Here is my long long overdue book review of “The Gospel According to LOST”, by Chris Seay. I have seen similar books before that compare POP culture topics to the gospel, but this would be the first time I have ever read through one.
This was a very quick and easy read. It only took me a few sittings to get through the book. I am a big fan of the show, and the show of course has been a major hit both in viewing ratings and online forums and blogs discussing every aspect of the show. What does this mean, what does that mean…fans scour the Internet looking for insight into the show.
The book is breaks down into chapters based on each character. I thought that was interesting, and would be good when speaking with people that would be fans of the show to capture their attention and relate gospel topics into something they know. It might get them talking more or be more receptive.
I would recommend people to read the book as it would get them thinking how they also could take POP culture topics and explore faith more deeply with them. This book takes something that most fans of the show would be open to further discussion anyway as that is what fans of the show do. It would help in building community with fans of the show.
Finished this book about a month ago. Here is the review of the second book by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. To start I never read the first book, so jumping into the second one had me thinking I may not be able to follow some of it.
Even though I didn’t read the first one, as I started with the chapters, the authors were able to include enough info to help me follow along. It is a really easy and quick read. The book is a result of the success of the first one, and includes details of what has been the outcome since that book was written.
This book has enough challenges in it, that I found myself underlining and make notes in the margin to use as quotes when teaching and speaking. Throughout the book I found myself thinking, very strong point of view and it we could only apply that to our lives, what a difference it would make.
Here is a sample quote,
If all the Christians – I mean all of ‘em – got outta the pews on Sundays and into the streets, we’d shut the city down.
We’d shut down hunger
We’d shut down loneliness
We’d shut down the notion that there is any such of a thing as a person that don’t deserve a kind word and a second chance. (Pg 56)
I would recommend this book…it will not take long to get through, but you will make many mental notes as you make your way through the pages.
TESTIMONIAL:
“With intelligence and passion, Tim Sanders reveals the new competitive logic of business: Being great now depends on being good. Whether you’re in the boardroom or the mailroom, you owe it to yourself to read Saving The World at Work and to begin putting into practice its powerful lessons.” Dan Pink, author of A Whole New Mind
I plan on ordering my copy….I recommend that you purchase one as well.
I have finally gotten around to posting the review of the book “Collapse of Distinction” by Scott McKain. This is part of the Thomas Nelson – Book Review Bloggers program
The title and subtitle grabbed my attention right away, the subtitle is “Stand out and move up while your competition fails”. When I started reading it I went into the book and thought is this only going to be a book for business or will it be able to be applied to church as well. I think the concepts and principles in the book are valuable in both cases.
McKain does a good job in describing how business’ struggle with sameness. The pitfalls of being the same as everyone else. He also tells you what to do about it. How to stand out, to become distinct.
One of the first things that caught my attention was when McKain wrote that many business’ focus on not losing to the competitor. He says that we should be focusing on the customer instead. What the customer really wants. I believe we can give lip service to this and say we are customer driven or focused. But I think this book gives good insight it making that a reality rather then just a good statement on the company website.
The customer must get the sense or the experience in dealing with your business or church that they have received exceptional value in that experience. Or a compelling experience.
McKain describes three levels of business or professional differentiation:
Sameness
Differentiation
Distinction
He also goes into detail on 4 cornerstones
Clarity
Creativity
Communication
Customer-Experience Focus
I am in the midst of starting a new business venture and I plan on reading through this book again and building in concepts of this book into my business from the get-go. I recommend this book to any business leader, church leader…especially those that are just starting out.
I am posting from my Blackberry, sitting around the campfire. So there will not be any links to content mentioned in this post.
One of my last posts was about my lack of reading recently.
On my wishlist was the book by Francis Chan, “Crazy Love”. Last week, I noticed a tweet by Don Ryan that he was reading the book and loved it. He also mentioned that it would challenage you.
I picked it up last Friday at Borders in the Poconos. I am really liking the book, and agree with Don, it challenages you.
I am just under half way through at this point. Looking forward to finishing the rest of the book.
This past week I have noticed a decrease in the amount of reading I am actively doing. I usually have a few books on the go, 2-3. I have started a couple awhile ago, and was making my way through them…but then I realized this week it has been awhile since I had actually picked one of them up.
