Gritty and glorious, A Game of Thrones certainly lives up the hype. It is an epic tale that takes place in a colorful but cold world. The book is a lengthy work but the story moves at a steady pace. Author George R.R. Martin does a wonderful job at developing characters along side the major and minor plots. He has strung an intricate web between dosens of characters. The action in A Game of Thrones is both political and physical. Kings battle and politic with furious vigor and wit.

I would not recommend reading this book to the morally inclined. It is violent, graphic and contains adult material. I was uncomfortable reading several chapters and found myself skipping sections. Martin does not celebrate the violence but he has done a wonderful job at creating a series of depraved characters who are selfish and cold. This is not a simple good vs. evil story. The characters are endowed with full stories and we are impressed with their honor and cowardice alike. This book is well written and compelling. I hesitate to offer my recommendation because of the sexual content. It is too bad that Martin feels the need to describe what he can imply. With that said, I am willing to give the second book a chance but the self-censorship may become too exhausting for me to go on.  

Your contagious transformation is the revolution of Christ.

Be transformed. Christians are called out to become more like Christ. The forgiveness of sin is the first step in Christian living and not a final destination. Many people are content with the avoidance of damnation and neglect to life the life of love that Jesus intended. Your transformation will have a direct impact on other people. Your attitude should reflect the love of Christ and people will take notice. You will be marked as something different and have opportunities to tell your story; it is the story of Christ’s forgiveness. At this point the work of Jesus becomes a movement and the revolution of Christ marches on. Be transformed, love others, and carry out Christ’s commission.

Is this the right attitude to have? Does our Christian world consist of struggle and failure? Know that your calling is not to become famous. You were not destined to stand in the spotlight or to be known for the good works. Our calling is to love selflessly. There is no greater measure of our success than our ability to love others. We have not been called to build mega churches or schools. We have been called to love.

Measure your success and failure but dont measure it with the standards of others; compare it to love and be encouraged. We were not built for fame; this is the design of Christ. Ours is to love. Trade in your failure to affection and help continue the movement that Jesus started many years ago.

Christianity has a tendency to lose its way

Brian McLaren tackles these questions head on with his book titled, Finding Our Way Again. He argues that organized religion has obfuscated the mission of Jesus and that many people are searching for a Christian experience outside of organized religion. McLaren throws out the traditional organization of Christian fellowship and suggests that we peruse spiritual lifestyle that is congruent to the mission of God. This lifestyle is described as the way in part one of McLaren’s book. The second section describes a series of spiritual practices that help us stay tuned to the way. The third and final part of the book connects these practices to their ancient roots.

Brian writes about deep topics in a light way. He is never heavy handed with theological vernacular or academic principles. His works are also insightful and well thought out. It is clear that McLaren is well read and has committed serious thought to his topics. He has appended a series of spiritual exercises to the end of each chapter. This step is symbolic of Brian’s desire to connect with his audience over the topic of spirituality and the Christian way. It was difficult not to notice that McLaren went out of his way to associate Christianity with Islam and Judaism. The point he makes is not one of religious syncretism. He makes this reference on more than one occasion to highlight the tendency of mankind to get off track with God. I feel, however, that McLaren enjoys the prodding of traditional Christian thinkers.

I would recommend reading this book. It is insightful and relatively light. It takes religion head on without coming across as competitive or divisive. It should also be noted that McLaren’s take on religion is not synchronous either. He walks the fine line between comparison and suggestion but remains true to Christian distinctive.

I received a free copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through the BookSneeze review program. The opinions expressed herein are my own.

Religion is a system; it is an attempt to frame a spiritual experience for the benefit of others. It creates boundaries and recommends practices. Some religions insist on certain behaviors and patterns of life. It can be a very invasive way to connect with God. People hate religion because the methods of connecting can become an obstacle; an unnecessary hurdle that stands in between us and God.

