I've spent a good chunk of my life telling stories in one form or another. What time I didn't spend telling stories was spent reading them. I could consume good books at a rate that would have bankrupted my parents if I didn't know where the library was! David likes the story of my 8 year old self declaring I…
You will be the same person five years from now except for the places you go, people you meet and information you read. Wow. Good reminder to be intentional with your reading! Having said that, I thought I'd let you sample a few of the "nuggets" in my own personal Google blog reader today! From my friend Ed Bahler comes this interesting discussion of mega churches. As I am firmly entrenched in Christ Fellowship, which qualifies for but really dislikes…
This has been another intense ministry season for me, which partially explains the gaps in posting these days! I love writing. I love reading. Sometimes I love them more than, well, the people in my life. Lately, God has not been letting me get away with that attitude, and I've been fighting him. He wins. So while I was fussing in my mind today over the back-to-back-to-back-to gym-to ministry events today (yeah, I complain over the gym, too), I happened…
A good book has to have an authentic voice, a narrator or author who is secure in who they are, and allows that security to permeate their work. Starbucks has an uncanny ability to find authentic voices, and distribute them in their book selections. The House at Sugar Beach, by Helene Copper, is one of the most authentic books I have read in years. The book details the dramatic life of Helene Cooper, now a United States journalist, but also…
This is an interview with Mark Batterson, the author of In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, pastor of National Community Church, and let us not forget Ebenezer's Coffee shop! These behind the scenes interviews were going on all day. That is Carlos Whittaker -- Ragamuffin Soul himself! -- on the left, and Tony Morgan on the right. Also there is Dave Gibbons, who I got to hear at Q. Fun little interview here.
In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day Chapter 5 Presumptuous blog title, no? How to live with uncertainty. Nevertheless, that’s what Chapter Five of In a Pit is teaching in no uncertain terms. Uncertainty is a part of life…maybe even the best part of life. Benaiah had no clue he was going to chase a lion the morning he woke up and changed his destiny. And once the chase was on, Benaiah had no guarantee of a…
The Art of Reframing Life’s Problems I’ve made it to chapter three of In A Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. Today’s topic convicts and delights me, both. The premise is this: life’s problems are God’s way of preparing us for God’s opportunities. The problems are the seedbed for the great feats of daring and delight, the stuff of stories. Problems are fertile soil, indeed. Mark tells the story of National Community Church and one of its first…
Start Thinking God Thoughts I continue to reflect on “In A Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day” by Mark Batterson. In the third chapter a simple metaphor – heard before and mostly ignored before – has caused me to stop to ponder. According to Batterson, half of learning is learning. The other half is unlearning. Unfortunately, the unlearning is twice as hard as learning. So how do we unlearn the fears that inhibit us? Batterson uses a computer…
