Free Books for Bloggers

I've found a good way to support my excessive reading habits.  If you're like me and your drug dealer wears a Barnes and Noble apron, I want to share these resources with you.  The only catch is that you have to be a blogger and your blog has to be approved by each of these programs.

Here's how it works.  You sign up for one, some, or all of these programs.  They approve you and then they send you books to review on your blog.  Some of the books will even be sent to you before their release date, so you can brag to your friends that you got the good stuff first.

First, there's Viral Bloggers.  This program is part of The Ooze, an online, emergent church forum/community.  The program is independent of any specific publisher, and they post new books on the first of each month.  Copies usually go fast, so don't waste any time.  I'm working on a copy of The Naked Gospel right now.

 

Then, there's Blogging for Books, a part of Waterbrook Multnomah publishers (a division of Random House).  Blogging for Books sends out emails when new books come available.  They select which ones they will offer you and you choose whether or not you want it.  This program is still relatively new, so they're working out some of the bugs, but I managed to get an early release copy of Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity.

Last, but certainly not least, is the most recent resource I've found.  Sign up for BookSneeze and Thomas Nelson publishers will let you select, one at a time, from some of their most recent releases.  I haven't gotten anything from them yet, but I anticipate getting The Hole in Our Gospel sometime next week.  Apparently, they'll even give you the opportunity to preview some of the Bibles they print.

Have fun and let me know how they turn out for you.  If you find any more resources like these, please share!

Moving Tradition Forward

"Do not ask, 'Why were the old days better than these?' For it is not wise to ask such questions."  (Ecclesiastes 7:10)

This verse is one of those gems that you read, almost forget, and rediscover some time later.  Every time I read it, I am reminded that God's best work still lies ahead.  Mark Beeson quoted this verse earlier this month on his blog and I had that experience of finding something I didn't know was missing, like pulling out your winter coat for the first time in November and finding $20 in the pocket.

The church I serve has a rich heritage.  Mt. Bethel was founded in the 1820's and officially established in 1833.  177 years later, the people of Mt. Bethel have claimed a number of traditions.  Next month, we'll celebrate Homecoming, on the third Sunday of May, and we'll invite a past Mt. Bethel pastor to preach before we enjoy a lunch of countless and sometimes mysterious casseroles.

If you ask anyone who has been a part of Mt. Bethel for very long about their tradition, they can tell you.  Diane, our Church Historian, knows the church and the area around it better than anyone else I've met.  When she looks around, she sees more than we do - she sees the general store on the corner that was torn down decades ago, the old plantation just up the road that is now a large subdivision, and the important people that I only know as headstones in the church's cemetery.  You can learn much about the psychology of a congregation when you know its traditions.

Tradition is vital to our understanding of God.  Every good Methodist knows that the Wesleyan Quadrilateral outlines the sources by which we derive our theology.  Scripture is our primary source of knowing God, but it's informed by our reason, our experience, and our tradition.  Tradition shows us how God has been present to those in need, how he has picked us up off the ground and dusted us off and how often he has offered us grace and mercy when we've done some ridiculous things. 

What tradition do you come from?  How does it shade your understanding of God?

I asked a candidate for ministry that question yesterday.  Some ministers and some churches see the shadows of their heritage and rather than living with and learning from those scars, they simply discard any tradition and try to be something completely "new."  Other ministers and churches embrace their tradition as the "good ole days" and try to convince the rest of us that there's nothing better than life in the 1950's (before cell phones, email, bad traffic, and integration). 

My next question to the candidate was, "How do you intend to move that tradition forward?"

The tradition that informs my understanding of God and the world is a conservative one.  I come from the first church on the city square with people and means.  Preaching was usually strong and always grace-filled.  These churches were usually in the middle of poverty-stricken communities and not the best at reaching out or drawing new people in.  But, once new people came in, they were the best at taking care of them.  I am the result of a community that nurtured and cared, that held me accountable and afforded me every opportunity to know God and serve him.

My tradition could be a little pretentious at times.  Easter was a hat-wearing competition for some of our ladies.  The youth group was cliquish at times.  The preacher was always someone with chevrons on the sleeves of his robe.  Brass memorial plaques were found in hallways, classrooms, offices, and of course, all over the sanctuary.

