Chase The Lion Series

Over the past few days I have been settling into a new house, new church and a new routine. Along with that is trying to find my way around a new city. I have a GPS system, but turn it off on return trips to see if I can find my way back. So far it's about 50/50.

The house is right beside the church which allows me easy access to work. Without my family being here, it is also tempting for me to work more than I should. There is a lot going on and I feel the need to get a handle on things quickly.

Right now I'm in a series of messages based on the book "In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day" by Mark Batterson. Mark and I went to college together and he was nice enough to send a short promo video for the start of the series (watch it below). Chase The Lion had a great impact at my former church and I felt it would be a great series leading up to Easter at Faith Chapel. You can listen to part 1- "Defying Odds" here.

The book contains a Lion Chaser's Manifesto, and one part says something similar to, "don't let the bad in you keep you from worshiping the good in Him."

I think that's powerful! Far too many people focus on their shortcomings instead of directing their attention to "the author and perfecter of our faith." What would happen if we focused on God's example instead of our failures? How would that change us? How would that change what we attempted for God?

How Would Jesus Vote?

Book Summary: The 2008 election is shaping up to be one of the most important political contests in American history. In fact, Dr. D. James Kennedy believes it will be a watershed moment that could impact our very survival as a nation under God.

Values voters—people whose political views and votes are based on their faith in God—are being targeted as never before. As the campaign season moves forward, the significant players will debate terrorism, radical Islam, nuclear threats, global warming, social issues, gay marriage, immigration, education, health care, and many other essential issues that can create sharp ideological divisions.

Into this overwhelmingly complex political situation, Dr. Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe bring a clear, compelling, and nonpartisan exploration of what God’s Word has to say on these critical matters. How Would Jesus Vote? isn’t intended to tell readers which candidates to support; rather it offers a Christ-centered understanding of the world to help readers draw their own political conclusions.

Get this book on Amazon

Shape of Mercy

Summary: Lauren Durough is a college student longing to break free of family expectations when she stumbles into a project for eighty year old Abigail Boyles—transcribing the journals of Mercy Hayworth, a seventeenth-century victim of the Massachusetts witch trials. Almost immediately, Lauren finds herself drawn to this girl who lived and died four centuries ago. The strength of her affinity with Mercy forces Lauren to take a startling new look at her own life, including her relationships with the mysterious Abigail, her college roommate, and a young man named Raul. But on the way to discovering the candid truth, Lauren must earnestly ask if she is playing the role of helpless defendant or the misguided judge? Can she break free from her own perceptions and recognize who she really is?

In our high-pressure, success-oriented culture, readers will identify with Lauren’s struggle to forge her own identity separate from the plan her family designed for her. Offering intrigue, romance, and heartbreaking drama, this contemporary novel with a historical twist conveys the intense beauty that emerges when we see how our stories affect the lives of others.

Author: Susan Meissner

Review: "Very enlightening for someone who knows very little about the Salem witch trials. Also, thought-provoking as to how we so often pre-judge people (sometimes without realizing it), and that we should extend mercy to other as Christ has extended undeserved mercy to us. Captivating story beginning to end. I read it in two days." - Glenda Goldsmith

Leadership Development

Each Monday morning I meet with someone for a time of mentoring on the subject of leadership. Recently we have been going through John Maxwell's, "Developing the Leader within You." I have probably read the book or watched the curriculum at least a half a dozen times. And every time I do, I learn something new.

This is most likely because each time I'm at a different place in my life and ministry. Today I was struck with one simple thought, "in leadership you must love people." I know that not everyone who loves people is naturally a good leader. However, I also don't any good leaders who don't sincerely love people.

I'm definitely not saying that I'm a good leader, but I do love being around people. When things aren't going so well, the natural tendency for many people is to run away and hide. I call for a party, the more the better. I draw strength from people and love the interaction .

People are what makes leading fun... and sometimes frustrating. But without people, you aren't really leading. So the more you value and love people, the greater your leadership will be.

Book Review: For Young Men Only

Book: For Young Men Only
Authors: Jeff Feldhahn & Eric Rice with Shaunti Feldhahn
Buy it here: Amazon

Reviewed by Jake Ganote, age 20:

Do you wonder what girls are really thinking? Have you ever thought that a girl really liked you until you found out she just considered you really good friends? Is the search for the perfect girl leading you to believe that you are destined to be alone?

The answers to these questions and many more can be found in FYMO. This book was designed to take you behind the scenes of The World of Girl; to place you in her shoes; to see things from her perspective. After all, who knows girls better than girls? In fact, this book polled over 1,000 girls nationwide, seeking answers to many of the questions otherwise left unanswered. Here is your chance to get the inside scoop on girls from girls themselves.

Never has a book this interesting been written for young men. This was a book I looked forward to reading. A book that made me reflect on things past. This should be one book that young men are required to read before entering into any form of a dating relationship. Not only has it given me a new found respect for girls, but it also helps me become the prince charming all men want to be.

Often times we forget that men and women are wired differently and that makes the lines of communication that much more difficult. When you begin to understand the way a woman thinks, you are able to dive deeper into a relationship that satisfies the needs of you and your partner. I found that many of the ways I tried to gain respect were the ways I would want to be respected but not necessarily the way a woman feels
respected.

Chances are that if you are reading this review you already have an interest in developing a long lasting relationship with a girl. There would be no better way than to study God’s Word to see how he intended relationships and use this book to supplement the Word.

Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson

Mark Batterson is at it again. He has written another inspiring, motivating, and challenging book. If you liked In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day, then you will love Wild Goose Chase. It's a quick and easy read, full of quotes and concepts just waiting to be underscored. But most of all, Wild Goose Chase shows us the incredible adventure that is our past, present, and future with God. The chapter on Sometimes It Takes A Shipwreck really resonated with me. I read it twice!

Learn more about Wild Goose Chase and read a sample chapter at www.chasethegoose.com.

Purchase Wild Goose Chase here.

Here is a summary of the book from the introduction:

"Most of us have no idea where we’re going most of the time. Perfect. Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit–An Geadh-Glas, or ‘the Wild Goose.’ The name hints at mystery. Much like a wild goose, the Spirit of God cannot be tracked or tamed. An element of danger, an air of unpredictability surround Him. And while the name may sound a little sacrilegious, I cannot think of a better description of what it’s like to follow the Spirit through life. I think the Celtic Christians were on to something….Most of us will have no idea where we are going most of the time. And I know that is unsettling. But circumstantial uncertainty also goes by another name: Adventure.”

Mark Batterson is the lead pastor of Washington, DC’s National Community Church, widely recognized as one of America’s most innovative churches. NCC meets in movie theaters at metro stops throughout the city, as well as in a church-owned coffee house near Union Station. More than seventy percent of NCC’ers are single twentysomethings who live or work on Capitol Hill. Mark is the author of the best-selling In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day and a widely read blogger (www.markbatterson.com). He lives on Capitol Hill with his wife, Lora, and their three children.