Book Review: Organic Church
Organic Church - By Neil Cole
It was with great anticipation that I began listening to Neil Cole’s audio book of “Organic Church” several weeks ago. When Christianaudio.com offered the book for a weekend download sale of $0.98, I jumped quickly and had the work in my MP3 player in minutes. Having already read Cole’s newer work, “Search and Rescue”, I had wanted to get through this book at some time to hear of Cole’s journey into his church planting ministry.
Let me say there have been critiques of this book, both good and bad, on differing sides of the debate of what a church should look like, the structure it should have, and the facilities needed for it. That increased my anticipation for taking in what Cole had to say and how I might process it myself. Since you can find those reviews on other sites, let me focus on some takeaways for you to consider so you can make up your mind about whether or not to read this yourself.
First, understand that Cole’s model focuses on what most might term a “House Church”, which is a church loosely organized in homes and devoid of any building or programs. Cole references his time as a pastor in more traditional settings but his focus is on smaller groups of people meeting at coffee shops, homes, and other similar places. Can the ideas in this book work in more “traditional” settings? I believe they can. there is much here that church leaders can take from the book and implement in their own church settings if they think creatively.
Secondly, Cole’s idea of the LTG or “Life Transformation Group” is something that churches could consider as an alternative to traditional small group ministry. I really resonate with Cole’s logic in this area. LTG’s are essentially two to three people meeting weekly to pray for the lost, share thoughts about their weekly scripture reading (up to 30 chapters a week!), and to build strong disciples. The emphasis on bible reading is truly something that many churches need to embrace.
Thirdly and Lastly, The reality of simple church is upon us. I believe “big box” churches will continue to exist for several years because many people are wired for the larger experience. It’s the way our culture has taught them. Multi-site is also a growing enterprise but for many, the idea of video preaching isn’t appealing either. There is an uprising of smaller, more simple churches taking shape on the horizon and the reality for anyone involved in ministry to grasp is that within the next decade, I think we will see a shift in the way many of the twenty somethings of today will mold and shape our churches when they are in their mid-30’s looking at 40. The cost factor will play into this as well. It’s extremely expensive to pay for land, buildings, and all the baubles that big church requires. Simple churches are starting with very little money and growing exponentially in our midst. We can criticize it if we want but for many, this is what they want in a church. The bible, taught plainly, without all the “extras” that many feel are needed to be “relevant”. Instead, they want to live that life out in the real world where the lost live, serving them, and ministering to their needs. Pastors must understand this in the years to come.
The thing I like about Cole’s work is that it makes you think. There’s nothing wrong with that. Like it or not, we need to consider the ideas that are shared here because for many of us, the reality is upon us and for others, it will be in the years to come.
Are You Committing Social “Suicide”?
Are we leaving real relationships behind?
I recently stumbled across a website that will aid users in destroying their entire virtual “identity” on any social networking site. It goes by the name of “Seppukoo” which is a Japanese term for ritual suicide. In short, you provide the website with a few basics on the account you want to eliminate and it does all the work for you. In moments, your MySpace, LinkedIn, Facebook, or other social site identity is gone forever (of course, you could always create another one at some point in time.)
The site brings to mind something I’ve often considered and been concerned with. That is, are we getting to the point where our online lives are more important than our real ones? For certain, I love reconnecting with old friends on Facebook. My LinkedIn profile provides people with a bit of background into who I am professionally. I used to visit MySpace a lot but recent shifts in social networking have put MySpace in a banal category. Other than artist sites for music, I really don’t visit there much anymore. I can see the value of social networking in today’s society but I worry that real relationships are being sacrificed for a digital rendering. An entire alternate universe was created a few years back to facilitate such relationships. “Second Life” has its own currency, churches, coffee shops, and more. Better still, you can create an identity that looks nothing like you so don’t have to be self-conscious of your weight, lack of hair, short stature, etc. I’ve read recently of a marriage that ended when a wife found out her husband was having an “affair” with a woman through second life. That’s how far we’ve come in eliminating a real connection with other people. Blogger Sandy Atwood discussed this in the context of ministry on her blog for pastor’s wives last month and her comments are worth reading.
