Books for College Students (And Their Parents)

I read a blog post for students heading to college (and their parents). It was a list of recommended books to help them form a Christian worldview. I forwarded the link to my friend, Tim Raymund, who has two starting college this Fall. I asked him if he had any additions to the list. Here was his response (with his permission):

I would consider Joshua Harris' book "I Kissed Dating Goodbye." This book proposes a rather challenging view on co-ed relationships that one is not likely to ever encounter in secular thinking. It seems a good book for parents and students to read together and I would expect it to provoke some rather interesting discussions...

The other book that seemed helpful was Rovert Kiyosake's "Rich Dad Poor Dad for Teens." Warning - this book has no Christian perspective and rather unashamedly promotes wealth as success! Despite having this rather major drawback, the book is full of simple and practical advice (which I have to say I sometimes disagree with). The book actually seemed to inspire some thought and (gasp) action towards improving money management on the part of our students. I really enjoyed the implicit assumptions and commentary about money and our society, but that may not be generally interesting.

I also recommend (though so far have had no takers) John White's book "The Fight." (White also wrote "Daring to Draw Near" and "Eros Defiled"). "The Fight" takes the reader through a measured, succinct and yet thorough review of Christianity, often pointing out the difference between worldly and Godly thinking and behavior. It's not an easy read - White tends to lecture, the chapters are a bit long, and the Bible studies at the end of each chapter are sometimes rather simplistic. Still, the material is quite good and the effort worthwhile.

I am, of course, a huge fan of C.S. Lewis. I recommend any of his nonfiction to anyone wanting to get a grasp on what the world thinks. Unfortunately, students seem to find him hard to read and it may take some experience before one acquires an interest.

tim

How about you? Got any "Must Read" books for Christian students setting out on their own?

LeaderLines: "Hillcrest Generations"

Unlike a lot of start-up churches in Austin that focus on a single generation, Hillcrest has four or even five generations in our Forever Family. It makes me think of a George Carlin comedy routine about growing up:

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids?

If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions. "How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!" You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key.

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead. "How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16!

And then the greatest day of your life . . . you become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony . . . YOU BECOME 21. . . YES-S-S-S!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk. He TURNED, we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 . . . [it’s all over. You’ve REACHED 50].

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60. You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70!

After that it's a day-by-day thing. You HIT Wednesday! You get into your 80s and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime.

And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; "I was JUST 92."

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. "I'm 100 and a half!"

Psalm 145:4 (Msg) says, "Generation after generation stands in awe of your work; each one tells stories of your mighty acts."

No matter our age, each of us has a story to tell about our experience with God, each of us has a contribution to make to the rest of the Body of Christ.

We need to follow the example of King David. Paul refered to David in Acts 13:36 (NASB) in this way: “David, after he served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep.”

Two phrases: “he served the purpose of God” and he did it “in his own generation.” One speaks of that which is eternal, lasting, unchanging: "the purpose of God." The other speaks of that which is cultural, time-bound, and has to change: "his own generation."

No matter what generation you’re in, are you following the example of King David? Are you serving the purpose of God in your own generation? And, just as important, have you encouraged others at our church to figure out how to serve God in their own generation?
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Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter designed for church leaders. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.

Winning Ways: "An Anchor for the Soul"

The Anchor Course is a place where spiritual seekers can discover the meaning of Christianity and believers can develop their understanding of the faith. If one of those descriptions fits you, come join us!

After our Spring semester, here’s what a participant wrote me:

"Coming from another faith, I wanted to explore what Christianity means. The Anchor Course was a wonderful, intelligent, and safe place to explore, learn, and understand."

And a believer wrote:

“I think the reason I was attracted to this course was just the sheer pleasure of exploring and discussing faith. I was attracted also to the idea that this course might make it easier to believe the things that I already do believe but that I find so difficult to believe. I have questioned and doubted, made peace and then started the process all over again. Thank you for the course, for the opportunity to study it at church, and for the very good discussions. Already my faith is strengthened.”

At the Anchor Course, you’ll build friendships around a weekly meal, and you’ll build faith around a weekly discussion. The Anchor Course is ideal if . . .

• you’re a spiritual seeker who wants to learn more about the life and teaching of Jesus but you don’t know where to start, or


• you’ve become curious about the Christian convictions of your friends, or


• you’re married to a believer and you want to learn more about your partner’s Christian faith, or


• you’re a parent who’s wondered how to explain Christianity to your kids, or


• you’re a believer who wants a better grasp of the main points of your faith.

Come to my “Get Anchored” Dinner on Wednesday, September 12, 6:30-8:00pm. By attending the dinner, you’re under no obligation to sign up for the Anchor Course. You’ll enjoy a good meal and learn more about the course. Should you decide to register for the course, we’ll meet eight weeks for dinner and discussion starting Wednesday, September 19, 6:30-8:00pm. Your children can join you for the meal and then go to childcare and youth activities, which take place at the same time.

For the “Get Anchored” Dinner, an RSVP is not required, but it is encouraged. Contact my assistant, Jami (email or 345-3771). To learn more, go to the Anchor Course website (here) or read a book excerpt (here).

And if you’d like to have friends join you for the “Get Anchored” Dinner, bring them!
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Each Wednesday I post my article from "Winning Ways," an e-newsletter that goes out to over 830 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "Winning Ways," sign up here.

