A Blessing

A few weeks ago, I checked a book out of my local library. When I got it home and opened it, I realized that someone had written a note in the front of it. Even if I had not read any of the book, reading the note would have made it worth lugging home. Here it is:

Dads, Let's Lead Our Homes

The Story Behind "Lead Me" - Sanctus Real from BrightBulb Entertainment on Vimeo.

Turning the Ship (a book review)

Dustin Guidry has written a book that I could not put down. Turning the Ship tells the story of a journey that Ridgewood Church has faithfully embarked upon. Simply put, the journey has them moving from a man-made model of ministry to clinging to the supremacy of scripture for every directional and operational decision.

Dustin does a good job of sharing a brief background to the battle today’s church is facing. Prime among the embedded enemies of the church is the subtle workings of pragmatism. This is a powerful section of the book, as he lays bare the loss of distinction between the operations of the church and the rest of the world.

From there, the book is a back and forth between the significance of holding the Bible as the final word on matters of the church and the remarkable story of how God lead the staff and church to become broken-hearted over the program-driven church that they were and how God has brought about remarkable changes.

The most significant of the changes was the move from an age-segregated Sunday School to an age-integrated ministry. “But how do you do that?” I’m glad you asked! Read the book. Dustin has an entire chapter dedicated to the buts that most people present at the thought of moving toward age-integration.

Turning the Ship was a quick read. It has humor injected throughout. Most importantly, though, Dustin shares his heart in a way that both challenges and encourages the reader. Thank you, Dustin, for sharing your story!

A visit to the library

Do you remember when we checked out library books by signing the card in the back of the book?

Last night, we made a family trip to the public library. I picked up a book by one of my former professors, and without really thinking about it...I flipped to the back of the book to look for the card. As soon as I did that, I was reminded of a common practice of mine in elementary school. I was not much of a reader. In fact, I used to say that I hated it. When Mom would take my brother (who loved to read) and me to the library, he would gather stacks of Hardy Boys mysteries while I wandered around flipping to the back of random books. I would pull the card to see if anyone I knew had checked it out.

If I found a book that had been checked out by someone I knew and liked, I might ask to check the book out. It's doubtful that the book was ever read once I got home. I suppose I was a strange kid...and maybe still a bit peculiar (no comments, please).

Anyway, it's just interesting how even today, I remember names easily and make name associations quickly.

Oh, by the way, I've been reading like crazy...trying to make up for lost time.

A Family Prayer

This has become a daily, family prayer for us:

Lord, please give us...

minds that are hungry...
hearts that are tender...
hands that are ready...
words that build up...

and help us to extend compassion and mercy to others while speaking the truth.

Father's Day Video

Great reminder, Dads:

Shapes

A couple of nights ago while eating a bowl of blueberries and yogurt, I was struck by a simple yet profound truth: God is so good to give us shapes!

Just think how boring life would be if there were only one or two shapes.

Enjoy His goodness!