Rather than throw the baby out with the bath water, we need to find the redeeming traits of social networking and focus on those rather than decide to kill off our entire online persona. Of course, you might want to start fresh so such an action might be worth taking if your online sites have less than acceptable content on them. Social networking has allowed me the opportunity to make new friends in addition to reconnecting with the old ones. I now have friends all over the world I’ve met through Twitter and those relationships are great. What I’ve not done is let the sites take over my life. It’s easy to look like you’re online 24/7 but you CAN take steps to lessen the time you network. Take time to go out and sit somewhere new. Take a walk. Find a stranger who might be open to conversation and have a real talk instead of a text messaging back and forth. Laugh with someone you know. Those types of relationships are the ones you will remember. Make them a priority.
Who Are We Reaching?
I’m always looking to be a better fisherman for God. I’m always considering new ways to reach out to others and be a better witness for Him. It doesn’t matter that I’m a pastor. It should matter that I’m a Christian and my life is surrendered to Jesus Christ. His command to us as His disciples is clear..
That sounds pretty cut and dried but I think sometimes we need a refresher on just what it was He called us to. He told us in the gospels that finding those that need Him would be a dirty job and that some wouldn’t like us for saying so. In fact, he said they would close their eyes to the truth..
For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.
(Matthew 13:15 ESV)
I think many times we want to see people come to faith but we are not willing to go where they are nor sacrifice to sow in the soil in which they live. When Jesus told the parable of the soils to the people, he outlined different “soils” which represented receptivity to the Gospel message. In short, only 25% of the soil was good and of that, how many will grow from it? It’s easy to get discouraged when the odds are against you but for the ones who take root, the harvest truly is bountiful and we should strive at whatever cost to find that soil and those people.
I write this as an encouragement and challenge. In my own devotions, God has challenged me to sow richly and put the results in His hands. If you feel bad when the majority (over 75 percent) of your seed seems wasted, don’t be! God will bring a harvest from the 25% that does sprout that will dwarf our wildest dreams about building His kingdom. But it will not happen if you’re not out sowing the seeds of the Gospel..
In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.
(Ecclesiastes 11:6 ESV)
My Annual Flat Tax Gripe!
I just put the finishing touches on my taxes for yet another year. It’s one of those annual events that I look forward to as much as having a tooth pulled. As a pastor, I have to keep tons of records of just about every little thing I spend so I can claim it at the end of the year. Over the years, I’ve developed a system that allows me to scan receipts, code them, and then enter them into a spreadsheet I total at the end of each year. Still, the process take hours. Over the course of a year, I’d love to know how many hours are wasted by doing this.
Five years ago, I picked up Steve Forbes’ book on the “Flat Tax Revolution” and have become a disciple of the plan ever since. Critics abound but they do so at EVERY proposal to fix the tax system to make it simpler and easier to work with. Mike Huckabee took a lot of flack for the FAIR tax proposal he was pushing during the Republican primaries in the last election. Here’s why I like Forbes’ plan:
It’s simple. People like simple. It’s in our nature. Apple made a killing with it’s iPod largely because there was one control to navigate and little else. Google’s home page has a lot of white space because they value simple. Our tax code, on the other hand, is anything but. I pay hundreds each year just to file my taxes. Why? Because I want them done right. The tax code for ministers has several little things in it here and there so I hire a company that specializes in preparing tax returns for ministers. They are worth the money given our current tax code but I would love to have the option to file my taxes on a postcard sized form like the one Forbes is holding on his book.
It’s fast. Filling out the Forbes’ tax form takes less than 10 minutes. I could have this filed in a day and not have to worry about if all of my deductions were included, how many forms I filed, etc.
