I try to think of myself as an apple tree. Time is not linear, it moves in circles. Come spring, I will bloom again.
Amby Burfoot, The Runner's Guide to the Meaning of Life
Rob Wells, who is a close friend of mine and one of six on the Loving God Fellowship Board of Directors, gave me a book to read titled So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore. I have finished reading it and I am adding it to my recommended books list.
The main character of the book is Jake. When the book begins, Jake is a minister on staff at a large church. Each of the thirteen chapters tells of a separate conversation that Jake has with John, a man who keeps appearing in Jakes life. John takes Jake on a spiritual journey that will take him out of his comfort zone and lead him into a freedom in Christ that He had never experienced before.
I could so relate with Jake in this book. As I read through the chapters, I found that Jakes journey resembled the one that I have been on, almost in detail. I was once the senior associate pastor of a large church and resigned without disclosing the true reasons in order to protect the church while being shunned by many as the senior pastor set out to publicly ruin my character in order to protect his own in case I went public with what I knew. I refused to retaliate or defend myself. It was one of the hardest and loneliness periods of my life, but it would lead me into the freedom in Christ that I now experience and will spend the rest of my life trying to lead people into.
If you are frustrated with just going through the motions of Christianity and are looking for something deeper and more meaningful, you need to read this book. It is published by Windblown media who published The Shack which is also on my recommended book list. If you liked The Shack, you will like So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore.
Many today believe that the Kingdom of God is related to some future event tied to a timetable that God has hidden in Scripture and revealed to those who can tie current events to it. Many believe that if they attend church and live a good moral life, that one day they will die and go to heaven and participate in this kingdom for eternity. They enter into what I call a “waiting pattern” and are not actively participating in or furthering God’s Kingdom on earth as Jesus taught and led by example.
I grew up in the church and used to believe this way until I read the Gospels over and over again on my own and realized that Jesus was teaching something much different and that He was living a life for us to follow. It was eye opening and life changing revelation to me. It’s so much more than church activity and living good and it has nothing to do with waiting. I’ve been on a mission the past 18 years trying to get people to see what Jesus is really teaching about the Kingdom of God and what it really means to follow Him. Those that are familiar with my preaching and teaching through churches I’ve had the privilege to pastor or through LovingGodFellowship.org can attest to this.
I recently finished reading The Secret Message of Jesus: Uncovering the Truth that Could Change Everything by Brian D McLaren. My heart resonated with McLaren’s words as he delves into what Jesus was really saying about the Kingdom and how we are a part of it now and can be instruments utilized in its expansion. It’s what I’ve been preaching, teaching and attempting to live for the past 18 years of my life.
I hope and pray that many will read McLaren’s book with open eyes and heart. Be warned though that it may rattle what you have been taught in the church as McLaren delves into what Jesus was teaching. It may change the reader’s way of thinking which could result in a change in behavior and an expansion of the Kingdom of God in our day. I’ve added it to my list of recommended books. It’s a great read for everyone desiring to truly follow Christ and understand His teachings.
If you want to stay safe and just be a church attendee, this book is probably not for you. But if you want to go on an adventure and make a difference with your life as you follow Christ, you will devour this book. I did. It spoke to my soul and gave me great encouragement as it refreshed my resolve to be brave and follow Christ in what I call "point of need ministry."
I love when Haugen talks about the great commandment of loving God and people. How can we love God who we can not see when we don’t love our neighbor who we do see? If we love our neighbor who we do see, we will follow Jesus and seek justice for them. This will cost us something. It will require action from us as we do something with our life to make a difference for those who are oppressed.
My favorite chapter in the book is titled “Would You Rather be Safe or Brave?” You can be a Christian and be safe, but you can not be safe and follow Christ. To follow Christ you must be brave because it may cost you your life. It just takes courage.
Seek justice,
Rescue the oppressed,
Defend the orphan,
Plead for the widow. (Isaiah 1:17 NRSV)
If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
Then your light will rise in the darkness,
And your night will become like the noonday.
The Lord will Guide you always;
He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
And will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
Like a spring whose waters never fail. (Isaiah 58:10-11)
I just finished reading Once Blind: The Life of John Newton . Author Kay Marshall Strom details the life of John Newton in a story like readable fashion.