To me this is not good….I need to get reading….there are reasons. BMX has been really busy the past couple of weeks, regular races, clinic, and National races in the US. Going through my business course has also grabbed time where I used to read. I just completed module 3 of 10.
Even with that, somewhere I need to make some time for reading. Maybe a new book is needed, haven’t been to Chapters in awhile either.
The book I selected was Collapse of Distinction by Scott McKain.
Once I am completed the book, I need to post a 200-page review. While so far the book is about businesses, and how they can survive and be distinct for their competitors, I believe there is a lot to learn and apply to the church. Interesting so far.
This book reivew is long overdue. The book is the latest release by Mark Batterson, "Primal". I read this book at a time when a family member was ill. It was part of my own spiritual discipline during that time. Reading different books, listening to MP3 messages, and other things are part of my personal spiritual disciplines….disciplines I have come to rely on as part of my spiritual journey. I believe this was something also mentioned in the book somewhere…..I couldn’t find the exact location when doing this review.
When I started the book and Batterson started writing about the second-century Christians. This passage sent the tone for an incredible read:
As I tried to absorb the significance of where I was, I couldn’t help but wonder if our generation has conviniently forgotten how inconvenient if can be to follow in the footsteps of Christ. I couldn’t help but wonder if we have diluted the truths of Christianity and settled for superficialities. I couldn’t help but wonder if we have accepted a form of Christianity that is more educated but less powerful, more civilized but less compassionate, more acceptable but less authentic than that which our spiritual ancestors practiced. (pg. 3)
The book is a call to strip down your Christianity to the simplest, rawest, purest faith possibly. To have more, not less.
This opening of the book has stuck with me for a number of months, during my own prayer time, and times of reflection…it has made me want to jump into something primal. Not all the fringe elements that we tack onto our faith….but honest, core, primal faith.
Like all of Mark Batterson’s books, I would recommend you pick this up and give it a read through.
“Whether we are looking to push ourselves or others forward or are searching for a better way, the model of creative genius helps us to understand how the five habits help us attract, attach to, and advance the sparks of inspiration in our lives. Whether we want to attract spark moments and create in our personal or professional, tapping into our creative genius through the use of these specific habits will get us there.” (pg. 40)
Those being: Scouting, Cultivating, Playing, Venturing, Harvesting
“You can’t get anything done when you’re not on the field. The bench, the sideline, and the on-deck circle are a lot different than the court, the field, and the plate.” (pg 13)
“Jesus continually told those around him to do two things: go and do.” (pg 20)
I was reading in the book, “The Jesus Way,” by Eugene Peterson where he writes about going to a lecture by Jewish Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel. Here is a quote that he wrote about,
“Nothing is worthwhile compared to this - searching Scripture, asking questions of the text, seeking the Truth of God’s word.” (pg 158-159)
I have finally completed the book by Barack Obama, “The Audacity of Hope.”
After watching the never ending US political process for the past (what 7 years) months, and coverage on blogs, CNN etc. I had come to conclusion sometime ago that I, if I had a vote, I would vote for Obama.
After reading the book, I would would say that it did nothing but confirm that I would vote for Obama. There may be a few positions that I may not agree with him on, but I would still vote for him.
“It wasn’t just the struggles of these men and woman that had moved me. Rather it was their determination, their self reliance, a relentless optimism in the face of hardship……The audacity of hope…That was the best of the American spirit, I thought - having the audacity to believe despite all the evidence to the contrary that we could restore a sense of community to a nation torn by conflict; the gall to believe that despite personal setbacks, the loss of a job or an illness in the family or a childhood mired in poverty, we had some control - and therefore responsibility - over own fate.” (pg 365, The Audacity of Hope, Barack Obama)
On the recommendation of my pastor, I picked up the book, “The Unusual Suspect” by Stephen Baldwin. After talking to him about the Christian BMX team I was starting, Soul BMX Racing…he said this would be a good read. Looking forward to cracking it open, after I finish Barack Obama’s book “The Audacity of Hope”.
Really enjoying the book, "Good News About Injustice" by Gary Haugen. Here is a quote,
"And even as we remember, we lift out eyes to the horizon and ask, What great work of justice might God perform through us, in our time, to the glory of Christ? How might God renew through us the witness for biblical justice in the world? What child bonded labor in India, what girl held in prostitution in Manila, what innocent man rotting in a Kenyan jail might yet stand and testify that the hand of a faithful God touched them and loved them though the obedience of Christians who refused to despair?" (pg 64)
Starting read the book, "Good News About Injustice" by Gary Haugen of International Justice Mission. I am still in the preface, but here is a good quote from the book.
