Be a Better Communicator

Communicating for a Change by Andy Stanley is what I needed to read back in seminary where I first learned how to preach. (Although I had Dr. Glenn Nielsen and he was awesome and put me on the right track!)

Stanley gives you the inside look on how he crafts his messages in order to provide the environment for the Holy Spirit to produce life change in his hearers. Preaching isn't about information dump; it's about producing change in people's lives and I totally line up with Stanley on that one. I just need to be better at it. If you (or your pastor) needs improvement, pick up this book.

The first half of the book is a narrative parable that imagines a conversation between a preacher and a skilled preacher (who doesn't have a church but shares his faith very effectively). The second half of the book gives you the teaching and practical advice as if you were having a cup of coffee with Andy.

I got this book Thursday and couldn't put it down! I finished it Friday night while watching the Olympic opening ceremonies. It's an easy read but I have a feeling it will be tougher to follow thru because it means changing and adjusting my preaching. But it's worth it. It's not about me but it's about what people do on Monday after they hear and internalize the message from Sunday.

How Would You Like to Change Anything

How would you get a tribe in Africa to filter their water in order to save their lives from a devasting parasite?

How would you get people to behave differently in order to eradicate the HIV virus?

How would you help 4 million people emerge from their poverty?

How would you change the culture of a business, church, lifestyle...anything?

I know what doesn't work: preaching at people.

I just finished the book "Influencer" and it was a great book on influencing change in any aspect of life. The book outlines 6 pieces of influencing change and all these must be initiated in order to facilitate any sort of change:

-Make the Undesirable Desirable
-Surpass Your Limits
-Harness Peer Pressure
-Find Strength in Numbers
-Design Rewards and Demand Accountability
-Change the Environment

The book was an easy read and the authors walk you through each of these concepts with ease. They also provide real-life examples that any leader, or I should say influencer, can relate to.

Power quote:
"Practice DOESN'T make perfect. PERFECT practice makes perfect."

Profiles in Courage by JFK

This book gave me a deeper background of what courage with leadership means. I'm always drawn to the little guy rising up against the "big dogs" and winning.

It's also nice to read something biographical for a change.

My favorite quote:

"In whatever arena of life one may meet the challenge of coursage whatever may be the sacrifices he faces if he follows his conscience - the loss of friends, his fortune, his contentment, even the esteem of his fellow men - each man must decide for himself the course he will follow."

Going to the Bathroom Has Never Been So Dangerous

Finished a book called "Bathroom Crime Puzzles". I bought it last year while I was in Houston, TX at a great bookstore called "Half Priced Books". (Here is yet another store I found that I can lose all my money in. It's kind of like Amazon.com but I get instant gratification after I buy the books.)
As you might have guessed, I read the short mystery crime puzzles and solved them while "taking care of business". It was a challenging read and took me a whole year to get through. At least I know that I'm not supposed to be a crime detective!

Desperate Pastors Wives

Mimi is looking for peace. Felicia is looking for fulfillment. Jennifer is desperate for faith. Lisa is desperate for love. 4 women, all pastor's wives, get together and talk about the frustrations of being the wives of pastors.

This is a very insightful and humurous book about the challenges of being a pastor's wife. I would highly encourage a pastor and their wife to read this book together and laugh with it and have a heart-to-heart about what's really going on in their marriage.

And, I would highly recommend parishioners of congregations to read this book and gain insight into the challenges of being the wife of a pastor who is often overlooked and whose voice is unheard.

I Became a Christian and All I Got Was This Lousy T Shirt

A few weeks ago, my church began small groups using this book. It has been amazing to hear about the lives being changed. People are beginning to view Trinity as a relevant church walking with people through their pain and struggles. It's really exciting to be a part of people's lives!

The book is fun, pushes the "traditional church" envelope, and helps you rediscover the passion of being a Christian.

Check out the website:

www.lousytshirtbook.com

Bookworm

This past month, I've read a lot. Here's an update:

"Creating Congregations of Generous People" by Michael Durall
-this book was a great read and helps leaders out of the 'pit of despair' when we face stewardship drives and raising money in the church. remember, it's not about money: it's about vision

"Prayerwalking" by Hawthorne and Kendrick
-the first chapter set the stage and the rest of the book has anecdotal stories to backup the premise. we've done prayerwalking at our church and it's very easy and effective!

"The Big Idea" by Dave Ferguson
-i would love to implement the idea of this book. we get bombarded with hundreds of messages at church and it's tough for anyone to come away from church with a central theme. this book helps to focus on a central theme for a sunday and everything else (programs, small groups, sunday school, etc) revolves around that one theme.

and my favorite one of them all...

"I Became A Christian and All I Got Was This Lousy T Shirt" by Antonucci
-right now, i'm challenging my church to read this book. it helps to recapture the freshness and energy and dynamic life that we christians first lived when we became a christian. it also helps a new christian to realize that the christian life isn't all rosy all the time.

Latest Book Read: The Mind Map Book by Tony Buzan (1993)

A very cool book! I was exposed to mind-mapping by Ed Young, pastor out of Texas. I have been using it for about a year to help me prepare and deliver sermons and it is a great tool! It uses the premise of free-association to help prepare and organize various thoughts about a subject. It saves time, emphasizes key words, and emphasizes new discoveries than linear notes would allow you to do.

It's much more complicated than what I can put in a blog and I'm sure I don't have it all down yet. But, mind-mapping has helped me to take a mental "picture" of any presentation and sermon and deliver key thoughts, images and stories without stumbling over a linear 5 page written essary.

If you're curious about mind-mapping, check out these links below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_map

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlabrWv25qQ

The Golden Compass

I just finished reading "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman. It was hyped up as a book on par with Tolkein and C.S. Lewis' writings. I totally disagree. The storyline didn't capture me and it took me a while to get into it.

I have also heard many comments about how 'anti-Christian' and 'anti-God' that the book is. Actually, I think it's 'anti-Catholic church' more than anything. And let's face it: there are problems not only in the Catholic church but in all churches. If there's people in church, then there's problems.

This book brings some of those problems to light and I think we need to face those problems and not ignore them or 'pooh-pooh' them.

This book does rewrite the Genesis 1-3 Creation and Temptation scene from the Bible, but it is a work of fantasy and as long as I know the real story, I think it's ok to dream a bit.

I wouldn't recommend this book. But, if you're going to bash the movie or the book, you should read it cover-to-cover before you hold a opinion on it. (Nothing frustrates me more than people who have opinions on something and they don't check it out for themselves first!).

Oh yeah, I almost forgot: I'll be preaching on this book/movie on February 10, 2008, so if you are in town and want to hear more, c'mon out.