My tradition, though it was a good one that benefited me and serves me well now, is far from perfect.  If my life is going to make a difference and my ministry is going to be fruitful, I have to ask that second question - how will I move my tradition forward? 

I can do like many others - I can enforce tradition as law.  I can do the expected.  I can learn from the mistakes of those who came before me, but be unwilling to make some mistakes of my own.  I can do that, serve for 40 years and retire with a pat on the back from my Bishop and colleagues, but is that really good enough?  Is it enough to push the pause button on history and live with the security of knowing what comes next?

As the Church, we have not arrived at perfection, despite the self-praising of some Christians.  The truth is that our work is never done until every person knows Christ and has a relationship with Christ.  And guess what - people who don't know Christ are being born every day.

I figured up the other day that if the mandatory retirement age for United Methodist pastors stays at 70, I have 40 more years of ministry before I have to retire.  I've served for five years already.  I hope that in 2050, I'll be able to look back and know that my life's work has made a difference.  I pray that those who come after me will have a better tradition and heritage to claim because I was a part of it.

Don't ask, "Why were the good ole days better than these?"  That's a foolish question - today is another day on the way to God's Kingdom fully revealed on earth.  God's greatest plans for us still lie ahead if we will get off our tradition and drag it forward through the ages.

Book Review: This Little Prayer of Mine

What do children add to your church's life?  What have they taught you?  What are you teaching them?

Many parents today expect the church to teach them everything about God.  Parents gladly take a back-seat in hopes that their child has the right spiritual mentor.  The truth is that faith in God usually sticks better when a child can look at the difference it makes for their mom or dad.  Monday through Saturday, the way a parent lives their faith will make a more lasting impact, hands down.

Some parents become apprehensive when it comes to teaching their kids about spiritual matters.  We know how to teach our kids to recite the sing-song blessing before dinner, but what about teaching them to really pray?

I have a resource for you.  In February, Waterbrook-Multnomah released This Little Prayer of Mine by Anthony DeStefano.  It's a short, simple children's book, endorsed by the National Day of Prayer.  My kids love to read and be read to and this is a good discussion starter with any child.

Beyond "God is good" prayers, this book is one prayer, being prayed by a child, that covers several aspects or types of prayer from petition and intercession to repentance and thanksgiving.  In fact, this book is so well-rounded that parents may find themselves learning from it. This book is a good one for every home with kids. 

I've got an extra copy for a giveaway.  I'll give it to the first person with kids to leave a comment.  Leave your name, email address, and how many kids you have and I'll send this copy to you.

*This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.  Get your copy at the link on the right or HERE.

Last Words

Do you remember these commercials?  Someone's about to get "offed" and is asked, "What do you want on your tombstone?" 

It's common to ask people in their final moments what they have left to say.  I've sat with several people just before dying and heard them speak a final time to those that they love.  Sometimes they share immense amounts of wisdom, sometimes grace and love, and sometimes even anger or resentment.  Whatever those words are, they seem to bear more weight than anything we say in casual conversation at any other time.  They also seem to be the things that we've held back from saying, assuming that there will come the opportunity to say them later.

Have you given much thought to what your final words would be?  If you knew that your time was coming (and it is), what would you say?  And to whom?  If you could go back to the last moments that you spent with a family member or friend, what would you hope they'd say?  What would you ask them?

I'm doing a study with some of the adults at Mt. Bethel right now, entitled "Remembering Your Story: Creating Your Own Spiritual Autobiography."  It's been one of the most interesting groups I've spent time with, mainly because we've shared so many stories.  I've learned alot about some of these folks that I wouldn't have otherwise.  Most of them have decided to put effort into telling their story.  A couple of them have talked about writing down some of the memories that they'd been sharing, so they'd be remembered after they're gone.  Another has mentioned writing letters to those she loves, sharing important information and feelings.

Unfortunately, for every one of those people who have had the opportunity to have one last conversation with those around them, there are probably dozens who never get the chance.  The world would be a very different place if we knew when that moment was coming.  (We might even have some of those long-lost dessert recipes our grandmothers took to the grave with them.)

