I finished Made to Stick this afternoon. It was definitely worth the time as it is insanely practical and immediately applicable to my context as a leader and teacher. The core of the book is that to make an idea/message stick it needs to be...
It has been a whirlwind 48 hours around here! Here are some reflections as I sit in my family room at 10:40pm on Christmas Day...
Since I finished The Year of Biblically Living last night, I am moving on to my next read - Made to Stick. This is a highly recommended book for people who are trying to communicate new ideas, vital messages, and key strategies. I'll let you know my thoughts once I complete it.
So what are you reading right now? What books would you recommend I read in 2009? I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts. Thanks!
Since finishing the Bible in a Year challenge, I have been in the mood to read. I just polished off A.J. Jacobs' latest book - The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible. Jacobs is officially Jewish, but as he puts it, "Jewish in the same way Olive Garden is an Italian restaurant. Which is to say: not very." The description from the jacket cover is an apt one...
"Jacobs's extraordinary undertaking yields unexpected epiphanies and challenges. A book that will charm readers both secular and religious, The Year of Living Biblically is part CliffsNotes to the Bible, part memoir, and part look into worlds unimaginable. Thou shalt not be able to put it down."
As a pastor, I found the book to be one man's authentic pursuit of Biblical comprehension and application. It was an interesting - and much appreciated - view of the Bible and religion in general through his eyes. He has a keen awareness of his behavioral, emotional, and spiritual perceptions during the experiment. He is also well-aware of his own preconceived notions (this became painfully clear in the section on the New Testament).
I think the most unexpected aspect of this book was how much I laughed audibly while reading it - much to the amusement of my wife! Of course...many of these laughable sections involved his wife's sarcastic and not-so-amused responses to this undertaking. Reactions that Karen and I both agreed she would have if I were to pursue something similar.
My favorite episode was the time his wife sat in all the chairs in their apartment knowing that according to Leviticus 15:19-23 he would not be able sit in any of them. (Click on the link if you want to know the specifics...) In the same chapter, he shared some rabbinical teaching on this passage that I found extremely intriguing. I won't post that teaching here as I need to do some more research before stating my opinion on the teaching.
All in all, I enjoyed this book. I am confident that I am going to read his previous book - The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World. For that book, he read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica from A to Z - or more specifically, from a-ak (East Asian music) to Zywiec (a town in southern Poland known for its beer).
Ethan and I were on a recent road-trip. He was flipping through a copy of Ranger Rick when the following conversation occurred...
"Hey, Dad...why does a centipede have, like, a million legs?"
"I'm not really sure...I guess because that's how God wanted to make them."
Ethan replies, "Well I know why a tarantula has four eyes."
"Oh yeah," I reply, "Why is that?"
"Because God wanted to freak us out!"
Granted...I live in a small town, but I didn't realize my 2-year old daughter is a minor celebrity in Cortland.
Earlier today, Ethan & I headed to our local library for a Christmas party they were hosting. Morgan and Karen were planning on showing up at the library about 45 minutes later (after naptime!).
When Morgan arrived and walked into the room where all of the kids and parents were watching a movie and doing a craft, almost everyone in the room turned and shouted, "Morgan!" A couple of kids came over to give her a big hug. The adults were all talking about how glad they were to see her.
When did Morgan become Norm on Cheers?
I just closed the book after reading my final pages! I really liked this version of a yearly Bible as it provided some additional commentary at times to explain some of the background of the books, items of cultural significance, political/military climate, etc. Additionally, the editors of The Daily Bible attempted to place the writings in chronological order which added a unique dynamic to the reading experience.
Some key observations after dedicating this past year to reading through the entire Bible...
One of our staff members shared a story this morning about an experience people had yesterday at one of the most popular local movie theaters here in Peoria. This theater is THE place to go to see movies around here. Everybody goes there... okay, probably not everybody, but you get the idea. This is a pretty popular place.
Evidently, a number of parents took their children to see Alvin & the Chipmunks (PG) yesterday afternoon. Expecting to see Dave Seville and his three little CGI chipmunks, they saw something completely different projected onto the screen - the first few minutes of American Gangster (R)!!!
Here's what Plugged In Online says about the opening of American Gangster...
