Bill Hybels on Leadership Books

While there are a few nuances of our faiths that are different, I deeply respect Bill Hybels, especially his thinking on the importance of leading the local church well. Below is a list of books Hybels compiled. These are books he suggests people read to hone their leadership thinking and abilities in a variety of areas. I'll highlight in Red those that I have read completely, and in Blue those I have read sections or excerpts.

Goals
Brian Tracy

Authentic Leadership
Bill George

Tough Choices
Carly Fiorina

Leadership Can Be Taught
Sharon Daloz Parks

Winning
Jack Welch & Suzy Welch

Courage: The Backbone of Leadership
Gus Lee & Diane Elliott-Lee

Leadership: The Inner Side of Greatness
Peter Koestenbaum

The 360° Leader
John Maxwell

Executive Intelligence
Justin Menkes

The Prepared Mind of a Leader
Bill Welter & Jean Egmon

Intuition at Work
Gary Klein

Resonant Leadership
Richard Boyatzis & Annie McKee

Great Leadership
Antony Bell

The Leadership Mystique
Manfred Kets De Vries

Leading in Black and White
Ancella B. Livers & Keith Caver

The One Thing You Need to Know
Marcus Buckingham

Launching a Leadership Revolution
Chris Brady & Orrin Woodward

Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge (2nd ed.)
Warren Bennis

Paths to Power
Anthony J. Mayo, Nitin Nohria, Laura G. Singleton

Enough
Juan Williams.

The Leadership Gap
David S. Weiss & Vince Molinaro

Project Leadership
James P. Lewis

Leading Quietly
Joseph L. Bodarracco, Jr.

Ladder Shifts
Samuel Chand

Taking Advice
Dan Ciampa

Results
Gary Neilson & Bruce Pasternack

Execution
Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan

Leadership Passages
David L. Dotlich, James L. Noel, Norman Walker

A Bias for Action
Heinke Bruch & Sumantra Ghoshal

The Highest Goal
Jim Collins

Primal Leadership
Daniel Goleman, Annie McKee & Richard E. Boyatzis

Flexible Leadership
Gary Yukl & Richard Lepsinger

The Ethical Challenge
Noel Tichy & Andrew R. McGill

Changing Minds
Howard Gardner

Driven: How Human Nature Shapes Our Choices
Paul Lawrence & Nitin Nohria

Culture Shift
Robert Lewis & Wayne Cordeiro

The Future of Leadership
Warren Bennis, Gretchen Spreitszer & Thomas Cummings

Silos, Politics & Turf Wars
Patrick Lencioni

Building the Bridge As You Walk on It
Robert E. Quinn

Leading the Way
Robert Gandossy & Mark Effron, Hewitt Associates

Value Leadership
Peter S. Cohan

Business Evolves, Leadership Endures
Andrea Redmond & Charles A. Tribbett, III

The Next Generation Leader
Andy Stanley

Grow Your Own Leaders
William C. Byhan, Sudrey B. Smith & Matthew J. Paese

The Go Point
Michael Useem

Competitive Strategy
Michael E. Porter

Integrity
Henry Cloud

Leadership on the Line
Martin Linsky & Ronald Heifetz

Nobody in Charge
Harlan Cleveland & Warren Bennis

(HT: Todd Rhodes)

(You can also find other great stuff on the Willow Creek Blogs)

Technorati Tags: Bill Hybels, Hybels, Leadership, Willow Creek, Willow Creek Community Church, Willow Creek Association, Barrington, South Barrington, Brian Tracy, Bill George, Carly Fiorina, Sharon Daloz Parks, Jack Welch, Suzy Welch, Gus Lee, Diane Ellott-Lee, Peter Koestenbaum, John Maxwell, Jusin Menkes, Bill Welter, Jean Egmon, Gary Klein, Richard Boyatzis, Annie McKee, Antony Bell, Manfred Kets De Vries, Ancella B. Livers, Keith Caver, Marcus Buckingham, Chris Brady, Orrin Woodward, Warren Bennis, Anthony Mayo, Nitin Hohria, Laura Singleton, Juan Williams, David Weiss, Vince Molinaro, James Lewis, Joseph Bodarracco, Samuel Chand, Dan Ciampa, Gary Neilson, Bruce Pasternack, Larry Bossidy, Ram Charan, David Dotlich, James Noel, Norman Walker, Heinke Brunch, Sumantra Ghosal, Jim Collins, Daniel Goleman, Annie McKee, Richard Boyatzis, Gary Yukl, Richard Lepsinger, Noel Tichy, Andrew McGill, Howard Gardner, Paul Lawrence, Robert Lewis, Wayne Cordeiro, Warren Bennis, Gretchen Spreitszer, Thomas Cummings, Patrick Lencioni, Robert Quinn, Robert Gandossy, Mark Effron, Peter Cohan, Andrea Redmond, Charles Tribbett, Andy Stanley, William Byhan, Sudrey Smith, Matthew Paese, Michale Useem, Michael Porter, Henry Cloud, Martin Linsky, Ronald Heiftz, Harlan Cleveland, Todd Rhodes, Willow Creek Blogs

Ruth 4:13-22 - Sermon #5 in Ruth Series

This past Sunday I concluded my sermon series from the book of Ruth. The text is posted on the First Congregational Church of Waseca website - wasecachurch.org. The ending of Ruth dovetails quite nicely with Mother's Day. I had intended on only spending 4 weeks on Ruth, one week per chapter, but stretched it when I realized that I had too much in Ruth 4 to cover in one week, and that it would give me a natural sermon that goes with Mother's Day.