Tomorrow is Holy Thursday, or Maundy Thursday.  It's the day that we remember Jesus last meal with his disciples.  He knew it would be his last and he made the most of every second.  From that meal, we get the sacrament of Holy Communion.  We also get a collection of the last instructions of Christ.  Within all of that conversation is one command or mandate (thus "Maundy" Thursday).  In Mark 13, Jesus says, "A new command I give you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this, all men wll know you are my disciples, if you love one another" (v.34)

As Easter nears and we remember the weight of a person's last words, let's meditate on those last words of Christ.  Love each other.  Love those who are hard to love.  Forgive those who have offended you.  Jesus' love for us went all the way to the cross.  Love like that.

Prayers for Healing

At Mt. Bethel, we have kept the Capes family in our prayers for over a year now.  Jason was diagnosed many months ago with Metastatic Malignant Melanoma, which you may know is an incurable form of cancer.

Two weeks ago, Jason received the results from his latest scans and the news was not good.  His condition has gotten worse and he is running out of options.  So we pulled out the stops and had a prayer service for the family.

I sent out an invitation to some of our local pastors who have ties to the Capes family and was honestly expecting a small gathering of quiet prayer.  I was wrong.

Last Tuesday night, 174 people showed up to pray!  With the help of some of my pastoral colleagues, we began with Communion and singing.  We prayed over the oil and anointed Jason, Alecia, and the kids.  And then we invited others to come and pray.

I told the pastors before we began that I had a plan for the first part of the service - all the way up to the blessing of the oil.  I told them that I had no idea what we would do beyond that point, aside from a benediction at the end, but that we would move at the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit moved.

A crowd gathered at the altar, laying hands on this family, and praying from their hearts.  I have to say it was probably the closest thing I've ever experienced to what Pentecost must have been like.  People, in their own voices, called out to God and God heard every prayer.  It was a beautiful moment that displays for you what the Church really is. 

We prayed for healing - physical, emotional, spiritual, and relational.  Honestly, I don't know if Jason's cancer will disappear - I'll leave that in God's hands.  I do know that healing took place that night though.  I know that many who were there felt God move in their own lives.  I know that the time was used to bring a sense of peace to Jason's family and friends.

Earlier this year, I heard someone say, "The church is what's left after the building burns down."  How true.  How profound.

We continue, as the Church, to pray for Jason and others like him.  We continue to reach out as we are reminded that God has called us to greater things that we can fathom.

Psalm 102

A friend of mine received some bad news yesterday.  Pray for Jason.  My prayers are best offered by the Psalmist (102):

1 Hear my prayer, O LORD;
let my cry for help come to you.

2 Do not hide your face from me
when I am in distress.
Turn your ear to me;
when I call, answer me quickly.

3 For my days vanish like smoke;
my bones burn like glowing embers.

4 My heart is blighted and withered like grass;
I forget to eat my food.

5 Because of my loud groaning
I am reduced to skin and bones.

6 I am like a desert owl,
like an owl among the ruins.

7 I lie awake; I have become
like a bird alone on a roof.

8 All day long my enemies taunt me;
those who rail against me use my name as a curse.

9 For I eat ashes as my food
and mingle my drink with tears

10 because of your great wrath,
for you have taken me up and thrown me aside.

11 My days are like the evening shadow;
I wither away like grass.

12 But you, O LORD, sit enthroned forever;
your renown endures through all generations.

13 You will arise and have compassion on Zion,
for it is time to show favor to her;
the appointed time has come.

14 For her stones are dear to your servants;
her very dust moves them to pity.

15 The nations will fear the name of the LORD,
all the kings of the earth will revere your glory.

16 For the LORD will rebuild Zion
and appear in his glory.

17 He will respond to the prayer of the destitute;
he will not despise their plea.

18 Let this be written for a future generation,
that a people not yet created may praise the LORD :

19 "The LORD looked down from his sanctuary on high,
from heaven he viewed the earth,

20 to hear the groans of the prisoners
and release those condemned to death."

21 So the name of the LORD will be declared in Zion
and his praise in Jerusalem

22 when the peoples and the kingdoms
assemble to worship the LORD.

23 In the course of my life [a] he broke my strength;
he cut short my days.

24 So I said:
"Do not take me away, O my God, in the midst of my days;
your years go on through all generations.

25 In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.

26 They will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
Like clothing you will change them
and they will be discarded.

