. What would you say are the top priorities for the health and development of the virtual church that are needed for it to move from a ‘beta version’ to say a more stable SimChurch 2.0?”</span></span><br />
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</div><div><span style="border-collapse: collapse;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">Answer:</span></span></b></span><br />
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</div></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div><span style="border-collapse: collapse;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">Eric,</span></span></i></span><br />
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<span style="border-collapse: collapse;"><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">Thanks for the insightful question. You are touching on one of the areas of the book that I wrestled with: How to write it with vision but without trying to predict the future. But your question is a good one, because instead of saying what it should or will look like in the future, we can just suggest what bugs need the most attention. I’ll answer from a top-down perspective, since I’m not a virtual church pastor myself.</span></span></i><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">Here are my personal top three:</span></span></i><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">#1 Increase Interactivity and Community. This is the most important fix that needs to take place, although to a large degree, virtual churches are at the mercy of current technological limitations. This is also #1 because ‘lack of community’ seems to be the biggest argument mustered against virtual churches (although elsewhere on the blogtour I have argued why this is a straw-man argument). The problem with this argument is that we have to remember how little community was possible on the internet just ten years ago—and how much more community will be possible in just ten years from now (not to mention twenty or thirty). Having stated the issue, let’s talk about how this can work. First, churches need to have an honest assessment of whether the thing they call their ‘internet campus’ really even is that. As I mention in </span></span></i><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">SimChurch</span></span></i><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">, just because a church podcasts and calls it an internet campus doesn’t mean it is an online church (or anything close). So there are going to be some churches that, for a variety of reasons, will provide little or no community. This won’t work for any biblical/church-historical definition of church. Beyond this, churches that have community and meet online (in synthetic space) need to work diligently to build community in all areas of church life. This includes: making corporate worship times fully interactive, developing a strong small groups system, and connecting folks that are geographically close in the physical world when possible. Finally, let me say that one of the problems here is that a normal brick and mortar church can have very poor community (meet only once a week, impersonally) and still be considered a church with community, whereas a virtual church can meet every day and still have critics call it ‘fake’ just because of its ‘building’ (synthetic space).</span></span></i><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">#2 Better Proclamation of the Word (aka Preaching). My experience is that there are several weaknesses with the teaching aspect that is currently offered in online churches. This is due to several factors: technological limitations, expectations/assumptions about the virtual attendee, and style of the virtual church, to name three. It may also have to do with changing church culture; and I recognize that some of the virtual church folks I know wouldn’t agree with me on this one. Still, shorter messages with more dramatic video content is not, overall, a good thing. To become more effective, virtual churches must not simply reach people—they must disciple people, and a stronger emphasis in that direction is needed. This doesn’t mean four hour-long sermons, but it does mean a more growth-oriented content that could include: short-but-more-focused teaching time, teaching break-out and discussion time (much more possible online than in real-life), or greater frequency of teaching throughout the week (here an average virtual church could one day be more successful in many areas of discipleship than an average brick and mortar church).</span></span></i><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">#3 Much Greater Involvement & Membership Transparency. This is another issue that critics of virtual churches like to mention (anonymity of attendees), but it’s both a straw-man argument and a result of current technological limitations/internet culture. No virtual church wants unbridled anonymity. What needs to happen is three things: First, a virtual church needs to create some type platform for validation of membership just like eBay, Facebook, or other popular website. This validation can be optional, but it allows people to choose whether to interact with validated members or not. Second, the pastors and leaders need to be fully validated, fully viewable, and fully accessible. The current (negative) trend of megachurches not listing their staff info and emails on their websites is not going to cut it in the virtual world if you want people to become validated. Third, virtual churches need to encourage their people to validate. This would involve several levels: maybe some will only want to have a real name, nothing else; others may want to have photos, city location, pets’ names, and much more. Especially in 3D platforms of today and tomorrow, when we can see, hear, and talk to people who may have a toaster-oven avatar but we know really is a real person named John who is a 40 year old single lawyer with a Boston Terrier residing in Modesto, CA, then any issues of the ‘reality’ of virtual church community will evaporate (for non-Luddites). In fact, virtual churches can one day have more validated people than most/all brick and mortar churches—which will lead to deeper levels of interaction and community.</span></span></i><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">Douglas Estes</span></span></i><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">Intrigued? I hope so. Even for those of us who have yet to stick our toe into the virtual church waters this book was well worth reading. Look for <i>SimChurch</i> at your local Christian bookstore or buy it online at your favorite <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0310287847?ie=UTF8&tag=retushee-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0310287847">online book retailer</a>. </span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">Be sure to visit the other blog sites participating today in the tour.</span></span><br />
