Simple Church, by Thom S. Rainer & Eric Geiger, is one of the few books that I feel like I have to read every year.  It’s a classic in my mind.  And every time I read it, I’m reminded of the power of a focused, simple church. 

Anyway, I’m not going to review the book or anything like that for you, but I did want to share with you some of the insights I walked away with after my most recent reading.  So, here are just a few of the sentences I underlined and have been thinking about lately.

“Many of our churches have become cluttered. So cluttered that people have a difficult time encountering the simple and powerful message of Christ. So cluttered that many people are busy doing church instead of being the church.”  

“If you want the necessary to stand out, you have to get rid of the unnecessary.”

“New believers are often the most vocal missionaries a church has. They still know lost people. They have a fire in them that many older believers lose…New believers are the greatest resource your church has to influence the community.”

“People are attracted to unity. Unity is powerful. It is magnetic. It is a beautiful thing. And the impact is great.”

“Sometimes the best players are not the right players.”

“Change or die. Those are the choices.”

“Tragically, in most churches, the pain of change is greater than the pain of ineffectiveness.”

Our pastor recently asked us to read through Gordon MacDonald’s newest book, “Who Stole My Church”.  The subtitle, “What to Do When the Church You Love Tries to Enter the 21^st Century”, clearly indicates that the book is aimed at those who struggle with seeing the church they’ve always known go through the sometimes difficult process of changing with the times.

I think what’s most intriguing about this book is that it’s written as a novel.  Mr. McDonald creates this imaginary church in New England, and tells the story of a core group of people in this church who are resisting the change the pastor is introducing. 

I don’t want to give too much away, but this group of people in the church are described as “long-time Christians, mature adults, and dedicated church members”, and throughout the course of the book, we watch them struggle to accept and embrace the direction their church is heading in. 

As I read it, I thought a lot about Southside and some of the changes that we’ve made over the years.  I thought a lot about how easy it would have been to just maintain the status quo.  But at the same time, I also thought about what we would have missed out on if we hadn’t been willing to take a few risks along the way, and what we might miss out on if we refuse to take risks in the future.    

Although I’m tempted to tell you how the story ends, I’m not going to because I think it would be beneficial for some of you to read it. 

Also, because it’s written as a novel, it wasn’t easy for me to come up with the usual handful of quotes that I try and pass along, so this quote from the preface will have to do…

“Any church that has not turned its face toward the younger generation and the new challenges of reaching unchurched people in this world will simply cease to exist.  We’re not talking decades- we’re talking just a few years.”

I couldn’t agree more. 

And I’m so glad that we are a church that is committed to doing just that. 

I’ve read multiple books on prayer over the years, but I’ve never read a better one on the subject than Philip Yancey’s new book, “Prayer:  Does It Make Any Difference?”.  It’s well over 300 pages long, but it’s definitely worth you spending the time to read through it. 

In fact, in my opinion, this is the book on prayer!  And although I usually don’t push books onto people, this is one I actually think most of you should try and set aside some time to read. 

And you need to read it because (and now I’m quoting Yancey), “If prayer stands as the place where God and human beings meet, then I must learn about prayer.” 

I can’t say it any better.  Anyway, here are a few other classic thoughts Yancey shares about prayer throughout the book:

• “Only he who is helpless can truly pray.”
• “The main purpose of prayer is not to make life easier, nor to gain magical powers, but to know God. I need God more than anything I might get from God.”
• “The Son of God, who had spoken worlds into being and sustains all that exists; felt a compelling need to pray.”
• “Sometimes, like the boy who asks his parents to solve a math problem while he plays video games, we ask God for things we should be doing ourselves.”
• “Of all the means God could have used, prayer seems the weakest, slipperiest, and easiest to ignore.”
• “We should pray like a salesman with his foot wedged in the door opening, like a wrestler who has his opponent in a headlock and won’t let go.”
• “Prayer sets God loose.”“Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays.”
• “If I want fluency in a foreign language, I must set aside time, no doubt giving up something else in the process. I must keep working at it, persisting despite the awkward feelings of a beginner. I persevere only because I value the final result. Nearly everything worthwhile- learning a sport, mastering the guitar, improving computer skills- involves the same process.”

Another book that I’ve recently read is Tim Sander’s book, “Love is the Killer App”.  It’s hard for me to summarize this book, but it’s primarily about three “intangibles” that every person needs to be successful in the 21^st century business world.  He believes those three intangibles are knowledge, network, and compassion.