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Identifying how and why you do church

Larry Brey, Assimilation Pastor at Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC had the following thoughts to share on the Access Elevation Blog. Pastor Brey was examining the idea of closing the back door - keeping people in you church when they visit.


As you evaluate your own church and assimilation strategy ask yourself a few questions:
What is the vision of your church?
What do you want the culture of your church to look like?
What does it mean to be a part of your church?
Who does Sunday morning exist for, is it for the exhortation of the believer or is it for those who are far from God? The answers to these questions will tell you a lot about what your doors need to look like.

Technorati Tags: Larry Brey, Assimilation Pastor, Elevation Church, Charlotte, MN, Acess Elevation, Elevation Blog, Evaluating Church, Why we do church, How we do church, God, Vision, Culture

Ruth 4:1-12 - Sermon #4 in Ruth Series

I have posted my sermon from this past weekend at WasecaChurch.org - the website for the church I pastor.

Originally I was going to preach all of Chapter 4 this past Sunday, but I cut it back Saturday night to just Ruth 4:1-12. I did this for two reasons. First, we were doing communion and some other stuff during the worship service, and if I had a long sermon or ran long we would have an exceptionally long service. I don't worry a whole lot about my time preaching, though I shoot for 20-30 minutes. I probably would've gone over the 30 minute mark, and with all the other stuff I felt that was just too much. The second reason I saved the last half of Ruth 4 for this coming week is that I think it ties in well with Mother's Day. I thought the way this story ends would be perfect for tie-ins to Mother's Day things, so rather than having to find another message for Mother's Day, I'll use the one I've already been working on.

This sermon series on Ruth has really gone well. People are giving a lot of great feedback on it, and I feel like they are connecting with my message and illustrations.


Technorati Tags: Preaching, Pastor, Bible, Christianity, Redeemer, Boaz, Naomi, Elimelech, Bethlehem, Ruth, Ruth 4:1-12, Ruth 4, Mother's Day, Sermon Series

Honor and Bless Your Pastor

So my congregants know, I'm not pining for the below. I share articles like this because I have a readership that far predates my being a pastor, and is a mix of people in many churches.

For the record, I don't want a Rolls-Royce either. I'd settle for a car that doesn't cost me annually in repair bills what it's actual resale value is! Though a late 60's/early 70's Corvette Stingray with the big block would be nice... :-)


Clayton King writes about Honoring Your Pastor

Restoring Honor

I am sure that a post of this sort offers itself to misunderstanding. I write it nonetheless, in hopes that you will hear my heart and glean the good from it.

The church in America seems to have lost the ancient, and dare I even say Biblical understanding of correctly honoring the man of God; one who dedicates his life to service to God and God’s people (this could be the worship leader, youth minister, or most often the pastor). We have confused honor with obsession, treat our ministers like hired hands, and become addicted to personalities on TV or the internet and swallow anything they try to sell us while starving our local pastor on a salary that allows him to qualify for food stamps.

There is a distrust and skepticism afoot that is a result of the hideous scandals of the 1980’s. And I do believe that the Swaggart and Baker scandals were, in the long run, good for the family of God. That bubble had to burst, and the scripture had to come true that judgement must first begin in the house of God. There have been plenty more, even the Ted Haggard scandal of recent days, that have caused the world to view us with a cynical eye. We should expect this and live our lives accordingly so that the world can see a true Christian witness. But in the wake of these scandals, not to mention Enron and WorldCom, there is a “mood” where it seems that churches treat pastors as expendable, replaceable, for hire and for fire. We almost automatically distrust anyone in leadership now.

I am not advocating that the church makes the pastor a little king of a little kingdom with freedom to do or say whatever he wants. That is insanity. I am advocating for a return to honoring the man of God, not worshiping him, but understanding the heavy burden laid upon him, the struggles and pressures he faces on a daily basis that NOBODY else experiences, and the specific needs the pastor faces that are uncommon to all other people in the church.

Perhaps this is the reason so many pastors burn out and quit ministry. The statistics are staggering, so much so that the Eli Lilly Foundation is pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into churches, seminaries, and other non-profits to try and figure out why pastors walk away and how they can help stop the mass exit. When questioned as to this reality, pastors who quit most often say that a lack of support from the church and lack of understanding from the members as to the stresses and pressures of the job is the largest contributing factor to pastoral burnout.

Can we regain a sense of honoring the man of God without becoming obsessed with personalities or worshiping persona's? Of course we can. Pray for your pastor. Slip a $100 bill in his hand after church. Send him and his wife on a cruise. Give them gift certificates to their favorite restaurants. Babysit their kids so they can have a night out to watch a movie and eat a good meal. Stand up for them when you hear gossip. Get their back when they cannot defend themselves against the untrue accusations of others. Encourage the deacons or the elders to take up a special love offering for your pastors family once a year, honoring them with respect and generosity.

