Avatar and Daughter #1

In case you haven't heard, the movie 'Avatar' is a big deal. My oldest daughter, Makenzie, and I went to see it a few nights ago.

As far as movies go, we really enjoyed the IMAX 3-D experience, the buttery popcorn, and a Cherry Coke. The visuals were off the charts! The story was fun, even though it was low-grade propaganda and predictable. And as far as post-movie dinners go, Arby's roast beef sandwiches were just fine. The Jamocha shakes were even better!

What I really enjoyed about the evening was spending time with my beautiful and intelligent daughter. She's really no longer a girl, she's a young lady. I am impressed with the way she carries herself. She is not locked into herself, she is aware of what's going on around her. She picked up on the not-so-subtle messages of James Cameron. She looks at things with a Christian worldview.

One day she'll break my heart when she says, 'Dad, Jose and I want to get married.' I'll freak out!!!  :) But until then, I am so glad I get to spend time with her and watch her grow as a person. I'm parentally proud of how she's doing and thankful to God that He has given Norma and I the opportunity, strength, and wisdom in training her. May He continue to help her along and bless us in the process.

The Way of the Shepherd

My friend and co-worker, Dale, told me that this was a good little book. He leant me his copy and it sat on my desk for a few weeks. I just finished it's 114 pages last night and I have to agree - it is good!

The subtitle is '7 Secrets to Managing Productive People' and it addresses that topic in a fictional form. The use of stories for communicating principles is nothing new and the actual principles in this story were also not new. But it was told in such a winsom and direct way that the book was fun to read and thought-provoking.

Since all leaders can always do better at knowing, caring for, and guiding their 'sheep', the opportunity to receive a few tips is not always welcome. I know that's true in my case, but this little book did it in a way that works. While reading I simultaneously thought 'Oh man, I've blown it!' and 'I can do that!'.  I think it has to do with that old song, "A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down."

While each of the principles has great value, the three that stood out most to me were these:
  1 - You have to know your flock, and they have to know you.
  2 - The rod of correction includes fighting for your sheep and correcting your sheep.
  3 - Great leadership is a lifestyle, not a technique. It's a matter of the heart.

I've gotta thank Dale for being a good friend, a leader who seeks to be a better shepherd, and a man who loves his family. Thanks for recommending the book; I'll give it back before Jesus returns!

To anyone looking for a quick refresher on fundamental leadership principles, I heartily recommend 'The Way of the Shepherd' to you. It IS a good little book.

Nelson's Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts 3rd ed.

Nelson’s Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts, Third Edition is a nice piece for a basic, Bible study library. It is intended to give you information about each book of the Bible by telling you about the author, date, theme(s), and structure of that book. The anonymous compilers of this work have done a good job of using maps, charts, and outlines to give the reader a better grasp of the Bible book he/she is studying.

Being an owner of an older Comfort Print edition, I was happy to see the new look of the Third Edition! From cover to cover, everything looks better! After doing a few book-to-book comparisons, I found that the content had not changed one bit. It’s all about the packaging, and Thomas Nelson has done a great job with it. The addition of on-line access to selected charts is a nice bonus. It would be nice if ALL the charts, graphs, photos, and maps were available to owners of the book, but so would winning the lottery. Maybe that’ll come with the fourth edition.

Because the content is basic in nature, the seasoned student of Scripture will not find it especially helpful for discovering new data. He/she will find it more useful as a ‘refresher’. On the other hand, I think that the new student of Scripture will appreciate and enjoy the assistance offered in this colorful, easy-to-read resource for learning about the books of the Bible.

Basketball/Leadership

On Friday, January 29th the whole fam attended a Pistons game in Auburn Hills. Max had attended a Pistons day camp and we got a nice deal on tickets. It was alot of fun! We got to sit down on the front row while the players were warming up. We took a bunch of pictures. We had some snacks. We saw funny people in the stands. We even watched some of the best basketball players in the world and saw a few dunks.

Besides the wonderful memory of a fun family outing, I came away with something else. On paper, the game should've been close. But the Pistons not only lost to the Heat, 65-92, they STUNK! Rip Hamilton is a pure shooter (8 pts), Rodney Stuckey can beat most of the other NBA point guards (4 pts, 4 TO), and Tayshaun Prince is a freak of nature (10 pts). But Dwayne Wade shot well (4-5 3-pt, 22 total), Udonis Haslem (a bench player) had 16, and Dorell Wright (who?) had 12. The Pistons high scorer was Charlie Villanueva (15 pts) and he, along with Ben Gordon (10 pts & 2nd highest salary), came off the bench.

