I finished Tim Keller's "The Reason for God: Belief in the Age of Skepticism" and cannot recommend it more highly to those who are living and ministering in more post-Christian contexts. Many folks will not feel comfortable with some of Keller's approaches but I must be honest, it's as important a book for this new era in America life as I've read.
But my big, big, big recommendation is Reggie McNeal's "Practicing Greatness: 7 Disciplines of Extraordinary Spiritual Leaders". Folks, run to buy this book. I read McNeal's 'The Present Future' three times now and it is a powerful, very challenging book. But this new book is just riveting.
It begins with quote. ' Deliberate mediocrity is a sin'! He moves to explain the difference between poor leaders and then good leaders. But McNeal is not content with just good leaders, he is looking for great leaders. And not just in church (although this is a very serious need). He is looking for great leaders in all areas of society. He acknowledges where the strength comes from (God, of course) but then outlines 7 disciplines that need to be intentionally cultivated in order be a great leaders.
Here's the 7 disciplines (and don't think that reading the list is enough... get this book)
1. The discipline of self-awareness—the single most important body of information a leader possesses
2. The discipline of self-management—handling difficult emotions, expectations, temptations, mental vibrancy, and physical well-being
3. The discipline of self-development—a life-long commitment to learning and growing and building on one's strengths
4. The discipline of mission—enjoying the permissions of maintaining the sense of God's purpose for your life and leadership
5. The discipline of decision-making—knowing the elements of good decisions and learning from failure
6. The discipline of belonging—the determination to nurture relationships and to live in community with others, including family, followers, mentors, and friends
7. The discipline of aloneness—the intentional practice of soul-making solitude and contemplation
I've been abundantly blessed by this book and wanted to pass the blessing along
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Monday, November 03, 2008
Dog on a Hunt
When a dog sits in the kennel he tends to bark alot thinking about his fleas; But when that same dog is on the hunt, he doesn't seem to notice them"
-Charles Spurgeon
Somebody sent me this quote today. I instantly loved it and it applied to some things that I've been musing about.
With the election tomorrow (please go and vote!) and how evangelicalism is busy ripping itself apart (sometimes I wonder why anyone would want to watch anything like Ultimate Fighting Championship when we can sit back and watch Christians devour each other over doctrine/style/popularity/etc), I've been thinking about why Jesus' bride has such image issues with herself.
Then this quote comes and puts it all in proper perspective.
The church is the dog in the kennel. Self focused and bored. Laodicean. The reason we have Emergent McCarthyism, Calvinistic McCarthyism (as well as Semi Pelagian McCarthyism), Purpose Driven McCarthyism, as well as a scores of bloggers and websites that feel it is there job to tell you who is right, who is wrong, and how you should do it is because we are dogs in a kennel. But we are supposed to be dogs on the hunt. There is something unnatural about a dog that sits in a kennel all day. The dog is not doing what it was created to do. Just as there is something unnatural about people isolated from others, gropping for cyber-community. We were and are created for real human relationships.
The church is meant to be the dog on the hunt. We have been given purpose and meaning through Jesus Christ. We may have disagreements, but when you are on the hunt, the divergent methods and ideas of other dogs on the hunt, are barely noticeable because the hunt is what is important, not what another dog is doing. The church (and this is led by church leaders) need to get back on the hunt. How does preaching about the things in other church styles train and nourish the people of God to be out loving people for Christ. How do these things mobilize people? They don't! They create kennel cough. When a dog goes to the kennel, oftentimes, they pick up the sicknesses of the other dogs. This is in grand scale today! God's people are going to churches today and hearing about the fleas: the emergents/non-emergents, calvinists/non-calvinists, pre-tribers/post-tribers, pentecostals/cessationsists and so on instead of hearing about the love of God in Christ and that we are all called to be mobilized to be part of the redemptive plan of God in our community. And in turn, they get together and talk about the dreaded insert whatever Christian flavor. They listen to sermons and say 'Oh so and so is insert derogatory appellation'. They write books and put up blogs and argue till the cows come home. Kennel dogs... like David they are sitting at home when they should be out battling for the Lord.
This has been exacerbated for me by the covers of both the San Francisco Chronicle and the Marin Independent Journal lately. For the last two weeks, every other day about, there are pictures of worshippers. God's children raising their hands in worship to the Almighty. But every article was about Proposition 8, the gay marriage amendment in California. Not about these disciples of Jesus who are doing amazing things in their communities for the glory of God, not about the great compassion of believers for those in need, none of that. Simply about Christians stances against gay marriage. You may say, 'Well that is the Bay Area media bias!' Wrong. Our church email account has been flooded for the last four months with Prop 8 emails. Add on top of that the steady stream of pro-McCain emails. Tons and tons of emails about tomorrow's election. Emails from well known church leaders expressing the importance of these things. Invitations to conference calls, pray and fasting opportunities, positions papers, the whole thing. And all this keeping in mind that if we learned anything from the history of the children of Israel it's that righteous laws do not make righteous people... only a changed heart can do that! But what is the most disheartening to me is that these same church leaders do not fill up our inbox with encouragement and edification to simply be a child of God, to love His people (and HIM!) and the lost like Jesus does, gentle reminders to keep the main point the main point. No conference calls about doing evangelism. No big prayer and fasting for the lost in our communities. It's not happening.
Why? Because we have become kennel dogs when we should be on the hunt. I don't know about you, but I want to be on the hunt. We need to be on the hunt. In a lot of ways, it's like trying to get the person who is horribly obese who just sits around all day to get them healthy. We need a strategy (a specific plan - begins with prayer). It will include a diet change (messages about the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ), getting to the gym (hitting the streets to build intentional relationships for His glory) and commitment (no quit attitude). Brothers and sisters, the bride of Christ needs a refocus!
Do me a favor though, don't comment. (I'm being tongue in cheek here, you can comment!)
Get out on the hunt!
-Charles Spurgeon
Somebody sent me this quote today. I instantly loved it and it applied to some things that I've been musing about.
With the election tomorrow (please go and vote!) and how evangelicalism is busy ripping itself apart (sometimes I wonder why anyone would want to watch anything like Ultimate Fighting Championship when we can sit back and watch Christians devour each other over doctrine/style/popularity/etc), I've been thinking about why Jesus' bride has such image issues with herself.
Then this quote comes and puts it all in proper perspective.
The church is the dog in the kennel. Self focused and bored. Laodicean. The reason we have Emergent McCarthyism, Calvinistic McCarthyism (as well as Semi Pelagian McCarthyism), Purpose Driven McCarthyism, as well as a scores of bloggers and websites that feel it is there job to tell you who is right, who is wrong, and how you should do it is because we are dogs in a kennel. But we are supposed to be dogs on the hunt. There is something unnatural about a dog that sits in a kennel all day. The dog is not doing what it was created to do. Just as there is something unnatural about people isolated from others, gropping for cyber-community. We were and are created for real human relationships.
The church is meant to be the dog on the hunt. We have been given purpose and meaning through Jesus Christ. We may have disagreements, but when you are on the hunt, the divergent methods and ideas of other dogs on the hunt, are barely noticeable because the hunt is what is important, not what another dog is doing. The church (and this is led by church leaders) need to get back on the hunt. How does preaching about the things in other church styles train and nourish the people of God to be out loving people for Christ. How do these things mobilize people? They don't! They create kennel cough. When a dog goes to the kennel, oftentimes, they pick up the sicknesses of the other dogs. This is in grand scale today! God's people are going to churches today and hearing about the fleas: the emergents/non-emergents, calvinists/non-calvinists, pre-tribers/post-tribers, pentecostals/cessationsists and so on instead of hearing about the love of God in Christ and that we are all called to be mobilized to be part of the redemptive plan of God in our community. And in turn, they get together and talk about the dreaded insert whatever Christian flavor. They listen to sermons and say 'Oh so and so is insert derogatory appellation'. They write books and put up blogs and argue till the cows come home. Kennel dogs... like David they are sitting at home when they should be out battling for the Lord.
This has been exacerbated for me by the covers of both the San Francisco Chronicle and the Marin Independent Journal lately. For the last two weeks, every other day about, there are pictures of worshippers. God's children raising their hands in worship to the Almighty. But every article was about Proposition 8, the gay marriage amendment in California. Not about these disciples of Jesus who are doing amazing things in their communities for the glory of God, not about the great compassion of believers for those in need, none of that. Simply about Christians stances against gay marriage. You may say, 'Well that is the Bay Area media bias!' Wrong. Our church email account has been flooded for the last four months with Prop 8 emails. Add on top of that the steady stream of pro-McCain emails. Tons and tons of emails about tomorrow's election. Emails from well known church leaders expressing the importance of these things. Invitations to conference calls, pray and fasting opportunities, positions papers, the whole thing. And all this keeping in mind that if we learned anything from the history of the children of Israel it's that righteous laws do not make righteous people... only a changed heart can do that! But what is the most disheartening to me is that these same church leaders do not fill up our inbox with encouragement and edification to simply be a child of God, to love His people (and HIM!) and the lost like Jesus does, gentle reminders to keep the main point the main point. No conference calls about doing evangelism. No big prayer and fasting for the lost in our communities. It's not happening.
Why? Because we have become kennel dogs when we should be on the hunt. I don't know about you, but I want to be on the hunt. We need to be on the hunt. In a lot of ways, it's like trying to get the person who is horribly obese who just sits around all day to get them healthy. We need a strategy (a specific plan - begins with prayer). It will include a diet change (messages about the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ), getting to the gym (hitting the streets to build intentional relationships for His glory) and commitment (no quit attitude). Brothers and sisters, the bride of Christ needs a refocus!
Do me a favor though, don't comment. (I'm being tongue in cheek here, you can comment!)
Get out on the hunt!
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