When I was a young boy, my daddy and I got our hair cut every other Saturday morning at Garrett’s barbershop in Fountain Inn. And every time that a local pastor would come in the barbershop to get a haircut, all the men waiting would stand up, take off their hats, shake hands with the pastor, and it made a heavy impression on me as a little boy. Since then, I have made it a personal goal to always honor the pastor when I go somewhere to preach, to always honor him from the stage, to tell him publicly how much I appreciate him and his family and their sacrifice for the church, and then to tell him personally and privately how much I look up to him. This simple practice has opened up friendships between me and hundreds of pastors over the years. Sometimes, they just need to know that we believe in them and that we’ve got their back when they need us. Let’s restore honor, correctly, to the man of God in the church.

John Piper writes about Blessing Your Pastor

Piper says:

How can I bless my pastor?

Lead somebody to Christ. Live a holy life. Don't lose your faith when you get cancer. Bring up your kid to love Christ. Do something radical for missions.

The common denominator for all of those is that you prove by your life that I haven't wasted mine.

Don't give me a Rolls-Royce when I turn sixty. I would've wasted my life if you think you're blessing me with some big financial gift when I'm sixty. I want to see your life changed. I want to see you pour yourself out for others. And I'm sure that's what you're asking about.

I get in prayer meetings and listen to my people pray, and I say, "That's what I'm living for."

They're holding on to Jesus. Life is falling apart for them over here, but they're not giving up on the Lord. They're rejoicing in him. Or I hear a man tell about how he shared Christ at his work.

Those are the things that make a pastor endure anything.

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The Electronic Sign by Tony Morgan

The other day I was driving down the road going about 50 mph. Just in case you're wondering, that's not quite fast enough.

I passed an organization with a big sign out front. Part of the sign includes an electronic message board that rotates messages. I don't know how many messages there are. At 50 mph, I only saw one. And, because of that, I know that it was precisely "8:28" when I passed the sign.

The funny thing about that is that I didn't really need to know that it was 8:28. I already had that information from my car and cell phone clocks.

It made me wonder though...

• Didn't they realize that I'm going fast and that it's difficult for me to take in more than one message?
  

• Or, did they think all their messages were important enough that it would force me to stop?
  

• Did they know they were answering a question I wasn't asking?
  

• Are they aware that the fancy flashing electronic sign caused me to miss whatever message they were sharing on the non-electronic portion of their sign?
  

• Do they know that they caught my attention but failed to generate an opportunity to respond?

You know what's funny about this? There's probably a group of people meeting in that organization thinking, "He missed our message because he wouldn't slow down." Then, to affirm their position, someone will likely point out: "Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it."

And, rather than changing the methods for communicating their message, they'll continue blaming me for not hearing it.

________________________________

Tony is exactly right on this one. You aren't changing the message, just the method. So many churches fail to grasp this, and it is tragic. It limits their kingdom impact.

Technorati Tags: Tony Morgan, Electronic Sign, Gospel, Preaching, Christ, Jesus, God, Bible, Contextualization, Context

Ruth 3 - Sermon #3 in Ruth Series and other random things

Today I posted my most recent sermon from the Book of Ruth - Chapter 3 on the First Congregational Church of Waseca web site (blog). I have been preaching through the book of Ruth one chapter at a time, and it has been going really well. I had a lot of positive and specific feedback from this past week's message. And by feedback I'm not talking about the simple obligatory things that people often say when they don't have anything else to say. I'm talking about specific references and conversations about the meaning in the message. It's nice to know people are paying attention! No snoring yet!

Just as a personal update, I am really enjoying what I am doing. You spend all the years working hard in seminary, serving in other churches, never knowing exactly how it will go when you are out on your own. It's going GREAT! I really was uncertain about becoming a Senior Pastor, especially in a 1 pastor church. That's not a reflection on the church, but is my own fear of not being sure I was ready. I'm still not sure I'm ready, but I know now that I'm doing what I am supposed to be doing, where God wants me to be. And that is exciting. And scary. And challenging. It is forcing me to walk in faith, something I am not inherently gifted at. So it's a good thing, an uncomfortable thing. My church members have been incredibly gracious and supportive, which makes all the difference in the world to my success.

Tonight I am taking my high school group (called Youth Chat) to Mankato to grab a quick bite of supper and then to Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. Focus on the Family's Pugged In Online review. My wife and I saw this movie late last week and it spurred some good conversations about what we believe and the systematic censorship exposed in the movie. It is a sort of documentary, so it is plodding at times, but overall we really enjoyed it. The last few minutes are the best part of the movie with Richard Dawkins looking quite foolish in his infinite regress based argument for aliens planting a seed on Earth leading to the creation of life on our planet (and isn't that a form of Intelligent Design?). Talk about having to have faith to believe in something unsubstantiated! I could go on, but won't, because this post isn't about evolution vs. creation etc. Agree or disagree with Ben Stein's premise, he clearly exposes systematic censorship within academia against Intelligent Design.

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Harder Work - Craig Groeschel on preparing a Sermon

A great post today by Craig Groeschel of LifeChurch.tv on his thoughts about how to prepare a sermon. I'm with Craig on this one. I'm of the sort of person where I need to let things percolate in me for a while before I'm ready to assemble my sermon (or any other important piece of writing). I can sit down and bang something out if I have to, but it won't be nearly as good as it could be. Since I am a new pastor, I am slowing trying to get ahead of the curve and work on my sermons farther out each month. I'm not there yet. I'm not where I want to be, as the combination of learning the job, trying to sell a house, finding a job for my wife and a myriad of of things keeps me from being able to sit down and plan the next 6 months where I want to go. But slowing I'm working on it, and I intend to reach the point where I have a vision for where I am going with sermons 4-6 months in advance. Certainly I'm still open to God's leading to cover something else as need or conviction arises, but this way, I have a plan, some direction, something to focus on.