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</div><ul><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">BibleDude.net - </span></span><a href="http://bibledude.net/" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">http://bibledude.net/</span></span></span></a></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">The Digital Sanctuary - </span></span><a href="http://thedigitalsanctuary.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">http://thedigitalsanctuary.</span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><wbr></wbr>org/</span></span></span></a></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">Church Relevance - </span></span><a href="http://churchrelevance.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">http://churchrelevance.com/</span></span></span></a></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">Mark D. Roberts - </span></span><a href="http://markdroberts.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">http://markdroberts.com/</span></span></span></a></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">Tall Skinny Kiwi - </span></span><a href="http://tallskinnykiwi.typepad.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">http://tallskinnykiwi.typepad.</span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><wbr></wbr>com/</span></span></span></a></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">Captain’s Blog - </span></span><a href="http://www.captainestes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">http://www.captainestes.</span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><wbr></wbr>blogspot.com/</span></span></span></a></li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">Happy reading!</span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">[Note: My copy of SimChurch was provided to me for review by Zondervan]</span></span><br />
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352303680423595922noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4639656871945332114.post-76005262606237545172009-08-20T04:00:00.003-05:002010-01-20T17:19:20.882-06:00Stick Church blog tour<p class="zemanta-img" style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; float: right; display: block; width: 210px; "><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sticky-Church-Leadership-Network-Innovation/dp/0310285089%3FSubscriptionId%3D0G81C5DAZ03ZR9WH9X82%26tag%3Dzemanta-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0310285089"><img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/418S2dMLx7L._SL300_.jpg" alt="Cover of "Sticky Church (Leadership Netwo..." style="border:none;display:block" width="200" height="300" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sticky-Church-Leadership-Network-Innovation/dp/0310285089%3FSubscriptionId%3D0G81C5DAZ03ZR9WH9X82%26tag%3Dzemanta-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0310285089">Cover via Amazon</a></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The invitation to join the </span><a href="http://www.smallgroups.com/articles/2009/stickychurchblogtour.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Sticky Church blog tour</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> has left me feeling a bit like David standing among much taller older brothers. My thanks to Sam(uel) for the opportunity to participate.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My copy of Larry Osborne's </span><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/sticky-church-larry-osborne/9780310285083/pd/285083?p=1018451"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Sticky Church</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> contains margin notes and underlines on almost every page, and Chapter 16: <i>Finding and Developing Leaders</i> is no exception. Although the emphasis of this book is on small group leadership, it is clear that a number of principles carry over into other areas of ministry leadership as well. As Osborne says, "Tell me the quality of your leadership, and I'll tell you the quality of your ministry, program, or small group" (p. 123).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">One of the greatest challenges to finding and developing quality leaders is that too often the pool is so underpopulated. So what do we do? Do we take the first willing heart even if that person lacks the desired qualifications? Maybe it is better to seek out leaders with years of experience even if it means sacrificing relational connection. I wonder if the Campus Crusade staff at Ohio University were asking the same questions about me the summer before my sophomore year of college.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The first small group I ever led was in the freshman dorm I had lived in the previous year. Experience? Zero. Bible knowledge? Sketchy. Intimidation? Off the charts. But a had a real, growing relationship with Jesus Christ, what I think Osborne means by "spiritual warmth" (p. 124). That and a desire to show a group of freshman guys some of the things I had discovered only a year prior from God's Word shaped my early leadership career. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Should I have been asked at the time to pastor a church? Absolutely not. But in terms of leading a small group "one of the great strengths of [Osborne's] sermon-based small group model is that it demands a less skilled and less biblically literate leader" (p. 125).