Richard J. Foster: Sanctuary of the Soul: Journey into Meditative Prayer This is a very nice introduction to the way of meditative prayer. Foster grounds this practice in the teaching of Scripture and illustrates and unfolds it from the spectrum of church history and the spiritual classics. From Quakers to Reformers to Pietists to Contemplatives... they all encourage us in the way of meditative prayer. This is a very accessible (short, well written, encouraging) book.
R. Paul Stevens: Taking Your Soul to Work: Overcoming the Nine Deadly Sins of the Workplace This was pretty good... I liked how they handled the seven deadly sins and the corresponding virtues of the fruit of the Spirit. 17 short chapters. gems in each one. after awhile it seemed a bit of a retread... it is really meant to be done in a reflective way, where you assess your self on each sin and virtue.
Charles H. Spurgeon: Lectures to My Students Volume 1 The delightful, witty and passionate Mr. Spurgeon, giving his homespun wisdom on ministry to a group of students. The chapter on prayer was beautiful. Good words on calling and how to know you are called.
Handley Carr Glyn Moule: Charles Simeon An old biography of the great Charles Simeon. This edition is a reprint and the footnoting was strange. The text and the footnotes constantly interrupted each other and made for difficult reading. There were gems throughout the book. Simeon is extraordinary. This book on him is okay.
Michael Mangis: Signature Sins: Taming Our Wayward Hearts Very nice book on vice and virtue... a very helpful summary of the seven deadly sins with careful nuancing of how we experience them... insights on race, gender, biology, family and more on how our "signature" or "besetting" sins develop... and one of the best explanation on how we must put on the "antidote virtue" if we are to overcome our sins.
Scot McKnight: The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited This was a pretty short read. The thesis is simple. Many (perhaps most) evangelicals have reduced the wider gospel of Christ the king to a "soterian" gospel. Justification by grace through faith is only part of the gospel, and when it is removed from the larger gospel - we have all kinds of problems, not the least is that there are so many who claim to be justified, but there is almost no sign of the sanctification and transformation.
Peter Rollins: Insurrection: To Believe Is Human To Doubt, Divine Postmodern deconstructionist Peter Rollins (whose work also needs to be deconstructed) is a provocative author. I generally find myself disputing much of what he says, but his is an important voice. I do get a little tired of some of these postmodern authors being billed as the new prophets and if you disagree with them, then you are just part of the outdated system they are critiquing. I find that people like N.T. Wright and Scot McKnight write more compelling and useful critiques and ways forward.
Miroslav Volf: Exclusion & Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation I should have read this a long time ago. I skimmed through it when it first came out... I read a few passages, but just didn't have the time to read it. Now, with the encouragement of a good friend (who says this book is core to understanding his own ministry of reconciliation of Christians, Muslims and Jews) I am giving it a thorough read and reflection.
Henri J. M. Nouwen: Jesus: A Gospel This is a testimony of the life, power and wisdom of Christ as it touched the life of Henri Nouwen. What made this book special was the use of the art of Rembrandt that was set alongside Nouwen's reflections.
Here is my monthly offering of items that didn't make it to a full post. It is my Podge of Hodge and Bits of Tid, miscellaneous musings and notes.
ONE: Money Magazine, September 2009 had an article, 103 Ways to Trim the Fat, Not the Fun From Your Budget. Becky gets this magazine (she is much more astute on financial matters than I am). She read some of the ways out loud. They were interesting. And what was good to hear is that we are already doing most of them . . . which is probably one of the reasons why we live without debt. (By the way, the cover pictured is not the issue I am referring to.)
TWO: Les Paul died. Wow. An icon is gone from the world of music. An innovator and inventor who changed the world of guitars permanently and profoundly has passed on. I own several guitars, I listen to guitar music all the time, and the Les Paul guitar in all its varieties and incarnations is a truly great instrument in the guitar world. if you want to learn more about the guitar itself in its many versions, this gives a nice summary. And to read a nice and brief biography of Les Paul, here it is.
THREE: I have been reading and re-reading Ephesians in preparation for our Ancient Future Faith mid-size community this fall. For many years, Ephesians was my favorite letter of the Apostle Paul. It has been surpassed, for me, by 2 Corinthians. But it holds firmly to second place. It will be fun to walk with a community of Christ followers through this wonderful letter.
