lately I've had a wee bit of time on my hands -so I thought I would do a little study and read all the books recommended to me in the last couple of years that I hadn't had a chance to read yet. I won't exactly do a book review here, but I just wanted to pass on the recommendation for some that I found really are "must reads".
I just loved them, the way they challenged my thinking or revealed ways that God is working that I hadn't paid much attention to before.
The most recent read is "Fresh Wind Fresh Fire" by Pastor Jim Cymbala. He's the Pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York. It's just a fascinating story of amazing things God has and is doing there in Brooklyn - taking a rather average man and using him to accomplish major things in a church that was once dying (down to about 50 members) and now has thousands of members involved in ministries throughout the city and coming regularly, not just to Sunday Services but to their now massive tuesday night prayer meeting.
"Velvet Elvis" by Rob Bell pastor of Mars Hill (yes a church :D) also has intriguing stories of the way God works in mighty ways in the lives of those that surrender themselves to Him. It also talks a lot about biblical interpretation and the church in the west. I started it thinking I really didn't like the style (REALLY short paragraphs, very modern look) but I soon forgot all that because of the quality of what was being said. Who needs "high falutin' mumbo jumbo" anyway... right??
My last recommendation of the day - "The Priest" by Francine Rivers. It's a short novel on the life of Aaron (brother of Moses and the first High Priest -not counting Melchizedek, and Jesus of course!) I wasn't so sure I wanted to read it although it was highly recommended, just 'cause I'm not so into novels these days... HOWEVER! This one was really refreshing. It made me look at aaron in a way I never had before.. Like when he builds the golden calf - all my life (pretty much) I wondered how he could do that!! Well, the account of it here really gave me a fresh take on things (and of course "no temptation has seized you except that which is common to man") what a people pleaser he was being... He took his eyes off God (while God was/had been talking to them from the mountain) in order to address the needs of the people he had felt responsible for. He of course couldn't really help them, their problems were greater than he could bear - but rather than turn back to hear the voice of God he aimed to make them a representation of God that these poor simple folk could understand... something familiar... something very visible...
Interesting that just while I was reading this part of the book, I was also reading in Hebrews and saw a verse that I had read many times before but not paid attention to. Moses kept his eyes on the one that is invisible That is what was credited to him as faith...(Heb. 11:27).
Interesting huh?? I needed that lesson the last few weeks. To keep right on going, with my eyes firmly fixed on the one who is invisble!
I can so easily be faithless when God is at work behind my back... I always want Him to be working where I can see! BUT Faith... requires me to praise and hope and persist in prayer with Thanksgiving, even when there is no physical evidence, presently, that God is at work.
Yep... so those three!! Good reads all of them, and after you read all or one of them lets have a little chat shall we :D
7 comments:
i've read non of those books you recommend but this summer a friend of mine gave me the book "blue like jazz" by donald miller and it's probably one of the most honest and authentic books about christian spirituality i've ever read! definitely a must read.
another writer i really admire is john ortberg. you should try him, too.
Done and done my friend :D
If you liked Blue Like Jazz... you'll love "Searching for God knows what" - also by Donald Miller, and there's another he wrote more just for men, that I haven't read, but my brother Dave loved..."To own a dragon".
John Ortberg is from my last years reading - but you're right I enjoyed his too! Good choices frank!
I liked The Divine Conspiracy. It was kinda big, but I managed to put a good corner of it into my mouth. I also liked the Cat In The Hat, but it had a hard cover and hurt my teeth when I bit into it.
good choices Daxin... I heard you are also a book lover! ... that you especially love to sink your teeth into the big books. I just bought the Divine Conspiracy - it was sold out everywhere I went for ages. I just have 2 more books to finish before I start that one :D Can't wait.
So, does his (Jim Cymbala) congregation growth mean that it is successful?
not entirely... But the testimonies of God's tranforming power in the lives of the congregants proves, I think, that it is God who is leading the church there, and the pastoral staff there is wisely letting him have the freedom to do so. I think the key has been the focus on prayer... a calling on God, show that they have successfully been teaching good things to the conregation - anyway, it's an interesting read. I was skeptical too, as I often am sadly. A place God has challenged me lately is in my view of the worth of "Mega Churches". who am I to say where and how God works.
velvet elvis is really transforming, i think.
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