"But somewhere during the twentieth century some of us have simply stopped believing that God actually can use us to answer the prayers of children, women, and families who suffer under the hand of abusive power or authority in their communities. We sit in the same paralysis of despair as those who don’t even claim to know a Savior — and in some cases, we manifest even less hope." (Gary Haugen, pg 14)
I ordered the following book, “Good News About Injustice”, really looking forward to diving into this one. I have a bunch of other books waiting on the shelf to be read, but this is one I am starting when it arrives.
A couple of weeks ago I finished off a great book, “No Logo”, by Naomi Klein. The book is a great read and is very challenging. This book challenged me in regards to my thoughts on product branding, advertising, marketing, sweatshops, unions etc…after reading this book, there are a few companies I am sure I will not be buying any products from. I highly recommend this book.
Here is a video of Naomi on CBC’sThe Hour. This video is of George Stroumboulopoulos talking to her about her book, “Shock Doctrine”, which I am currently reading as well.
From the book, "Everything Must Change" by Brain McLaren.
"The suicidal unsustainability that Monks, Anderson, and Richard describe can be detailed in a thousand ways. For example, one-fifth of our planet’s tropical rainforests have been cleared since 1960, and rainforests are currently receding at 1 percent per year. According to Worldwatch.org, we are currently operating at one hundred to one thousand times the normal extinction rate, which means that today, one in four mammal species, one in ten bird species, one in four amphibian species, one in five reptile species, and half of all primate species are threatened with extinction, with 5 to 20 percent more in each category falling to near threatened status. In our lakes, rivers, and oceans, fisheries are being depleted at twice their replacement rate. And speaking of water, by 2020, one in three people with suffer from fresh water shortages. As I hinted at earlier, many of these shortages will be exacerbated by global warming, the aptly named ‘inconvenient truth’ powerfully communicated by former US vice president Al Gore…..If nations want to avoid war over diminishing resources — whether we’re talking about oil, clean water, or arable soil - Daly says, they ‘must both consume less and become more self-sufficient.’ Yet the priests of theocapitialism give the opposite advice: ‘…we should become less self-sufficient and more globally integrated as part of the overriding quest to consume ever more.’ Daly concludes, ‘That is the worst advice I can think of.’"
This past week, I had the opportunity to read the manuscript for a book written by Tim Stevens called, "Pop Goes the Church - Should the Church Engage Pop Culture?" This was not the first book review I have done, but the first prerelease manuscript that I had to read and provide comments back to the author. I really enjoyed doing this task, and would do it again.
The book, is a great book! This is a very practical book that is a must read. I really like the way Tim wrote this book, it was not just theory, but he used some real world examples. Tim himself has been using pop culture in his ministry and it gave additional weight to his book. I found that as I was reading I was engaged in the writing, and it is a resource that I will be referring as I continue in my ministry. Thanks Tim for the opportunity to read the pre-release.
I just finished the following book by Philip Yancey, "Prayer". It was a good read as usual for a book written by Yancey. Lots of good meat to chew on with that one again.
I did get a response back from Mr Yancey on the question I sent a while back on the statement he made on Nelson Mandela. Here is my post on it.
"I drew the phrase "former terrorist" from Mandela’s own autobiography, which describes a time in which he participated in violent acts in order to help overthrow the government. Mandela was quite open about those acts, and for a time he headed up the violent wing of the ANC, though he states that he tried to avoid casualties whenever possible. I hope this helps clarify. Mr. Mandela does insist that he was not a communist, though he understandably accepted aid from communist governments at the time."
I read this book that he refers to, and I didn’t take the same viewpoint that Mr Yancey draws. In fact, here is a direct quote by Nelson Mandela in the book that I previously posted.
