It is a brand new day here at Resurrection. Day 1 of Year 3 for me under appointment in The United Methodist Church. Welcoming Jeff for his first day here, settled in to the new office space.
Life is good.
My Beautiful Idol by Pete Gall is an autobiographical journey through five years of transition in the life of the author. Gall originally self-published this work and it is his first published book.
My Beautiful Idol is a story of seeking, recognizing and following God. Gall records his journey of faith and life chasing God’s will from a highly paid career in Chicago to Denver and through a series of jobs, ministry settings and relationships. Scattered throughout the narrative are lessons about the reality of poverty, the desire to be loved and God’s dream for individual lives. Gall is open with his thoughts, emotions and struggles in his life during the five years that are recorded in the book.
I found the narrative to be moderately compelling, but at times tedious and repetitive. There was insightful wisdom about life and relationships sprinkled throughout the book that I found to be fairly interesting. I recommend this book to those looking for open honesty in the life of another.
Gall, Pete. My Beautiful Idol. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008.
After a conversation with my friend Ben, I decided to give Twitter a try. You can follow me on Twitter here.
The big draw for me right now is the instant status update on Facebook - something that I like to do in that network and appreciate the dual posting capability.
What do you think about this? Do you use Twitter? Pros? Cons?
This is a guest post from Kyle Holt of The New Parables and The Bible in Rhyme. From his blog: Each person is called to use the talents God gave us; to be a voice of one calling out in the desert, “Prepare the way for the Lord. Make straight paths for Him.”
I turned 30 years old in January, and it’s an age that should make any Christian pause and think. Jesus started his ministry when he was 30 and it ended 3 years later upon his death, but what he did during those three years has influenced billions of people over the last 2,000 years.
So what am I going to do in the next three years?
This is a question that we ought to be asking ourselves every day of our lives, but we get caught up in our own routines and forget this very important question.
I have a two-year old son, and I want to see him grow up. But if my death at thirty-three would bring billions (or even thousands) to God, wouldn’t it be worth it? It’s a scary thought, but Christ tells us that those who love their lives will lose them, and those who give up their lives for him will gain everlasting life. We’re not to martyr ourselves, but it is a call to be in the world, not of it.
Businesses and individuals often make 5 or 10-year plans. In the same vein, I would lobby that Christians should set forth a 3-year plan. The messiah completely redefined the world in three years. He was setting an example for us. As if to say, “I did it, and so can you.” Given, we are not the perfection that Jesus was, but if we strive to be, then we can reshape life as we know it.
If I live to be 75 years old, I have the opportunity to develop fifteen 3-year plans during the remainder of my life. What an opportunity! But in order to maximize that opportunity, I have to start now.
In 2006, I felt called to start working on a project called The Bible in Rhyme (www.thebibleinrhyme.com). It is my hope and prayer that God intends this to be a part of my 3-year plan. I pray that it is something that can work in the hearts, minds, and spirits of Christians and non-Christians alike. I don’t know what will happen, but I trust that God will guide me the way He wants me to go. And I know that it will require a lot of hard work on my part.
Besides, isn’t hard work what God asks from all of us? We are called to love and to believe, but that’s just the beginning. To really make something happen, we have to be ready to get our hands in the dirt and work for Him. To give up our worldly lives do His will here on earth.
So today, tomorrow, and definitely at each birthday, I recommend you ask yourself, “What is my 3-year plan?” Leave 5-year plans and 10-year plans to businesses. Make the 3-year plan God’s.
Christianity for the Rest of Us by Diana Butler Bass was published in 2006 by Harper San Francisco. Bass is a well known author, speaker and thinker among mainline protestants. Christianity for the Rest of Us is a result of a three year study that was “designed as an in-depth ethnographic investigation of vital, healthy, viable and growing mainline Protestant congregations through field research across the United States” (Bass, Christianity for the Rest of Us, 295). Within these congregations, Bass sought “to discover whether a common pattern, language, and spiritual logic were taking shape in a variety of congregations in different parts of the country” (Bass, 4).
In the first section, Bass addresses the question “What happened to the neighborhood church” (Bass, 13)? She addresses shifts that have taken place in society and within local congregations in the United States over the past 50 years. This background sets the stage for the particularities of renewal within the churches studied. Each of ten “signposts of renewal” among the congregations are addressed with concrete examples from local communities. These signposts of renewal include: hospitality, discernment, healing, contemplation, testimony, diversity, justice, worship, reflection, and beauty. Finally, Bass uses the metaphor of shifting from tourist to pilgrim to address the potential for individual, communal and world transformation.
This book is a well written mix of individual examples and big picture topics. There is a concreteness to each of the signposts of renewal as they are all grounded in particular examples from local congregations. Bass does not provide a detailed blueprint for change, but instead paints a vivid picture of what the experience of vitality looks and feels like within a local congregation. Bass writes for a particular audience - liberal protestant congregations - and at times is a bit harsh on those outside of this group.
I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to those thinking seriously about renewing the mainline church. Church leaders, pastors, and mainline Christians looking for renewal within the church would enjoy this book.
Bass, Diana Butler. Christianity for the Rest of Us. San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 2006.
I am excited about the upcoming sermon series at Resurrection - Seven Simple Truths about Life. This promo video got the best response from the congregation of any promo video that I have seen here.
What do you think?
I had a conversation with a staff member in the hallway this afternoon that was too good not to share. I had been thinking about a conversation that I had just had on the phone and he could tell that I was a bit troubled. He stopped and asked how I was doing. I said that I was doing okay but was a bit troubled by the phone conversation. He responded,
I started laughing out loud.
Hearing the first and then realizing the second really made me laugh, which is good.
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