In a nutshell, they played really bad. There was no teamwork, no fire, and no leadership. Nobody stepped up and said, "C'mon guys! Let's get it together!" Nobody said, "Feed me the ball, I'll carry us!" The coach didn't pull the starters out. The Heat worked the ball around. They hustled after the ball. They executed more precisely. Granted, I'm not in the locker room or the time out huddles, but I walked away thinking, "All that talent and no results. There's a lack of leadership."

It made me think about church world. In sports it really doesn't matter if they don't make the most of what they've got. But we're dealing with life and death, eternity. A lack of leadership kills. It kills the people who are fired up but receive no direction or encouragement. It kills the people who go a hundred miles an hour but have no focus. It kills the people who are spectating when they should be playing. Why? Because we all gravitate to what we're good at or comfortable with...and the important things don't get done. The Gospel isn't shared. Disciples aren't made. And God isn't glorified.

On the other hand, I mighta just caught them on a bad night. I might be overestimating their talent. I might've been overwhelmed by the incessant advertising. But their terrible record (bottom of the Central Division) tells me I'm on the right track.

Merry Xmas!

Just noting what stood out to me this Xmas season:
 - people who get upset about Xmas vs. Christmas.
 - what type of man was Joseph?
 - what a celebration! looking at the angelic activity, the reactions of the shepherds, and the long pursuit of the wisemen.
 - materialism is quiet yet strong.
 - some people really like to give gifts.
 - some people really like to get gifts.
 - it's alot of fun to give to our kids. Is this pleasure a taste of what God feels when He gives us something?
 - it's very easy to take this miraculous event for granted.

I hope that you and yours have a great Christmas Eve and a great Xmas Day!

Drops Like Stars

I was surprised to find this at our local library, so I grabbed it up on my way to the checkout desk. Since it's due back today and I had only made it through the first few pages before this morning, I wasn't sure I could finish it and turn it back in on my way home. But this has to be the biggest book I've ever read in less than 20 minutes! There are alot of images and negative spaces in it's 160 pages. Here are some other things that stood out to me:

- Rob Bell is a creative.
- The images are nice.
- There is a broad spectrum of resources.
- The beauty and value of suffering was communicated well.
- The idea that Jesus identifies with our suffering is accurate and encouraging.
- Jesus' relationship to us and our suffering was not explained beyond that.
[I think that's unfortunate because He is more than the Great Sympathizer.]
- "...sometimes the most important work is knowing what to take away." p. 74
- The last story (from which the book's title is derived) is a very good endcap; it's memorable.

I've only read one other book by Bell. As before, he did a great job of expressing his thoughts. He writes (and speaks) in ways that cause me to think things over, and for that I am grateful. I am sure that some people will find some comfort as they are reading the book, but I am not sure that they will find comfort beyond that moment. As I noted in the bulleted points, I wish that he had said more about Jesus. Jesus' own ministry to those who were suffering was more than a ministry of presence or kindness, it also involved repair and restoration. While the book has good thoughts delivered in nice packaging it will not be the first book, about suffering, that I will recommend to others.

The Sacred Meal by Nora Gallagher

Nora Gallagher’s book, The Sacred Meal, is about the Christian tradition known as Communion. As she examined the different elements of Communion, the author drew out the at-large value of that element and, in a very transparent manner, relayed the more personal values and lessons about that element as learned from her own Communion experiences. The bottom line in her mind is that the Sacred Meal is exactly that – it is sacred because it is uniquely spiritual, communal, and powerful.

While I scratched my head on a few comments, I did connect with her call to recognize anew the powerful ceremony that is Communion. A major contention of her short work (137 pages) is that the Sacred Meal is intended to move us from one spiritual place to another spiritual place. It is more than a token ritual. But even though the personal accounts that she shares are interesting and, at times, moving, they are subjective. I think the book would have been more accurately titled, ‘My Thoughts on the Sacred Meal.’

While I have not read any other books in the Ancient Practices Series, I had expected more info on the ancient side of this ancient practice. Gallagher majored on personal, modern-day stories. There was no tracing of historical developments in Communion traditions. There was no significant examination of the Biblical texts regarding Communion.

Having said these things and for fear of sounding angry, let me be clear. I hold some different theological beliefs than the licensed Episcopal preacher does, but I do appreciate the high value she places on the Sacred Meal. Her willingness to share her stories and observations caused me to think again on this valuable practice instituted by Christ. And as was her intent, I did not think on the nuts and bolts or the history of this ritual but rather the meaning, the spirit, and the power of this ancient practice. If you are looking for a textbook of sorts, look somewhere else. If you need some food for thought, give this book a try.

Friday Funny

I got a kick out of this idea - matching well-known preachers with their celebrity look-alikes. Take a look at these two matches:

Brian Stetzer - Dan Kimball

Paul McCartney - Alistair Begg

For more (including Tim Allen & Joel Osteen) go to http://www.outofur.com/archives/2009/11/separated_at_bi.html