Today we take advice from Christian mentors regarding worship, reading and prayer. Our churches are non-denominational. We promote a movement of justice and love. Some of us soak up doctrine while others focus on service. The main point is that we skip the bull. Jesus didn’t need a bureaucracy to lead his group of twelve and neither do we.

I have some bad news for the religion haters: we are not doing away with religion; we are just creating a new one. The new rules are still rules and we have to be careful. Religion can obfuscate our relationship with Christ but it can also serve as important guide for our spiritual formation. Spiritual giants of the past have attempted to lead others into a growing relationship with Christ. They frame a process of spiritual formation that can be passed on. Any manmade system is going to suffer from human vanity. No system will be perfect; none old and none new. Examine your system of belief and consider the role of religion in your own life.

John Wesley is one of the most influential thinkers of all time. He developed a unique view of Christian Perfection that went on to inspire several evangelical movements. And when I say influential movements I am referring to the holiness and charismatic movements that have  gone on to shape the global culture of the church. Wesley thought that Christians could attain perfect holiness here on earth. That their lives could be lived without intentional sin. Because of Christ’s sacrifice (atonement) someone could be forgiven of their sins (justified) and be continually purified to reflect the person of Christ (sanctification). Wesley goes on to say that the end result of sanctification is that of Christian Perfection. He says that the perfect Christian, “runs the way of God’s commandments” and strives to, “do the will of God on earth, as it is done in heaven.” I wrote a short essay about Wesley’s take on perfection. You can check it out here.

What do you think? Can a man or women become “Christian perfect?” Wait, hold on. Wesley give us one important qualifier to his theology of sanctification. He says that, “A man may be filled with pure love, and still be liable to mistake. Indeed I do not expect to be freed from actual mistakes, till this mortal puts on immortality. I believe this to be a natural consequence of the soul’s dwelling in flesh and blood.” So we are not perfect from sin, just perfect from what we were before.

The Christian culture that I am a part of talks a lot about our imperfection. We are an acknowledged sinful people who are in desperate need of a savior. Everyone agrees on this. However I am challenged by Wesley’s take on Christian perfection. I think that many of us settle too low when it comes to being formed into the image of Christ.

What do you think? Do we use depravity as an excuse for laziness?

This book is very well written and I intend to read more of Smith. He writes accurately and academically but has a very personable tone throughout the book. Never have I seen equal parts Latin, Greek and pop-culture reference. His argument was heavy at first but began to flow after the opening few chapters. The logical organization of Desiring the Kingdom makes it easy to follow Smith’s arguments throughout the text. There were parts of this book that began to feel repetitive. I feel that the stated purpose of the book, a critique on modern Christian education, was too narrow. Smith’s arguments are relevant far beyond the walls of the classroom and this self imposition limited the potential reach of this book.

 I would recommend reading this book. Dont let the first few chapters disuade you. This book is more than a critique of modern education. It is also easier to understand than the clumsy illustrations presented. Smith encourages us to engage our world compassionately. The worship of God is cenetral to the formation of our feelings and ideas.

If you are interested in hearing more about Smith’sDesiring the Kingdom, feel free to read: Desiring the Kingdom – Full Review by Brent Colby

You do not get your own vision. I am speaking to members of larger teams and let me be clear: organizations are successful when they are follow a single vision. Multiple visions cripple the effectiveness of any group. One is the perfect number and the only number; two visions can destroy an organization as quickly as having no vision at all. If you are not the boss then your role is to follow the leader.

I work at a church and have come to realize that my lead pastor’s vision must become my vision. We will not make any progress pulling in two different directions. Does this mean that I have no room to imagine a high impact ministries for my church? Absolutely not. My job is to come up with strategies that help accomplish the vision of my church. Any program I put in place must be sub-categorical of the greater vision of my organization. 

The success of your organization depends on your ability to embrace a single vision. Make sure that your work furthers the stated purpose of your group. Leaders must eliminate any programs that divert attention from the stated vision of the team. Leaders move in one clear direction. Flowers have to get on board or get out of the way.