Links to Your World--Tuesday August 28

"The 78759 ZIP code has at least 47 of the city’s innovative tech companies, more than double any other ZIP code in Austin--and the tech force keeps coming.” That's the Hillcrest ZIP code.(Community Impact: Northwest Austin)

Where Do You See God Working in Austin?

For students: 11 ways to make this your best semester yet (HT: Presurfer)

Did you know that in the United States it's illegal to fish while wearing pajamas in Chicago, Illinois? Or enter a theater within three hours of eating garlic in Indianapolis? Offer cigarettes or whiskey to zoo animals in New Jersey? Fall asleep in a cheese factory in South Dakota? Find more strange laws still on the books.

Just in time for hurricane season, the folks at Popular Mechanics have an ultimate survival guide, including “5 Steps to Get Ready for Disaster (Not Stuck in It),” “7 Steps to Eat, Drink and Be Smart When Worse Comes to Worst,” “4 Steps to Power Your Home When the Grid Fails,” and “5 Steps to Fix Your Home After a Crisis.”

Besides leaving the hospital with a birth certificate and a clean bill of health, some babies are getting something they won't likely use for several years: their very own Internet domain names.

Post-abortion--God's forgiveness.

One in four American adults read no books last year.

A fifty-nine year old man is returning to Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas to play football one more time.

20 Questions With a Congress Avenue Free-Tailed Bat.

Woman Crashes Car While Teaching Dog to Drive, No Injuries Reported.

Anita Renfroe, comedienne and author of “The Purse-Driven Life,” combines together everything a mom says in 24 hours and condenses it to 2 minutes and 55 seconds--and then puts it to the William Tell Overture. In Explorer, click once to activate and again to play:


Have you read the previous posts this week? They include the "Song of the Week" ("We're Going to Be Friends" by The White Stripes), Your God is Too Safe, and an opportunity for marriage enrichment. To keep up with the journal, sign up for e-mail updates or assign the feed to your news reader or Google Personalized Home Page.

Song of the Week: The White Stripes' "We're Going to Be Friends"

For the start of school this week, here's The White Stripes singing "We're Going to Be Friends," which was run under the opening credits to Napoleon Dynamite (Yessssssssss)--

Fall is here, hear the yell
back to school, ring the bell
brand new shoes, walking blues
climb the fence, books and pens
I can tell that we're going to be friends

Walk with me, Suzy Lee
through the park and by the tree
we will rest upon the ground
and look at all the bugs we found
then safely walk to school
without a sound

Well here we are, no one else
we walked to school all by ourselves
there's dirt on our uniforms
from chasing all the ants and worms
we clean up and now its time to learn

Numbers, letters, learn to spell
nouns, and books, and show and tell
at playtime we will throw the ball
back to class, through the hall
teacher marks our height
against the wall

And we don't notice any time pass
we don't notice anything
we sit side by side in every class
teacher thinks that I sound funny
but she likes the way you sing

Tonight I'll dream while I'm in bed
when silly thoughts go through my head
about the bugs and alphbet
and when I wake tommorow I'll bet
that you and I will walk together again
cause I can tell that we're going to be friends

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The player for the featured "Song of the Week" can be found on the upper right corner of the weblog for one week.

Your God is Too Safe

"A group of Christian young people were shown two video covers, one the passionate quest of Indiana Jones and the other a training video for a sewing machine. When asked which of the two pictures best represented Christianity as seen in churches today, every one of them chose the training video."

--Mark Buchanan in Your God is too Safe

Go for it . . .

Flickr

Winning Ways: “An Opportunity for Marriage Enrichment”

Hollywood gets it more than you realize. Your marriage relationship will be better if you get it, too.

I’m talking about the profound differences between what men and women fundamentally need in a relationship. The romances in popular films aren’t just “love stories”--they’re “respect stories,” too! In Aladdin, the boy hero asks Jasmine, “Do you trust me?” She says “Yes,” takes his hand, and thus begins their magic carpet ride. In Titanic, Jack stands at the bow of the ship, offers his hand to Rose, and asks, “Do you trust me?” She says yes, and their romance begins at the ship’s prow, flying over the waves. It’s even in National Treasure, where Ben shouts to Abigail on the collapsing platform, “Do you trust me?” And that question forms the closing line of Blade Runner as Rick and Rachael run away together.

You need to discover in your marriage what Hollywood has figured out: the best romances are formed where you see the combination of a man’s love for his wife and a woman’s respect for her husband.

That’s what Ephesians 5:33 teaches us: “Each of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” Starting September 9, Diane and I will host a seminar designed to teach this fundamental truth about marriage.

The DVD conference is called Love and Respect, by Emerson Eggerichs. His skillful use of straight talk and humor will drive home the biblical insights that can enrich your marriage. You’ll learn how to “stop the Crazy Cycle of conflict,” initiate “the Energizing Cycle of change,” and enjoy “the Rewarded Cycle of new passion.”

We’ll meet every Sunday from 5:30 to 7:00pm starting September 9 to discover that unconditional respect is as powerful for a husband as unconditional love is for a wife. Forward this edition of Winning Ways to your friends and invite them to the first night of the “Love and Respect” seminar. This class is for married couples as well as couples who are thinking about getting married.

The “Love and Respect” seminar is one of several classes in our Hillcrest Institute. This Fall our church is also hosting classes on spiritual warfare, money management, healthy weight management, another other topics. You can learn more about these classes and register online by clicking here.