Craig Groeschel's post that inspired me today:

We’re talking about the importance of “bringing” you in a message to your church.

To bring you means you’ll have to spend more time in study and prayer.

(Notice I didn’t say research. Studying the text is vital, but don’t stop there.)

• A “Saturday night special” sermon that you throw together won’t likely empower you to bring you.
• A sermon you lifted from www.quickandeasyfreesermonsforlazypastors.com won’t do the trick either. (I made up that site.)
• A rehashed sermon you preached five years ago will likely feel like a rehashed sermon you preached five years ago.

You must live the message. Breathe the message. Experience God’s Spirit speaking to you. That generally takes time. In my opinion, the best messages are usually ones that are born out of days or weeks of wrestling with God’s Word.

When possible, I suggest:

• Spend four days preparing three hours a day rather than one twelve-hour day. (This gives your Spirit and mind time to process what God is saying to you.)
• Interview a few other people about the text. See how God speaks to them. God might say something to you through them.
• Let the message “cook.” Instead of microwaving a message, give God time to slowly burn the message on your heart.

If you are unwilling to do what it takes to bring you, your effectiveness as a biblical communicator will be drastically limited.

Technorati Tags: Preparing a Sermon, How to write a sermon, Writing Sermons, Preaching, Craig Groeschel, LifeChurch, LifeChurch.tv, Prayer, New Pastor, Sermon Planning, Sermon Writing, God's Word, Bible, Church

The Authority (and ignorance) of Scripture

Brenton Balvin is a guy I shared a number classes with at Bethel Seminary. He has a great post on his blog today about areal life example of where ignorance damages the authority of scripture.

He says:

One thing that jumped out at me were the multiple times that people would make assertions about things without the support of Scripture.

and later says:

I was reminded while I sat and listened to the group that as followers of Jesus we need to KNOW our Bible's INTIMATELY.

Go read the whole post to get the context. Good stuff!

What’s Your Church’s Biggest Strength: Management or Leadership?

Todd Rhoades posted the following over on MondayMorningInsight.com.

Leadership and management guru Peter Drucker once said, “Management is doing things right; Leadership is doing the right things.” When I read that recently, I thought that this statement could be very true in today’s American church. Here’s my theory: Could it be that while most churches are ‘doing things righ’t, a smaller group of churches are ‘doing the right things’?

The percentage of churches in decline is America is substantial. (I’ve heard as high as 90%!) It’s my hypothesis that each of these churches (and if you take the conservative church count in the country of 200,000 churches, 90% would be a whopping 180,000 American churches!) have to be ‘doing things right’ to some degree. Doing things right means things like conducting weekend services, maintaining property and facilities, making payroll, and caring for their attenders. In essence, as long as there are still people attending most churches, the churches, by and large, are ‘doing things right’, at least from a management standpoint.

But what about the other 10% of churches in America that are growing and vibrant? Could it be that they have moved beyond ‘doing things right’ to ‘doing the right things’? Every single one of the growing churches I’ve seen are very outwardly focused. They reach out and specifically target reaching their communities. They move beyond ‘management’ to dare to try new things; new programs; and new approaches. They are not afraid of change. They are not afraid to confront the culture. The are leaders. And the result is a growing and community-changing church.

FOR YOUR INPUT: What’s your church’s strength? Management or Leadership?

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Ruth 2 - Sermon #2 in Ruth Series

I have posted on my church's web site the sermon I preached last weekend from Ruth 2. I preached through the whole chapter (and all of Ruth 1 the week before). I thought it was a good sermon. For those who were at First Congregational Church of Waseca this last weekend, you will see that I don't stick exactly to my script, but rather it's a rough outline for where I am going. While I might write the whole sermon out most weeks (I didn't for Ruth 1, therefore not much to post but some odd notes) I always stray from that with what comes to my mind. I write it out because it is good practice, and it keeps me from saying things I don't want to or shouldn't say. It keeps me on track, and gives me an idea of where I want to go when I am preaching to keep things progressing forward.

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Simple Church - one of the best books for church leaders ever written

Tony Morgan recently read the book Simple Church and commented on his blog about it. I read Simple Church while candidating for my current church, and to say that it had an impact on me would be like saying Minnesota has a few mosquitoes. Tony's thoughts are below. Last week I gave my copy of this book to one of the leaders of my church with the hope that he'll read it and it will inspire and challenge him like it did me.

_____________________________________

I finally had a chance to read the book Simple Church by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger. It's been on my list for the last year or more, but I didn't prioritize it. I wish I had. Honestly, I think it's one of the top five books I've read on church ministry. This is one of those every-church-leader-should-read books. Great, great insights. I wish I would have written this book, because it certainly captures my heart for the local church.