To men of reason you will give offence, by talking of inspiration and receiving the Holy Ghost; to drunkards, Sabbath-breakers, common swearers, and other open sinners, by refraining from their company, as well as by that disapprobation of their behaviour which you will often be obliged to express. And indeed your life must give them continual offence: Your sobriety is grievously offensive to a drunkard; your serious conversation is equally intolerable to a gay impertinent: and, in general, that “you are grown so precise and singular, so monstrously strict, beyond all sense and reason, that you scruple so many harmless things, and fancy you are obliged to do so many others which you need not,” cannot but be an offence to abundance of people, your friends and relations in particular. Either, therefore, you must consent to give up your principles, or your fond hope of pleasing men.

John Wesley,

October 10th, 1745

What do you think? Is a life lived in pursuit of Christ going to offend other people? Does our unwillingness to participate with drunkards, Sabbath-breakers, common swearers and other open sinners  hurt their feelings? The holiness movement strived for a single minded devotion to Christ. These men and women avoided the appearance of evil to the point that they would not even associate with wrongdoers. How do you measure up to this standard? Is this something to strive for or avoid?

Orson Scott Card’s second installment of the Ender’s Game Series is an fictional work of future anthropology.  This is an imaginative story surrounding the discovery of an alien race. Our hero, Andrew, was not always a Speaker. Andrew Ender Wiggin played crucial role in the xenocide of the Buggers three thousand years ago. His travels between the stars has kept him relatively young while the natural world has aged three thousand years. Ancient history is Andrews childhood and the nickname Ender has traded its fame for infamy.  There is a chance to protect this new race of alien life and advocate for their survival. The full story of Andrew Ender Wiggin can be read in Ender’s Game and is a must for anyone interested in Speaker for the Dead. You can read my review of Ender’s Game here.

I would recommend this book to those who have read and enjoyed the character development of Ender’s Game. I understand that this is a specific recommendation, however, Speaker for the Dead is a difficult book to generalize. The science fiction setting allows Card to paint an elaborate what if scenario. The story telling is surrounded by the sociological consequences of alien interaction. Each action carries a weight that could break the back of the colony. I took a lot away from this book. This theoretical conundrum begs questions of race, religion and relationship. Orson Scott Card shows his true colors in Speaker for the Dead. It is a work that serves as a generous metaphor for those who view the world with compassion and caution.

Braddley Miller theorized in the 1950′s that the average adult could retain an average of five to nine pieces of information via short term memory. Each piece of information, or chunk, could be made up of a number, word or image. His claims have been hotly debated over the years but they bring up an interesting question for the communicator: can you sait it in nine words or less?

Communication is about what people hear more than what you say. The ability of one to deliver is proportionate the ability of another to receive. There is an obvious connection between the way we present information and the way other people absorb it. Great communicators throw ideas that other people can catch. The smartest person in the world useless unless he or she can effectively share their ideas. This is why we should try to say it in nine words or less.

Try it out.

What is the purpose of your organization?

What is the big idea behind your different programs?

What do you do at work?

If any of these answers cannot be articulated in nine words or less then Braddley Miller might suggest that people are not going pick up what you are putting down.

1) Be careful where you think out loud. Some people will not give you a second chance to pitch your idea. I process things verbally and assumed that everyone else did as well. After years of getting shot down I finally came to the conclusion that not every team meeting is a safe place to field new ideas. I was frustrated because I operated under the assumption that people would track with me. I later realized that key people were unwilling or incapable of tracking with me. This shouldn’t have come to me as such a surprise considering the fact that I dont always know where I am going with dreams and ideas. That is the whole point of talking it out (or so I thought). Find the right people to bounce ideas off of. These are creative people who can help you see the gaps in your plan. They wont shoot you down but they have to be willing to call you back to reality as well.