One more word about healthy home relationships: Spread the news about this Sunday’s special event! We’re holding one combined worship service at 10:30 to experience the musical presentation, Love Will Be Our Home. See you then!
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Each Wednesday I post my article from "Winning Ways," an e-newsletter that goes out to over 830 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "Winning Ways," sign up here.

Links to Your World--Tuesday August 21

CNN calls Austin “a haven for the healthy, a paradise for the party crowd.”

Want an effective strategy to reach this haven? Just Add People. It's one of the most important elements of The Anchor Course, starting in Austin September 12.

"It's clear to me that when moments like the Minneapolis bridge collapse happen, or category 5 hurricanes come your way, you need to have a rock-ribbed theology featuring the massive and awesome God of the Bible, the God who created the worlds with a word and His Son who rebuked the winds with a word." That's from Thabiti Anyabwile, who followed me as pastor at First Baptist Church of Grand Cayman, posting about midnight the evening before he was to preach to believers awaiting Hurricane Dean. My beloved former congregation is in good hands.

Austin Gas Prices. Find the cheapest.

I'm checking out the internet film, “The Interior,” a film presented in segments entirely online, by a Calvin College grad. Episodes 1-4 can be seen without interruption now. As I wait for the next installment in the internet series, I'm wondering what will happen to the naive young missionaries and what secrets the creepy older missionaries carry. There's an interview with the director here).

A medieval cross that was hidden from the Nazis and ended up in the trash could be worth more than a half-million dollars, police said Thursday. A woman looking for old crockery in a trash container stumbled upon the piece in 2004. H-m-m: a priceless cross found while digging through trash. Now, there's a sermon illustration here somewhere. . . .

"An interesting thing happens during "The Simpsons Movie," wrote Ted Baehr and Tom Snyder. "Ned Flanders, often mocked in the television series for his Christian beliefs and strict moral standards, plays the most important role in the story."

Five tips to make the big decisions.

John Mark Reynolds on growing old.

Brilliant Corners ArtFarm: the commercial web page of Elgin artists Jim and Melissa Janknegt.

Yes, I listened to Yes in high school and college. No, I didn’t know about Rick Wakeman’s later Christian projects.

In "Cyber Divide Widens," a study shows kids are online twice as much as parents think they are, while 23% admit to encountering strangers online and 7% admit to meeting them offline.

Howard Dayton of Crown Financial Ministries answers the question, “How Much House Can You Afford?”

According to this author, if you’re going to start your “apology” with “I’m sorry if . . . ,” don’t bother finishing. She’s right.

Cool Sand Sculptures.

Is it all up to human responsibility or divine sovereignty? “Yes,” says Charles Spurgeon. An excerpt from his 1862 sermon is reproduced at this visually-attractive site, along with a link to the full sermon.

Anyone who grew up under pretrib teaching of Revelation will appreciate "The Rapture Song"--


Have you read the previous posts this week? They include the "Song of the Week" ("I Pledge My Head to Heaven" by Keith Green), nine habits of effective churches, photos from our family getaway and prayers for Grand Cayman as the island braced for Hurricane Dean--viewed 1,733 times since Friday! To keep up with the journal, sign up for e-mail updates or assign the feed to your news reader or Google Personalized Home Page.

Family Getaway

As the boys get older (17 and almost 20), it's getting harder to get all four of us together for things. We grabbed a last-minute opportunity to get out of town this weekend. We saw the last Bourne and went to Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels. Good times. Here's a shot of Michael and Stephen on the Skycoaster:

Getting ready:



The ride (In Internet Explorer, click once to activate and again to play):



At the end, and ready to go again . . .

Song of the Week: Keith Green's "I Pledge My Head to Heaven"

Last week, EMI announced plans to release some new music by Keith Green.

I still remember the July morning in 1982 when I stepped out of the little apartment at Baylor where Diane and I were married college students. I picked up the Waco Tribune-Herald from the doorstep and saw the headline about the death of Green. He and two of his children lost their lives in a plane crash shortly after take-off. He was 28.

Keith Green was a passionate prophetic voice in the nascent CCM (contemporary Christian music) movement born out of the Jesus Movement of the early 70s. Rebecca St. James said:

"I believe my generation needs to know more about Keith Green because he is an example of someone who really stood for God. My generation is desperately in need of encouragement, we need to be given hope. Keith was somebody who gave encouragement, challenge and hope. My generation not only needs to hear about him, but also from him. I think Keith's music will have a wonderful effect on them. They're looking for answers to grab a hold on with both hands and hang on. I want to show truth through my music and my life, but I think that's what Keith has already done. By re-presenting his music to people, he can speak into people's lives today, even though he's been gone all this time."

There's more at this Statesman article, this Boundless page and I recommend this seven-part video series on YouTube. Some of my favorite Green songs include "When I Hear the Praises Start," "There is A Redeemer," "Make My Life a Prayer to You," and the powerful "Asleep in the Light."

For this week's Song of the Week, though, I'm choosing "I Pledge My Head to Heaven." It came from his album So You Wanna to Back to Egypt, which he offered through the mail for free or for what anyone could pay (Diane and I paid a donation and got ours).

Listen for the harmonica at the bridge. That's Bob Dylan, who spent some time at Keith Green's east Texas compound, Last Days Ministries. Shortly after, Dylan announced his commitment to Jesus as his Messiah and released the important album, Slow Train Coming (and the follow-up, Saved).

Here's "I Pledge My Head to Heaven"--

Well, I pledge my head to heaven for the Gospel,
And I ask no man on Earth to fill my needs.