FOUR: Living Word Community Church continues to do simply profound and transformative work in the Village of Sendafa, Ethiopia. We have two teams a year that go to that village. We are doing holistic ministry that includes working with HIV/Aids patients, general medical care at a health clinic, working to provide clean water for the area, helping in the school systems (a tragic disaster), building churches, starting micro-enterprise and more. We are extremely blessed with Dr. Frew who is the Ethiopian physician and leader who had a vision and needed partners. I am truly blessed when I hear the stories of transformation and grateful to be a part of a church that has such a vision and a heart to touch one corner of the world.
FIVE: And speaking of Ethiopia, my friend, Dr. Melese Wogu is on a six week trip. He will visit Ethiopian communities in several different countries, but will be in Ethiopia for several weeks. His focus in Ethiopia is to do leadership training. Melese will teach hundreds of pastors, he will mentor a smaller number. And they have him scheduled to preach for a week to crowds that will easily number between 20,000 - 30,000 on a daily basis. Melese will preach several sermons and provide multiple teachings every day. Pray for him on this trip. Here is the website for EOM. Melese has a truly strategic ministry for one of the world's poorest and neediest peoples. (The collage is from a recent banquet EOM did.)
SIX: Pastor Steve Almquist, senior pastor of Living Word Community Church has many gifts and talents. One that blessed me (and the rest of our elders) recently was his interest (one could almost say - passion) in good food. In this case, smoked ribs. Steve prepared a feast for us. And in about two weeks, he is making pulled pork for the entire staff at LWCC. (The picture is not Steve's smoked ribs, unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me...just my appetite.
SEVEN: I spend an afternoon with a friend, Scott, who works in Mexico with CAM International. A major part of Scott's work is developing Internet delivery systems and resources for developing leaders in the Spanish speaking world. Check out this website - ObreroFiel - it is in Spanish of course. He is a visionary on resourcing Latin American leadership and it has been great getting to know Scott. I am fortunate since his home church is in nearby Carlisle and it was just a 40 minute drive to get together. Plus, I had the bonus of finally meeting his family. I first met Scott in Puebla, Mexico where he was doing the graduate program in leadership. By the way, the missions organization he is with, CAM, has gone through a remarkable transformation. As Scott has described this process, I deeply respect how CAM has responded to the massive change taking place in the world around us. They are truly a case study for how to do this well. Inspiring stuff. Mega-kudos to their leadership team.
EIGHT: I was invited by the local chapter of CBMC Network (Connecting Business Men in Christ) to speak on leadership at their August luncheon. My friend Chuck Blouse, who I have known for almost 30 years (gasp - how old are we getting) is part of the leadership team for the York group. He is kind enough to invite me to talk with the men about leadership. It is always a privilege to do this. I was impressed by how hard and strategically they are working to do leadership development for the men. Blessings to CBMC in their work with Christian business leaders. Here is the local chapter website.
NINE: Music . . . so much music and so little time. Lots of new albums this past month, but two groups I just have to mention. First is Blackmore's Night which is Richie Blackmore's celtic, rock band which almost can't be described. You just have to hear them. I had two of their CD's and just bought three more. Check them out on iTunes and.
TEN: Websites. Here are a few I highly recommend. Presentation Zen. Maybe I mentioned this one before, but if you are a communicator and use visual media, we just have to do it well. I subscribe to the weekly column. It is always good, sometimes whimsical as was the one on the wrong use of "quotation marks" and apostrophe's. Plus, on the right hand column is a list of great resources.
Sacred Space is a website from Ireland where you can do lectio divina reflections and prayer by moving through a new daily devotional. It is quite good and available in a number of languages.
Kruse Kronicle is a very thoughtful blogsite that looks at global issues, economics, social problems and much more, from a biblical worldview. I just found this one and have enjoyed reading it. You'll have to do a little work.
