John Muir
Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.
Book Review – The Connecting Church 2.0 by Randy Frazee
This week, I finished reading one of the best books on church growth and discipleship that I’ve found. It’s called The Connecting Church 2.0, by Randy Frazee.
I really didn’t know what to think about the book when a friend sent it to me to review. My only knowledge of the author is from The Story, a comprehensive look at the Bible as a whole, which our church is journeying through right now. Really, all I knew about Frazee is that he is on staff with Max Lucado at Oak Hills Church, in San Antonio.
But as I read more and more of The Connecting Church 2.0, I grew more and more excited. His premise, originally written ten years ago and recently updated and revised in 2.0, is that the church has to move beyond small groups, or any of the other standard attempts we’ve made in the past few decades to grow. Frazee makes a solid case for biblical community.
This excites me for two reasons. First, I’ve seen the positive effects of community personally. I know it works. I’ve seen it. And if an entire church body catches the vision for biblical community, the possibilities are enormous!
The second reason this excites me is because it’s biblical. For too long, I think we’ve permitted culture to dictate how we do church in America. It’s time we accept that the early church did things they way they did them for a reason. They didn’t just get lucky and find a method that helped them grow. No, they had the help of the Holy Spirit. Biblical community was God’s idea, making it the best idea. Perhaps we should stretch ourselves out of our comfort zones and give it a try.
Coffee Break – 03.11.2013
A Field Guide To Caffeinating Yourself Into Oblivion (Infographic) – This visual reference graphic for the amounts of caffeine in various forms of coffee may come in handy one day. You never know when you will need to know facts like these…
A Matchstick Monastery – People who have the patience to do this kind of thing amaze me. I can get about as far as a matchstick figure of a monk. Maybe.
How Keys Work – We just had all new locks and door hardware installed at the church. In the process, everything was re-keyed. This animated image gives a great presentation of how keys work in locks.
Landscapes: Volume 3 – Outdoor photography fascinates me. Images of creation can be stunning. And the fact that God created this playground with us in mind humbles me. These shots are more examples of just how beautiful our earth can be.
7 Ways To Do A Bad Word Study – It sometimes can be difficult to convey the meaning of 2000 year old writings, in Greek, to a 21st century audience, in English. We often have to do word studies. But be careful of falling into these common traps when doing so.
Were They Drowning? – When Jesus slept while the disciples battle the boat across the Sea of Galilee during a storm, Mark writes that they were drowning. In this article, Bill Mounce, who helped translate the ESV and the NIV, takes a close look at this story. Prepare to be amazed all over again at the power of the Son of God displayed here.
Unholiness in a preacher’s life will either stop his mouth from reproving, or the people’s ears from receiving. – William Gurnall
Memorize Scripture: 1 Timothy 1:20
Paul wraps up chapter one with a short phrase that doesn’t seem to be of much consequence. But as we unpack it, we see that there is a lot going on in this verse. It’s the final piece of the of his encouragement to Timothy in this chapter to stand strong. Take a look at it in 1 Timothy 1:20:
There are three phrases in this verse that bear a look.
The first phrase mentions two men who have shipwrecked their faith: Hymenaeus and Alexander. Who were these two men? There’s not a lot of information to go on, but the name Hymenaeus is mentioned again in 2 Timothy 2:17, where his error is mentioned: he apparently taught that the resurrection was already past. He probably spiritualized it, and related it to a person’s conversion, perhaps even denying a bodily resurrection. Whatever the case, it was serious.
Alexander is the other man mentioned. This is a pretty common name, listed again in Acts 19 and in 2 Timothy 4:14. It’s not clear if either of these other two mentions refer to the same man Paul is talking about in this passage.
What seems to be certain is that these two men were probably leaders in the area Timothy was working, perhaps even elders in the church. That makes their errors significant.
Eternity will be too short fully to recount His praise. Let us not shorten our joy by neglecting to begin on earth.
Henry Law
Book Review – Next Door Savior by Max Lucado
Some of the first books I ever read to build my spiritual life were books by Max Lucado. For a long time, he was one of my favorite authors. His more recent works have been slightly disappointing, and have left me feeling like there could have been more.
However, Next Door Savior is not like that. This book was very encouraging, and reading it felt like some of the older books by Lucado that I enjoyed so much.
Next Door Savior is simple in concept. The gospels give us several impressions of Christ, but two distinct characteristics stand out: He was God. And he was man.
So how in the world do we mix those two ideas, that are opposite in almost every way? Lucado answers that question and more in Next Door Savior. Looking at several events in the life and ministry of Jesus, he shows just how close Christ was to us as humans, and yet how extraordinary he was as God in the flesh.
Next Door Savior is divided into two sections. The first is No Person He Won’t Touch. In these chapters, Lucado looks at the people Christ touched, and made a difference in their lives, such as the discouraged, the suffering, the spiritually weary. And if Christ can change these lives in the Bible, he can touch us in the same ways, helping us through our difficult times.
The second half of the book is called No Place He Won’t Go, and shifts from the people Christ touched to the places Christ went. Lucado writes about such places as the ordinary, the unexpected, the stormy places that Christ visited. And he shows how Jesus wants to visit us in our own difficult places as well.
I was very encouraged by reading Next Door Savior. This book came into my hands just when I needed to be reminded of Christ’s ability and willingness to step into my life and lift me up, time after time.
I loved the book, and was helped tremendously by reading it. I recommend you pick up a copy and read it. You’ll be reminded just how close to home God really is.
Have you read any of Max Lucado’s works? If so, which was your favorite? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
If you are interested in reading next Door Savior, by Max Lucado, you can purchase it at Amazon.com in print or for Kindle.
Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze blogger review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links”. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.“
Think On These Things… Whatever Is Noble
We have to be extremely careful with our thoughts. They tend to pop out in our words and actions. Some people are adept at hiding their thoughts from most of the rest of us. But most of us can’t do that all the time. In fact, for those who know us best, our thoughts are written across our face.
We need to avoid certain actions, locations, books, magazines, movies and other things that contribute to our though life if they contribute to negativity in our minds, if they lead to evil thoughts.
In Philippians 4:8-9, Paul gives us some direction on how to direct our thoughts. First, he tells us to think about things that are true. But next, he instructs us to think about things that are noble.
If you are like me, nobility is a vague notion in my mind. Just what does it mean?
Dictionary.com lists several different definitions for the word noble:
- distinguished by rank or title.
- pertaining to persons so distinguished.
- of, belonging to, or constituting a heredity class that has special social or political status in a country or state; of or pertaining to the aristocracy.
I’m pretty sure none of those really fit what Paul is trying to say here. But dictionary.com goes on to list a fourth definition:
- of an exalted moral or mental character or excellence: a noble thought.
That seems more likely. But it still doesn’t really tell me what noble means.