It’s fair. Forbes spreads the taxes out over the entirety of our populace. I’m sure some tweaking would be required but in the end, I think it’s great that he allows the people to make some decisions as to where their money goes as opposed to handing an inordinate percentage of their wealth over to someone else.
There’s so much more that could be said here but I hope at some point, our government gets wise enough to rework the current tax system and make it easier for all. I know I would benefit if they did. I believe in paying my taxes on time and in the proper amounts. Many times I worry about spending some income for fear that I might have made a mistake and have to pay it at some point in the future. A flat tax would alleviate the worry, be easier to use, and I think in the long run it would bring greater revenue to the government to fund the programs that drive our nation.
Yoropen – A New Type of Writing
For a couple of years now, I’ve had an interesting writing device in my bag that I thought I’d share with you. It’s a Yoropen. What is a Yoropen? A Yoropen is a pen or pencil that is uniquely shaped to provide a better writing angle and cleaner writing in your work. It’s the invention of Bao Shen Liu of Taiwan. Liu was convinced there was a better way to craft a writing device and he set about creating a new one.
My first experience with a Yoropen was when I was given one as a gift by my friends at Pencil Things. They had included one for me to try and at first, I put it on the shelf, thinking I might give it away to someone who could use it. I’m glad I didn’t. A few months later, I threw it my bag and took it with me. Now most of you know who particular I am about my writing devices and I’m no fan of mechanical pencils. This was different. Both the pen and pencil come with cartridges that you change out when needed. The pencil’s cartridges are quite small and are stored in the body of the pencil and uniquely dispense for use as old, worn out cartridges are stored in the pencil body after use.
At right, you can see what one of the executive pencils looks like. The design allows for you to grip the pencil at a more comfortable point. Your hand does this naturally. The pens are created in a similar fashion. Another benefit if you are a left handed writer like me is that the grip of the pencil is adjustable for a left handed angle. Simply adjust the grip by turning it to the left and the angle changes from a right hand side to a left hand side. You don’t have to grab the pencil “overhand” as I call it and your work no longer smudges from your hand trailing behind like most left handed work I’ve seen.
The best place to find Yoropen Pencils and Pens is at Pencil Things. They stock every model and have refills for your to order to keep with you if you find that you like using this new type of writing device. The basic pencil is only $3 but the executive models are a bit pricier ($50) but are made of high quality materials. Refills are fairly inexpensive and in line with most other refills you might buy at the local office store.
Just thought I’d share this with others looking for something different. Enjoy!
Product Review: “How to Make Every Sunday Like Easter”"
For my Christian readers I ask this question. What if every Sunday at your church had the anticipation of Easter? The annual momentum that you feel each April built in to other Sundays on your church calendar! Bob Franquiz and his “Church Strategies” resource arm has recently released a new CD set with essentially that title.
In this 3 CD set, you are given some ideas for capitalizing on other Sundays through the year to make them special and give your church a boost in reaching others and inviting them to worship. Franquiz lays the groundwork for planning such events and even has a list of some Sundays you may want to avoid on your calendar. He outlines his own church experience with planning events, making your own holiday, recognizing dates in your unique church history, and how outreach events as simple as “Hot Dog Day” can be a boost to reaching others in your community.
At the end, Franquiz gives you at least one Sunday each month that you could use as a “big” Sunday to reach others. Planning like this takes time and effort and it’s not something you want to throw together in one day. To that end, Franquiz includes a checklist that he uses to plan his outreach Sundays but encourages you to alter it as you see fit.
The third CD in the set is a resource CD with some examples of artwork, forms, and other planning tools that you can use to plan your days. In all, you get a lot of information in a very small package and I can appreciate it. There were some new ideas I had not considered and am already at work implementing those ideas into our sermon calendar for later this year.
This is a nice resource and worth your investment. You can purchase it through Church Strategies and Franquiz gives you a complete guarantee to return your money if you do not like it. There’s still plenty of time to plan for this year. Give yourself some fresh ideas by listening to “How to Make Every Sunday Like Easter”.