Here are some of the highlights from my reading:

• "Churches with a simple process for reaching and maturing people are expanding the kingdom."
• "Many of our churches have become cluttered. So cluttered that people have a difficult time encountering the simple and powerful message of Christ."
• "Great amounts of activity do not produce life change. It only gives the impression that things are happening, that there is life."
• "If the purpose is hazy, the process for making the purpose happen has not entered the picture."
• "If the goal is to keep certain things going, the church is in trouble. The end result must always be about people. Programs should only be tools."
• "The goal is to partner with God to move people through the stages of spiritual growth. Changed lives are the bottom line, the intended end result. Christ formed in people is the goal."
• "The first group consisted of growing and healthy churches. These churches had grown 5 percent a year for three consecutive years. Few churches do that. Sadly, less than 2 percent of all churches in America experience that type of consistent growth."
• "Some churches are not clear on a ministry process because they do not have one."
• "Focus does not make church leaders popular."
• "To be simple you have to eliminate the unnecessary. Most of the things you eliminate will be good things. They were started with a passionate leader and a perceived or real need."
• "People will not live out something they cannot remember."
• "When you are tired of talking about it, people will just be in the first stages of understanding."
• "Sadly, in many churches people are stuck in the same place spiritually. And there is no intentional process to move them."
• "You must begin with the process, not the programs... If the programs do not fit into your process, you need to eliminate them."
• "Choose one program for each phase of your process... Multiple programs for each phase of the process divide attention and energy."
• "Church leaders must avoid the two extremes of micromanagement and neglect. Micromanagement stifles creativity and hampers shared leadership. Neglect fosters complacency and leads to a fragmented team."
• "One would think that the more programs and the more special events that are offered, the great the impact. Our research has confirmed that the opposite is true."
• "The churches that experienced the highest percentages of growth were the churches that offered fewer programs."
• "The majority of churches choose not to change. They would rather die. Tragically, in most churches, the pain of change is greater than the pain of ineffectiveness."

Technorati Tags: Simple Church, Tony Morgan, Thom Rainer, Eric Geiger, Church Leadership, Church Growth

ESV Study Bible - I want one

Pardon me while I wipe drool from my keyboard. Today the ESV Study Bible web page went live.

The ESV is my preferred translation of the Bible as I have mentioned before. I have one full sized ESV and a couple of pocket ESV's. My full sized ESV is great, but it has a binding problem whereby the cover has slowly begun to separate itself from the rest of the book. I have to hold it carefully when I read, or it'll tear completely free. It has been glued once, and it didn't really last long so I'm not doing it again.

The argument could be made "Don't you already have a Bible or twelve?". Yep. I do. I gave one away just last Monday. BTW I love giving Bibles away. I do have a number of older Bibles of mine in various states of usability. Some of those are in need of retiring, others I plan on giving away. I have a few Bibles that are just for reference - an NASB for example - that I want for the odd occasion that I want either a very literal or a highly interpreted version to cross reference. Yes I do have Bible software that does some of this, but not all the major versions are within my price range to add these to my software. I got a handful of Bibles at various times through Seminary too, ones that were being given away by publishers.

With all that said, I have nothing that comes close to the ESV Study Bible. I have an NIV Study Bible, but I've always felt that it fell short on the extras that a Study Bible should contain. A bunch of super tiny print foot notes, but not much else.

So when October comes, I'll be getting a new Bible. I suspect I'll order it online so I won't have to tent out in front of a Christian book store somewhere the night before, even though that does sound like a lot of fun.

Here's a few endorsements for the ESV Study Bible:

Visit the new website for the ESV Study Bible and learn more about this exciting new edition of the best old book.

John Piper:

The ESV is a dream come true for me. The rightful heir to a great line of historic translations, it provides the continuity and modern accuracy I longed for. Now the scope and theological faithfulness of the ESV Study Bible study notes is breathtaking. Oh how precious is the written Word of God.

Mark Driscoll:

The ESV Study Bible is the most important resource that has been given to the emerging generation of Bible students and teachers. The ESV Study Bible is the best. Period.

Joni Eareckson Tada:

The definitive clarity and beauty of the ESV Study Bible is extraordinary. In a world where words are distorted to mean anything, it is wonderful to have complete confidence in the reliability and truth of the Bible—so clearly and persuasively demonstrated by this world-class team of Bible scholars and teachers. For everyone who wants to understand God's word in a deeper way, the ESV Study Bible is an outstanding resource. I will be an avid user!

Randy Alcorn:

Wow! Concise, lucid, enlightening—the ESV Study Bible is an amazing resource. With its textual fidelity, doctrinal substance, and artistic beauty, the ESV Study Bible will be an immense help to all who hunger for God-breathed Scripture. I wholeheartedly recommend this exceptional resource.

C. J. Mahaney:

I can't imagine a greater gift to the body of Christ than the ESV Study Bible. It is a potent combination indeed: the reliability and readability of the ESV translation, supplemented by the best of modern and faithful scholarship, packaged in an accessible and attractive format. A Christian could make no wiser investment for himself, a pastor could recommend no better resource for his congregation.

Technorati Tags: ESV, ESV Bible, Bible, ESV Study Bible, Study Bible, NIV, NASB, Crossway, Crossway Publishing, John Piper, Mark Driscoll, Joni Eareckson Tada, Randy Alcorn, C.J. Mahaney

When bearing go bad and customer service

I got up extra early today to hunt down a part for my truck. Yesterday I smoked my idler pulley bearing on my S-10 on the way home from church. And by smoke I mean that it got so hot that the aluminum spacer on the back side of the bearing melted and oozed it's way into the bearing. According to Wikipedia, the melting point of aluminum is 1220.58F. Since it might be an alloy, the melting point may be a bit lower than that, but nonetheless it was smoking hot. Thankfully I made it home.