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Under-qualified leaders can be coached, trained and developed. Others are simply unqualified for leadership and need to be avoided during the selection process. Osborne's advice is to avoid modern-day Pharisee "God-Talkers" (pp. 126-7) and those for whom gray areas are always black and white (pp. 127-8).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Interestingly enough the place to find good potential leaders is not always intuitive. Osborne notes (rightly) that "surprisingly, one of the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">worst</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> fishing pools for recruiting successful small group leaders is found among those who previously held a leadership position in another church or served in a parachurch ministry" (pp. 129-30, italics mine). Not only does this seem counterintuitive but when the reasons are misunderstood there is great potential for hurt feelings. Leadership selection isn't about making friends, it's about developing quality leaders.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Selection by definition means choosing the best from among a group of potential candidates. Therefore Osborne suggests that the posted sign-up sheet, the bulletin announcement or plea from the pulpit are not necessarily the best recruiting tools (p. 131). Neither is the 30-page job description (p. 132). Instead, "simply tell them what they will be required to do. Then step back and let life happen" (p. 133).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Finding and developing good leaders in ministry is no easy task. I'm thankful for the practical wisdom that Osborne shares not only in this chapter but throughout the book. May God bless those who read and use this book in their own small groups and ministries that we might all become "sticky" and make a greater impact on lives for Jesus Christ. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Be sure to pick up a copy of Sticky Church at your local or online Christian bookstore or enter to win a free copy a reader of this review (see </span><a href="http://returnedsheep.blogspot.com/2009/08/win-this-book.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">this posting</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> for details).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The </span><a href="http://www.smallgroups.com/articles/2009/stickychurchblogtour.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Sticky Church blog tour</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> rolls on; check the </span><a href="http://www.smallgroups.com/articles/2009/stickychurchblogtour.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">blog tour schedule</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> hosted by <a href="http://www.smallgroups.com/">smallgroups.com</a>.</span></div><div><br /></div> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top:10px;height:15px"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/b1ea9c1c-4710-45b7-b0a2-e7300169d5f0/" title="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"><img class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=b1ea9c1c-4710-45b7-b0a2-e7300169d5f0" alt="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]" style="border:none;float:right" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related more-info pretty-attribution paragraph-reblog"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352303680423595922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4639656871945332114.post-26781642469619072542009-08-04T11:15:00.013-05:002010-01-20T17:19:20.886-06:00Book Review: Religion Saves by Mark Driscoll<a href="http://images.gnpcb.org/products/9781433506161.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://images.gnpcb.org/products/9781433506161.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 250px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 167px;" /></a><br />
I had a feeling I would like this book as soon as I pulled it out of its padded mailing envelope. Even the book's 'retro' looking cover suggested that there would be something different about this read. I looked forward to finally reading one of the increasingly popular pastor Mark Driscoll's works.<br />
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</div><div><i><a href="http://www.crossway.org/product/9781433506161">Religion Saves: And Nine Other Misconceptions</a></i> is by no means just another summary of current hot topics the church is wrestling with. Instead, Driscoll's book thoroughly and thoughtfully tackles nine subjects that his <a href="http://www.marshillchurch.org/">Seattle based congregation</a> put forth for his review. Are these the nine most important topics that Christians should be addressing today? Perhaps no, but one could argue that neither were the topics that the Apostle Paul addressed in the aptly compared <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+cor&src=esv.org">First Letter to the Corinthians</a>.<br />
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</div><div>Of these nine subjects that Driscoll surveys some will likely continue to be tossed around in theological debate long into the church's future (Predestination - Question 7, Grace - Question 6, Faith and Works - Question 4). Other chapters address how we should go about forming biblically informed convictions and putting faith into practice (Birth Control - Question 9, Sexual Sin - Question 5, Dating - Question 3). Finally, Driscoll approaches subjects particularly relevant to the challenges of doing ministry today in our postmodern culture (Humor - Question 8, The Emerging Church - Question 2, The Regulative Principle - Question 1).<br />
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</div><div>Driscoll's writing style stays extremely conversational throughout the book without sacrificing contemplative depth. Almost every page is footnoted with references to Scripture as well as other helpful works on the subject. Some readers might be a bit put off by the author's bluntness in his presentation but Driscoll needs not apologize. Matters such as these require both thoughtful reflection and heartfelt conviction for their presentation, both of which shine through from cover to cover.<br />