Newton was a living testament to the power of God's transforming grace. In his early days, He captained slave ships bringing slaves from Africa. After experiencing God's amazing grace, he became a minister and worked in abolishing the slave trade along side William Wilberforce.
Newton wrote the great hymn "Amazing Grace" that has been sung in churches across the land. If you were raised in the church like I, you will have at least a portion, if not all, of the great hymn memorized.
Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound)
That sav'd a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev'd;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believ'd!
Thro' many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
The Lord has promis'd good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.
Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the vail,
A life of joy and peace.
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call'd me here below,
Will be for ever mine.
In 1962, slavery was finally made illegal throughout the world, but yet slavery still exists in our day through sex trafficking, bonded labor and child labor. According to Strom's research and documented in the epilogue, it is estimated that there are 12 million slaves today. The U.S. Government estimates that there are 15,000 to 18,000 trafficked into America each year.
In the epilogue of Strom's well written book, she informs how we can be twenty-first century abolitionists. I recommend you read this book and get involved in being a twenty-first century abolitionist. We can make a difference in our day just as Newton did in his day.
I believe the 2009 ECPA (Evangelical Christian Publisher Association) Christian Book of the Year recipient is very well deserved. It is the The ESV Study Bible , which I have used this year in my personal Bible reading. I highly recommend it and encourage you to get a copy to use and read in 2010. It would also make a very good Christmas gift for those on your list that love to read and study the Word of God.
Grace begins and ends prayer. Grace is what we call what is left over after the scouring of the self, the dying into self. Grace is what was there before we ever looked at ourselves in prayer. Grace gives us our initial impulse to pray.
Does the compassionate life not demand that we be present to those who suffer; does it not require that we enter into solidarity with the poor, oppressed, and downtrodden; does it not motivate us both to move into the thick of life and to experience the hardships of existence in solidarity with the outcasts?
- Henri Nouwen,
Compassion: A Reflection on the Christian Life
If one had taken what is necessary to cover one's needs and had left the rest to those who are in need, no one would be rich, no one would be poor, no one would be in need.
Jazz music is smooth and from the heart and so is the book Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality by Donald Miller. The book is very honest, very relevant, nonreligious and refreshing. It covers so many areas of God, life, love and faith in a real way that will intrigue all who read it regardless of their beliefs or past experiences with church and/or religion.
Donald Miller is truly a gifted writer that has a grip on truth and can present it in a gripping and non threatening way. I look forward to reading more of his work in the years ahead.
I'm adding this book to my recommended book list and if you have not already read it, I encourage you to get a copy today.
I just completed reading a book by George Barna and Frank Viola titled Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices.It was a good book that is filled with research packed material and does a good job tracing some church history and some of the reasons the institutional church has evolved into what it has become.With that said, I had four main issues with the book in which I would like to comment.
There is an obvious bias by the authors toward the house church and away from the institutional church.Now I do not pastor or promote the house church or the institutional church.I believe the New Testament makes room for both as declared in the book of Acts.By the end of Acts Chapter five, the early church had grown to possibly be 15 to 20 thousand people counting the men, women and children, but yet they kept meeting corporately in large gatherings and also in small gathering within homes. Acts 5:42 tells us “And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.”The early church met both corporately in large gatherings at the temple and in small gatherings in each other’s houses.
The authors assert that tithing is not a New Testament principle.Jesus Himself set the guidelines on this topic in the New Testament and I believe the early church followed it.Jesus said this to the religionists of His day who were tithing, but neglecting the poor and the needy around them - (Matthew 23:23 NLT)"How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest part of your income, but you ignore the important things of the law--justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but you should not leave undone the more important things.”We find those in the early church giving up to 100% of their income, as recorded in Acts 4:32-37.They had matured beyond the 10% boundary of the tithe and were now Holy Spirit driven givers that gave enough to take care of all needs.