So I ran and got parts yesterday. A quick trip to O'Rilley Auto Parts scored me a new pulley and bearing. This was just before the parts store closed, so I was happy. I got home, and upon extraction of the old pulley I discovered the new part didn't have all the things I need. I hadn't previously realized that I melted the mounting spacer. So I quick search the web and find that Autozone is open later on Sunday than all of their competitors in the St. Paul/Minneapolis metro area. I run over before they close, only to find the space is a dealer only type of thing. Of course. This can never be easy. And dealer only means it's gonna cost you!

I dig up Merit Chevrolet's web site, the dealer closest to me, and see listed that their parts department opens at 7:00am. 7:01AM today I call and work my way through the phone tree to the parts department phone line. Ring ring ring...thank you for holding, all service members are busy with customers if you would like to leave a message please press 1 others pleas keep holding. Over and over again. For 15 minutes. Wow, they must be busy. After 15 minutes, I hang up, I'm getting tired of listening to this message (I didn't want to leave a message, I only have access to my wife's car until 8:00AM, a call back at 9:00 does me no good.) So I hang up, and call back 5 minutes later. Phone answered on 2nd ring, and I ask for Parts. "Sorry sir, they aren't open until 7:30AM." So I ask the young lady who answered the phone if she would let someone know the web site says 7:00AM. "I will let someone know." Click. Dial tone.

Anyone else see a customer service problem here? An opportunity missed? "Can I take your number sir?" "I'm sorry the site is incorrect sir." (BTW, the door of the service department lists the parts as not opening until 8:00AM!) Or even "Is there any other thing I can help you with?"

Since I have had a previous experience Merit that was overall positive, and since I absolutely need this part for my truck to function, I call them back at 7:30AM. Parts answers right away once I am passed through. They have the full idler pulley assembly (rather than just the pulley and bearing). So I RUSH over to pick up the part before my wife has to head to work. I can't make her late, even if I have to walk to the part.

$74 later and I'm out the door. The O'Rilley part was $21. Ouch! But the first one got 179,000+ miles, so I figure I won't ever have to do this again. I wince, and pay, and make haste to home so my Banana (my nickname for my wife for any newer readers) can get to work pronto. I also sent a quick email to Merit letting them know my experience.

I might post some photos later of the slagged bearing spacer and melted pulley. And we'll see if I ever hear anything from Merit on this missed opportunity for customer service. I don't want anything from them, but I do think they would want to know how they can improve for future customers.

Technorati Tags: Chevy, Chevrolet, S-10, S10, O'Rilley Auto Parts, Autozone, Merit Chevrolet, Customer Service, Parts Department, Idler Pulley, Idler Pulley Bearing, Bad Bearing, Aluminum, Melting Point, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Car Parts, Truck, Engine Problems

The joys (or not) of owning of an old junky truck

Yesterday I put a new pitman arm and idler arm in my truck. $425 later and it rides better, and I'm not afraid that it will crash off the road every time I hit a pot hole while going around a corner at speed.

So today, just after I get off the highway near our home, I smell something getting hot. I check my gauges, and nothing is registering from my truck. I figure it must be the car in front of me. 1 block from my house, my truck starts to squeal under the hood. Curious. Just as I turn into my alley, the truck starts to sound bad, not running quite right, clearly something is wrong. I pop the hood as I enter the driveway, and see that my serpentine belt is barely turning, I've lost tension. I quickly shut the engine off and investigate. A pulley has locked up, the bearing will no longer turn and this caused the belt to jump off this tensioner pulley. So it looks like I'll be working on my truck the rest of the afternoon once I'm able to get parts. It'll need a new belt, as I could smell the rubber burning off the existing one. Of course it is a fairly new belt, I just installed it last November.

Cars are money pits. Bleh. But praise God it died just as I got home safely and it wasn't something worse!

Technorati Tags: Chevy, S-10, S10, serpentine belt, car problems, bad pulley, bad bearing, Pitman Arm, Idler Arm

Mark Driscoll on the ESV Study Bible and other miscellanea

Mark Driscoll drools over his first taste the the not yet released ESV Study Bible.

For the record, the ESV is my preferred translation of the Bible. It is what I study from daily, and what I use when working on a sermon. I do however preach from the NIV, as that is what is in the pews of my church, and the cost of the change over isn't worth the money, effort or time at this juncture. Far more important and necessary things in our church's budget.

I will be preaching on Ruth the next few weeks. I led a Bible study this past Monday where I gave an overview of the whole book, and it really inspired me and reminded me of this great story. I'm looking forward to preaching it! I've been working on the sermon all morning, and got a few hours of study in last night for this week's message.

Later today we have an appointment with our CPA, Mr. Larry Mahoney. I really hate working on taxes. Last year we got a nice refund, but we are thinking that won't happen again this year. Hopefully Mr. Mahoney still has a few rabbits in his hat! Seriously though, if you are looking for a solid and highly qualified CPA in St. Paul, Larry Mahoney has done a good job for us. It's not cheap, but our taxes are complex, and I suspect with all of his abilities and tools the out of pocket cost is greatly offset with savings we wouldn't have otherwise gotten.

