influencer: the power to change anything, by kerry paterson - this book was a gift from the folks at leadership network...and i mean "gift" in every sense of the word. paterson does a great job of breaking down influence into identifying vital behaviors (that need to change in order for larger, more holistic changes to "stick") and then gives a great rubric for how to effect and evaluate change and how change-ready we are. i think this book is the next "good to great."
the way of jesus, by jonathan and jennifer campbell - this book was okay, but not at all timely. leaving aside some of the uber-left-wing theological abstractions, most of this book was about the shift into the postmodern world...something that 'everyone' was writing about 15 years ago. honestly, the book was well written so if you've never been exposed to this topic it's not a bad read...but i have some theological and philosophical criticisms that make me think you'd be better off reading "soul tsunami"
a new kind of christianity, by brian mclaren - mclaren is a great writer and has written this book well...but it's not a great book and i would never recommend it. increasingly, brian mclaren finds more of his theological support from culture and less from scripture. i don't feel like critiquing all that here - i still love his book "a generous orthodoxy" and wish everyone would read it - but i do feel like he's gone too far off base on too many little things for me to be a supporter anymore. that said, my absolute favorite part of any book i've read in the last 12 months was when mclaren tackles mark driscoll's take on the second coming of jesus. driscoll is found of embellishing biblical perspectives of jesus to make christ look much more mma-ready...and mclaren takes 2 pages to dismantle mark's comical and playful (and yet horribly telling) image of a conquering christ with about 60 scriptures that contradict mark and re-ground christ in the bible.
between heaven and earth: divine presence & absence in ezekiel, by john kutsko - this is an academic book that i thoroughly enjoyed outlining God's *departure from israel during exile because of their idolatry...and yet maintains that god is still present with them even while they keenly feel his absence (he's just *there in a new way). good thoughts on idols, imago dei, and son of man stuff if you're interested
the sabbath, by abraham heschel - tons of wisdom in this little text...not sure i was keen to learn more about the sabbath per se, but heschel has so many good things to say i'll read anything of his just because it's another chance to hear him
missional renaissance, by reggie mcneal - this book was FANTASTIC. i'm going to buy it for our staff. if you have no idea what it means to be "missional" buy this book.
semiotics: the basics, by daniel chandler - this is a boring book about a potentially cool subject that might make you sound like len sweet if you mastered it. if you're interested in the notion of interpreting signs & symbols in culture, i'd get anything by george lakoff (on metaphors) instead.
multi-site churrch road trip, by warren bird et al. - great book...bought copies for staff and elders so we can prepare to take another crack at launching additional campuses of the winds
and their memory was a bitter tree, by robert e. howard - this is my guilty pleasure...an anthology of conan stories by their original creator :)
Friday, March 19, 2010
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No need for Howard to be a guilty pleasure: his work's in the Library of America and Penguin Classics. I'd advise you not to take everything Fenner says in his introduction at face value, it was the source of much controversy when it was first published.
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