Like the sparrow up above, I am enveloped in His love,
And I trust Him like those little ones, He feeds.

Well I pledge my wife to heaven, for the Gospel,
Though our love each passing day just seems to grow.

As I told her when we wed, I'd surely rather be found dead,
Than to love her more than the one who saved my soul.

I'm your child, and I want to be in your family forever.
I'm your child, and I'm going to follow you,
No matter whatever the cost, I'm gonna count all things lost.

Well I pledge my son to heaven for the gospel.
Though he's kicked and beaten, ridiculed and scorn.
I will teach him to rejoice, and lift a thankful praising voice,
And to be like Him who bore the nails and crown of thorns.

I'm your child, and I want to be in your family forever.
I'm your child, and I'm going to follow you,
No matter whatever the cost, I'm gonna count all things lost.
Oh no matter whatever the cost, I'm gonna count all things lost.

Well I've had the chance to gain the world, and to live just like a king,
But without your love, it doesn't mean a thing.

[Harmonica by Bob Dylan]

Oh no matter whatever the cost, I'm gonna count all things lost,
Oh no matter whatever the cost, I'm gonna count all things lost.

Well I pledge my son, I pledge my wife, I pledge my head to heaven,
I pledge my son, I pledge my wife, I pledge my head to heaven, for the gospel.

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The player for the featured "Song of the Week" can be found on the upper right corner of the weblog for one week.

Grand Cayman Braces for Hurricane Dean

It looks like Hurricane Dean will strike or at least brush Grand Cayman Monday morning as a Cat-5, with winds of 155 mph. In the photo accompanying this story, Grand Cayman is the little dot just to the left of "2am Monday." Most of you know I served as the pastor of First Baptist on Grand Cayman (1999-2003), so my thoughts and prayers this weekend are occupied with Beloved Isle Cayman. I'll be checking with Cayman Net News, which proved to be a reliable and up-to-the-minute source of information during and after Hurricane Ivan two years ago.

LeaderLines: “Nine Habits of Effective Churches”

We’re about to call 10,000 households within a 3-mile radius of our campus. Our aim is to identify 200 unchurched households that would like to get information about our church.

Now, what does it take attract unchurched people to a church -- and keep them? Thom Rainer found the answer to that question. Rainer is now the president of Lifeway Christian Resources, but while he was leading a research team a few years ago, he released a study called “Nine Habits of Churches that Reach and Keep the Unchurched.” It included surveys of more than 4,000 churches across 9 denominations ranging in attendance from 40 to 18,000, and it included interviews with more than 1,000 individuals. Baptist Press reported on the study here.

A highlight of the study was new research into what Rainer called the “formerly unchurched” -- that is, people who had become Christians within the previous 12 months and were active in church. Tapping into their opinions of what actually got them connected to a church is even more useful than simply interviewing unchurched persons abut what might get them into church. Finding out what made the “formerly unchurched” actually get involved in a church can help us be more effective with the 200 unchurched persons we’re about to uncover in our Connection Campaign.

Rainer’s team found nine habits of effective evangelistic churches. Let’s see how well we’ve built these habits into our church:

The Habit of Intentionality. Simply put, for a church to be successful it intentionally must be trying to reach the unchurched. That includes an explicit plan to share the gospel with them, but it can also include seemingly-trivial matters. Rainer said his research shows that people often picked a church for such reasons as restroom and nursery cleanliness. Some people even drove away from a church because it did not have adequate signage, and they therefore could not find the building entrance. Rainer’s research also shows that friendly greeters at a church’s entrance can have an enormously positive effect.

The Habit of Cultural Awareness. “The churches that reached the unchurched were highly intentional, but they [also] understood the culture,” Rainer said. “It does not mean they compromised with culture, but they understood culture. There are some things we can do to be culturally aware.”

The Habit of High Expectations. Rainer said there is a direct correlation between how much is demanded of a new member and how long the new member stays active in the church. “Churches that expect much receive much,” he said. “Churches that expect little receive little.” For example, the average retention rate is 72 percent in churches that require a membership class before accepting someone as a member, but only 35 percent among churches that just present people who walk up the aisle during an invitation song. It’s also important to challenge new people right away to belong to a small group, find a place of service, and bring their unchurched friends.

The Habit of Clear Doctrine. Rainer said the formerly unchurched told the researchers, “We want to hear about the doctrine on the front end. We’re not going to make a commitment to a church where you will tell us about what you believe later.” At our church, this happens through classes such as The Anchor Course and “Discover Hillcrest,” but it happens every week through sermons and Bible study discussions, too.

The Habit of Risk-Taking. “What we found was that churches that are reaching the unchurched do things that other churches do not,” Rainer said. “We see very few churches across America that truly act on faith -- not foolishness, but faith.” Among the effective churches, 83 percent of senior pastors could tell of a major task their church had undertaken. “The risk-taking attitude of these churches is obvious by their willingness to lose members,” Rainer said. “They do not make a decision based upon who might leave as a result of this. They make decisions more on: Who will we reach?”

The Habit of Dynamic Small Groups. Among the formerly unchurched, 68 percent are involved in a small-group Bible study, not just worship attendance. At our church, adults have two options for dynamic small groups: Sunday School at 9:30 or Common Ground at 10:30. It’s been my experience that new people who get involved in one of these two small-group options are much more likely to stay plugged in.

