Book Review: Communicating for a Change
Author/s: Andy Stanley with Lane Jones
How I Heard About the Book: I heard about this book through a fellow youth pastor-friend who recommended the book. He and I both were talking about preaching in “big church” vs. preaching in other constructs (youth sermons, seminars, etc.). He referred me to Stanley’s book as a good, practical guide to framing content into a logical, flow-based message. Andy Stanley is the pastor of North Point Community Church, meeting in various points in Atlanta. He also is the son of Dr. Charles Stanley, long-time pastor of First Baptist Church in Atlanta.
Synopsis of the Book: The book is extremely neat and novel in presentation, with Jones taking the first part of the book and using it as a narrative story following the exploits of a struggling pastor who has an encounter with someone who begins to change his paradigm regarding preaching. Then in Section 2, Stanley drills down on some preaching principles that he maintains are essential for preaching for life change. Included in the narrative and in the “drill down” is a focus on clarity and making one over-arching point well, rather than a bunch of points that while good, may not be memorable and could actually serve as “fog” rather than clear skies. Both Stanley and Jones are able to write about difficult issues in a practical way that leaves the reader without the excuse of “I couldn’t understand it.”
Why You Should Buy: I think this book is worth buying not just for preachers or those wishing to preach. Communication happens in many different areas of church-life (Sunday School lessons, small groups, etc.), and this book is a great tool to enhance and aid those areas in addition to sermons. But boy does it say something about sermons! The book is both challenging and comforting. You don’t have to agree with everything Stanley endorses to benefit from the book. I have been grateful to benefit from it for a number of years now. It will be a book that I have on my “re-read” shelf; one that along with books like Desiring God or Simple Church, I’ll re-read over time to refresh and familiarize myself with the ground-breaking stuff presented.
Jason
Next Week’s Book: Rediscovering Church by Bill and Lynne Hybels
Who Are We: Messy, Chaotic, Frustrating…and I’m Learning to Love it!
If you take the first part of the title, you may have different things/people/places come into your mind. Perhaps you have thought of:
-Your gym workouts (or is that just me?)
-Taking kids on a picnic.
-Your commute to work.
-Quiet Times with God in the midst of taking care of a newborn.
My guess is that if any of those came to mind, I’d immediately state you would be right. But unfortunately, I’m talking about something and some people much more intricate and complex than those situations above.
I’m talking about the church.
Our church. And your church.
Don’t get me wrong. I love my church (Southway Community Church). I love Southway for who she is, and who she is becoming. I love the history of Southway, and praise God for it. I have learned much about following Christ by joining up with the Southway family, lessons learned both the easy way and the hard way.
What I mean is that church life, or living life together in the light of God, can be messy. It can be frustrating (Planners meeting with non-planners, un-structured meeting with structured). And when there are abrupt changes of plans it can be chaotic. And if we don’t pursue it intentionally, we will veer away from it; to things easier to manage, handle, or plan. One of our Core Values at Southway is Biblical Community. It reads:
Biblical Community
We define biblical community as “Living life together in the light of God.” Due to this definition, we desire to see a group of people being transparent, vulnerable, and authentic about who they are and where they are in their relationship with Jesus and with others; a people not afraid of challenge and accountability-but rather desiring it. Biblical community is seen through a people who have been and are being transformed by the power of the Gospel and are embodying the Gospel as they live life together. (Acts 2:42-47, 1 Corinthians 12)
“Sure Jason, that’s a good ideal, but how does this value play itself out?”
-It’s taking part in all aspects of church life; Sunday worship, gathering in small groups, serving on a team with people; calling folks out, encouraging them, basically obeying 1 Thessalonians 5. It’s not forsaking assembling together like Hebrews talks about. Here are a couple of ways that you can invest in this area:
-Look at your life not just for the ways in which God changes you, but in how God changes you so your story can be used to shape and change others; like me.
-Bring your “a” game to times when the church gathers either in large groups like Sunday worship or small Bible study groups that meet at church property or away from it. Invest in people for the glory of God and your own good. This means commit if you aren’t sure, and re-commit if you have grown lax. We need you. And yes, I need you.
-When you are called out; remember that it’s for your good not for punishment. Christ has taken all our punishment for us. Now, God uses us to discipline one another for His glory. And I need that too.
