Excellence

The following quote is by Richard Pachter and is referring to the book The Dip by Seth Godin.
The one possible weakness of this otherwise terrific little volume is that it is aimed solely at people who are creative, intelligent and want to succeed. Those who are mediocre, unmotivated or just coasting through life will probably not get much from Godin. He is not an elitist, but his message is squarely aimed at those who want to succeed or at least achieve excellence.
After reading the quote, it made me think of the Bible! The message isn't elitist, God wants that ALL people recognize HIM and come to know HIM in a very personal way. HE would love for ALL people to fall head over heals in love with HIS Son Jesus! Why is it that the church is so full of "mediocre, unmotivated or just coasting through life" Christians. Have a great day serving God with excellence!

Tribes

Just finished reading Seth Godin's book Tribes. If you have an idea, but don't know how to go about creating a buzz about it or getting it going. I highly recommend this book. It is not a how-to book, but it is very much an inspirational book that will have you thinking outside the box, or maybe throwing out the box by the time you are done. Taking risks is what has made this country great! Seth's book is a great challenge to get back up and take a few of those risks that you may have been wanting to take but are to intimidated by fear of others reactions to get up and make happen. Enjoy reading it! If you want to check out his writing style, I have his blog link over in the blogs I like section. Have a great day!
PS. It is short and only takes about one evening to read.

Next Generation Leader by Andy Stanley

I just started reading Next Generation Leader by Andy Stanley. It has been an interesting read as someone who is not a senior pastor. The biggest truth I have gleaned so far from this read is to manage the time I have rather than letting it manage me. If I do everything rather than getting people to help me do it, then not only am I robbing others of a chance to do what they are good at, but I am adding stress to my own life that doesn't need to be there. An example from my own life: Last year, my wife and I decorated the platform at church for Christmas. It took the two of us about five hours lugging out the huge Christmas tree and putting up all the decorations. This year, a team of people came to help and it only took about an hour. Another team came to tear it down and again it only took about an hour! Not only did I save my time and walk away with out sore muscles, but it became an enjoyable experience for a whole team! As a normal American guy, I have a tendency toward self-sufficiency and have trouble asking others for help. As I learn to do so, I am finding that the benefits aren't just for me, but also help to create a sense of community for those who use their own talents to help me, and the results are much better! I may post again on this book as I have more thoughts on it. So far, I recommend the read.

The Shack

I am about halfway through reading the book The Shack by William Paul Young. It is a wonderful work of fiction that I am thoroughly enjoying while simultaneously challenging my view of who God is and what our relationship with Him could be. First let me say that I would recommend this book as a great read! My blog today is more on the reactions of people who find out I am reading the book. There are two camps- the first camp is the "Oh yeah! I loved that book!" the second camp is the "I have heard that book is full of theological errors and thus shouldn't be read." In defense of the second camp, I don't know that I would want to base all of my theology on The Shack and put it on the same level as the Holy Bible, but Mr. Young was not, as I understand him, trying to write a 5th gospel. He was writing a delightful work of fiction for his children that did contain some wonderful biblical truths. One could compare it to Pilgrims Progress or the Chronicles of Narnia. So you can decide to read it or not. I doubt that when you stand before God that He will be asking if you read it while here on earth. I would say however that it is worth taking the time to read if you enjoy a good book that just might challenge your walk with God a little too.
PS. If you decide to read it, have tissues handy.

This Morning...

Last night, I started reading a great book by Robert Morris entitled, The Blessed Life. This morning, I woke up at a little before five. For some, that may be normal, but I don't usually drag myself out of bed until about six. I went ahead and got up to spend some extra time in prayer and reading God's word. So why share? It was incredible! The getting up earlier isn't spiritual at all, but the uninterrupted time with God was AWESOME! Honestly, I never before understood people who said things like, "I got up at 4:30 this morning and spent time with God." I always figured they were just bragging or wanted me to feel sorry for them for getting up so early! Now I understand! Sorry to all those who I had bad feelings toward in the past!
Back to the book, when I finished praying and reading the Bible, I still had a little extra time before having to leave for work, so I picked the book back up and read a couple more chapters. It is challenging me in some incredible new ways! I don't know Robert Morris, and have never heard him speak, but he has written a wonderful, yet easy to read book! I highly recommend it, not just to pastors but to all Christians!

The Incredible Shrinking Church

I just finished reading The Incredible Shrinking Church by Frank Page. I must give it credit! I believe that this book is to the pastor trying to revitalize a church that is in a slump what Purpose Driven Church by Rick Warren is to Church planters. Dr. Page, pastor of Taylors First Baptist Church and the current president of the Southern Baptist Convention, shares the knowledge he has gained in his career of turning around churches that were on decline. People would have described Taylors and other churches he has pastored in the past as “past their heyday” or just “getting smaller”. The insights in this book could be useful to any pastor who wants to see his church grow into an affective role in the community. It is a must read for any pastor who has become complacent in the ministry and needs to find a new vision for an older church that is in decline. I believe that God has a plan for every church! I also believe that that plan very rarely is for the church to fade off into oblivion.