The Habit of Effective Leadership. “I cannot understate the importance of leadership in these churches,” Rainer said. “Once unchurched persons visited churches, they said the pastor and the preaching were the most important factors in their returning.” Longevity contributed to effectiveness at this point, too: The senior pastors of the effective churches had an average tenure of 10.3 years.

The Habit of Effective Preaching. Among effective churches, pastors spent an average of 20 hours a week on sermons -- including the task itself. Among ineffective churches, pastors spent an average of four hours. “That means that something has to give [in their schedule],” Rainer said. “What do they become? They became Acts 6 pastors. What do Acts 6 pastors do? They delegate and give away ministry [assignments].”

The Habit of Prayer. Rainer said that churches that prayed together and prayed often kept their new members.

Through our Connection Campaign, we’re going to identify 200 unchurched households who are interested in checking out our church. Examine your life and our church against Rainer’s list of the “habits” of effective churches reaching and keeping the unchurched. There are some things that we have solidly in place, and a few things we can work on. Let’s make sure all 9 habits are part of our routine by the time our Connection Campaign is over!
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Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter designed for church leaders. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.

Winning Ways: “Sunday’s Family Meeting"

We should make the same commitment to God that David made: “I will honor you as long as I live!” (Psalm 63:4, NLT.)

And that’s why we should improve our church facility.

“Wait a minute,” you say, “What do bricks and carpet and paint have to do with honoring God?” In Haggai, God actually says we should pay attention to the building where his Name is worshipped and where his Word is studied. God said that he wants to “take pleasure in it and be honored” (1:7).

Take pleasure in what? Be honored by what? An earthly facility.

In fact, in the days of Haggai God actually withheld his blessing from those who paid more attention to their own houses and businesses than they did to the place where he was worshipped (1:1-9).

So, the next time you exclaim, “I will honor God as long as I live!” don’t just think of music and preaching and tithing and service projects. God said part of honoring him involves paying attention to the building where we gather to learn about him and worship him.

We have fantastic space in a fantastic location, but our space needs some updating and upgrading. We’re going to discuss this work in a Hillcrest Family Meeting this Sunday night, August 19, 6:30pm. The process of renovation starts with identifying exactly what needs to be addressed. So, we’ll look at some photos taken by our First Impressions Team that identify areas of our church facility that need attention.

This church knows how to build. Within the last 10 years you renovated the multipurpose center, and you built a three-story education building. You were already at work updating and upgrading our campus before I got here. Let’s talk about what we should do next. Join me in the Worship Center this Sunday evening, 6:30pm.

Also, don’t forget to sign up for your part in the Connection Campaign! Our aim is to connect 200 unchurched families with the power of our God and the fellowship of our church. We need 50 callers, an army of prayer warriors, a platoon of greeters, and a brigade of follow-up visitors! Listen to last week’s sermon to learn more. And contact Herb Ingram to take your post in this great work!

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Each Wednesday I post my article from "Winning Ways," an e-newsletter that goes out to over 830 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "Winning Ways," sign up here.

Links to Your World--Tuesday August 14

10 ways to entertain young children for $1 or less (without the TV)

"There are at least three reasons that evangelicals are concerned about issues like abortion, sexual promiscuity and marriage," according to Bradford Wilcox in the WSJ.

Eileen Flynn introduces how the "emerging church movement" has impacted Austin's Christian community here. There's also a series of video interviews on three of the featured pastors here. My thoughts here.

In an exclusive survey of 1,011 people 50 and over, AARP sought to learn just what Americans in the second half of life think about life after death, and found them to be "downright conventional in their basic beliefs."

In this fascinating article, Fast Company magazine explains why changing personal and corporate behavior is so essential--and why it's so hard.

In "Jesus at the Movies," Mark Moring explains how to look for themes in your favorite movies that can take conversations to a higher level.

For moms about to rock: we salute you.

Why Conservatives Need to Learn the Art of Story. The article's about conservative thinkers in public policy, but it's applicable to conservative Christian leaders, too.

Richard Bewes has some clever advice for atheists.

Researchers say giving leads to a healthier, happier life.

History conference draws wide array of Baptists to celebrate diversity. In other news, a Harvard political scientist finds that diversity hurts civic life.

Cool, find out how your height compares with averages around the world.

J.I. Packer explains how baptism fuels your Christian growth.

Radley Balko explains why returning the abortion debate to the states is a good idea.

As the 2008 election looms Mark Pinsky asks, “Who speaks for evangelicals?”

This professor reminds us that, to understand scripture, you have to pay attention to the interpretive “rules” for different literary genres.

In last week's message, I referenced the R.E.M. music video, "Everybody Hurts." Here it is--



Have you read the previous posts this week? They include the "Song of the Week" ("Passionate Kisses" by Mary Chapin Carpenter), thoughts on the "emerging church movement," seven principles for every project, and a moment of stepping on my own toes. To keep up with the journal, sign up for e-mail updates or assign the feed to your news reader or Google Personalized Home Page.