2) Write things down on paper. Dont allow people to hear second hand versions of your idea. Write it down so they can grasp it in your own words. You may also be surprised at how helpful the writing process it. It becomes easier to see gaps and identify weak spots in your plan when it goes down in black and white. People have a valuable interaction with written ideas. They can give you feedback, process on their own time, and integrate their own words onto the page.

3) Make it fit into one sentence. Your idea should be summed up in one or two sentences. If it takes a paragraph to explain what you are up to forget it. Complexity will come later. Right now you need to be able to describe what it going to happen from far away. Everyone will break out the magnifying glass when the time comes. Too many details too early on can kill a good idea. Use plain english here: no buzz words. Worry about things sounding good later. The most important part of bringing your idea to the table is that people understand exactly what you are proposing.

4) Your idea must solve a problem. Add value to your idea by explaining what problem it is going to solve. Good ideas are fueled by difficult problems. Ask yourself what problem is this solving and consider if it will be worth the work. Everyone is busy so your idea becomes compelling when it is going to help your team do better work.

5) Your idea must contribute to the big picture. Do not bring ideas to the table that compete with the greater vision for your organization. You may ask, how are we ever going to change? That is a good question. Do not go about rearranging deck chairs on a sinking ship.  If the bigger picture of your organization is no good then you need to be having different conversation. If you dont agree with the direction of your organization know that you will not help it by diverting momentum through your ideas. Businesses waste valuable time, churches split and teams fall apart in this way.

You can write a book on any one of these five ideas. They are simple reminders for us all when bringing new ideas to the table. What things have you found valuable when presenting new ideas to your team?

I would recommend reading this book. Christopher McDougall has done well at blending history, science, anthropology and research into a compelling narrative. You care for the people and see them develop from beginning to end. He may be a bit blinded in his romantic engagement with the Tarahumara. Regardless of McDougall’s obvious bias we see an honest and well thought out idea embedded into a great adventure story.

Bria has been exceptional throughout the day and we have been blessed with a healthy baby boy. Mother and baby are doing well and we are recuperating at Providence St. Peters Hospital in Olympia Washington (you are welcome to send flowers and coffee to room 27).

It is amazing to see a baby being born; it is a fearsome and toilsome task. The burden of childbirth is lifted when you hear baby cry and are able to hold him in your arms. Months of pregnancy seem a small price to pay when a little hand grasps your finger, when his eyes move about the room and settle on your face. Child birth is a wonder to behold.

Oliver has been created in the image of God. He is a fearfully and wonderfully made child. This boy is known by God and is the product of his intimate craftsmanship. The world has been laid out before him and a lifetime of choices must be made. The first choices will be made by Bria and me; the second choices are his.

Let Oliver be a blessing to you

and live and honest life.

Let him choose to follow your instructions

and inspire others to do the same.

Give him a fierce heart

that is full of compassion and grace.

Help me walk a path that is worth following

and fill Him with your truth

so that he might love the world that you created

for the sake of Jesus Christ.

-Amen.

Baby Stats: He was born April 20th at 2:30 A.M and weighed in at 8 lb, 9 oz. Oliver is 20 3/4 in long.

I visited a local High School and watched part of a track meet. It was sunny and my two year old was having a blast (she almost ruined the 100m hurdles by throwing her toy on the track). We spent an hour at the field and I was wholly consumed by God’s peace. I wasn’t worried and I wasn’t stressed. I came home ready to dive back into my work, school and family. I came home ready to engage and connect with people; to put my head down and use the gifts God has given me.

Perhaps you have felt the same before. Let me encourage you to quit trying to do it on your own. Give it up and let God step in. No, he is not going to do the work for you; that is still your responsibility. And no, you cant ignore the issues in your life and pretend that anything has disappeared. What you can do is trust in God and rely on him for encouragement and strength.