ELEVEN: Business Elite. Okay, I have flown a lot over the last 25 years. I mean a lot. Long ago I stopped keeping track of my international trips. In all those years and on those flights, I have always flown Economy Class. I get on the plane and turn to the right and scrunch in for the flight. I had a super pleasant surprise on my trip back from Amsterdam on Delta. I was upgraded to Business Elite. Whoa. I mean this was the luxury section. I actually felt guilty just being there. The guilt lasted for about 30 minutes then I just enjoyed the luxury and pampering for the rest of the flight. The only problem is, that from now on, every time when I turn right when I come on the airplane, I'll glance up to the left knowing how the other 1% are flying. Sigh . . .
TWELVE: It was a refreshing month of August and in fact, the entire summer was a pretty refreshing time. I think I have as much energy as I have had in a long time. The fall is going to be great, I am really looking forward to it.
Blessings to all of you, Grace and Shalom, Beauty and Truth be yours.
Brian Rice Leadership ConneXtions International www.lci.typepad.com
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8341cbf9a53ef0120a5008955970b
Here is my monthly offering of items that didn't make it to a full post. It is my Podge of Hodge and Bits of Tid, miscellaneous musings and notes.
ONE: Money Magazine, September 2009 had an article, 103 Ways to Trim the Fat, Not the Fun From Your Budget. Becky gets this magazine (she is much more astute on financial matters than I am). She read some of the ways out loud. They were interesting. And what was good to hear is that we are already doing most of them . . . which is probably one of the reasons why we live without debt. (By the way, the cover pictured is not the issue I am referring to.)
TWO: Les Paul died. Wow. An icon is gone from the world of music. An innovator and inventor who changed the world of guitars permanently and profoundly has passed on. I own several guitars, I listen to guitar music all the time, and the Les Paul guitar in all its varieties and incarnations is a truly great instrument in the guitar world. if you want to learn more about the guitar itself in its many versions, this gives a nice summary. And to read a nice and brief biography of Les Paul, here it is.
THREE: I have been reading and re-reading Ephesians in preparation for our Ancient Future Faith mid-size community this fall. For many years, Ephesians was my favorite letter of the Apostle Paul. It has been surpassed, for me, by 2 Corinthians. But it holds firmly to second place. It will be fun to walk with a community of Christ followers through this wonderful letter.
FOUR: Living Word Community Church continues to do simply profound and transformative work in the Village of Sendafa, Ethiopia. We have two teams a year that go to that village. We are doing holistic ministry that includes working with HIV/Aids patients, general medical care at a health clinic, working to provide clean water for the area, helping in the school systems (a tragic disaster), building churches, starting micro-enterprise and more. We are extremely blessed with Dr. Frew who is the Ethiopian physician and leader who had a vision and needed partners. I am truly blessed when I hear the stories of transformation and grateful to be a part of a church that has such a vision and a heart to touch one corner of the world.
FIVE: And speaking of Ethiopia, my friend, Dr. Melese Wogu is on a six week trip. He will visit Ethiopian communities in several different countries, but will be in Ethiopia for several weeks. His focus in Ethiopia is to do leadership training. Melese will teach hundreds of pastors, he will mentor a smaller number. And they have him scheduled to preach for a week to crowds that will easily number between 20,000 - 30,000 on a daily basis. Melese will preach several sermons and provide multiple teachings every day. Pray for him on this trip. Here is the website for EOM. Melese has a truly strategic ministry for one of the world's poorest and neediest peoples. (The collage is from a recent banquet EOM did.)
SIX: Pastor Steve Almquist, senior pastor of Living Word Community Church has many gifts and talents. One that blessed me (and the rest of our elders) recently was his interest (one could almost say - passion) in good food. In this case, smoked ribs. Steve prepared a feast for us. And in about two weeks, he is making pulled pork for the entire staff at LWCC. (The picture is not Steve's smoked ribs, unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me...just my appetite.
SEVEN: I spend an afternoon with a friend, Scott, who works in Mexico with CAM International. A major part of Scott's work is developing Internet delivery systems and resources for developing leaders in the Spanish speaking world. Check out this website - ObreroFiel - it is in Spanish of course. He is a visionary on resourcing Latin American leadership and it has been great getting to know Scott. I am fortunate since his home church is in nearby Carlisle and it was just a 40 minute drive to get together. Plus, I had the bonus of finally meeting his family. I first met Scott in Puebla, Mexico where he was doing the graduate program in leadership. By the way, the missions organization he is with, CAM, has gone through a remarkable transformation. As Scott has described this process, I deeply respect how CAM has responded to the massive change taking place in the world around us. They are truly a case study for how to do this well. Inspiring stuff. Mega-kudos to their leadership team.