Jason
Sunday Summary: Love Languages
We entered into week 5 of our Marriage Matters series this past Sunday with a look at communication. Whether we have a lot of money or not, we are all rich in words. We can say them, write them, text them, tweet them, Facebook them, …… you get the point. And once they are used, they are used. You can’t take them back, no matter if you say “I take that back.” How will we use this resource; whether married or single?
We can only use to build up or tear down (and no, temporary tear-downs for long term building up is NOT tearing down). If one is looking for a graduate course in communication, look no further than Proverbs. (18:4, 18:20-21, 4:24, 6:12, 16:21, 29:20 to name a few). But in case you are more New Testament, consider Paul’s epistles (Colossians 3:8, Ephesians 5:4, 4:25, 29, 4:15)
In the end, we must evaluate how we communicate through the grid of the Gospel; asking ourselves, “Does this should like what Jesus would say through me?”
Some helpful hints along the way: -Think before you talk/ Seek God before you speak/ Remember that less words equals more impact.
Jason
Amidst All the Chatter: Honor People
I have the privilege of working part-time for the Pearland YMCA (now known as ‘the Y’). I work the early (aka criminally early) shift in the wellness center from 415-830 a.m. Most of the people I see fall into one of two camps: the hardcores and the seniors.
The hardcores are the ones who wake up during the 3 a.m. hour to get to the Y before (and in one case after) work begins. I’ll pull into the Y parking lot anywhere from 355 to 405 a.m. And we always have at least one car waiting for us to open up! We have moms and hairdressers, nurses and engineers who work out during the 4-6 a.m. slot. The seniors are; well the senior citizens who are exercising for their health, and exercising their jaws in chatting. A good group of people! And for sure, there’s overlap. We have some hardcore seniors that are there every day without fail.
Amidst the machines, the bikes, treadmills, ellipticals, and free weights, there are also televisions with people spouting off opinions on this-and-that. And the chatter on the screen leads to chatter among the people. At one point, the Y was divided between CNN lovers vs. FOX lovers. The division got to the point that there had to be an every-other day policy about what channel would be featured on the main lobby tv. With this season in our country’s life; an election year, the chatter routinely centers around or returns to politics.
Everyone has an opinion about who should lead and what they should do to get America working again. We have the classic positions of well-defined liberal (both moral issues and financial issues) and well-defined conservative (both morally conservative and fiscally conservative) with various stripes in between.
The one thing I’ve noticed from the Y chatter that is different than what I see on tv, or even at other “talk sessions” is the deference for one another. Even people who disagree vehemently on issues can and do openly like the person they disagree with. They are showing honor to the person even when they can’t stand the position that person takes!
I think that is biblical. And there’s not necessarily one passage; but several that show this attitude and action. They are commonly known as the “one another” passages. And while they are referring to instances regarding how God’s people are to interact with God’s people, I think that the attitude of honoring one another is attractive to those inside the church AND outside.
Think about it: How in the world can people of all different political and cultural stripes come together under a common goal? We see this in the church; as God is making a people from all parts of the world unified under the cross.
I want to honor those who are worthy of honor…………and those who aren’t.
Jason
Book Review: What Was I Thinking?
Title: What Was I Thinking? Things I Have Learned Since Knowing It All
Author/s: Steve Brown
How I Heard About the Book: I first heard of Steve Brown by watching a show he did with Tony Campolo on the Odyssey Network called “Hashing it Out.” Steve would normally take the conservative point and Tony the liberal one. Yet, even amidst their disagreements, (in which they were frequent and intense), they were not just cordial at the end, they were loving. I was greatly impressed upon by them both the need to be civil and kind even in the midst of disagreements. That was 21 years ago, and left an indelible mark on me. While perusing the books at Mardel (great store!), I came across this book by Brown.
Synopsis of the Book: Nicknamed “The Old White Guy,” Brown mocks his own standing as a former pastor and current seminary professor (Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando) with the subtitle. Brown is also the featured teacher on the “Key Life” radio program, and mentions that in his written journey as a key way of the change process for him. Brown writes much like he speaks, which I prefer, and does a great job of calling folks out and calling himself out.