American Gangster opens with [Denzel Washington's character] participating in a man's torture and death. The victim, whose shirt is bloody, is doused with gasoline and set on fire before Frank shoots him several times.
Parents were in shock, kids were crying, excuses were flying.... I would call that a BIG mistake!
gerund (n)
I came across this word in a magazine article I was reading earlier today. I wasn't completely familiar with it, so I looked it up. I found it interesting, so I thought I would share it with you. Don't say you didn't learn anything new today!
My daughter, Morgan (who will be 3 in January), has always been kind of freaked out by the idea of people coming into our house - Santa Claus, the tooth fairy, leprechauns (there's a whole story behind that one), etc.
She recently informed us that Santa will not be delivering her presents this year. Instead, Barbie will be coming down the chimney to drop off her presents! Evidently, we also need to go to Wal-Mart to buy a pink chimney so that Barbie doesn't get confused about which chimney to come down...
Despite the heavy snow the night before, we still had a great turnout for church yesterday. With many local churches cancelling their services, our people were probably as anxious as I was whether we would be "open for business" so to speak. Granted, most people came to the 11:00am service, but what do you expect?!?
This weekend, we collected tons of toys and clothes for 16 needy families identified through Head Start. Our small groups really rallied around this project, and I was once again humbled by the generosity of our people. The best part about it is that the gifts are all anonymous... none of the families will know who they came from. It truly is better to give than to receive!
One of my favorite statements I heard yesterday came from a couple sitting behind me in church. We have been doing an on-going weekly drama to accompany the teaching series. This week's drama ended with a cliffhanger to which the couple responded, "You can't do that to us! This is just like a 'to be continued' in a TV show. I can't wait until next week to find out what happens next...I want to know now!"
WORSHIP
Angels We have Heard on High - Third Day
Joy to the World - Third Day
God of Wonders - City on a Hill
Promise of a Lifetime - Kutless
MESSAGE
Series: Second Chance Christmas
Message: What's Your Weakness?
Speaker: Bill White
Message available later this week on iTunes here...
Notable Quotes...
"Jesus was born to David's line because God keeps his promises...not because David kept his promise."
"No matter your past, your secret, your weakness...God will keep his promise."
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Only 17 more daily readings to complete, and I will have read the entire Bible in 2007! I have been reading a couple of daily readings each day, so I should be done well before Christmas Day.
Now I have to figure out my personal spiritual challenge for next year...any suggestions?
"I believe advertising is the tax you pay for being unremarkable."
- Robert Stephens, founder of Geek Squad
In church leadership, we talk a great deal about the fact that most people come to church because of a personal invitation of a friend or family member. To that end, we attempt to leverage that personal influence through series postcards and other advertising pieces that we put in our people's hands. The hope is that our people will personally give these to other individuals as a means of inviting them to attend church.
Whether you are a church or a business, you will need to spend more money and energy in advertising if you are unremarkable. If there is no buzz about you in the community, and if people do not personally refer you to others, you face the penalty (tax) of having to spend large amounts of dollars and energy in non-personal advertising.
This is not to say that advertising, in and of itself, for a church is wrong. Even the most remarkable churches will not be able to reach everyone through word of mouth. Effective, innovative advertising can reach these people. I think that the problem comes when you MUST advertise because nobody is talking about you. This is the tax for being unremarkable.
There is a story told of two shepherds walking along the same trail while their sheep mingled together into one large flock. As they approached a fork in the road and were preparing to part ways, each shepherd began calling his own sheep. Immediately, the sheep separated into two distinct flocks and followed their personal shepherd down the appropriate path.
John 10:3b-4 "He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice."
Leading a small group is a lot like being a shepherd. You have a distinct voice that your small group leaders know and follow. Over time, they come to trust you and follow your leadership. They know that you will watch out for them, feed them, and guide them safely through the wilderness of life.
As the church grows larger, it is vital that we also grow smaller. As weekend attendance increases and more people become a part of the life of the church, we have to become a church built completely on small groups. Only then will we be able to expand our influence and care to more and more people. This is where the role of the small group leader becomes like a shepherd.
As a small group leader, you are the "pastor" of your flock. It is your responsibility to make sure they are growing in their faith and in relationship with God and each other. It is your responsibility to make sure they are actively participating in the life of the church. And if something happens in their life, it is your responsibility to make sure the entire small group comes around them for support, prayer, and encouragement.
