The 10 best books published in 2019 that I read during the month of April are (5.0) Giving Done Right: Effective Philanthropy and Making Every Dollar Count by Phil Buchanan (Public Affairs, 2019) (5.0) Piloting Church: Helping Your Congregation Take Flight by Cameron Trimble (Chalice Press, 2019) (4.5) One Coin Found: How God's Love Stretches to the Margins by Emmy Kegler (Fortress Press, 2019) (4.5) Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World by Read More …
Search for a Church 2.0 – Decision Coming Soon (#1796)
When I announced that we started this search for a church in April of 2018, I did not expect that we would still be searching a year later. In all from start to finish, I am now nearly certain the journey will take us about 13 months (57 weeks to be more precise). Timeline While the general plan has remained consistent throughout, the number of congregations involved expanded twice. Some high points of the timeline follow: March 2018 - selected 10 churches to visitMay 2018 - completed Read More …
1 in 10 Christians (#1795)
Worldwide slightly more than 1 in 10 Christians live in the United States. As of 2015, there were 2,276,250,000 Christians with 248,148,00 (or 10.9%) residing in the United States. Perspective While a higher percentage of people in some other large nations are Christian (e.g., 88.5% in Brazil), the United States is home to more Christians than any other nation. More than 3 out of 4 Americans (76.9%) are Christian. So What? Yesterday much of the focus on American Read More …
Holy Week – Is This Normal? (#1794)
After serving in congregational ministry for most of my life, I'm still learning what its like to journey through Holy Week as a follower of the Way of Jesus who does not have any worship leadership responsibilities. Holy Week Schedule I have, however, managed to attend multiple services of worship and participate in an adult egg hunt. More specifically: Sunday: walked to a nearby church, and attended a service that included elements of both palm and passion Tuesday: Read More …
Walking to Worship (#1793)
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. The fastest way to get to any local destination is by automobile. I learned these simple truths early in life, and rarely questioned them. Traveling to Church As a lifelong churchgoer I made my way from home to a house of worship exclusively by automobile for the first 40+ years of my life. Last year when my wife and I moved to downtown Fort Worth, we started rethinking our reliance on vehicles. And, we've adopted walking Read More …
Volunteer Appreciation – Closing Prayer (#1792)
Earlier today the Mansfield Mission Center held its first annual volunteer appreciation luncheon. This event provided an opportunity to say thank you to many of the people who power this dynamic ministry. I had the honor of providing the closing remarks. After talking a bit about love and family, I concluded with the following prayer: Volunteer Appreciation Prayer Loving God, we have gathered here today in your Many Names to pause the natural rhythm of life and ministry of the Read More …
Top 12 Authors: 2009-2019 (#1791)
Over the last 10 years, I've reviewed, recommended, or rated more than 600 books here at So What Faith. Starting in 2011, I have provided a list of the top ten books I reviewed that year that were published during that year. To date, only 12 authors have appeared on more than one Top 10 List: Diana Butler Bass, 2012, 2015, 2018Marcus Borg, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2017Joan Chittister, 2011, 2017John Dominic Crossan, 2010, 2012, 2015Lillian Daniel, 2013, 2016 Tenzin Gyatso (the 14th Dalai Read More …
500 Authors Featured on So What Faith (#1790)
Since writing my first blog post in the summer of 2009, I've shared book reviews, recommendations, and/or ratings on a regular basis. These efforts have focused on recently published books, and have allowed me to introduce my readers to more than 500 authors: Elias Aboujaoude, Mustafa Akyol, Jay Allison, Dianna E. Anderson, Keith Anderson, Christophe André, Michael J. Arena, Steve Argue, Sarah Arthur, Reza Aslan, Patty Azzarello, Cheryl Bachelder, Christopher Bader, Scott Bader-Saye, Alex Read More …
Book Recommendations – April 2019 (#1789)
During the first quarter of the year, I was fortunate to spend time reading a considerable number of excellent books published in 2019. The list below captures the best volumes I've read over the last few weeks. (5+) Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others by Barbara Brown Taylor (HarperOne, 2019) (4.5) The Good Immigrant: 26 Writers Reflect on America edited by Nikesh Shukla and Chimene Suleyman (Little, Brown, and Company, 2019) (4.5) The Right It: Why So Many Ideas Fail Read More …
Lenten Demolition (#1788)
Lent is a season of preparation. It is a time when many who follow the Way of Jesus choose to give extra attention to discipleship. For some this means giving something up and for others it involves taking on something new. Demo Day Yesterday I heard unfamiliar sounds in my neighborhood. When I looked out a window I saw a large work crew unloading machines from trailers. Within minutes it became clear that these individuals had been hired to demolish a house. Over the next Read More …