The Tattered Hat

What are your thoughts on this?

Just finished reading it: How Churches And Leaders Can Get it And Keep it by Craig Groeschel.  I enjoyed reading this book.  It was a good reminder that the leadership needs to focus on what really matters, their relationship with Jesus. This book brought balance to all the things I've been reading lately.  It reminded me about how God is the one who changes lives and not copying the church down the street or implementing the "new" ministry strategy.

I really enjoy the last two chapters.  Craig talkes about how he had it and lost it and then re-gain it.  A lot of times at church we forget that its about doing everything we can to share the good news of Jesus with a world full of hurt and pain.  Instead we get caught up in being comfortable and not looking at people the way Jesus did.

You may have seen this already.  I've seen it posted on facebook and in tweets.  I first checked it out after reading  this tweet-@DougFields What do you think? Has church become "this" predictable? Interesting to say the least!

"Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.


Any thoughts?

I've been thinking about leadership lately and I've been in full-time ministry for 7 and half years now.  I came across Dave Kraft's book Leaders Who Last.  I thought well I want to last, so I picked up a copy.

It was a great read with lots of actuate observations and practical advice.  I would encourage anyone who is in a leadership position or planning on being a leader in ministry to check out this book.  I think it will be very helpful and its only 148 pages.  Most of the stuff in this book are things you probably already know but have forgot or just haven't taken the time to think about.  It was very refreshing for me.

I just finished reading Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus by D.A. Carson.  It was a great read especially before Easter.  It was very helpful in  reflecting on the cross and resurrection and what it means for us.  This book was 170 pages long and focused on 5 different passages.

Carson used some vocab that I have never heard before but I guess that is going to happen when you have the vocab of a 1st grader.  I found myself laughing at times because of how Carson calls people out a couple of times.  Good times.



I also finished reading Youth Ministry 3.0 by Mark Oestreicher.  This was also an interesting read and on the short side, which I love:)  Mark takes a look at the past (1.0), present(2.0), and future(3.0) of youth ministry.  I enjoyed the honest and accurate look at youth ministry.  It was thought provoking and challenging.

I'm not to sure about his thoughts about the future of youth ministry and how it can be done.  It seemed to me that their was contradictions in what Mark was per-posing and how to keep it simple, how it works in any size church, and how it wouldn't be driven.

But at least Mark is not just saying hey their is a problem and good luck with figuring it out!  I enjoyed the book and if you are involved in youth ministry at least it should get you thinking about how we do things and what needs to change to be more effective for Christ.

I just finished reading Thriving Youth Groups-secrets for growing your ministry & creating a friendship culture by Jeanne Mayo. I thought it was a really good book with a lot of practical ideas. I would encourage anyone involved in youth ministry to check it out.

I'm amazed at how God chooses to work through all different types of personalities. When I take a moment to self reflect on the youth ministry that I'm apart of I totally see God. I feel like I'm a mess and I'm not doing things right.

Well time is winding down and it is almost time for Rach and I to meet little paul. Rach's due date is Aug 31st! Its been kind of a crazy summer. The youth mission trip to Fort Wayne, IND to work with Refugee's from Burma went well. Sam P. was able to experience the joy of sharing Jesus with a little boy and the little boy asked Jesus into his life. It was so awesome to see God at work! As for me I'm gearing up for the fall kick off and little paul's world premiere.

I came across this quote in a book that I'm reading.

It is a good rule, after reading a new book,
never to allow yourself another new one
till you have read an old one in between.
C. S. Lewis

Besides the Bible I don't think that I really have ever re-read a book in its entirety. Maybe I should try this out...It will probably help me cut back on the amount of money I spend on buying books:)

Anyone use this "rule"?

UPDATE: I think that I read this quote out of context and what is actually communicating is every time you read a recently published book it is good to go back and read a classic "old" book. I probably should do that too:)
pg

A. C. Dixon said,
When we depend upon organizations, we get what organizations can do; when we depend upon education, we get what education can do; when we depend upon man, we get what man can do; but when we depend upon prayer, we get what God can do.