My Devotional Time
It’s a beautiful morning today in the Rockies. A hot cup of good coffee, my bible, and my journal make their way to the kitchen table while all is still quiet. Some days, I have to wait a bit to get some peace. Other days I make my way to a favorite coffee house for the solitude I desire. Regardless of where I land, this time is of utmost importance to me. It’s my devotional time. Do you have one?
For the Christian, I think it’s imperative that you set aside some time for this. A lot of money is being made by people selling devotional books, bibles, and journals. They can sell a lot of other “things” designed to aid in the process and while those things aren’t really bad they can also hinder your time in God’s Word. When I was a young Christian, I hurriedly traveled to the nearest Christian bookstore to find all these things and the results were, well let’s just say not too good.
After all these years I’ve found that a few basic tools work for me. I may vary my routine from time to time but essentially this is all I use:
My Bible. I have now moved my devotional bible reading time to my Sony Reader. The ESV Study Bible and standard text are both available for less than $25 combined! I also like that the text is larger than in my regular bible making the reading much easier on my eyes. Another plus to using the Sony Reader is that it automatically remembers where I left off the day before. When I open the book file on my reader, it automatically goes to the place where I exited the day before.
My Planner. I never really thought about this until I read Wayne Cordeiro’s outstanding book on devotional time called “The Divine Mentor”. The reality is that Satan messes with your head when you are trying to stay quiet before God and read His Word. Things pop up in your mind that have some importance like a task you need to do or some other important item. Before you know it, your mind is elsewhere. With a planner close by, you simply make a note on those items when they pop up and then continue in your devotional time. Getting those items out of your head is crucial to success in your devotions.
My Journal. You can use whatever type of journal you like. From a simple spiral bound notebook to an expensive leather one. I like the feel of a decent journal so I purchased a modestly priced one from an office store that is refillable. The key is to have something to write your thoughts in.
That’s it! Three items for devotions. You don’t need anything else. When I sit down for my devotions, I read a portion of scripture from whatever book I’ve chosen to read. I don’t follow a structured plan. I just read for a bit and then take a portion of scripture that has spoken to me and I journal about it. When I journal, I try to challenge myself to find an action that I can take to incorporate that scripture into my daily life. After I’m done journaling, I then open my planner and put the action item down so that it stares at me all day and prompts me to do something with what I’ve read.
I might add that as a pastor, I still take additional time to prepare my sermons. I don’t try to cheat God by incorporating one time for two purposes. Devotional time is and should be different than your sermon preparation time.
I hope this has helped some of you who struggle with your devotions. You don’t have to have a structured plan to feel like you’ve accomplished something. Just get our your bible and read! Have a great weekend.
Book Review: Keep Your Brain Alive
I recently finished an audio book by Lawrence Katz and Manning Rubin on Brain Health past the age of 40. “Keep Your Brain Alive” is a short book, on audio it was roughly 2+ hours to listen to, and contained 83 brain exercises, dubbed “Neurobics” by the authors.
The premise of the authors is that deteriorating memory doesn’t have to be a by-product of growing older. In fact, both make the case that new connections in the brain can be made by taking part in the exercises presented in the book. The first disc of the audio book (roughly half of the text version I’m sure) covers the science behind “Neurobics” while the latter half (the second disc) gives examples of the exercises you can use or modify to help stimulate new growth in your own brain. The authors assert these connections are the key to continued brain health and begin to lessen past age 40 (or even earlier).
Among the suggestions given for brain exercise was to take a shower with your eyes closed. Using your senses of touch and feeling to manage the on/off valves, the soap, and shampoo. Another exercise was to associate scents with a particular place or event. Aromatherapy is quite popular and oils can be purchased for this exercise.
