There are 17 books in my reading stack. I just counted. Granted, some of them are library books. And some have been in the stack a long time. Lord of the Flies was one of the latter. Nevertheless, I finally finished it, as I do most in my stack. I like to complete things I …
Category Archives: Readings Got Me Thinking
When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty
Introduction (and all that implies) When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty Without Hurting the Poor… and Yourself by Steve Corbett and John Perkins. I heard of this book through a required reading list of a certain Missions organization, purchased it, and recently finished it. Though written from a Biblical perspective, the highlights I took away were …
God Moves Suddenly, Not Quickly
Hope Naomi wrote a piece recently about how God works. It got me thinking. She brings out the concept of God working behind the scenes for what feels like an eternity before anything HAPPENS. But then, when God DOES do something, results are immediate. This concept of how God works is something I’ve thought about …
Is The Perfect Family Size Really 3 Kids?
Here’s a question for you, “How many children would you like to have?” This question was asked by Rick and Jan Hess to a group of singles in a survey they gave to four evangelical churches (Berean, Christian and Missionary Alliance, Evangelical Free, and General Conference Baptist) and one Bible College. The average answer? 3.2 …
Continue reading “Is The Perfect Family Size Really 3 Kids?”
Can I Recommend Irresistible Revolution?
The book, Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical by Shane Claiborne challenges nearly every aspect of American "churchianity." The revolution Shane describes is nothing less than a call to follow Jesus literally in the way He lived and taught. Shane’s interpretation of what it means to be a Christian looks far different than we …
Missional Small Groups
This past summer I read a book entitled Misisonal Small Groups by Scott Boren. I would recommend the book to anyone mission-minded as I thought Scott made some excellent observations, particularly in breaking down what he sees as four types of groups. Having been involved in multiple small Christian groups myself – some structured, some …
Are Short Term Mission Trips a Waste of Time?
The answer? “Depends on the mindset of those going,” according to Noel Becchetti. He provides an interesting break down of unhelpful attitudes Westerners often bring as they go to minister in other cultures. Despite the title of his article, keep in mind he actually does promote short term missions. If you’re considering taking a missions …
Continue reading “Are Short Term Mission Trips a Waste of Time?”
When the Church was Young
Last week I read When the Church was Young, it Did Not Look Anything Like it Does Today by Ernest Loosley. At only 77 pages, it was a quick read. Not a new work, (written in 1935) I still found it applicable. Very clear in layout, it compares some features of the early church with …
Too Small to Ignore – Community
Dr. Wess Stafford writes, “…let’s consider the church, which we fondly refer to as ‘the family of God.’ It is a place meant for inclusion and nurture, we tell ourselves. Then why do the various ages scatter in opposite directions the minute we pull into the parking lot?” Wess admits the value in age-grade curriculum …
Finding Home
The book Finding Home: An Imperfect Path to Faith and Family is primarily about Jim Daly’s young life. It’s not until pg. 173 he even turns thirteen years old. However, he sure went through the ringer as a kid! The part of his story which was most winsome to me was the day his mother …
Crazy Love Part 2
continued from Crazy Love, Part 1 “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15) I personally own a lot of stuff. If I were to count up every single material possession I own, the list would be extraordinary. …
Crazy Love Part 1
Recently I read Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan. In fact, I read it twice. Chan defined who this book was written for in his Preface: “This book is written for those who want more of Jesus. It is for those who are bored with what American Christianity offers. It is …