Piper, J. (2002). Brothers, we are not professionals : A plea to pastors for radical ministry (56). Nashville, Tenn.: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Who are you depending upon? John 15:5 ?

pg

I got to get me one of these! I came across this link from Mark Matlock's twitter.
Any thoughts about this? Please share.

pg

I finished reading Sustainable Youth Ministry by Mark DeVries. I think it is a must read for anyone in youth ministry. Its crazy to think that I graduated MBI 7 years ago! I found a lot of good reminders in this book. I feel that DeVries also provides a lot of good insights into the church and youth ministry world. Right now their is a lot of talk about youth ministry not being effective. DeVries points out that has a lot to do with un-realistic expectations put on the shoulders of one person. DeVries also points out that we also set ourselves up for failure because a lot of us do youth ministry moment by moment. We don't take time to really figure out what we are doing. We just try and stay a float. I must admit reading through this book brought up so challenging things to consider. This book will cause you to evaluate the ministry your involved in. This book can also be overwhelming. I don't necessarily agree with everything but I believe this is a great tool and helps you to look at what you are doing and what is expected of you in a constructive way. Check it out.

pg

I finished reading two books about the church. Vintage Church and On Church Leadership (Book You'll Actually Read). The reason you'll actually read On Church Leadership is because its only 94 pages! Mark Driscoll takes a look at what the Bible tells us about church leadership. Mark also share from his experience from planting Mars Hill Church. I thought it was a good study and would be helpful for anyone that is involved in a local church.

Vintage Church also was a good read with good insights about truth, methods, and the mission of the church. This book is a little bit of a heavier read. I think Mark Driscoll does a great job studying the word and applying it biblically in our world. I have enjoyed thinking and studying what God wants to do through His church.

The question that I keep asking myself is what things do we need to evaluate and change to be local church that God wants us to be?

pg

Fund Hazing is the title of the Article on p.64 of the May/June 2009 Youth Worker Jouranl. This article is written by Steve Argue. I thought that this was a great article to really make you think about how you do fundrasing in youth ministry. You need to ask this question about your fundrasing method, what are you teaching the youth with this method?

Are youth ministries teaching and encouraging consumerism with their methods of fundrasing? I would encourage you if you are envolved in youth ministry to read this article.

On a side note I remember the first time I crossed paths with Steve Argue. I was doing a youth internship at a church and we took the youth to SEMP. Steve was one of the instructers at SEMP. It was neat to read an article by him in Youth Worker Journal.

pg

I have been enjoying the ministry that Mark Driscoll has over the last several months. I have visited the Mars Hill Church website, listen to podcasts, and follow Mark Driscoll on twitter. So a few weeks ago I decided to purchase a copy of Vintage Church by Mark Driscoll & Gerry Breshears. I'm excited to spend some time in this book and spend time thinking about the church.

pg

I have recently purchased the Logos Bible Software for my laptop. One of the features in this program is to set-up a Bible reading plan. So I decided that I should read through the whole Bible. I haven't done this since my MBI days.

I finished Exodus the other day. As I was reading through it I was really glad that I wasn't alive during this time. Just imagine what it would be like in the tabernacle. The sights, sounds, and smells....I'm pretty sure I would pass out. I'm in Leviticus right now which continues to talk about the sacrifical system. I wonder why God had them put some of the blood on the priests toe? Leviticus 8:23

pg

ImNotBuyingIt.com Video from Granger Community on Vimeo.

What do you think? Are these numbers right? Do you think we are going to end up like the Roman Empire? What can we do?

pg

I just finished reading this book by Jarrett Stevens. I loved it. It was a nice refreshing look at how we think about God and who God really is. Its a pretty easy read yet insightful.

For more info click here.

pg

Just finished reading this book I got for Christmas. It was a great read and it really unpacked the parable of the Prodigal Son. Timothy Keller points out that this parable has to do with the Eldest just as much as it does with the younger. One of the things I am always worried about is becoming a Pharisee. This book talks about what the Heart of the Christian Faith is all about. I encourage you to check it out.


pg

After I finish the 4 other books that are half done maybe I'll have to check out this one.
pg

Unless there is a God by whom "right" and "wrong" can be reliably assessed, moral judgments can be no more than opinion, influenced by upbringing, training, and propaganda. J.B. Phillips

Does this mean we can look at someones life and tell what they believe?

pg