7 Reads for the Summer of 2013

Summer provides a great time to get away and spend time at the pool or on the beach.  It is a great time to read some encouraging books.  Here is a list of some books that I recommend to the my church family and friends for the summer of 2013.

1. The Circle Maker, by Mark Batterson. 

This book is a great inspiration to those who want to pray boldly to the God who moves mountains.  It will inspire you to pray more!

2. Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God (2012 edition), by Dallas Willard.

This is a revision of a book that was originally published over 10 years ago.  The revised edition makes this a great book.  When I first read it a year ago, I contacted my children and asked them to read it ... I found it so helpful! 

3. Choose the Life: Exploring a Faith that Embraces Discipleship, by Bill Hull.

For the last 10 years of his life, Dallas Willard "discipled" one of the world's leading authorities on discipleship ... he focused on the inner life of the Spirit in discipleship.  This is a helpful book showing how discipleship and spiritual practices work together.  I am glad to say that Bill is a new friend and he is really helping me too.

4. DiscipleShift: Helping Your Church Make Disciples Who Make Disciples, by myself, Jim Putman, and Robert Coleman.

We have talked about this book at church and I hope everyone will read it because it helps us all to be united in our philosophy as a church.  It is getting traction around the country and good reviews.

5. Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster.

This is simply the best classic summary of how to personally engage the Holy Spirit in your life.  It describes the classic spiritual habits and how to practice them today.  Inspirational!

6. The Last Hybrid: Bloodline of Angels, by Lee Wilson.

Looking for a novel with Biblical roots? I have heard a lot about this brand new book by Harpeth's Lee Wilson.  His stuff is always good, so this one is sure to encourage and educate.

7. Bonhoeffer, by Eric Metaxas

A biography on one of the most influential leaders of the last century.  A lot of people have praised this book as one the will educate, inspire, and challenge us.

Bill Hull on Christians not being very Christlike.

It seems this has been a constant problem throughout the ages. Often people have been critical of so much focus and talk on the priority of the inner life. The critics have often said that such a focus is selfish, and is not practical. C.S. Lewis answered the critics by saying, “The problem in the world is not only bad people doing bad things, but good people trying to do good things that turn out bad.” One example (mine, not Lewis’) is attempting to live a righteous life, but ending up with a life of hostility and self righteousness. On the practicality of a focus on the inner life, Lewis did use a very apt illustration: if a soldier was cleaning his rifle, would his commanding officer reprimand him for being impractical? The point is clear, having a clean or properly maintained inner life and thus, enhanced Christlikeness, is a most practical and other person oriented life. What kind of people we are does matter, it matters everyday in the common and ordinary parts of life. It matters when people suffer, when people need us, and it matters when there is no one but you to speak up and say something that needs to be said.

Reflections on Exponential

The conference just ended.  Here are my reflections.

1. Best Moments - the best part of these conferences is often not the speakers, but the personal encounters with people and the related personal conversations.  Since the legendary Robert Coleman was with our team, especially the younger guys, they pointed to talks with him as their highlight.

2. Team Learning - I am grateful to have shared the learning and the insights with my Harpeth team.  Too often in the past, I have been the one learning these things by myself.  I hope that it always happens this way in the future.

3. Direction Affirmation - there was a big movement forward for an emphasis on discipleship in the church.  The most affirmative moment was when Francis Chan told Jim Putman, publicly and privately, that he wants to follow what Jim teaches and does with his emphasis on discipleship. 

4. Unity in Philosophy - the emphasis throughout the conference on discipleship really helped everyone on the Harpeth team better unite.  An elder (Ed) and ministerial staff member (Frank) both commented on how the seminar helped them to be even more personally in sync, at a deeper level than they thought, with relational discipleship.

5. Personal Affirmation - I am pursuing coordinating a national conference on discipleship and creating an aggregator of information on discipleship at discipleship.org ... I was affirmed when Robert Coleman, Bill Hull, Mike Breen, Hugh Halter, Alan Hirsch, and Jim Putman all agreed to work with me on it.

6. Holy Spirit Moments - I loved hearing and seeing Holy Spirit moments at the conference.  These are times when God has moved or is moving to lead people into really cool things ... things that change people, families, communities, and even cities for God.

And the conference may start up again ... they are planning to replicate it in October in California ... time will tell. 