We must grab hold of this role as shepherds for our small groups so that the church can continue to grow and maintain its health. The responsibility for shepherding the church cannot - and must not - fall completely on the shoulders of the pastors. We will fail as a church if we place that burden on the pastors alone. We must challenge and teach our people that when their small group comes around them to help them in their time of need and to help them grow spiritually, they have been shepherded by the church.
How's your flock doing? Do they hear your voice speaking into their lives? Do they feel protected and cared for as a result of your leadership?
There has been a great deal of talk in the Christian circles lately about The Golden Compass. This is the movie version of Philip Pullman's book, Northern Lights which is the first book in a trilogy called His Dark Materials.
With all of the controversy swirling around about the movie and the books, I quickly decided that I was going to make a determination on my own rather than relying upon the words and thoughts of people that I don't know. (This is something I challenge everyone to do - to approach what they read, hear, see with a critical eye in an effort to determine for themselves what is true or false.) So I decided to go to the movies last night...
First of all, let me tell you this movie definitely earns its PG-13 rating. IT IS NOT A MOVIE FOR YOUNG CHILDREN. There are several "dark" scenes where animals/people are treated cruelly, and there is one rather graphic scene during the polar bear fight that completely caught me by surprise with its ferocity.
Second, and I have to be honest here, I went into the movie looking for Pullman's attempt to "kill God" as one online article cited. Inasmuch, I cannot provide a completely unbiased perspective. What I mean by that is this - if I were not aware of the controversy surrounding the movie, would I have reacted as strongly about the movie as I did? Would I have made the connections that I did between his characters/storyline and the church? I honestly do not know.
With that said, the following are the connections that I observed between his characters and the church and/or Christianity.
Dual nature - The Bible teaches that we have an old self and a new self. In the movie, this is portrayed through animal counterparts for each human. These animal counterparts are called "demons" and can never be far from their human. In the movie, the demons are kind and friendly and the viewer quickly becomes emotionally attached to them - especially when they are tortured and killed. If either the human or their demon are injured, the other feels the pain.
Church - The church is called the Majesterium and its expressed goal is to eliminate "free will" by having everyone believe what they believe and not question their authority. As Nicole Kidman's character explains, "Not everyone knows what's best for them, so it is our job to tell them."
Sin - Sin is portrayed as "dust" which is channeled through an individual's demon and which allows the individual to discover new "worlds" (i.e. new perspectives, thoughts, philosophies, etc) which need to be explored. The Majesterium is attempting to eradicate all access to the dust - in fact, they cringe at the very mention of dust. Their method of accomplishing this is by kidnapping the children (the next generation of leaders and influencers), brainwashing them, and ridding them of their demon counterparts (since the dust is channeled through their demons, i.e. old self). This is done through a form of baptism...
Baptism - Baptism is illustrated through a process called "intercision" which is accomplished through a technologically-advanced torture device. The device severs the connection between the children and their demon which results in the death of the demon and the "freedom" of the child - although the technology is still flawed and many of the children die as a result of the procedure.
There are so many nuances and messages in this movie (the movie also touches - in a negative fashion - on the role of women in the church/leadership/society and the discipline of children). Obviously I was dialing in to catch them all, so, as I said before, I cannot honestly approach it unbiased. What I do know is that Pullman does a "masterful" job of twisting your perspective to view these things through a different lens. You will need to be prepared for this when you watch the movie or read the books.
As a pastor and an intellectual (that sounds conceited...) and as one who loves philosophy, I completely embrace becoming educated about viewpoints and perspectives that may not be in alignment with the Christian faith and beliefs. I have found that this awareness challenges me to know what I believe and why I believe it. The Golden Compass portrays the church as the exact opposite - having a narrow viewpoint and attempting to restrict all intellectual and philosophical pursuits.
I do not want to encourage or discourage you from watching this film or reading the books and making up your own mind about it. What I would say is that if you allow your children to watch the movie or read the books, do not be personally uneducated. Be intentional about watching/reading it with them. You will need to talk with them about it...