Song of the Week: Mary Chapin Carpenter's "Passionate Kisses"

Lady Di has a birthday this Saturday. Here's a song that she'd sing if she went to this summer camp. From the 1992 album, Come On Come On, here's Mary Chapin Carpenter's cover of the Lucinda Williams song, "Passionate Kisses"--

Is it too much to ask
I want a comfortable bed that won't hurt my back
Food to fill me up
And warm clothes and all that stuff
Shouldn't I have this
Shouldn't I have this
Shouldn't I have all of this, and

Passionate kisses
Passionate kisses, whoa oh oh
Passionate kisses from you

Is it too much to demand
I want a full house and a rock and roll band
Pens that won't run out of ink
And cool quiet and time to think
Shouldn't I have this
Shouldn't I have this
Shouldn't I have all of this, and
Passionate kisses
Passionate kisses,
Passionate kisses from you

Do I want too much?
Am I going overboard to want that touch?
I shout it out to the night
"Give me what I deserve, 'cause it's my right"
Shouldn't I have this (shouldn't I)
Shouldn't I have this (shouldn't I)
Shouldn't I have all of this, and

Passionate kisses
Passionate kisses,
Passionate kisses from you
Passionate kisses
Passionate kisses,
Passionate kisses from you

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The player for the featured "Song of the Week" can be found on the upper right corner of the weblog for one week.

The Emerging Church: This Sunday's Statesman

Eileen Flynn is writing a report for this Sunday's Statesman about the emerging/emergent church movement. She asked for my comments, and I had to put some things together to be prepared for the interview. It was really my first time to give some real thought to the emergent movement. I mean, I've read books about it (starting with McLaren's "A New Kind of Christian" four years ago), as well as articles (most recently: Tony Jones' lecture at Wheaton). But in order to be of any use for Eileen's interview, I had to collect my thoughts. Here were some things I wrote down in a sort of rough outline, and I ended up sharing these thoughts in some form with her in today's interview.

I don't expect to see more than 1 or 2 quotes from our chat in the story. Her report isn't about Tom Goodman's take on the emerging church. Still, her request for some comments gave me a chance to think through an important issue that I've occasionally visited in the last 5 years. I'm looking forward to the story--

The emerging church movement is a label that covers a wide variety of approaches to church.

All of them are retooling expressions of worship to connect with people, especially unchurched young adults. These guys know how to put the hip in worship.

But some of them are doing more than revising our forms of worship and church structure. Sometimes after reading or listening to certain emergent church leaders, their ideas just sound to me like plain old liberalism with a soul patch.

When I read and listen to emerging church leaders, I see some things I like and some things that really concern me.

Among the things I like:

• They care passionately about seriously and substantively engaging with those who are not connected with church.
• They take postmodernism seriously, which is a worldview that Christians have to deal with.
• They believe in approaching people with humility and sensitivity.
• They want our culture to know that Christianity is not simply a voting bloc of the Republican Party.
• They are resistant to the neat and packaged, sometimes superficial, programming of Boomer-dominated congregations. In fact, in much of what I read, especially from guys like Rob Bell and Brian McLaren, it's a clear that they are reacting against their conservative evangelical upbringing.
• Many are reaching back to ancient practices.
• They want to experience the mystery and wonder of God, and not simply mouth statements about him.

But none of these things are unique to emerging churches. I could give plenty of examples of conservative evangelical churches who are interested in these same issues: notably, Tim Keller's Redeemer Church in New York.

Also--and more seriously--some of the key leaders of the emerging church movement are calling into question some of the most fundamental Biblical beliefs, or at least refusing to express where they stand on them. Basic things, such as, the reliability of the Bible, the atonement of the cross, the nature of Christ, and the meaning of heaven and hell.

Jude 1:3 speaks of our faith as that which was "once for all entrusted to God’s people." In a lecture Tony Jones gave at Wheaton, he said that such conviction about a settled and universal truth simply rings hollow based upon what postmodernism is teaching us. And in Generous Orthodoxy, Brian McLaren said, "We must continually be aware that the old, old story may not be the true, true story." He has said in an interview that his view of the Bible is that it is simply the story of people who had an experience with God, whereas the traditional understanding is that the Bible is an authoritative source for our beliefs, not just a deposit of inspiring stories.

I just think that when speaking of truth, we don't have to shrug to be humble.

In my class for seekers, based on my book, The Anchor Course, the fundamental truths of the faith are presented in a way that I think is humble, and I give lots of room for participants to ask questions and express their doubts. Emerging church leaders like to speak about reaching back to old and ancient practices. Well, there's nothing older, more ancient, and more global than the 1800 year old words of the Apostles Creed, which is what my book and seeker class is built around. There are so many things that I learn from these conversations, and so many lasting friendships that have started. And that can happen even though I'm expressing firm convictions about the faith that was once for all entrusted to God's people. So, you don't have to shrug your shoulders at truth in order to be humble in holding to it.

Actually, when I read some authors, it's clear that they are simply asking a bunch of legitimate questions -- questions that do have answers. And as I think about at least some of these particular leaders, I do feel hopeful that they will settle at last into that faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. It makes me think of that T.S. Eliot poem with the line:

The end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.

LeaderLines: Seven Principles for Every Project

Leadership is the art of mobilizing people for a common task. The Old Testament character, Nehemiah, is a great model of this kind of leadership. He led God’s people to rebuild the wall of his ravaged city, Jerusalem. In an article to pastors, Rick Warren identified seven key principles from the leadership of Nehemiah that can give us insight on how to handle our own ministry projects.

The principle of simplification. Warren wrote: “Nehemiah kept his plan simple. The simplest organizations are strong organizations.”

The principle of participation. In Nehemiah’s day, though he enlisted all kinds of people into the work, the leaders from Tekoa “refused to help." (Neh. 3:5). Nehemiah decided to simply ignore them and focus on those who were ready to work. “In every situation,” the Saddleback pastor said, “you’re going to have workers and shirkers. Nehemiah just ignored the latter and focused on those who were willing to work. He didn't lose sleep, get bitter, or waste time trying to corral them. If you're a leader, don’t worry about people who don't want to get involved. Focus on those people who want to get involved.”