I won’t say this book covered new ground as much as it just reminded me of some things I already knew in a fresh, creative way.  It’s not a “Christian” book, so understand that going in, but it’s not like it’s “non-Christian” either.  Anyway, here are some of the thoughts that I took away from this book.

“When you are able to help others grow to become the best people they can be, you are being loving- and you too, grow.”

“Think of your brain as kind of a piggy bank. Smart people fill it up with all they learn until they possess a formidable wealth of knowledge.  Then there are those who sit around all day and never put anything in their bank; all they accumulate is a large butt.”

“The reason we acquire knowledge is to share it.”

“Without a network, knowledge is nearly useless.”

“The ability to show compassion is paramount to human happiness to any situation, whether at work or at home.” 

“If you enjoy warm, compassionate relationships with your (co-workers), you will be given a larger margin of error during those times when you are less than perfect- and all of us come up short at some point.” 

“The difference between having (someone’s) time and (someone’s) attention is the difference between ham and eggs.  The chicken is involved, but the pig is committed.”

“Trying to change someone who doesn’t trust you is almost impossible.”

I’ve been reading a lot lately and so just like the post before, I’m going to write about a book I recently finished up. 

A couple of weeks ago I finished, “Confessions of a Pastor” by Craig Groeschel, and I’ve just got to say that I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book where an author is more authentic and honest as Craig is in this book. 

I’d love to pass on so much of what he had to say, but I thought instead I would do something different with this book.  I thought I would just give you the chapter titles so that you could get a good idea of what the book is all about, and maybe decide if it’s a book you might want to purchase for yourself.

Chapter 1:  I Can’t Stand a Lot of Christians

Chapter 2:  I Have to Work Hard to Stay Sexually Pure

Chapter 3:  Most of the Time I Feel Incredibly Lonely

Chapter 4:  I Hate Prayer Meetings

Chapter 5:  I Worry Almost All the Time

Chapter 6:  Sometimes I Doubt God

Chapter 7:  I Feel Completely Inadequate

Chapter 8:  I Stink at Handling Criticism

Chapter 9:  I’m Afraid of Failure

Chapter 10:  One Last Confession

Let me share one concluding thought.  Although it’s written from a pastor’s perspective, any lay person could benefit from the content of this book.  And just so you know, it’s as easy a book to read as I’ve ever come across.

First of all, before I say anything else, let me admit that I love Chick-fil-A!  If there is one brand that has my loyalty, it’s the Chick-fil-A brand.  Robin and I eat there several times a week and we are known for our Chick-fil-A loving ways.  Some people even call us addicts.  We don’t deny it.  Robin and I would probably use Chick-fil-A toothpaste if they made it! 

In fact, I just went came back from lunch and while I was home, Robin told me that I needed to read her blog today because it was about Chick-fil-A, and I just laughed and told her that I was going to write about Chick-fil-A.

Anyway, I’ve been meaning to read the book, “Eat Mor Chikin:  Inspire More People” for a long time and just recently I was finally able to sit down to read it.  It’s written by the founder of Chick-fil-A, Truett Cathy, and was a very fun and insightful read for me.  Not only did he tell the story of how their classic sandwich was invented and how the famous Chick-fil-A cows came about, but he also passed along some really valuable leadership principles. 

Here are a few of the thoughts that I wrote down while reading.

“There is some solution for every problem if you explore all possibilities.”

“Courtesy is cheap to provide, and pays great dividends.”

“Our decision to close on Sunday was our way of honoring God and directing our attention to things more important than our business.”

“When we’re fully committed to something, we’re not likely to give up or become discouraged, and we’re not likely to fail.”  

“How do you know when somebody needs encouragement?  If they are breathing!”

“Financial experts tell me our strength would allow us to open restaurants at a much more aggressive pace than our current seventy per year. But I’d rather have seventy restaurants operating efficiently and professionally than 500 restaurants where half are run well and the other half not.”

“Success in any relationship or endeavor begins with trust. It’s amazing how much you can accomplish when you trust the people around you.”

“Good people attract good people.”

“Everyone from the Operator to the newest hire must be willing to do any job in the restaurant: prepare food, wash dishes, mop floors, clean restrooms. Team members should take it upon themselves without being questioned to keep the restaurant shipshape all the time.”

“Our philosophy of ‘doing the right thing and doing things right’ is hardly ever the easiest solution. It is however, always the best solution.”

“Lives can be changed if we say the right thing at the right time with the right spirit.”