EIGHT: I was invited by the local chapter of CBMC Network (Connecting Business Men in Christ) to speak on leadership at their August luncheon. My friend Chuck Blouse, who I have known for almost 30 years (gasp - how old are we getting) is part of the leadership team for the York group. He is kind enough to invite me to talk with the men about leadership. It is always a privilege to do this. I was impressed by how hard and strategically they are working to do leadership development for the men. Blessings to CBMC in their work with Christian business leaders. Here is the local chapter website.
NINE: Music . . . so much music and so little time. Lots of new albums this past month, but two groups I just have to mention. First is Blackmore's Night which is Richie Blackmore's celtic, rock band which almost can't be described. You just have to hear them. I had two of their CD's and just bought three more. Check them out on iTunes and.
TEN: Websites. Here are a few I highly recommend. Presentation Zen. Maybe I mentioned this one before, but if you are a communicator and use visual media, we just have to do it well. I subscribe to the weekly column. It is always good, sometimes whimsical as was the one on the wrong use of "quotation marks" and apostrophe's. Plus, on the right hand column is a list of great resources.
Sacred Space is a website from Ireland where you can do lectio divina reflections and prayer by moving through a new daily devotional. It is quite good and available in a number of languages.
Kruse Kronicle is a very thoughtful blogsite that looks at global issues, economics, social problems and much more, from a biblical worldview. I just found this one and have enjoyed reading it. You'll have to do a little work.
ELEVEN: Business Elite. Okay, I have flown a lot over the last 25 years. I mean a lot. Long ago I stopped keeping track of my international trips. In all those years and on those flights, I have always flown Economy Class. I get on the plane and turn to the right and scrunch in for the flight. I had a super pleasant surprise on my trip back from Amsterdam on Delta. I was upgraded to Business Elite. Whoa. I mean this was the luxury section. I actually felt guilty just being there. The guilt lasted for about 30 minutes then I just enjoyed the luxury and pampering for the rest of the flight. The only problem is, that from now on, every time when I turn right when I come on the airplane, I'll glance up to the left knowing how the other 1% are flying. Sigh . . .
TWELVE: It was a refreshing month of August and in fact, the entire summer was a pretty refreshing time. I think I have as much energy as I have had in a long time. The fall is going to be great, I am really looking forward to it.
Blessings to all of you, Grace and Shalom, Beauty and Truth be yours.
Brian Rice Leadership ConneXtions International www.lci.typepad.com
Danny Jones: Finding My Way A new artist for me. Seriously, he ranks up there with the creativity and sheer talent of a Joe Satriani... although the Silver Surfer guitarist is still in my top three faves. But Danny Jones deserves a wide listen by all the rock/metal fans.
Gungor: Ghosts Upon the Earth Their newest. I've listened to it a few times. I like Beautiful Things more, but this one is growing on me and several of the songs are outstanding.
Yo-Yo Ma: The Goat Rodeo Sessions Buy this album just because of the great title. No, really buy it because of the four string virtuosos and the magic they conjure up as their instruments flow together.
Josh Wilson: See You Pretty good album by Christian activist, singer, guitarist.
Downhere: Wide-Eyed & Mystified My new favorite band. Canadian Christians, great music, outstanding (TRULY) vocals. And profound lyrics. They leave most Christian artists in the dust of banal pop Christianity.
Downhere: How Many Kings I got this album just a few days before Christmas. It became my favorite Christmas CD in many years.
Neil Zaza: One Silent Night, Vol. 1 I selected this to represent about 20 instrumental rock, metal Christmas guitar albums currently in the iPod and just waiting to be cranked up at my December workouts at the gym.
Solas: Words That Remain One of the first albums from this Irish-American folk band. My friend Gordon told me about it. I created a Solas station on Pandora. Liked what I heard and got this one.
Coldplay: Mylo Xyloto I broke down and got it... haven't listened to it yet... this week.
Brad Paisley: Time Well Wasted I am becoming a huge favorite of this country star who writes great songs, has a great voice and cooks on guitar. I want Brad and Keith Urban to do a guitar album together.