The principle of delegation. After Nehemiah's pep rally when he got everyone excited, he then organized them into work parties to handle specific sections of the wall. Warren says that when you delegate:

Break down major goals into smaller tasks.
Develop clear job descriptions.
Match the right person with the right task.
Remember that “when something is everybody's responsibility nobody does it.”

The principle of motivation. When you organize any project, help people “own” it. In Nehemiah, you see again and again men making repairs near their houses. I imagine this gave them a greater degree of interest in seeing that the work was done, and done well.

The principle of cooperation. B.C. Forbes, the man who founded Forbes magazine, said, "You spell success: T-E-A-M-W-O-R-K." Cooperation is a key principle to good organization. This is true not only in business but in the church, Warren points out: “In the Bible, when referring to Christians in the church, the phrase ‘one another’ is used 58 times. It's as if God's saying, ‘Get the message! Help each other!’ There is tremendous power in cooperation.”

The principle of administration. Nehemiah was always walking around the project to inspect the work. As Warren says, “People do what you inspect not what you expect.”

The principle of appreciation. I’ve always been impressed at all the lists of names in Nehemiah’s book in the Bible. He cared enough to recognize these men and women for their work. As a leader, be sure to express thanks to the hard workers in your organization.

Put these seven biblical principles to work in your own leadership responsibilities and see what happens!
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Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter designed for church leaders. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.

Links to Your World--Tuesday August 7

Last Sunday I taught that Jesus is both willing and able to fix our broken world. If you want more study on the subject, check out “A Brief Primer on the Problem of Evil.” While all three explanations for evil have their place, I think most of the biblical writings deal with the author’s second defense (though it needs more explanation that he provided).

Not only is Austin ranked the best place for business; it's also ranked #3 in Forbes’ top cities for volunteering (story here; slide show here). Estimated percentage of the metro area population that volunteers annually: 38.1%

C’mon, you young married couples! Don’t be such slackers! Follow the lead of this couple and build the Hillcrest nursery!

Convert your golf swing to music and improve your game. (Music and golf: that’s “Gene Chappell heaven”!) But it still won’t help you hit like this.

“This was a ‘God is real’ event,” said the sister of a teenager who walked away from a six-story fall. But don’t tell Christopher Hitchens.

A Mormon edit of the Nicene Creed (HT: Evangelical Outpost).

Why those South Korean missionaries were in Afghanistan

Research Points to Single Origin of Humans (HT: Pure Church)

“When a church subscribes to Virtual Pastor, each person in a congregation helps "shape" their pastor by entering likes and dislikes into a response box during services. This live feedback is fed into the company’s servers and helps to change the pastor’s sermon topics, hair style and more in following weeks. The result is a pastor perfectly tailored to the will of the congregation.” (“Virtual Pastors please picky church-goers”)

The website for artist, and Christian, Makoto Fujimura.

Ten Ways to Make Sure You Stay Broke

America’s Strangest Laws

“Porn,” says Naomi Wolfe, “doesn’t whet men’s appetites--it turns them off the real thing.” In New York magazine, she said, “Young men and women are being taught what sex is, how it looks, what its etiquette and expectations are, by pornographic training--and this is having a huge effect on how they interact. But . . . the onslaught of porn is responsible for deadening male libido in relation to real women. . . . Today, real naked women are just bad porn.” The men of your Ministry Staff have x3watch on our computers, and we recommend it to you.

A sad (tongue-in-cheek) story: “The life of recent college graduate Jeremy Fahey was forever changed earlier this month when the once outgoing and carefree student succumbed to a job offer at a local insurance claims firm, an unforeseen and tragic event that will most likely keep him confined to an office chair for the rest of his life” (Caution: Some stories at The Onion can be offensive).

Have you read the previous posts this week? They include the "Song of the Week" ("Creation Dream" by Bruce Cockburn), a vacation trip that one of our Common Ground groups took together, what I hope to see in the next BGCT Executive Director, and photos from a recent work day at Mission:Possible. To keep up with the journal, sign up for e-mail updates or assign the feed to your news reader or Google Personalized Home Page.

Stepping on My Own Toes

I am preaching on Matthew 9:35-38 this week, where Jesus says, "Ask the Lord of the harvest to send forth workers into his harvest field." In preparation for that, I ran across a sermon I brought in 1989 at my first "full time" church. I was 28. It was on John 4, where Christ spoke to his disciples of the ready harvest following his talk with the Samaritan woman at the well.

The following section of the manuscript got me to thinking. I had been preaching and pastoring 10 years when I said this, and I sure hope it's still true these 18 year later:

Come join Jesus in the fields and you'll find yourself caught up in something much larger than yourself. You'll find yourself in something that began before you came along and will continue long after you're gone. You'll pick up where others have left off and leave your work for others to finish.

The further I go in the Christian ministry, the more comfortable I get with just being a part of this cosmic drama of redemption. The further I go, the less important it becomes that I be well-known, well-respected, well-demanded. I am growing more and more content to simply harvest what others before me have sown and to simply plant some small worthy seed that others after me can harvest.

In some circles, we speak of blunt preaching "stepping on toes." Now that this 46-year-old preacher has heard from his 28-year-old self, excuse me while I go soak my feet.

