“Good to Great and the Social Sectors” by Jim Collins is a must buy for all church leaders. He had planned on releasing this as part of a re-release of “Good to Great”. But since that would require us to have to purchase another copy of the book, he didn’t. (For that, I say, “Thank you!”) Here’s the deal: Jim did some research on how non-profits have used the Good to Great Principles in their organizations. What is found in this little 35 page booklet is priceless stuff. He’s a guy that gets it! What really amazed me in reading … Read More

“The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture” by Shane Hipps is a really interesting book. What really got my attention was the subtitle: “How media shapes faith, the gospel, and culture.” I will say that Shane explained this flawlessly. There’s stuff I really liked that challenged me, and other stuff that I wasn’t as moved by. I really liked how Shane broke down the fact that media is an extension of who we are. That the medium doesn’t just convey the message, it morphs it. He said, “The medium is the message.” This is a great book for Pastors and people … Read More

I just finished reading Donald Miller’s latest book, “To Own a Dragon: Reflections on growing up without a father.” It was amazing! This book may not make sense to people who grew up with a great dad that lived at home with them. But if you grew up without a dad or in a divorced home where you only saw your dad on weekends, or less, then this book is hugely important to read. The book hit closer to home that I am comfortable to admit. There were times when Don would write about his pain of not having a … Read More

I just finished “Revolution” by George Barna. First, let me say that I appreciate George Barna and his organization for providing the church with much needed statistics that serve as the thermometer that gets stuck in the mouth of our culture. For that, we should all we thankful for the work these fine men and women do… Now, to the book review. Quite honestly, I didn’t like the book. It was an easy read, which is the sign of a good writer. Yet I found myself struggling with the book’s content. George’s premise is that there are a growing number … Read More

I just finished “The Secret Message of Jesus” by Brian McLaren and it was fantastic! The purpose of the book is to explore what is the Gospel that Jesus preached and what it the kingdom of God. I am a big fan of Brian’s writings. I believe that he is certainly one of the best writers in the church today. His style is engaging, his thoughts are profound, and his topics are courageous. I literally underlined 60% of the sentences in this book. My favorite aspects of the book were his exploration into the political world that Jesus was born … Read More

I just finished “Out of the Question…Into the Mystery” by Leonard Sweet. I enjoyed the book. It wasn’t amazing, although it had flashes of brilliance. The chapter on our relationship with “Things” (i.e. symbols, books, objects, stories) was amazing! His angle on the story of Genesis 22 was very interesting. I don’t know if I agree, but I appreciate the original thinking. All in all, I’d recommend the book, with the disclaimer that the book has a couple of dry spots. I’ve read a few of Leonard’s book and have enjoyed them. I heard him speak at Catalyst last year … Read More

I just finished Brian Mclaren’s book, "The Story We Find Ourselves In".  In a word, "Awesome!"  Like any book, I didn’t agree with everything written in it.  Then again, my wife asked me a while back, "Is there a book outside of the Bible that you agree with completely?"  I said, "Yes.  This one."  And that one, I’m not totally sure of!  But I thought his views on creation were interesting and provocative to say the least.  I loved the idea of the 7 episodes of our story (Which is similar to what I was taught in Bible College and … Read More

I just finished "The Last Word and the Word after That" (Yes I think I’m on a kick of some sort) by Brian Mclaren.  This is part 3 of his "A New Kind of Christian" trilogy.  I thought the book was amazing!  While, the book is fictional, it tries to create some discussion about a few different subjects.  The main topic is hell.  I found the book eye opening, refreshing, and challenging.  I think McLaren is onto something in his writing.  He challenges us to think, but he’s not going to just lay out the answers.  Instead, he’s going to … Read More

I just finished reading "Adventures in Missing the Point" by Brian McLaren and Tony Campolo.   Let me first say, "WOW!"  I loved this book. While I didn’t agree with everything written, I appreciated several things about it.  Here’s a couple:    #1 – Permission to think, granted – I appreciate the fact that the authors forced me to think.  The book was written in a responsive format where one person would write the chapter and then the other would respond to what the first wrote.  What I love is that they didn’t even agree with each other on some issues, … Read More

I just finished reading Folllowing Jesus: Biblical Reflections on Discipleship by N.T. Wright.  The 2nd half of the book was much stronger than the 1st half.  The chapter on the renewed mind was by far the best chapter in the book.  His comparison of Naaman the leper and Gehazi, Elisha’s servant was outstanding!  I’ve never heard anything like that before.  I think that chapter alone was worth the price of admission.  However, I think some of the other chapters were a little lacking.  The 1st half of the book he gives some overviews of certain books of the Bible, which … Read More