You can ship it or hold it or keep it in a safe place. Faith contained is faith understood. The smaller the box the more control you have! Immagine the possibilities. You can tame faith and keep it civil. A polite faith offends few and makes many friends. Branded for the massess and sold for their own good: faith in a box is the commodity of Christ. You can explain away every question and reason away all doubt. There is no mystery; that fuel of wonder. You will be amazed by your own comprehension, by how smart you have become. There is security in intellect; fear is not knowing. Faith in a box is a great convenience.

What of those who cannot control the knowledge of Christ? Their life is inconvenient. It is not pretty or nice. Their faith can offend polite men and sound unreasonable to the masses. It seeks its own end and disregards the desires of this world. It is a faith that seeks the glory of Christ before the comfort of the Church. It is a mystery that cannot be wholly known. It is free and uncontrollable. It allies it self to no state and supersedes the laws of man. It is taken up by wild men; unkept and unmannered. Uncontrollable faith is a wonderful burden because it cannot be carried alone.

I would recommend reading this book. It has been reprinted many times sense first hitting the shelves in 1981. Schaeffer’s book often feels like a defensive maneuver against the communist and humanist trends of the twentieth century. This book is still worth reading today. Any cultural irrelevancies serve as a candid historical view on thirty year old social concerns. It is amazing how much things have not changed over these past few decades. The Christian Manifesto is still as convicting today as it has ever been.

We often settle for a watered down image of Jesus. When we take communion our thoughts are dran towards bread and juice before blood and skin. Our imagination falls short of the providing, loving, suffering and righteous God. Our Jesus is comfortable and safe; never too righteous and never too kind. We accompany a Messiah who makes minimum wage and dosent do anything out of the ordinary.

We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

-C.S. Lewis in The Weight of Glory

What type of Jesus have you settled for? Are you easily pleased with a Jesus who provides you with mud cakes or does your Jesus make cake? There is only one Jesus and we read about him in the Bible. There are many interpretations of Christ. This is because Jesus was a multi-dimensional person. He was not a cardboard cutout Son of God. He was the full embodiment of our Creator and the most dynamic person who ever lived.

Imagine the whole person of Christ. Saturate yourself in every aspect of his character. He is righteous and graceful. He is meek and fierce. He is a servant and a king. Open your whole Bible and see Jesus for the person that he truly is.

We sent this fifth grade girl home with her first Bible that day. She was thrilled to hear the news that this Bible would be hers. She wrapped both arms around it in a giant hug as she went back to play with the rest of the kids. Except she didn’t go to the video games or crafts. She returned to her seat and started flipping through the pages. It has always been my prayer that the word of God would be alive in our gatherings. This young girl reminded me of the power of the Bible and its ability to fill our kids with hope and with joy. We are committed to getting our kids into the Bible and the Bible into our kids. We will read it as God’s story. A story that each of us are a part of. It is alive and read and understanding it changes everything. Some Sundays I learn far more than I could ever teach.

I would recommend this book to some people. It is nearly 500 pages of history and theology in practice. Hundreds of years and dozens of cultures have contributed to Christian spirituality. Seeing the value in these ancient traditions can be challenging. The book is well written and is possible to consumable bit by bit. Some chapters come across stronger than others but the general consistency of the book is strong. Above all, we gain an understanding of the human drive to regain what was lost. Each major movement in Christian spirituality has this as its major claim. Even the monastic orders, with hundreds of years of tradition and literature, are trying to become the Cro-Magnon Christian. Read this book if you are up for a marathon of challenging articles on ancient spirituality.

For those interested in a more accessible read on Christian spirituality, take a look at my review of The Divine Embrace by Robert E. Webber.

We dont always make the same choice as Gordon does.It can be easy for us to idealize sacrifice. We may lay down for the sake of others and gain a sense of pride or responsibility. People often take notice and pat us on the back or brag about or selflessness. It feels good to hear about your own generosity. Our $10 gift for Haiti or token offering for a foreign missionary can feel great. It may, in fact, be the cheapest way to start feeling good about yourself (go ahead and try it). When we give to feel good we dont make a sacrifice. This is a transaction and we are on the receiving end of recognition. Sacrifice is giving something that cannot be repaid. It does not need to be reciprocated and may cost greatly.