27 But you remain the same,
and your years will never end.

28 The children of your servants will live in your presence;
their descendants will be established before you."

Do Something

I met yesterday with a candidate for ministry.  Now that I've been ordained for nearly two years, I'm expected to mentor the occasional candidate and help them develop/discern their call to ministry.  I have to admit, it is a little strange for me, nearly 30 years old, to mentor a candidate that is looking at a second career in ministry, whose children are my age, and who has more years of experience in the church than I do.  Though the experience is a little odd, it's still rewarding.

Yesterday we talked about the gifts and graces we have for ministry.  God calls EVERY person to do some sort of ministry - there are no spectators in the Kingdom of God.  For each person he calls, whether to lay ministry or ordained ministry, he equips them with certain gifts and graces to do the job.  Yesterday, I got to share again my story and how I feel that God has gifted me.

In just a few years of ministry, I've had extensive experience.  I've preached, taught, prayed, visited, built, raised money, baptized, counseled, served, moved, mentored (discipled), administered, initiated conflict, made peace, stumbled, picked others up, married, buried, and grown wiser through it all.  I can say that all most of it has been a joy and some experiences have humbled me while others have inflated my ego.  I can admit that some have crushed my spirit and brought a tear while others have energized me and put a smile on my face.

Of everything I've done in ministry, both before and after ordination, the one thing that energizes me more than anything is serving others.  Though God has gifted me in many ways, I know that God has wired me to serve.  I've been on countless mission trips as a participant and as a leader.  I've gone abroad to places like Jamaica (somebody had to do it, right?) and Honduras and I've worked for others in my own back yard.  I've led VBS lessons in English and Spanish, built and repaired homes, churches, and chicken houses, served food, and shared my faith in word and deed.

I've been gone anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks.  Each time, I return home physically exhausted and sleep better than any other time.  Though my body is tired, my spirit is renewed and charged up.  In fact, when I've gone more than a year without participating in some sort of mission project, I can feel my spirit dragging behind me, begging for a change of scenery.

When I head out on mission trips, I secretly watch those who have never been on a trip before.  I watch to see how the week is affecting them - as the culture shock sets in, God's word takes on a whole new meaning for them, and they go through a transformation.  I have yet to see someone not changed by serving God and serving others.

I know that I'm wired this way.  I know that God has created me do be dependent on these sorts of experiences.  I believe it's not just me though.  I read passages like Matthew 25:31-46 and see that our lives now, as well as our lives to come, depend on how we offer life to others. 

I'll run the risk of turning off all of the Glenn Beck fans out there, but we'll call it social justice.  When we make the world a better place by helping the helpless, holding the hands of the lost, and encouraging the downtrodden, there is a justice that "rolls on like a river."  Not only are those who receive the help blessed, but those who give the help are blessed (sometimes more than those receiving it). 

Four years ago, I helped a group of students re-roof a house.  It wasn't the first time I had done that, not even the 20th time.  We worked in the Georgia heat for 3 days, tearing off three layers of old shingles, replacing decking, laying felt and carefully placing shingles.  The students took turns visiting with Ann, the woman who lived there. 

Ann was grateful for the free roof and for the company.  The first day at her home was clearly awkward for the kids - they didn't realize people were living like this in their own town and they weren't quite sure how to interact with Ann.  By the third day, each one was covered in sweat, grit, and tar and were sharing hugs with Ann as if they had known her for a lifetime.  The last night, we gathered the kids around and asked them about how the experience had changed them. 

They were hooked - not because they (the have's) had helped others (the have-not's), but because they had done something that pleased God that stretched far beyond shingles and nails.  The Spirit had moved in that week in the hearts of those students as they connected with Ann and saw a different side of someone they may have avoided before the experience.

There are still more Ann's out there than I can reach, even with that great group of students.  There are many mouths to feed, backs to clothe, hands to hold, and people to lift up.  While we see devistation in Haiti, Chile, and Turkey, we sometimes forget that there are people in our own backyard that we can help today without having to buy a plane ticket, learn a language, or go through training.  Sometimes it's as easy as dropping off dinner or calling to say a prayer.

Do something.  Too many Christians will live a lifetime without doing anything about their faith.  Too many churches are so inactive in their communities that the churches are dying with those neighborhoods.  Heed the Great Commission.  Move and see if God doesn't move you.  Make a difference in the world and see if there's not a difference in your life.