But bottom line for the week ... it was a nice time of joy in fellowship with my brothers.

Why Am I Caught Off Guard by Events Like Those in Boston?

The terrorist explosions in Boston surprise us.  We ask, "how could somebody do that?"

I can't image how a person could ever do something like that, so I am caught off guard and stunned by the events.

But I shouldn't be.

C.S. Lewis once pointed out that if we take the Bible to heart, we should expect to see life as more of a civil war and a battle between the Devil and God.  Because I focus everyday on God, praying for his will and trusting in his goodness, I expect to see God's ways prevail.  I also expect to see goodness because God is sovereign (in charge of everything).  But God's sovereignty has not yet destroyed the devil, his demons, the effects of the fall, and human sinful choices. That will happen at the end of human history.

At present, this world is the scene of a civil war between the forces of good and evil.  The battle lines are everywhere; even dividing my own heart.   

Some people are truly evil.  When they were young, they were mistreated by evil people. They learn to sow evil thoughts and reap evil acts.  Then they continue to sow evil acts and reap evil habits.  Evil habits turn into evil character.  Some people are just evil. Though they were made in the image of God, their choices have so marred that image that it is almost hidden.  

Other people are truly good.  When they were young, they were shown goodness and how to be good. They sow godly thoughts through trusting what God says in his Word.  They then sow good deeds and develop godly habits by the influence of the Holy Spirit.  Godly habits turn into godly character. Some people are just good, Christ-like people.  Though they have struggles with their sinful nature like all humans, their character and life habits lead them to the Good.

You and I are involved in a war!

May we trust God and make good choices everyday ... and help others to do the same. 

And may the reality of evil in the world not catch us off guard.  

Pray for Rick and Kaye Warren

Pastor Mark Driscoll had some really insightful words about the suicide of Rick Warren's son ...

This week is the funeral for Rick Warren’s son Matthew. The 27-year-old Christian took his own life last week after a battle with depression that began when he was a young boy.

I first heard of this tragedy via text from friends such as Pastor Perry Noble. Upon receiving the news, I placed my hands on my head in shock and started weeping for my friend Pastor Rick, his family, and church family. I was in the middle of enjoying spring break with my wife, Grace, and our five kids, having family fun. My older daughter, 15-year-old Ashley, was standing nearby when I received word of the death, and, seeing me weep, she came up to console me and see what was wrong. I told her what had happened and told her that Satan hates pastors’ kids and is sometimes relentless in attacking them. I told her I loved her and kissed her on the head. I could not imagine what Rick and Kay Warren were experiencing at that moment.

These were insightful, wise words by Driscoll.

Then the attacks and mean spirited things started coming toward Warren ... especially from those who were angry with Warren for his stand against the homosexual lifestyle ... to me, this is one of the saddest parts of the whole thing.  

Rick Warren himself had the following twitter post: “Grieving is hard. Grieving as public figures, harder. Grieving while haters celebrate your pain, hardest…”

Please pray for Rick and Kay Warren.

Favorite Margret Thatcher Quotes

1)  I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end.

2) To me, consensus seems to be the process of abandoning all beliefs, principles, values and policies. So it is something in which no one believes and to which no one objects.

3) I always cheer up immensely if an attack is particularly wounding because I think, well, if they attack one personally, it means they 

have not a single political argument left.

4) Standing in the middle of the road is very dangerous; you get knocked down by the traffic from both sides.

My Little Boy's First Bible

I can still remember my children getting their first Bibles ... and the picture of my daughter taking me into her room, and asking me to sit down.  She then opened her Bible (upside down) and acted like she was reading it (she could not read at 4 or 5) and then pointing at me and saying, " God loves ... YOU." It was a Great day!

A little boy’s first Bible

Is the greatest thrill he’s known,

There’s a sweet, unique excitement

In a Bible all his own!

And yet my heart is smitten

As this touching sight I see,

Has his reverence for that Bible

Depended much on me?

As I see him with his Bible,

I bow my head and pray,

May he always love that Bible

The way he does today.

Then I hear a voice within me

Speak in solemn words and true,

How he cherishes that Bible

Will depend a lot on you.

I love my Bible better

Since I’ve seen the beaming joy

This wonderful possession

Has afforded to my boy.

May I seek to give mine daily

A devotion he can see,

For the love he bears his Bible

Will depend a lot on me