Monthly Archives: April 2011
Darrin Patrick & Matt Carter video “For the City”
Here’s one the newest books in the Exponential Series, Darrin Patrick (Church Planter) and Matt Carter. It’s releasing this week at the Exponential Conference. Check it out!
Here’s a brief explanation of the book:
Within ten years, nine out of ten people will claim “no religious affiliation.” Many of these people will live in urban areas. Church leaders must learn how to effectively engage in ministry with this urban core, a group that includes both the poor and marginalized as well as the wealthy and influential. This book will guide readers in developing a philosophy of ministry that can lead to restoration and renewal in their city.
Sign Up for “THE NEXT STORY” Blog Tour
Tim Challies’ newest book, The Next Story, is a compelling read about “life and faith after the digital explosion.” It’s a book that asks the question, “Do you own technology or does technology own you?” I don’t say it’s “compelling” just because I’m a marketer, but because I’m truly intrigued by the above question. All day I work on email, surf the web, communicate with people on Facebook, write blogs, etc. etc. etc. - is all of this digital interaction changing me without my realizing? Is there a way to live a wiser Christian life amid all this ones and zeroes?
And what will the digital world be like for my kids? Their lives will undoubtedly be even more laden with technology than mine – what should I be thinking about now in order to raise them up to be wise Christians online in the future?
You can visit www.Challies.com/NextStory to see a video about the book and read a sample chapter. I’ve been blogging about it here and here too.
For the blog tour please sign up here. Sorry! This blog tour sign up is now closed!
The Blog Tour will be May 30 – June 3rd.
Tim Keller on Lewis, Tolkien, and how to share your faith
In The Inklings of Oxford Harry Poe writes “C.S. Lewis accumulated friends the way other people accumulate pennies.” History has shown that clearly Lewis’ friendship with Tolkien was something special – a blessing, even. Tim Keller’s thoughts on how Tolkien shared his faith with Lewis are worth noting. Do you have a friend who does not share your Christian faith? How are you sharing your faith?
For more from Tim Keller, see The Reason for God DVD. Here Keller demonstrates how to have honest, constructive conversations about faith with non-believers.
“Solution-Focused Pastoral Counseling” releases this week
This Friday Solution-Focused Pastoral Counseling: An Effective Short-Term Approach for Getting People Back on Track by Charles Allen Kollar will release. This is an updated and expanded edition of Dr. Kollar’s work. The book is divided into three sections: Theory, Practice, and Application and covers a variety of topics that ministers will face when counseling their congregants. It includes assessment tools (T-JTA and M-BTI), a survey of various counseling models, and works on the assumption that “The primary couselor is always the Holy Spirit.”
When we looked to update this book we had a handful of people in mind as our audience: licensed counselors, counseling professors and students, but the primary audience we wanted serve is ministers and clergy. The call to pastoral ministry involves many things, more perhaps than most other professions. Counseling congregants is an area that pastors can feel ill prepared to deal with.
But what do you say to a member of your congregation when they can’t afford counseling? How are you to fill the role of a professional counselor and be a pastor?
If you find yourself serving people in a counseling role and you need a one-stop resource that isn’t a bear to read, this book is for you.
Links Worth Clicking: Challies, Keller, Carson, and the Inklings
BibleDude.net has a couple of great reviews up right now: 1) A series of posts on John Sowers’ Fatherless Generation. 2) He also has a new review up of my favorite book on the Lewis and the boys: The Inklings of Oxford. Thanks for the support BibleDude!
Tim Challies visited Z last week. His book, The Next Story, just released. You can listen to a podcast he recorded while he was here, and read about a discussion we had regarding “grocery stores and mind control” on Mason’s site.
Finally, the Gospel Coalition Conference is coming up next week. On Monday I’ll be posting what’s Z has going on during the show. Below is a video of DA Carson and Tim Keller discussing the conference. Are you going?
“Dangerous Church” by John Bishop released this week
John Bishop is the senior pastor and founder of Living Hope Church in Vancouver, Washington. In Dangerous Church: Risking Everything to Reach Everyone he asks a series of questions that you might have asked about your own ministry:
- Why are you doing church?
- If your church ceased to exist, would anyone notice?
- Will you lose to win?
- Who is building the church?
John’s thesis can be boiled down this way: Dangerous churces choose to risk everything – comfort, safety, and the security of the familiar – for the sake of the one thing that matters most: reaching out to people who may spend eterrnity separated from the God who created them.
Here’s a video from John and some blurbs about the book at the bottom:
