“Worship Theory” just hit the net again, this time in the Author’s Corner at 20-20 Faith Sight. Find out some background information on the book (and me), and check out the other authors highlighted there.
Thanks to Sheryl Young, another Christian author who is completing these blog-based interviews.
One thing I do a lot of is reading. I also like to put book reviews here on this site. I don’t usually do what I’m doing here, though, and that’s talking about a book that has just hit shelves, and I haven’t read it yet.
“The Christian Atheist” is written by Craig Groeschel, pastor of multi-site and internet church, Life Church (www.lifechurch.tv). In the promotional material I’ve seen online today, Craig calls himself a “recovering Christian Atheist”. At the bottom of the post you can watch a promo by Craig on the book.
The concept for “The Christian Atheist” is that an overwhelming percentage of North Americans claim to be Christian. But do they really live as if they believe God exists and salvation is found in Christ? We hear it, read it, repeat it, but are those who profess Christ (“Christians”) who live as though God does not exist (“atheists”)?
My Dad told me about a book he picked up by a popular author. He started reading it and almost put it aside because it challenged and convicted him. I expect “The Christian Atheist” to have the same effect on us as we read it. Of course, if we can’t be convicted by the truth, we’ve got a deeper problem, right? Not everyone goes looking for a challenging word, but I think we as the people of God might want to start.
If you’ve picked up the book and read it, leave your comments here, or post a review at: www.christianbooklounge.com.
You can get more information, check out the blog and download a sample chapter at: www.christianatheist.com.
And now, the clip from Craig Groeschel:
Have you ever wondered what the phrase “multi-site church” really means? Maybe you’ve heard and thought it might be something that you’d like to employ in your own church. I didn’t know much about it, and then I saw this video (below) that led me to the book A Multi-Site Church Road Trip. Take a look at this clip. If your interest is piqued, click the link to read my review of the book.
Continue reading “Book Review: A Multi-Site Church Roadtrip”
If you check the block on the sidebar, you see that I’m reading a book on leadership. Well, I’ve tried not to do it too often lately, but I’m suddenly in the middle of another book at the same time. I picked up Francis Chan’s “Forgotten God” and happened to crack it open while waiting for a vehicle inspection on Thursday. I haven’t been able to stay away from it.
As usual, I’ll have a book review on it when I finish reading it. But the title alone begs for comment. How guilty are we of “forgetting” God?
Sunday the 24th we finished the “Life’s Healing Choices” series at our church. LHC was produced by Rick Warren and the Purpose-Driven crew, based around the book by John Baker. The series takes you through eight choices that, when put in place, help us find “freedom from hurts, hang-ups and habits.”
I heard about LHC through Rick Warren’s regular e-newsletter. It wasn’t long after first hearing about it that I felt we needed to bring LHC to our church. As assistant pastor I often recommend ideas to the senior pastor, and I put this one to him as soon as I felt confident of the need. A day later I received an email from him stating that he had seen something about it and was already considering LHC for the fall. With my email it became plain that God was leading us in this direction. We did have one hurdle to LHC. We were in the middle of a home group program we devised that was supposed to relaunch that fall. It was not a light decision to forego that program for LHC.
As we prepared to launch LHC, we announced it every Sunday, made 11 x 17 posters, hung a banner on the front wall of the sanctuary, put it on the website, and made special bulletins. We went all out. We announced that God was leading the leadership of the church to this program to help with some of the major issues in our local body. We announced that it was so important that other programs we were dedicated to would take a back seat to what God had led us to for the fall.
I received a call from the pastor just the other day. He mentioned an email he received this week from a member of our church. As the sermon closed on Sunday, this person realized that LHC was over, and they had missed the opportunity to really listen and respond because they had attended with no expectation. Now they were in a place where they wished they had listened and participated. Thankfully we have a plan to revisit LHC in the near future, and we keep recent sermons available to listen to online and on iTunes. But for this person the first crack at LHC had blown by without impact.
Sunday is right in front of us. What attitude will you bring to the table? What are you prepared to hear? Are you prepared at all for what is coming as you enter God’s house?
Do not let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity pass you by. For the hour or two that you will spend inside those doors, the music, the sermon, the altar call will only fit together in this way this one time. God will bring something new next week. But for this Sunday, He has put together a particular message for your heart. Will you be attentive? Will you heed what is placed before you? Or will you walk out unchanged, missing the point, only to find out later that you needed what was given that day? The choice is before you. Hopefully you get this warning in time.
God tells us in Scripture, “Be holy, for I am holy.” Many of us struggle each and every day with what it means to be holy. Do we follow a list of do’s and dont’s? If so, whose list do we follow? If not, how do we live holy? “The Pursuit of Holiness” by Jerry Bridges helps answer these questions and does from a realistic and Scripture viewpoint.
Continue reading ‘“The Pursuit of Holiness” by Jerry Bridges’
(This link takes you to a different site, the Christian Book Lounge)
Chris MacKinnon 