Brown takes us through a personal journey through his years in ministry and validates some things, and shows mid-course correction in others. While affirming orthodox, evangelical, largely Reformed theology, Brown admits that he was wrong about some things; from my guess in applying the theology to life situations. With chapter titles such as “God is a lot bigger than I thought he was,” and “Jesus is a lot more radical than I thought he was,” Brown states his case for how these facts have changed him.
Why You Should Buy: Very seldom does one get a chance to peer into the mind of an elder statesman who is very much “still in the game” in terms of ministry church life. Brown is accessible and challenging, and I recommend this book for anyone looking to gain needed perspective on God and matters of faith.
Jason
Next Week’s Book: Communicating for a Change by Stanley and Jones
Who We Are: Courageous
I was invited to go sky-diving once.
Once.
I politely declined, and have not had the opportunity afforded me since. And, should I be invited again, I’m fairly certain I will decline once more. I’m not a risk taker nor would I classify myself as courageous. I’m by nature over-analytical and wanting to know every option or potential wrong that happens before getting into a situation, project, mission trip, or something like a sky-diving expedition.
Yet, when I read the Bible, the people of God run into one unavoidable, undeniable outworking of them being the people of God. They are correctly courageous. They are by their very identity risk-takers.
And we know the stories:
-Noah: Builds an ark even though the threat of rain is so remote. Will God come through like Noah stated?
-Abraham: Isaac anyone?
-Moses: Leads God’s people through a harrowing journey that was filled with risk.
-David: Forget Goliath, what about that lion and bear he killed while with the sheep?
-Paul: Listen to Paul’s description: 23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 2 Corinthians 11:23-25 ESV
-Most of the disciples: Killed for their faith, and John, who wasn’t martyred, was boiled in oil in his captors’ hopes he WOULD die.
And there are many other examples of risk that you may be thinking of (Gideon, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego) that I haven’t mentioned here due to space. My point is this: We, as the people of God, are called into a lifestyle of “correct courage.”
I once heard a pastor say a startling sentence. “We can risk, because God does not. He knows all. We don’t. Therefore, we risk.”
We can’t avoid risk if we wanted to though. There are too many items needing our courage. “Correct courage” is not like jumping out of an airplane without a parachute and expecting God to bless such an action. But even in walking through a neighborhood, there is risk. Or, what about walking across an aisle of chairs in the worship center with the aim of greeting the new guest? Or, what about…..
-The risk of getting hurt by a brother or sister in Christ as we share life together?
-The risk of getting rejected by someone when we share the Gospel with them?
-The risk of getting harmed while on a short-term mission trip?
All of these are real risks requiring correct courage.. They could turn out as someone hurting you as you share life together. Many of us have unfortunately had that happen to us (and vice versa). We are assured that not all will receive and respond to the Gospel in favorable ways. (Jesus said that there will be people who hate our message) And it may not be just luggage we lose while on a short-term mission trip.
Yet, there is a deeper risk that we take by NOT taking risks. The risk of disobedience. And the more I think about that risk, it’s one I’m increasing not wanting to take anymore. Hence our Core Value of Ministry Courage:
Ministry Courage
We value the fact that God calls us to take great risks in ministry ventures as we seek to proclaim His Gospel to our world. We further understand that ministry courage is not something that can be manufactured apart from the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 4)
Jason
Jason
Sunday Summary: The Wish for Women
This past Sunday, we took a look at perhaps the hardest perpetual issue facing Christian marriages; the issue of submission. What does it mean for a wife to submit to her. It’s a subject loaded with controversy; most of which has been created by caricatures of what submission is:
-Husband: Honey, I want a flat-screen. Wife: How are our finances? Husband: DON’T WORRY ABOUT THIS, SUBMIT!
-Wife: Dear, I’m concerned about how much time you are at work. Husband: I’M TRYING TO PROVIDE HERE! SUBMIT!
Is submission played out as wife=doormat and husband=king? Most certainly no.
Submission is a voluntary yielding of desire from one to another out of service and love. It is not conditional upon the husband’s spiritual state. But it does get easier when realizing this: When wives submit to their husbands, it’s submitting to God’s desire and design.
And God does more with obedience than with disobedience.
Jason