Song of the Week: Bruce Cockburn's "Creation Dream"

I love this song, "Creation Dream," from the 1979 album, Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws. If it's not obvious enough from the lyrics, in a 1986 interview Bruce Cockburn described his song as "a sort of vision of Christ singing the universe into being." It reminds me of the scene in C.S. Lewis's Narnia book, The Magician's Nephew, where Aslan the Lion sings Narnia into being. Cockburn envisions the sheer delight of Christ calling forth the creation. Don't you like the imagery of mercury waves flashing under Christ's feet like "shots of silver in the shell-pink dawn"?

Centred on silence
Counting on nothing
I saw you standing on the sea
And everything was
Dark except for
Sparks the wind struck from your hair
Sparks that turned to
Wings around you
Angel voices mixed with seabird cries
Fields of motion
Surging outward
Questions that contain their own replies...

You were dancing
I saw you dancing
Throwing your arms toward the sky
Fingers opening like flares
Stars were shooting everywhere
Lines of power
Bursting outward
Along the channels of your song
Mercury waves flashed
Under your feet
Shots of silver in the shell-pink dawn . . .

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The player for the "Song of the Week" will be on the upper right corner of the website for one week.

LeaderLines: “Freestyling with the Holy Spirit”

I asked Susan Steedley to write up a report of the special weekend her Common Ground group enjoyed. Here it is--

What started out as a 2 families wanting to get away for the weekend turned into a great time of fellowship of most of our Common Ground Group: five families enjoyed 4 full days together at Lake Buchanan. We played group games altogether--100% participation with all kids & adults--very nice interaction and much laughter! All ages enjoyed the time all the same, not to mention a whole lot of great food!

All the guys (except Jonathan & Sean) went on the men’s golf outing on Friday -- all ten of them and then on to the local Burnet BBQ joint. A great time was had by all. Most likely some repeat sermon topics were discovered during that day--like anger, patience, anxiety, and joy!! The girls had our outing to Burnet on Saturday for lunch and shopping and then poolside at the Smith’s “Resort” without kids!

One of the many highlights was our Common Ground Group on Sunday morning -- 20 lawn chairs gathered together lakeside. We sang songs, read the day’s scriptures and discussed our CG Guide. It was neat for the kids to see our group in action. Discussion was a little more sparse than usual with the kids around, but still a great opportunity to have a small group all together. We ended our session with prayer and one more round of the weekend’s “Pam’s now-famous Word Game,” using Bible characters, then off to jump in the lake.

It was a very special time with good friends, fellowship, food and bonding. It definitely took the group to the next level. Thanks to Tom and Herb for your support of this activity – I believe it hit all of us when we needed it: No fronts -- just friendship! The weekend was full of one of my phrases lately, “freestyling with the Holy Spirit!”

What a fantastic report! It’s a joy to hear how our Common Ground groups and Sunday School classes are building fellowship like this! Remember that this is one of the ways we grow in Christ: Part of the H.I.L.L. we’re meant to climb includes the call to “Love the Fellowship for Life.”

Be sure to look for ways to get your Sunday School class or Common Ground group together in other settings, not just Sunday morning at the church building. The Common Ground experience is especially suited for this. Herb and I designed Common Ground to be a very portable experience, especially if you don’t need to use our childcare ministry.

Think of all the ways that you can use the Common Ground discussion guides to build a small-group ministry:

• Even if your group normally meets around your table in the gym after the first service, occasionally your group could meet at someone’s house after the first service. Have someone provide brunch, distribute the discussion guides, and have a leisurely chat. If you try this option, be sure to plan for your kids because you’ll need to take them offsite with you. Also, make sure to let Herb know you’re meeting offsite.



• You don’t have to attend the first service to form a Common Ground group. If you prefer to attend the second service, you can form a Common Ground group that meets on a weeknight to discuss the pulpit Bible study. You’d have to arrange childcare yourself, but a weeknight meeting at your house could be a great outreach tool. A Common Ground group like this could even be made up of people from both services.



• Here’s a third option: you could listen to the sermon together as a group online and then discuss it—I know of at least one small group that does that. (In China!) For some, the half-hour listening session would be a review of the sermon they heard at the service they attended. For others (like first-time guests to your group), listening to the audio file would be the first time to hear the pulpit Bible study. After the listening session, use the Common Ground guide to lead a discussion. The Common Ground guides are available online: just print enough for your group.

Just remember, a Common Ground group discussion is most effective as a reflection time on the sermon, so you’ll need to organize your group in such a way that they can hear the week’s sermon before discussing it. Also, if you meet as a group offsite, you need to stay accountable to your church. You do this by working with Herb on group leadership, and also by turning in a weekly attendance roll to Herb.

Our thanks to Susan and the rest of her Common Ground table! They’ve demonstrated an important step to deeper fellowship: Follow their lead!
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Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter designed for church leaders. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.

Characteristics of the next BGCT Executive Director

Last night there was a "listening session" in Austin for people to discuss the process of finding a new BGCT Executive Director. I missed the meeting, but I'll throw in my two-cents here:

I'm looking for someone who doesn't see the SBC as the enemy.

Someone famously said, "If India is the most religious nation on earth and Sweden the least, America has been a nation of Indians run by Swedes." My take on the BGCT is that it's a state convention of people affiliated with the SBC led by people affiliated with the CBF. That has to change if the BGCT wants the next Executive Director to be most like the people he or she will represent.

More to the point, that has to change if the BGCT expects Hillcrest to remain in the fold.