Never do the authors mention that the New Testament purpose of the church as revealed in Acts is to continue the point of need ministry of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.Instead, the reader walks away with the idea that the purpose of the church is to meet in homes and that ministry takes place within the confines of that meeting through people sharing their experiences with Jesus that week.We are taught all throughout the New Testament that Jesus is our example and we are to follow Him, continuing His point of need ministry in the Power of the Holy Spirit until He comes.
The authors do not mention that maybe God intends for the modern church to evolve by the Holy Spirit to use all means possible to touch people. Afterall, the church is a living organism that is kept alive and growing through the Holy Spirit. Maybe there is room for the institutional church, the house church, and even the Internet church in our day.I personally believe that there is room for all three and one should not be elevated above another.As Jesus tarries, the church will continue to evolve by the Holy Spirit and within the boundaries of Scripture to use all means to reach all people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Because of these issues, I will not place this book on my list of recommended books to read.I’m not saying that it should not be read.There is much to glean from it, but if you do read it or have already read it, please consider the four points above before coming to any conclusions from the book.
Indeed, over 90 percent of American adults experience sexual intercourse before marrying. The percentage of evangelicals who do so is not much lower. In a nationally representative study of young adults, just under 80 percent of unmarried, church going, conservative Protestants who are currently dating someone are having sex of some sort. I'm certainly not suggestion that they cannot abstain. I'm suggesting that in the domain of sex, most of them don't and won't.
What to do? Intensify the abstinence message even more? No. It won't work. The message must change, because our preoccupation with sex has unwittingly turned our attention away from the damage that Americans - including evangelicals - are doing to the institution of marriage by discouraging it and delaying it.
He builds a compelling case for promoting young christians getting married early and how the church should do more to support it. Before rushing to any judgment or conclusion, I encourage you to click and read the complete article and allow it to provoke some thought.
My wife Becky and I married early and do not regret it. We were high school sweet hearts and got married on spring break during my junior year of college. I was 21 and she was 19. That was 27 years ago. We were in love with each other and knew that we wanted to spend the rest of our life together. And we are.
I'm curious about your thoughts on this issue. After you read the article, click on the "comment" link of this post and share your thoughts. Based on statistics, it's obvious that the method of the institutional church has not worked. Is it time to re-think their method?
One day we will learn that the heart can never be totally right if the head is totally wrong. Only through the bringing together of head and heart – intelligence and goodness – shall man rise to a fulfillment of his true nature.
- Martin Luther King Jr., fromStrength to Love, a collection of Dr. King's sermons
In what ways we can bring together intelligence and goodness?
I read a great book several years ago on the subject of change titled “Who Moved My Cheese” by Spencer Johnson ( Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life ).I highly recommend it because everything around us is in constant change and that oftentimes can bring much anxiety to our lives because it is our nature to resist change.
When it comes to relationships, we find out how rapidly people can change.Our ideas, beliefs, personalities, moods, knowledge and intelligence can be in constant change.Who can we look to for stability?There is only one person that I know that never changes.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. ~ Hebrews 13:8, NLT
As we look to Him and as we follow Him, we will find the stability we need in an environment that is in constant change and we will feel the anxiety that comes with change dissipate.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Heb 12:1-2 ESV)
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. I have finished reading it and I am adding it to my recommended books list.
which is also on my recommended book list. If you liked The Shack, you will like So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore.
by Brian D McLaren. My heart resonated with McLaren’s words as he delves into what Jesus was really saying about the Kingdom and how we are a part of it now and can be instruments utilized in its expansion. It’s what I’ve been preaching, teaching and attempting to live for the past 18 years of my life.
to my recommended list of books. Just Courage is written by Gary A. Haugen, President and CEO of 
. Author Kay Marshall Strom details the life of John Newton in a story like readable fashion.
, which I have used this year in my personal Bible reading. I highly recommend it and encourage you to get a copy to use and read in 2010. It would also make a very good Christmas gift for those on your list that love to read and study the Word of God.
by Donald Miller. The book is very honest, very relevant, nonreligious and refreshing. It covers so many areas of God, life, love and faith in a real way that will intrigue all who read it regardless of their beliefs or past experiences with church and/or religion. 
) in an article posted in the August 2009 issue of 
, a collection of Dr. King's sermons
).