Varying the way we shop for groceries or using our opposite hand for tasks we normally use our dominate hand (or foot) for are other suggestions made by Katz and Rubin. The idea is to vary our routines. Make new associations in different ways (like the aromatherapy) and keep your brain working to manage these changes. Another assertion made by the authors is that age actually helps in neurobics because adults past the age of 40 have a larger bank of memories to draw from to make new associations.
All in all, it’s a fun and helpful guide to make you think about the part of your body that many might just take for granted. I’ve enjoyed the previous work of Doctor Daniel G. Amen in his books on brain health and this book serves as a helpful primer to those who might want to investigate this area further.
As a pastor, I see the value in protecting my brain health. This book is worth your investment to give you some fun ways to “Keep Your Brain Alive”.
Google Calendar Hack
I don’t know if this is new to anyone but it is for me so I thought I’d share it with others who might be in my own situation. I use a mix of paper and digital products to manage my days and my digital calendar of choice is Google Calendar. I don’t have a data plan on my cellphone yet and probably won’t for a few more years so what to do when I need to add an event to my digital calendar while I’m out? Google Calendar is great about sending me updates on coming appointments to my phone but what about me sending things to them? Since many folks have data plans and simply access the internet to do this, not much is said about SMS scheduling (i.e. text message).
So I began searching around online and found out YOU CAN update your calendar via SMS texts. Google has a feature called Gvent which is available on most major cellphone carriers. Simply add Gvent to your address book (48368), make sure your cellphone is in sync with Google, and then you can send events to your Calendar via Gvent and Google Calendar will send you a text back acknowledging it has scheduled the event for you. Pretty cool.
For example, I had a dinner invitation extended to me last week. I simply typed in “Dinner with Pastor X and his wife Thursday evening at 6pm” and Google Calendar figured out the date and time and sent me a note back letting me know it handled the request. Gvent also has the ability for you to check upcoming dates on your calendar using some shorthand. Texting “next” to Gvent will deliver a text message letting you know when the next appointment on your calendar is. That’s just one example. There are other commands you can use. Search Google for more shorthand applications.
So if you don’t have a data plan on your cellphone and want the flexibility of keeping your online calendar up to date, now you know how (provided you use Google Calendar). Just wanted to share with others who are in the same situation as I am. Enjoy!
Focus, Focus, Focus!
This week I’ve focused on our plans and thoughts. Each year as a new year dawns I take some time to look back at my own achievements and plans and see where I need to improve. Every year my list gets longer as God shows me more and more how to live for him. I’m not perfect and never will be, but to have a focused mindset and be successful in business, ministry, and life, you must assess yourself daily.
As I plan each day, I give God glory for giving me another day to work in His field and impact those around me for Christ. Sometimes I get to share my faith with others but many times, it’s simply living with the right mindset and trusting that God will one day open a door for me to share my own journey with an interested person. I look at my goals and choose my activities as wise as I know how trying to keep my family and work life in balance. Sometimes, this isn’t always easy but failing to plan will almost always insure that I will fail in whatever goals I wish to achieve. Throughout my days, I’m flexible and change when I have to. Sometimes a person needs me and my calendar must change. Some items, barring emergency, are non-negotiable (time with my wife/kids). Each week, I review my lists and celebrate the tasks completed. I reshedule those that didn’t and plan new ones as a new week dawns. Only God knows if I will see all seven days through so I always plan with Him in mind. This focuses my priorities and gives a third dimension to my work. Each month and year differs from the last and what remains for me is the focus I’ve given to what most important. Am I growing as a person? 1 Timothy 6:11 gives the correct focus that should guide my pursuit so I ask myself if those things are present in my life? If not, I need to add these to my goals list and find ways to add them!
What remains when we are gone is the impact you had on others. Life is but a vapor and our time here is too short to waste on negative things, thoughts, and desires. They will always creep into our minds but we must be disciplined to stay on the right path. That is why planning and preparation are so important in our daily lives. Take what time God has given you and make it count forever. You might not think your life matters in that context but it does. Why else are you here?
Have a great weekend.