"They seemed less intent on finding out my views then on proving that I was a Communist and a terrorist. All of their questions were slanted in that direction, and when I reiterated that I was neither a Communist nor a terrorist, they attempted to show that I was not a Christian either by asserting that the Rev Martin Luther King Jr never resorted to violence. I told them that the conditions in which Martin Luther King struggled were totally different from my own: the US was a democracy with constitutional guarantees of equal rights that protected nonviolent protest (though there was still prejudice against blacks); South Africa was a police state with a constitution that enshrined inequality and an army that responded to nonviolence with force." (pg 520-521, "A Long Walk to Freedom", Nelson Mandela)
I have read the full autobiography that Mr Mandela wrote, I do not see how Yancey can determine this……so I encourage you to read the book "Long Walk to Freedom". If someone after reading that detailed account of Mandela’s life can draw that conclusion, I am left shaking my head.
The book is is not yet published so it is a manuscript that I will be able to comment on and send back to the author. This is the first of this type of review I have done. I have done blog reviews of pre-release/just-released books before, so this should be fun. I have till Jan 30th to complete the review.Â
My Mom and Dad gave me a gift card for Chapters for Christmas as part of my gift. I picked up the following two books….
I also finished the autobiography of Nelson Mandela this past Thursday. It was an excellent read, and I highly recommend it. It is lengthy, the paperback version I had was 625 pages. After finishing it, I have a better understanding of the history behind South Africa, apartheid, and the man himself.
Frist of all I need to mention this up front, I am a big fan of Philip Yancey’s books. I have a read a bunch of them. But I read a very short statement in the latest one, that caught me off guard. In the book, "Prayer", Yancey writes a statement, that Nelson Mandela is a terrorist. Now, he doesn’t provide much context in the statement, or doesn’t clarify or explain this is in detail. That is the extent of the statement. The reason that this caught me off guard was that I am a fan of Nelson Mandela as well, and I am also reading his autobiography, "Long Walk to Freedom" at the moment. I have about 50 pages remaining of 625.
When I read Yancey’s statement a few weeks ago, it surprised me that it was made. Then yesterday when I was reading Mandela’s book, I came across this excerpt when Mandela was writing about when the Washington Times went to South Africa in the later years of Mandela’s imprisonment.
"They seemed less intent on finding out my views then on proving that I was a Communist and a terrorist. All of their questions were slanted in that direction, and when I reiterated that I was neither a Communist nor a terrorist, they attempted to show that I was not a Christian either by asserting that the Rev Martin Luther King Jr never resorted to violence. I told them that the conditions in which Martin Luther King struggled were totally different from my own: the US was a democracy with constitutional guarantees of equal rights that protected nonviolent protest (though there was still prejudice against blacks); South Africa was a police state with a constitution that enshrined inequality and an army that responded to nonviolence with force." (pg 520-521, "A Long Walk to Freedom", Nelson Mandela)
Now as previously stated, I do not know the context behind Yancey’s statement, but I would definitely want Yancey to explain this in more detail. It is a statement that has stuck with me for a while, and I find it a misrepresentation of the facts; from what I have gathered in historical accounts I have read/heard/watched, and also after reading Mandela’s book. I think I going to try to track down an explanation on the statement from Yancey. Not sure if I will receive one, but I will try and post the response.
I received the following books from my kids this Christmas. I am very interested in reading these books. I had then in my Library of Candidates for some time. I first became aware of these books and the author when watching “The Hour”. See below for the Youtube clip of Naomi Klein.
I haven’t been blogging much lately….guess it is one of those times where not much to type out. Maybe it is the winter season, or the holidays etc…but here is a quote from the book, "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela.
"I was not interested in the Hell’s Angels, but the larger question that concerned me was whether we had as Strini suggested, become stuck in a mind-set that was no longer revolutionary. We had been in prison far more then fifteen years; I had been in prison for nearly eighteen. The world that we left was long gone. The danger was that our ideas had become frozen in time. Prison is a still point in a turning world, and it is very easy to remain in the same place in jail while the world moves on." (pg 522)
Very self analyzing question that we need to think about. Are we stuck with a mind-set that is no longer revolutionary as Christ was? We can be in "church" services so much and within the Christian sub-culture that we can become frozen in time. Stuck in the same place.
Let us look at the community that we are placed in and return to the revolutionary ways that Christ came into this world for as we celebrate Christ’s birth tomorrow. Christ left the church with a mission, and as the body of Christ, followers of Jesus we need to become more missionial into the community that we are located in. This is what we are desiring for the community we are moved to recently. We have been developing the Radiant Village’s website and recently posted the Values of this new community project. More on this in the next little while on some thoughts on Radiant Village and where are currently stand.
