I’m known around the church as one who reads quite a few books each year. One of our church members suggested that since I’m leaving Crossroads soon I should post a list of books that I’d recommend for others who, like me, read somewhat eclectically. So I reviewed my “books I’ve read” file and selected a mix of books that I’ve read, or re-read, in the past few years that have impacted me in some way. The links take you to my Amazon.com store which has more info on each one. (If you buy through my link it helps me buy more books!)

Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis. The classic book that just about everyone knows about, quotes from, but rarely reads.

Minister as Shepherd, Charles Jefferson. I read this book every couple of years just to remind myself of the high calling and significant responsibility of a pastor.

Ordering Your Private World, Gordon MacDonald. Another book I re-read quite often. One of the most practical books I’ve read on using my limited time well.

Biblical Eldership, Alexander Strauch. Any elder, or aspiring elder, should read this book.

Master Plan of Evangelism, Robert Coleman. Another classic on the training plan of Jesus. The foundation of my personal ministry strategy can be found here.

Knowledge of the Holy, A. W. Tozer. A most challenging book on the nature of God. In my opinion it is a “must read” for every believer.

Spiritual Leadership, J. Oswald Sanders. Bite sized thoughts that go deep as one reflects on the topics. Another book I’ve re-read often.

Making of a Leader, Robert Clinton. Very practical for one who is seeking to understand the common stages that seem to mark the lives of leaders.

Why We’re Not Emergent, Kevin DeYoung &Ted Kluck. An unusual look at the whole post-modern, emerging church situation offering a significant critique by two young men who should be smack dab in the middle of it all but aren’t.

Leadership and Self-Deception, Arbinger Institute. Not a Christian book, but it just might change your ability to work well wherever you are.  

Sacred Marriage, Gary Thomas. Excellent biblical reflection on this foundational relationship.

The Deliberate Church, Mark Dever. Not a book about methods or techniques, but rather the biblical principles which church leaders should seek deliberately to implement.

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni. One of the most insightful books into the reasons teams fail to be effective. While primarily about business, Lencioni has gained a profound hearing among church leaders.

Death by Meeting, Patrick Lencioni. If you find meetings to be somewhat frustrating you might enjoy this one.

How Now Shall We Live, Charles Colson. One of the best on worldviews.

Margin, Richard Swenson. Out of time? Close to burnout? Swenson pulls no punches in clarifying the issues and prescribing solutions.

Leadership is an Art, Max DePree. A surprising book on leadership.

Leadership Jazz, Max DePree.

Pursuit of Holiness, Jerry Bridges. One of the first books that impacted my spiritual life. I read it often.

The Ultimate Priority, John MacArthur. One of John MacArthur’s earliest books. One of my favorites. What is the highest priority of the church and the Christian.

My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers. A classic devotional consisting of brief thoughts for each day. I have copied many of his insights to my journals over the years.

A Tale of Two Sons, John MacArthur. One of MacArthur’s most recent works. An excellent, hugely challenging look at one of the best known narratives of Jesus.

Mrs. Random and I have begun the tedious process of packing up the stuff we have been collecting around the house for over 20 years. Even with periodic times of “destuffing” closets, rooms, and drawers we have a lot of stuff. I’m being reminded that stuff takes time to sort through. It takes time to decide if a particular item of “stuff”  is worthy of traveling to our next home (wherever that may be). We are nothing like the hoarders you might have heard of that just can’t let go of something because someday they might need it someday. Or those with a serious disorder where they actually gain comfort from having so much stuff – even junk – around them.

But we do have our “stuffy” places. Like the great unfinished shop and storage room that contains boxes we haven’t opened since our last move. Or the ubiquitous junk drawer. Or the cupboards in a closet that I forgot we even had. Since I’m told that we probably can’t use “all stuff included” as a marketing ploy, it appears that we’ll have to deal with our stuff. I wish I had a really cool lesson to draw from this (I can think of some, but I’m feeling a bit lazy tonight). I know my writer friend would have something really cool, but I thought if I just mused randomly about stuff I might be able to put off dealing with it for a little longer.

