Category: Book Reviews

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Plan B by Pete Wilson

planb-1I’ve met a lot of pastors in my life; many in person and some through the internet. I won’t go into all of the details, but I have had the privilege of meeting Pete Wilson, both through the internet and in person.  Pete is the pastor of Cross Point Church in Nashville, TN, it’s simply an amazing church made up of amazing leaders and people. It is one of those movements of God that if I were not called to pastor New Passion Church, I would probably do whatever I could to get to Nashville to mop floors at Cross Point, just to be able to be a part of what God is doing and to learn from one of the best leaders in the country. Pete and I are not really close friends or anything, but I can honestly say, I’ve met very few people like Pete, who are genuinely authentic (and not in the catch phrase kind of way) and who has a true pastor’s heart for people and is a friend to pastors and other ministry leaders. I’ve never got the impression that he has an ulterior motive and I’m a pretty good discerner of people.

I say all of that because I think you should understand what I know of the man who has written “Plan B” – which is set to release on May 4, 2010 and can be pre-ordered on Amazon for $10 HERE. I simply cannot wait to read this book. I remember hearing about the series that Pete did at Cross Point on this very title, “Plan B.”  You can hear one of the messages HERE.

You can win one of 10 pre-release copies of the book today (1/29/2010) by leaving your name and area you live in on Pete’s blog in the comments section. Check out this promo video for the book:

I believe in my heart there are so many people who desperately need to find hope in the midst of their Plan B. Maybe there’s someone in your life who’s trying to figure out why life isn’t turning out the way they thought. I’m praying this book would be a great gift for them during this season of their life. – Pete Wilson

(Register to Win a Copy of Plan B)

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Have Intimacy With God

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On Sunday we continued with week #2 of our Rediscover Church series. We discussed how New Passion values “Having Intimacy with God” as individuals and as a church.

We took an in-depth look at Religion and how when we go through religion to get to God, we always end up further from God than where we intended to be. Religion allows us to set obtainable goals, that when reached make us feel spiritual, increases our opinion of self, reduces our opinion of those who have not reached our spiritual level, and reduces the effort that Christ made on the cross to redeem us and to have a relationship with us. (Phil 3)

I had to confess…For 6 years I bought Nicki her favorite candy, Ferro Rocher, and would stuff her Christmas stocking with them, because I wanted to give her something she loved. It was about a year and a half ago that I discovered for the first time that she in fact hated the Ferro Rocher candy because it had nuts in it. I could not believe she claimed she did not like the candy, I was 99.999% sure she had told me they were her favorite, but Nicki informed me that she never ate them, but didn’t tell me because she didn’t want to hurt my feelings.

My challenge was this, “How many of us do that with God?” We give him what we think pleases him through rules, rituals, and man made opinions (Religion) while He’s provided the only method that we can gain right standing with him, and that was through His Son Jesus. “What are you offering God? Is He pleased with it?” We watched about 4 minutes of Pete Wilson preaching about the Mathmatics of Religion from week 1 of Cross Point’s Religion Lies Series, he pointed out that Religion always adds to (Jesus) and that it always complicates that which God made easy. It tied in perfectly with our message. You should go check that series out on their website.

Join the Conversation…What are some ways you have offered God something you thought pleased him, when all he wanted was your heart?

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Mad Church Disease By Anne Jackson

mad-church-disease-reviewThis book, Mad Church Disease, would put Chuck Norris in a headlock, make him cry ‘Uncle’ 5 times before giving him a wet willy and sending him home with a bloody nose. Its for that very reason you will not enjoy this book. It is not written for your enjoyment, its written to kick your butt (and help you). I’m a slow reader, but I finished the entire book in 4 hours on my flight from Atlanta to Orange County. I wanted to put it down, but it put me in a headlock from the opening of the book and I couldn’t let it go. Here’s a few reasons why:

  • I’ve Battled Mad Church Disease: Anne’s story at the beginning of the book almost made me cry on an airplane full of people. You can ask my wife, I am not a crier. However, I could identify with Anne’s story, because I experienced a similar upbringing as a PK (preachers kid). Don’t get too excited thinking this book is just for PK’s. Haha, you can’t get out of it that easily. If you simply serve in the church as a volunteer, you qualify for this book. I did however maintain my composure on the airplane and found that In my personal story, I was driven in my service to Christ for a long time with wrong motives because the experiences I encountered growing up in the church. I’ve battled Mad Church Disease…and chances are you may have too, or at least known someone who has.
  • It Draws a Line in the Sand: I had a counselor friend tell me one time that a person cannot get help until they ask for it. Anne draws a line in the sand with this book. She clearly lays out the pandemic disease that is killing and paralyzing so many people who serve in the church, but she boldly challenges you in taking the next steps. If you struggled with an addiction to alcohol, I could persuade you to go to a recovery program, but if your heart is not in the recovery, you may receive a certificate, but in the end, you’ll fall right back into your addiction. Just because Anne clearly lays out the issues we all deal with, its going to be up to you to make the needed changes in your life. The bottom line…Anne tells you to put the book down if your hearts not in it.
  • Its for You Not Against You: Anne clearly has a heart for the church and those who God uses to move it forward. Anne put a ton of time and research into this book, but most of all, she put a lot of heart into it. Each page overflows with her love for Christ and her fellow teammates, the Church. Many authors would take the statistics that have led to this pandemic disease in the church and beat us over the head with them. Anne clearly comes across that she is for us not against us. We are all on the same team.
  • The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round: As I read this book, I seriously thought of at least 10 people I would absolutely love to get this book for as a Birthday/Christmas/Just Because gift. They have either experienced Mad Church Disease or they are in a position to get infected (they serve in ministry). As you read the book, you’ll most likely do the same thing. So I guess I’m saying I would recommend it to other people.
  • The Truth Hurts…A Little…Sometimes A Lot: There may be times you want to laugh, there may be times you want to cry, and then there will be times you say, ‘Oh’, ‘Ooh’, ‘Hmmm’, and ‘Ouch’. You may also be a few times you throw in a ‘Crap’ (that’s me). I remember the pain of losing 50 pounds last year. It hurt and it was not fun at times, but in the middle of my journey, a spotlight was placed on the areas of my life that I chose to neglect which put me in that position. Mad Church Disease at times will be like a little X-Ray machine that will help you look at yourself, the decisions you’ve made, or the boundaries you’ve failed to set, but in the end, you may come out of the exam room with solutions to your epidemic.
  • The Bonus Features: I love DVD’s because of all the bonus content like deleted scenes and bloopers. Anne delivers big time in Mad Church Disease. She allows other people to serve as a “second opinion” for solutions to curing this pandemic disease in the church. (Voices like Perry Noble, Bill Hybels, and Brandi Wilson, who I thought showed the pastors up in her commentary.) Mad Church Disease is perfect for a personal study guide or even a small group/accountability group study because of the exam room sections at the end of the book and all of the personal reflection questions Anne poses to the reader. Personally, I would challenge church staffs to go through the book together and then hold each other accountable to achieving the results needed to cure the disease.

For more information about Anne Marie Miller you can visit her website: www.flowerdust.net www.annemariemiller.com. For more information on Mad Church Disease you can visit www.madchurchdisease.com her books page.

I highly recommend you purchase the book, read it, study it, practice it, and purchase a copy for a friend(s). You can order your copy right now from Amazon HERE.

And of all things…Don’t get Mad Church Disease…

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Killing Cockroaches by Tony Morgan

killing-cockroaches-reviewIf I could describe Killing Cockroaches by Tony Morgan in one sentence, it would look something like this. I would run a commercial and on one side I would have Tony Morgan and on the other I would have John Maxwell. Tony would start off by saying “Hello, I’m a Mac” John would follow “…and I’m a PC!“

Don’t get me wrong, I love John Maxwell, he is Mr. Leadership, and I am sure Tony has learned a thing or two from him, but I also love my Grandma, but she would have a tough time telling me how to relate to my generation. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and here are a few reasons why:

  • 18-34: That’s Me! I am 28 years old and Killing Cockroaches is a leadership book that spoke to me, kept my attention, and has a huge focus on helping the church reach my generation.
  • Simple: Its clean and its in an easy to read format. I hate books with small fonts with the spacing all scrunched in together. A book with 234 pages worth of reading content ends up being more like 568 pages. Tony uses bullet points to keep your attention on the important principles or thoughts he wants to keep your attention on, oh yeah, its a leadership book and it has no graphs!
  • No Chapters: Huh? No Chapters. Yeah, that’s right. You could just keep reading all day if you are a chapter a day kind of reader.
  • Interesting: I am a slow reader. I like to take my time and I like to highlight things that speak to me or that catch my attention. My white page book is now yellow 🙂 Here is one huge reason why I would read another Tony Morgan book over another John Maxwell book. Tony kept my attention. I can’t tell you how many books I’ve laid down because it was boring. Its kind of like why people are leaving our churches…its boring!
  • Sandwiched: All through the book you get sandwiched  in by great stories. You’ll be reading about Tony duct taping his rented Mustang hood down, and then out of nowhere, he hits you with some thoughts and principles that are relative to you as a leader, whether you are a Mac or a PC.
  • New Ways to Say Old Things: A wise man once said that there is nothing new under the sun. He said that before the iPhone was even created, pretty profound. Tony says a lot of new things, because they come from his personal experiences, but he also reinforces principles that will never change, but he says it in new and creative ways, so leaders can re-think how they are implementing or practicing those principles.
  • Leadership Empowers: Tony mentions in the book that you are not a leader if you feel you have to be say something to be heard. There are several articles in the book where Tony is silent and allows other big time leaders to share their thoughts, struggles, and wisdom on leading. I love that he gave up so much of his book to allow others an opportunity to invest into our lives.
  • My Favorite Quote: “If we are to achieve results never before accomplished, we must expect to employ methods never before attempted.” Sir Francis Bacon – This reminded me of what Craig Groeschel said in a recent conference: “To reach the people no one else is reaching, we have to do what no one else is doing.” I love these quotes because it reminds me that we can never quit learning, we can never stop adapting, because there are people we need to be reaching with the Gospel.
  • Open Ended: Alot of the book is left open ended to give you the opportunity to think about what is being discussed or to answer the questions being asked. I like being able to be involved in what I am reading.

I loved this book and highly recommend that you buy it and read it if you have not done so already. Tony Morgan blogs at http://www.tonymorganlive.com. You can subscribe to his blog and stay on top of his thoughts on leadership and ministry. You can also follow Tony on Twitter by Clicking Here.

To purchase Killing Cockroaches on Amazon Click Here. Its also available on the Kindle. For a further review of the book Click Here.