Technorati Tags: Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill Church, Seattle, Church, ESV, ESV Study Bible, Bible, Study Bible, English Standard Version, English Standard Version Bible, Ruth, Book of Ruth, Sermon on Ruth, Sermon, Preaching, Pastor, Taxes, Taxes 2007, Mahoney, Larry Mahoney, MUCR

Thunder Snow

Imagine this...

You are kneeling down in 2 inches of your favorite flavored Slurpee (or Slush Puppy or Icee). There is Slushy everywhere, dripping from buildings, sliding off of cars, and it's as if someone is standing above you letting the Slushy machine pour down upon you, but somebody forgot to add the sugary flavoring.

Now imagine changing a tire by head lights in that same situation. That is where I found myself tonight after a distressed phone call from my wife. Seems her right front tire was dead flat. 30 bone-chilling dripping-wet minutes not-a-dry-spot-on-me later and the doughnut spare is on and we head home.

But at least we got to experience Thundersnow again this year!

Technorati Tags: Slurpee, Slush Puppy, Icee, Slushy, Thundersnow, Thunder Snow, Snow, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Doughnut, spare tire, flat tire, tire repair, car tire

Article Published

Just a quick note pointing you to an article I wrote last Friday that was published in today's Waseca County News. (blog post of article Here)

The most dangerous prayer

From LifeChurch.tv's Swerve Blog:

Do you truly want to make a difference in this world? Do you want generations to be different because you knew Christ? Do you want to lead a church that will impact your city, state, and the world? Do you want your preaching to awaken dormant spirits, stir complacent hearts, convict wayward sinners?

Then pray this prayer: “God, please break me.”

He will.

And when He does, you’ll be ruined—in the best sort of way.

• Your heart will ache for those without Christ.
• You’ll despise spiritual complacency.
• You’ll see the darkness of your heart clearly.
• You’ll be bothered deeply by things you used to easily overlook.
• You’ll cry often and easily.
• You’ll know Jesus more intimately.

“Break us… Oh, Lord! Break us!”

Technorati Tags: LifeChurch, Life Church, LifeChurch.tv, Swerve Blog, Prayer, Christ, Craig Groeschel

Make Us Dangerous sermon

I just posted a quick summary of the sermon I preached this last weekend.

Pray for your Pastor

I submitted the following article on Friday for the Waseca County News (published next Thursday?) as part of my duties as a member of the Waseca Ministerial Association. Then today Justin Taylor linked to a blog post by Justin Childers that is probably even better than my article on this subject.

Today I would like to share with you some things my more experienced (and likely wiser) peers are unlikely to share with you.

• 80 percent of pastors say they have insufficient time with spouse and that ministry has a negative effect on their family.
• 40 percent report a serious conflict with a parishioner once a month.
• 33 percent say that being in ministry is an outright hazard to their family.
• 75 percent report they’ve had a significant stress-related crisis at least once in their ministry.
• 45 percent of pastors’ wives say the greatest danger to them and family is physical, emotional, mental and spiritual burnout.
• 21 percent of pastors’ wives want more privacy.
• Pastors who work fewer than 50 hours a week are 35 percent more likely to be terminated.
• 40 percent of pastors considered leaving the pastorate in the past three months.
Source: "Pastors At Greater Risk" by H.B London Jr. and Neil Wiseman, Regal Books, 2003

As a new pastor, these statistics are scary. As a person who has spent his whole life going to church they are even more frightening. So how can you help your pastors? One of the best ways is to pray for them.

Pray for your pastor on Sunday night and Monday morning. This is when your pastor is likely most depleted. After the church empties, and the adrenaline rush from leading/teaching/preaching wears off we are sapped and vulnerable.

Pray for your pastor on Saturday nights. There are times when most pastors endure little or no sleep on these nights. We have a tough message to bring, a challenge to face, or perhaps our week was chaotic and we just don’t feel fully ready to bring the message God has given us to speak.

Pray for your pastor daily. Simply put, we need it. Pray that God would strengthen us. Pray that we would be leaders of integrity. Pray for our health, emotional, physical and psychological. Pray that God is working on us, in us, and through us.

Pray for your pastor when they come to your mind. If you are driving down the road, and your pastor pops into your mind, pray for them. The Holy Spirit knows when people need prayer. I cannot tell you how many times God has brought someone to my mind, and I found out later that something was going on that they needed prayer for.

Encourage your pastor, and tell them you are praying for them. They are doing the same for you!

Romans 12:12 says: Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Amen.

Technorati Tags: Prayer, Pray for your Pastor, Pastor, God, Integrity, Romans 12:12, Romans 12, Justin Taylor, Justin Childers, Waseca, Waseca County News, Waseca Ministerial Association, Ministerial Association, Pastoral stress, Stress of being a pastor, H.B. London Jr., Neil Wiseman, Focus on the Family

Desperation Band - Counting On God Lyrics

We sang the following song at Crossroads Church in Cottage Grove, MN off and on for a few week earlier this year. This song is infectious. Hours after singing the song and the song was still resonating in my head. And if you haven't heard of them, Desperation Band is worth giving a listen to!