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</div><div>While <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1433506165?ie=UTF8&tag=retushee-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1433506165">Religion Saves</a></i> might be a bit more 'theological' then other popular works readers may used to, I found this work to be very approachable for most any pew (or stackable chair) sitter in our churches today. Grab a copy at your local Christian bookstore and enjoy. I doubt you'll be disappointed.<br />
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352303680423595922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4639656871945332114.post-13422807635442603352009-01-19T22:02:00.008-06:002010-01-20T17:19:20.890-06:00Book Review: Deliberate Simplicity by David Browning<a href="http://zondervan.com/media/images/product/large/0310285674.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://zondervan.com/media/images/product/large/0310285674.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 208px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 138px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">If there is one thing I should take away from this book it's that I should probably keep this review short. "Less is more" is David Browning's mantra in his book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0310285674?ie=UTF8&tag=retushee-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0310285674">Deliberate Simplicity: How the Church Does More by Doing Less</a>.</span> <span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><br />
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I've not been in full-time church ministry long but I would agree that generally speaking if there is a convoluted way of doing things in the church people will find a way to do it that way. Browning's book is like a much needed machete helping to slice through the overgrowth of church ministry.</span> <span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><br />
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The book is so rich with illustrations and examples from every area of life that I wonder if he had to exhaust his preaching bag to get them all. His loss is our gain, for, again and again the principle is stated and verified: sometime less is more.</span> <span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><br />
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Although much of the book resonates with common sense, Browning's commitment to simplicity challenges that inner voice that is comfortable with traditional models and wonders "but that's the way we've always done it!" Of course no one should read the book hoping to replicate the success Browning has seen. Yet, the principles of healthy church growth are there if one is willing adjust the application to one's own setting and community culture.</span> <span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><br />
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Bottom line, keep it simple. An enjoyable and thought provoking read that I would recommend to and church leader interested in doing more by doing less.</span></span><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><br />
</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352303680423595922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4639656871945332114.post-70765906324282154282008-10-18T11:18:00.006-05:002010-01-20T17:19:20.894-06:00Book Review: Sticky Church<span style="font-size: 85%;"><a href="http://www.zondervan.com/Cultures/en-US/Product/ProductDetail.htm?ProdID=com.zondervan.9780310285083&QueryStringSite=Zondervan"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"></span></a><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><a href="" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.zondervan.com/media/images/product/large/0310285089.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 234px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 156px;" /></a></span></span><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms'; font-size: 85%;"><o:smarttagtype name="PlaceType" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype name="PlaceName" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype name="place" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype></span><style>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">I knew I wanted to read Larry Osborne's new book <a href="http://www.zondervan.com/Cultures/en-US/Product/ProductDetail.htm?ProdID=com.zondervan.9780310285083&QueryStringSite=Zondervan" style="font-style: italic;"><st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Sticky</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Church</st1:placetype></st1:place></a> as soon as I read the title. I would guess that that every pastor and every church has wrestled with the question about how to get people who visit their church to not only stay but how to get them connected. As Osborne points out we've tried just about everything but we still see too many of our people leaving through the back door.<br />
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The solution for Osborne and the folks at <a href="http://www.northcoastchurch.com/"><st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">North</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Coast</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype st="on">Church</st1:placetype></st1:place></a> was to help people "stick" by getting them to be a part of their small group ministry. But the small groups at NCC were not your typical Bible study group or multiplying cell group. Osborne details the process that led him and his ministry team to focus on Sermon based small groups. As a result, those involved in small groups at NCC were given an opportunity to make application from what they heard the previous Sunday in the context of encouraging, accountable relationships.<br />
