Outlive Your Life : Book Review
In his book, Outlive Your Life: You were Made to Make a Difference, Max Lucado challenges his readers to live lives of compassion. The only real way that our lives can last and have significance, is if we are focused on living for and serving others.
Through a multitude of stories, Max inspires the reader to see past themselves. He begins most (all but one) chapters with a verse from the first dozen chapters in Acts. He builds off the image that Luke paints of the early church to show how that same principle can be lived out in our current culture and context.
This is neither the first, nor the last of Lucado's books that I will read. I must, however, say that this book did not capture me as some of his earlier writings have. At times I found it hard to focus on the text and it seemed more of a discipline to push through those passages. Overall, if you are looking for some inspiration and good stories of others who have learned the secret of outliving their life, this is a decent book to pick up.
You can pick it up at: Amazon (Kindle) or Christian Book Distributors (ePub).
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book through the Booksneeze program of Thomas Nelson publishers.
Cracking Your Church’s Culture Code : Book Review
Culture eats vision for lunch! You can change the look of the platform but nothing has changed until you address the culture.
Samuel Chand presents a great look at what prevents successful change and transition in "Cracking Your Church's Culture Code."
Chand presents the idea that it is a church's culture that needs to be addressed even more so than an eloquently articulated vision or strategy. Culture is about the people, and deep lasting change will never happen unless the culture is addressed. Presenting vision, implementing strategy and not addressing the deep issues of culture will result in resistance to the vision and strategy.
He identifies five categories of church culture - Inspiring, Accepting, Stagnant, Discouraging and Toxic - and goes on to give some of the defining characteristics of each category. Once the category has been determined, Chand provides seven leverage points that can specifically be addressed to change the culture. He uses an acronym of the word CULTURE; Control, Understanding, Leadership, Trust, Unafraid, Responsive, Execution. Chand also anticipates many of the key issues that will arise during times of organizational culture shift.
Having served on two churches that attempted significant transitions, this book could have been used a few years before it was actually written! This is a book that every church leader who is looking to impact deep long-lasting change should have.
Cracking Your Church's Culture Code from Leadership Network on Vimeo.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the this book for the purposes of blogging about it from Leadership Network.
SoulPrint by @MarkBatterson : Book Review
In a world of hero worship and mimicry, Mark Batterson writes a book that challenges the reader to be the person that God intended them to be, not a replica of someone else. This is the first book of Mark's that I've read cover to cover. I've used and recommended some of the Small Group materials based on some of his previous writings. It will not be the last I read.
Mark takes the reader through a journey of self-reflection by holding up the biblical account of five defining moments in the life of David. By looking not just at the wins in David's life but also some of the failures, Mark gives the reader a perspective that God uses all our experiences to shape us into who he has created us to be... as long as we submit ourselves to the process.
This book is an easy read and won't take an average reader very long to get through. At times, it may be harder to put down than to get through. The book includes a Discussion Guide so you can easily use the book as a study guide for your small group. I would recommend the book for those who desire to fulfill their God-desired destiny.
You can order your copy of the book directly from Multnomah; Amazon in paperback or for your Kindle; Barnes & Noble in paperback or for your Nook; Christian Book Distributors in paperback.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of providing this review.
The Land Between : Book Review
I recently finished reading The Land Between by Jeff Manion. A more timely read I could not find as I go through my own personal time in The Land Between.
Through looking at the Israelites time in the wilderness, Jeff challenges his reader to apply the principles to their own life. He warns of the tendency for the reader to assume that they would not fall into the same patterns of behavior that the Israelites found themselves in. It is a good warning, for we tend to view ourselves as the hero in the story.
The Land Between is not the only one of transition, it is any time of hardship and trial. Through many examples, both personal and anecdotal, Jeff makes real the points he drives home.
The Land Between is a place that is ripe for complaint. The Israelites were grumblers... it was a habit, not the exception. In contrast, Moses went to God with his frustration and vented. The Land Between is a place where we can learn to cry out to God in unabashed honesty and without fear of becoming the recipients of God's wrath as long as we do not allow the habit of grumbling. We must continue to see God's provision and ensure that we do not take it for granted.
There were many passages that spoke to my heart and challenged my thinking. One such quote:
Trouble and trust coexist in the hearts of the people we meet in the Bible—David, Jeremiah, and others—even as they coexist in our own hearts.
Some have taught that faith and fear cannot co-exist. That may be true, but often it is presented that faith and a troubled heart cannot co-exist. That is not true.
This is a great book. If you are going through a season of trial, a time where God's path is leading uphill and you are experiencing frustration with the circumstances of life. This book will be a great tool that God can use to help you look at yourself honestly and identify what God may be work doing in your life.
The Land Between is first and foremost, a time of spiritual transformation, not a time of judgment.
Fatal Assumption? (re-post)
Lately I’ve been talking with a few individuals about what God has been talking to them about. Some relay stories of conviction and challenge. Others relay stories about the future that God is showing them. I’m always intrigued by those who talk about the future. Not because it is about the future, but because of how they see the future coming into being.
One of the accounts in the Old Testament can serve as a type of reminder for us as we walk forward and fulfill the future that God has for us. It is the account of the Israelites as they take possession of the Promised Land. God had revealed that this land was going to be theirs. However, they were not able to just walk into the land, thank the current inhabitants for building homes and infrastructure, and move in. They had to take possession of the land. They had to fight with the current inhabitants. It was not easy work seeing the fulfillment of God’s promise!
When God reveals to us the future that he has for us, it can be a fatal assumption to think that it will be easy. Too many times I’ve seen people just start walking into the future, because God said it would happen, they find incredible opposition and experience discouragement, frustration and often times drop out.
When God reveals something to you, give Him praise. Celebrate the future that he has for you… then, put your nose to the grindstone and prepare to work through a time of preparation so you can experience His plan.
What I'm Thinking...
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