Counting on God

VERSE 1
I'm in a fight not physical
And I'm in a war
But not with this world
You are the light that's beautiful
And I want more
I want all that's Yours

PRE-CHORUS
Joy unspeakable that won't go away
And just enough strength
To live for today
So I never have to worry
What tomorrow will bring
'Cause my faith is on solid rock
I am counting on God

CHORUS
I am counting on
I am counting on God

BRIDGE
The miracle of Christ in me
Is the mystery that sets me free
I'm nothing like I used to be
Open up your eyes you'll see


Jared Anderson
© 2007 Vertical Worship Songs


Desperation Band <--Click here to hear this song/album on Amazon.com! From Desperation Online:

DESPERATION IS THE UNITED EFFORTS OF THE STUDENT MINISTRIES AT NEW LIFE CHURCH. WE BELIEVE THAT THE LOCAL CHURCH IS GOD'S CHOSEN VEHICLE FOR CREATING CHANGE. CHANGE HAPPENS LOCALLY. IT HAPPENS WHEN PEOPLE ACT WHERE THEY ARE WITH WHAT THEY HAVE. CHANGE HAPPENS GRADUALLY. IT OCCURS WHEN PEOPLE DO A SERIES OF LITTLE THINGS WELL OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME.

DESPERATION IS ALL ABOUT STUDENTS BEING CHANGED BY THE PRESENCE OF GOD. AND CREATING CHANGE WHERE THEY ARE BY PLUGGING INTO THEIR LOCAL CHURCH AND STAYING FAITHFUL. THIS IS A GENERATION IN DESPERATE PURSUIT OF GOD: THIS IS A YOUTH MOVEMENT FOR LOCAL CHURCHES. TOGETHER, LETS MAKE OUR LIVES DEFINED BY FAITH AND FAITHFULNESS. AND WE CAN SPREAD SALVATION AROUND THE WORLD. COME ON. IT'S TIME.

Technorati Tags: Desperation Band, Counting On God, Lyrics, Christian Music, Worship Music, Crossroads Church, Cottage Grove, Desperation Online, New Life Church

Psalm 133 Sermon - The Communion of the Saints

I posted my sermon from this past weekend on the site I created for our church - First Congregational Church of Waseca, MN. I must say I don't think I've ever heard of another sermon on this passage. I'm sure they exist, but I've never heard/seen/read one!

Technorati Tags: Psalm, Psalms, Psalm 133, First Congregational, First Congregational Church, Congregational Church, Waseca, Waseca Church, First Congregational Church of Waseca, Unity, Communion of the Saints, Communion, Saints

Out of Imagination

This is from Mark Batterson's blog Evotional.

Neurological studies have shown that over the course of time, there is a cognitive shift from right-brain to left-brain. And if we don't find a way to stop the shift, memory overtakes imagination. We stop creating the future and start repeating the past. We stop innovating and start imitating. We stop doing ministry out of imagination and start doing ministry out of memory.

A few years ago I read something R.T Kendall wrote that impacted me: "The greatest opposition to what God is doing today comes from those who were on the cutting edge of what God was doing yesterday."

I don't want that to be me!

One of the byproducts of the neurological shift away from right-brain imagination toward left-brain logic is that we become too logical. And it seems fitting on April Fool's Day to say that great leaders are illogical. The people God uses the most are people that aren't afraid of looking foolish. In fact, if you aren't willing to look foolish you're foolish!

Technorati Tags: Mark Batterson, National Community Church, Washington DC, Washington Church, Ebenezer's Coffeehouse, Evotional, Theater Church, Theatre Church, Right Brain, Left Brain, right-brain, left-brain, Neurology, Creativity, Imagination, Ministry, Leadership, Ministry Leadership, Church Leadership

Epistles Video for Crossroads Church

Below is a video I made in February for Crossroads Church of Cottage Grove, MN. This video is one of a series of videos used to supplement the sermons as the church works through the different books of the Bible in conjunction with their reading of The Divine Mentor by Pastor Wayne Cordeiro. My video was a summary of the Epistles. I took my idea of this summary from Grasping God's Word by Duvall and Hays. Shout out to James Brown (yes The Real James Brown) for making this video happen. JB recorded, edited and produced this video.



Technorati Tags: Epistles, Crossroads, Crossroads Church, Church, Chuch Video, Bible, Divine Mentor, Wayne Cordeiro, Grasping God's Word, J. Scott Duvall, Scott Duval, J. Daniel Hays, Daniel Hays

Strep Throat

I just got back from the Doctor's office and the news wasn't good. I have strep throat. I haven't had this in a really long time. My throat started to be irritated Tuesday night, and by Wednesday night it was like I had been drinking lava from Kilauea in Hawaii.

I told the doctor all my symptoms, and he agreed that it didn't sound like strep. He looked down my throat, and agreed it didn't look like strep (I've been looking myself for a couple of days). He said let's do a culture anyhow while you are here. Shazam! You've got strep!

So I got some drugs, and hopefully I'll be on the mend. My biggest concern is that it has begun to affect my voice some, and I have to preach on Sunday. So I'll be pumping fluids and popping penicillin for the next 10 days.

Technorati Tags: Strep, Strep throat, Doctor, Doctor's office, Kilauea, Hawaii, Hawai'i, Preaching, Penicillin, Penicillin VK, oral antibiotics, antibiotics, Pharmacy