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I found Osborne's book to be extremely helpful in developing my own vision and strategy for ministry but probably not in the way Osborne would have imagined when writing this book. I pastor a <a href="http://www.cefcw.org/">rural church</a> where we don't have small groups--we are a small group. I found many of Osborne's comments and principles to be very relevant to our situation and the ministry we are trusting God to develop. Osborne covers everything from preaching, to church health, to relationships, and leadership training. I imagine the principles I gleaned will be most beneficial to the way I give leadership to the local church.</span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">My copy of <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Sticky</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Church</st1:placetype></st1:place> is now marked up and well worn. My goal now is to go back through the book so I can process again the principles Osborne has shared. Let me share one principle that I found worth the price of the book (although thanks to the good folks at <a href="http://www.zondervan.com/">Zondervan</a> I was given this copy to review for free!) <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">Just recently my kids have discover the joy of Legos, a toy that was a favorite of mine growing up as well. On pages 79-81 Osborne explains why we see such difficulty among people to "jell" with others when forming new relationship. The answer: people are like Legos. Like the little plastic bricks, there are only so many connectors to go around. When those connectors get filled up we find it difficult to make any new connections. When I read this and Osborne’s further application (you’ll just have to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0310285089?ie=UTF8&tag=retushee-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0310285089">buy the book</a>) I felt that both a light bulb went on and a weight was lifted at the same time. It’s not so much that the church is full of cliques; it’s that many of us already have our connectors filled (p.80). Brilliant!</span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">Even if yours is not a church of small groups, or small groups are not yet on your ministry horizon this book is well worth reading. It will stay on my shelf and deserves a second read. Here’s hoping that the Lord uses this book to help our churches become even “stickier”.</span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">[this review can also be found at <a href="http://www.librarything.com/work/6309003/reviews/36503873">librarything.com</a>]<br />
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352303680423595922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4639656871945332114.post-47308951564082643452008-10-06T11:06:00.004-05:002010-01-20T17:19:20.898-06:00Book Review: The Blue Parakeet<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41AO7cKK8nL._SL500_AA240_.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41AO7cKK8nL._SL500_AA240_.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">Any book that forces you to stop, think, and reevaluate what you believe is a book worth reading. Scot McKnight's new book </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0310284880?ie=UTF8&tag=retushee-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0310284880" style="font-family: trebuchet ms; font-style: italic;">The Blue Parakeet</a><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"> is that kind of book.<br />
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McKnight uses an odd encounter with an out of place bird (I won't spoil the story) to illustrate the way many people approach reading the Bible. In particular McKnight's concern is that Christians aren't making the effort to understand those passages in Scripture that seem somewhat out of place from the rest. McKnight suggests that there a number of these passages which are not only being ignored because of their apparent difficulty; some passages are even being silenced by Bible readers today.<br />
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It's bad enough that Christians might choose to ignore or silence teachings found in God's Word, but as McKnight argues even worse is the fact that the Church is being harmed as a result. McKnight surveys a number of these "blue parakeet" passages in his book, but focuses in on one teaching that he believes is detrimental to the Body of Christ: the role of women in the church.<br />
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As I considered McKnight's story there were a number of points he made that resonated with me, especially related to the general level of biblical ignorance that is present in our churches. The book offered some helpful discussion to help Bible readers better under the text they have. There were other times when McKnight's arguments went in directions that I found some discord with. But even in these points of disagreement, McKnight's witting style caused me to at least reconsider that which I believed to be true.<br />
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I did feel that the sections related to the topic of women in ministry tilted the balance of the book beyond what the subtitle (<span style="font-style: italic;">Rethinking How You Read the Bible</span>) indicated the book was to be about. I do not think that the example was out of place; in fact it fit well with the other "hot button topics" McKnight pointed to in order to illustrate his point. I wonder if his passion for the subject would have been better served in a separate work. There did come a point in reading this work that I felt as if I were reading an entirely different book from what had come before.<br />
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That being said, </span></span><span style="font-size: 85%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Parakeet-Rethinking-Read-Bible/dp/0310284880/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1223309678&sr=8-1" style="font-family: trebuchet ms; font-style: italic;">The Blue Parakeet</a> </span><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">is definitely worth reading and will be a helpful tool for anyone who needs to shore up their own understanding of how they approach and read the Bible.<br />
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[This review can also be view at <a href="http://www.librarything.com/work/6227391/reviews/35962927">librarything.com</a>]<br />
</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17352303680423595922noreply@blogger.com