Boyd Gordon left the ice after making a series of sacrifices for his team. Kikitin was dumfounded by Gordon’s willingness to take one two for the team (look at his face at 1:07). Gordon recognized the full cost of the second sacrifice and made it anyways. He laid down for something that could not be repaid by his teammates. None of them would have asked for Boyd to get hurt twice, not for their sake.

When was the last time you took two for the team? That is to say, when was the last time you made a sacrifice that you knew was not going to feel good. When did you last give a measure of time or effort that was not going to be fun? Have you ever made a donation of self that could never be reciprocated by those on the receiving end. Justice and mercy are built on sacrifice. It is those who are willing to make unfair sacrifices that hold the potential to set things right again.

I just got through a rough week.

Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city.

-Acts 14:19-20

Paul seems to have a legitimate reason to complain. It puts my “hardships” into perspective. Today I wanted a softball from God but he threw me a curve. He tells me not to worry and to understand that it may get tougher. How could anything more difficult than this? How can I do more or accomplish greater things? How can I spend more time with my family and be a better husband? How can I work hard to be a better dad? When all the time I am reading Pauls encouragement to the Christians in Lystra, Iconium and Antioch when he says, “we must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.”

The truth is that I dont do it; God does it. My job is to be faithful and allow him to work through me, to change me. My suffering is a natural byproduct of the tension that we all live in. We are ambassadors of Christ to a world that is infected with sin. We use the beauty of God’s creation around us to illustraight the wonder of God. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to tell people about him. We have been instructed by the word of God to love and serve and suffer for His name.

My week was tough but I will see tougher. His love is great but it only becomes greater. My responsibilities at work and home and school as a lot of me. But as I continue to give myself to God I know that he will work through me to accomplish the tasks ahead. I am most strong when I allow him to be my strength.

I would not recommend reading this book.  I was a big fan of Gladwell’s Tipping Point and was excited to dive into another one of his well researched works. The bottom line of Blink was a bit too obvious and I felt like I was waiting for the “ah-ha” moment from the very beginning. It never came. The book is well written and felt like a legitimate break down of the science behind intuition. I just felt like Gladwell took a moderately fascinating essay and turned it into a full on book.

There are people who try to raise their soul like a man continuall taking standing jumps in the hopes that, if he jumps higher every day, a time may come when he will no longer fall back but will go right up to the sky. Thus occupied he cannot look at the sky. We cannot take a single step toward heaven. It is not in our power to travel in a vertical direction. If however we look heavenward for a long time, God comes and takes us up. He raises us easily

-From Waiting for God by Simone Weil.

It dosent mater how high you can jump; you will never begin to fly. Sometimes I work very hard to accomplish a task that is not my own. God transformes me. God transformes my church. God transforms my community. I am not called to make the transformation but to simply draw  attention upwards. Simone Weil illustrates the flawed thinking that says I can do it myself if I try really hard. We can’t do it. The best we can do is to give our full and undivided attention to the one who has created us. We forget that the hard work is already done! Ours is to accept the flight that Jesus gives and to tell everyone about it. Christ has made a way for us to become part of His family. The winning Jesus keeps me from failure and a life wasted jumping up and down.

We will not be successful in creating a better world by destroying things. We must put our energy in to building up that which we believe in instead of tearing down the things that we do not believe in. This means that the church must continue to create better vehicles for the gospel. We will not win the race by trying to destroy the vehicles of our opponents.

The story of God does not change. The story of sin does not change either. We do not have to wage a war against sin. Jesus Christ has already done that on the cross and the battle has been won! We must take that good news and share it with others. We must tell them with words and show them with service. The church will experience a surge of influence when we decide to focus on creation instead of destruction.