It’s been a long time since I’ve updated my résumé. Twenty-three years in fact. I’ve reviewed a few hundred or so in my role as Executive Pastor and I’m trying to remember which ones actually gained my attention. I know that the people I hired usually did not have the most creative or cutting edge document, but something drew me to them. OK, someone drew me to them. I have to believe that the Holy Spirit is in the midst of the odd process churches use to find their staff and that he will guide, attract, draw, call dependent, praying, servants and dependent, praying, churches into relationship with one another.

In my human-ness I hope someone takes note the written summary of my life and ministry, but the whole process reminds me that God will be at work to bring his perfect result. That seems to be a good thing to reflect upon as I begin to tell the story of God’s work through the gifts he’s given to me.

Our local paper provides opportunities to local high school students to write a column. I really liked this one, “The Anatomy of Being Late” by Sarelyn Radeck. I think some of these people join me at church on Sunday. Sorry this post is late, but …

Thanks to @phil__johnson’s twitter feed for these links to a great story … it’s one of those that will be everywhere for a few days, but just in case you missed it.

Britian’s Got Talent

Singer Susan Boyle

We all need the reminder that the way things look at first might not be the way they are in reality. Bet we hear more about this story.

There seems to be much discussion about the power demons have over Christians. My position is seemingly in the minority in the Northwest, but for those who might be interested,  this post on Pulpit blog is helpful. Power Encounters by David Powlison is also helpful. The book is currently out of print, but is thoroughly outlined by Justin Taylor. Might be nice to note that C.J. Maheney likes Mr. Powlison.

This might be the worst, or at least the most absurd, social networking site on the internet.

This site is surprisingly calming to someone like me; this post was a good reminder – especially #4.

There are many posts around the web on marketing to the “next” generation. This one, surprisingly, points out a vital need that the church would be wise not to miss.

Timothy Stoner writes in The God Who Smokes:

“… we assume that God must conform to our standards of logic, justice and fairness. We are convinced that he is a puzzle to be solved and that life is a detective story to be unraveled. But we are wrong.”

I needed this reminder. OK, I still need this reminder. Far too often I want to figure things out, to make things work the way I think that they should. And I have a tendency to want to “make life work” (in words of a counselor) rather than trust God when the don’t. I hope I’m get better at living in mystery and uncertainty even though it isn’t always fun or easy.

By the way, Stoner concludes that following God is not like reading a detective novel, but rather a wonderful romance … a metaphor worth considering.

I started a new journal last week. It’s the twenty-sixth since I began journaling in 1982. Back then I just used looseleaf notebook pages. Today I’ve become fond of Moleskine journals though this time I’m using a wannbe from Staples (for half the price). I’m partial to the type with graph paper. Whatever the journal type I always find myself a thoughtful as I start a new one. “What words will these pages hold? What insights? What history will they record?” I’m probably a bit more reflective with this one which I started on April 1 – the first day after making public our resignation at Crossroads. This journal will contain the record of a new adventure and how I feel about it all; it will contain the things that God brings to me through His Word; it will contain my weak moments and the not so weak times. Mostly it will be the record, once again, of a man totally dependent on the Grace of God as God does his work in and through me in His way.

I’ve re-read some of my journals. I find myself encouraged a lot, but also embarassed. I get discouraged at times that I continue to wrestle with some of the same things. Yet I am also encouraged that at no time does my journal show that God is ever anything other than who He.

I’ve been in a blog void for a couple of weeks. I’ve been wrestling through a major life decision and the implications of that decision – implications for more people than just myself. We announced the choice we made this weekend in our church communications and there are a few more details on my church blog. We will be leaving the staff of Crossroads Bible Church and engaging in ministry that is still unknown. Yeah, we know it is kind of crazy to leave the security and comfort of what is known, but we truly sense God at work.

I make decisions all the time. My work requires it. Life requires it. And I seem to be pretty good at it (as long as it’s not Linda asking where to go for dinner).

Some decisions are important – vital even. Most are not. Some affect me alone, while some touch other lives.  Some decisions have import far beyond what we might imagine. Some decisions take deep reflection and prayer before they are made while some decisions are trivial and can be made on the fly. Sometimes I need to decide how to decide, and other times it is obvious what is required. Some decisions I want to avoid and others bring nary a hesitation (did I just write “nary”?). And once made, no decision is beyond God’s ability to work all things together for good (Romans 8:28).

I’ve been dealing with all kinds of decisions this month. I’m glad I’m not alone.