In the end, this movie and these books are simply an attempt to do what thousands of others have done throughout history. And yet Christ still remains standing when the dust settles. Are there problems within the religion of Christianity? Absolutely. Are there problems with Christ? No way.
I'm so bummed that I had to miss the second week of the Second Chance Christmas series yesterday. The freezing rain and treacherous road conditions kept me from making the journey down.
I heard the drama went very well and that everyone loved the children's worship team leading worship. I wish I could have seen the adults doing all the motions! I'm looking forward to downloading Bill's message from iTunes this week. You can get it yourself here...
If you've been following my blog, you know that my accountability partners and I have been reading through the entire Bible this past year. I am close to being finished. I read the entire New Testament in the last few weeks, but I still have to read the end of the Old Testament before I can say I'm done.
This morning I read the entire book of Revelation before I went to church. Want to redefine your worship experience before church next weekend? Read chapters 4 and 5 of Revelation before getting in the car. Within these two chapters, we see concentric circles of worship...
I thought I would share some pictures from Ethan's recent birthday.
Remember the cheesy eggs that Karen made for him? What a Mom!
"Achieving strategic alignment is a major undertaking for any organization, but it is worth the effort."
- Jim Bolt, founder, Executive Development Associates
This is a quote from a recent article in Fast Company. This is a great magazine for leaders to capture an overview of current best-practices in business & leadership, future trends, and rising leaders/companies to watch out for.
As a new employee at Great Oaks, I have been working hard to obtain a global perspective of the church by understanding each area of ministry, the relationship between various strategic components, and the vision for the future. I think this is vital before implementing new programs/efforts in the area of Adult Ministries.
I am looking forward to our upcoming Leadership Retreat on January 5th when the pastors and key volunteer leaders will spend several hours making sure we are all on the same page with our strategic plan, assimilation path, and vision for the future. It is a major undertaking, but it will be worth the effort!
I had the pleasure of taking Ethan to school this morning. His love language is quality time, so I love to spend time with him like this - just the two of us with uninterrupted time to talk.
At his school, all of the kids play outside and then line up when the first bell rings. The school sent home a note recently to make sure that the kids are dressed to play in the snow - snowpants, boots, gloves, hat, etc. (Anytime I get the kids ready to play in the snow, I can't help thinking about the little kid in A Christmas Story!)
So we pull up to the school, and I see kids going in the front door of the school rather than around back to play on the playground. I begin to wonder if the kids are supposed to go straight inside because it is so cold. Since there aren't any teachers/administrators outside giving instructions, I decide to walk around back with Ethan to double-check. Sure enough...no kids on the playground, so I take him back around front and send him into the school. I even directed a few other kids back to the front because they were heading back to play.
Wouldn't it make sense to put somebody outside to greet parents & kids to let them know of the change in plans? What if I had just dropped Ethan off? He probably would have figured things out after a little while, but how long would that have taken?
It made me think about how first-time guests who come into our churches feel. Do we have adequate signage to explain where to go? Do we have enough volunteers waiting to greet guests and guide them where they need to go? Do our volunteers focus on new people or are they distracted talking to their friends and small group members?
I'm proud to say that at Great Oaks, we do a pretty good job of this. There will always be room for improvement; we just need to make sure we are constantly evaluating our First Impressions for new people. The longer we are involved in a church, the more we forget what it was like to be a first-time guest. Perhaps we should occasionally visit another local church to remember what it feels like...
I just got done meeting with Bill this morning to plan the Big Ideas for each week of our February series on sex. I am really looking forward to this teaching series!
Churches have avoided this topic far too long. It has become almost taboo to talk about in church. As a result, people - even Christians - don't understand that God designed us as sexual beings and that there is so much more to sex than just a physical act; it is spiritual and emotional and physical all at the same time.
The culture has been the primary spokesperson about sex for too long now. Let's see what God has to say about it. It's time for a Sexual Revolution!
Today is Ethan's 6th birthday! Karen made him his favorite breakfast - cheesy eggs and chocolate milk. She even laid the eggs out in the shape of the number 6. She's an awesome Mom!
I cannot believe how quickly Ethan is growing up. It makes me think of how little time I have left to be the primary individual to speak beliefs and values into his life. God allows us to be "in charge" of these little miracles for 18-22 years before He asks us to place them back into His hands. I hope and pray that I can give Ethan & Morgan the foundation they need to be fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
Parenting is an awesome (translated - big, huge, ginormous) and wonderful responsibility. It is also challenging and exhausting and frustrating! There are days when I want to shirk my responsibility, but I know that would not honor God or prepare my children for the future.
I have to remind myself frequently that my primary responsibility as the spiritual leader of my family is to lead and shepherd them in the faith. As a pastor, my family comes before my church family. It is my primary small group in the church. What good is it for me to lead and shepherd other families at the expense of my own?
It seems like there are phases where I do better as the spiritual leader than others. The key, though, is to pursue continually the vision that God has for my family by searching out the next step that He has for us as a family and for each of us as individuals.
Just some thoughts that are going through my head this morning...
WORSHIP
I Am Free - Jon Egan
You Are My King - Passion Band
Holy Night - Default
No More Pretending - Scott Krippayne
MESSAGE
Series: Second Chance Christmas
Message: What's Your Secret?
Speaker: Bill White
Notable Quotes...
"Our secrets cause us to fear God and withdraw from Him. We do not need to fear God; He wants to extend mercy, grace, and forgiveness."
The following article by Blair Waltman, a sophomore at East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma, really got me thinking this morning...
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Java God
by Blair Waltman
I am a coffee kind of girl. Everyone has their little morning things, their routines. Little fingers play with Cheerios. A mother’s creased and floured hands make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches - with the crust removed, of course. A bachelor defrosts a breakfast burrito and watches ESPN highlight reels. Someone opens up shop for the day. And I have coffee.
I’m ritualistic about it; any dedicated drinker is. It’s taken a certain way - sugar and no cream, and dark. Flowing, steaming, ebony streams. I’ll curl up on the couch, wrap myself around a mug, and while away the morning hours. Time becomes unimportant.
So, as tradition dictates, every morning I wander into my tiny kitchen, dig blindly in the cabinet for the medium roast grounds. I measure off the teaspoons and heat a old chrome percolator, a castoff I inherited from my brother that, in my opinion, really tastes better than those plastic machines.
Like any creature of habit, I’m not a fan of my ritual being disturbed. Unless there is some demanding circumstance, say, for example, a fire in the apartment, I tend to get grouchy if I cannot get my morning coffee.
It’s not the caffeine charge that compels me - at this point I think I’m nearly immune. But I enjoy the flavor, the smell, the withdrawal from the rush of life in slow sips. If I miss it in the morning, the day feels a little off. Skewed. It bothers me for my first few hours of the day.
Earlier this week, as I began the 7:15 am tradition, my mind wandered. Most people, at this point in their day, are thinking about sleep. If they’re thinking yet at all. But my mind curled and swept through random venues, a leaf in a river. All the time my hands moved independent of me, not requiring the mind to directly dictate movement. They know what to do.
I thought, as my mindless hands opened up the coffee grounds, that I hadn’t read my Bible the night before. I’d been so tired. And as I poured heaped spoonfuls of medium blend into the percolator, I realized I hadn’t spent much real time with God that week at all. The week had been hectic, and I’d pressed Him somewhere in the dusty back corners, along with phone calls long needing a return and laundry. I realized, as I put the coffee pot on the lukewarm burner, that it was easy for me to do this - to put Him in the back of my mind. There was initial guilt, of course, but it didn’t effect my day. I could go on completely oblivious to it. I wouldn’t even notice.
As I poured out the kohl-colored liquid into a green mug, I had one more thought:
I would notice more if I didn’t get my coffee than if I didn’t spend time with God.
This isn’t limited to beans and drinks. I think maybe we all have our coffees - something that, if we went a day without, we wouldn’t function. We’d be upset. The day would not be a complete one. We’d be aggravated and moody without it. It could be a boyfriend or girlfriend; television; Internet; sports, whatever. Usually it isn’t God. Maybe we’ve got God in our heads as something we can pick up and put on the shelf when not in use, and we can use it when we will. But its absence isn’t a disaster.
None of these things, not coffee or boyfriends or video games are inherently bad. But does it seem a little off that we would be more upset about missing them for a day than God?
I poured my coffee down the sink. All of it. I had none that morning. And you know what?
I didn’t miss it.
