This compilation by Ravi Zacharias and Norman Geisler is an excellent and easy-to-read summation of the importance of defending the Christian faith. The apostle Peter instructed believers to be ready to “give an answer” (1 Peter 3.15) when folks asked about their faith, but it’s equally important to provide a rationale and invitation to trust in Christ once an answer has been provided.

Each section of the book was very well-written and encouraged me as a pastor to make sure that church members are informed and educated about how to provide answers and reasons for why they believe. Simply responding, “The Bible says so,” obviously doesn’t carry authority with someone who doesn’t recognize the Bible as a legitimate source.

The book briefly outlines how to engage people on a logic level, a moral level, and a “kitchen table” level. In one chapter, Zacharias comments that most people’s objections to the Gospel are “ultimately not intellectual but moral.” In other words, even if you might demonstrate a certain amount of logical “proof” for the Gospel (at least the same amount of proof that would convince someone when the subject was a different one), many people remain unconvinced. At that point, they are choosing to disbelieve. This choice, then, becomes the next obstacle that the apologist must graciously work toward removing.

In a chapter entitled “Off to College: Can We Keep Them?” the author deftly identifies 12 reasons why which collegians are tempted to lose their faith:

Young believers think they can be solitary Christians. This is the age-old “just me and Jesus” myth.
They don’t get the “Big Story” of God’s revelation (not the book of Revelation, but the entire picture of what God has been doing since creation as recorded in scripture).
They don’t know the reasons for God’s rules.
They don’t know that behind every tempation is a false ideology or philosophy.
They haven’t learned to recognize the desires and devices of their hearts.
They think good intentions are enough to protect them from sin.
Their understanding of Christian virtue is too sentimental.
They think faith and knowledge are opposites.
They think Jesus forbids moral judgments.
They are far too easily frightened into playing defense.
They don’t realize that their adversaries have “faith” commitments too.
They don’t know how to call a bluff.

The author goes on to unpack each of these reasons in a brief but helpful way.

The end of the book provides a great list of resources for further reading. It’s obviously not intended to be exhaustive but to simply demonstrate the great need for effective apologetics through the church today.

I totally agree with one of the overarching conclusions to the book: a loving, healthy church is one of the best sources to prove and demonstrate the reality of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In an environment of transformed and honest lives, people are able to experience the presence of God and how He works in ordinary lives today to produce extraordinary results.

While interesting, this tome by Shapiro (the nation’s youngest syndicated columnist at 20!) simply hashed over well-chewed food. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to observe what he has, although he adds hundreds of quotes and real-life examples from different universities regarding administration and professorial attempts to swing student views and opinions to the far left.

Another interesting observation is how out of kilter professorial opinions are with mainstream America on just about every issue. I also found it interesting that in most universities, faculty who identify themselves as Democrat outnumber their colleagues who identify themselves as Republican or “other” as almost 9-1.

He offered no real observations as to how the university system got into the left-leaning mess it’s in. It’s certainly evidence to the contrary that the most educated folks are the “smartest.”

Ryan and I picked up three books to digest this summer, and I’ve now read all three. Ryan is still in the second one. Go to his site and urge him to quit moving his lips when he reads so that he’ll be able to read faster. ;)

Lencioni’s book is fantastic! The book is written like a novel, as the characters of a promising but rapidly failing techonology company see their board appoint a CEO to try to rescue the company from an early demise. The CEO’s diagnosis? The problem is not the product but the leadership team and how they relate with one another.

At first, the team is resistant, but as Lencioni weaves this tale, he drops in five principles necessary for a healthy team and thus a productive and healthy organization. I found myself unable to put the book down because of the compelling story and the dynamic principles involved.

Given some of the things that our church has experienced recently on its leadership team, it turns out this book was almost prophetic in nature. It was certainly encouraging.

Here are Lencioni’s five dysfunctions of a team:
Beginning with an Absence of Trust leads to
Fear of Conflict which generates
Lack of Commitment which leads to
Avoidance of Accountability which creates
Inattention to Results

At each level, Lencioni brings practical suggestions to bear. Given that the author is also a Christ-follower, it’s easy to recognize the biblical principles involved in each phase.

He says that an absence of trust essentially stems from members of team being unwilling to be vulnerable within the team environment. When team members hold back what they’re thinking or what they’re struggling with – both personally and about the organization – it “makes it impossible to build a foundation for trust.”

When there is a lack of trust, few people are willing to engage in conflict. Lencioni says that conflict is absolutely normal and necessary in growing, healthy relationships and that it should be engaged in passionately and regularly. Only when conflict is allowed and even embraced can people’s true thought emerge and great decisions be made. When there is an absence of trust, however, conflict is avoided, or it becomes centered on personal issues rather than true issues at hand.

There is a lack of conflict when there is a lack of commitment. When someone isn’t willing to “see something through,” it shows that they generally aren’t truly committed to the organization, its leaders or its people. Because of this lack of commitment, leaders on a team will rarely share what they’re thinking and may even “feign agreement during meetings.”

Peers on a team will hesitate to hold one another accountable when they sense that some of the other dysfunctions are present. They reason, “Why confront this person when they are not going to fully commit to the organization?” They may also not see the rationale in holding someone accountable when it doesn’t seem like there are clear standards to abide by.

When team members are not held accountable for results and for bad behavior, it creates an environment where results become unimportant. Team members begin to put their own personal preferences, opinions, and thoughts before the good of the team or organization.

Lencioni says that any of these dysfunctions can produce the others. They’re like links in a chain, when one is broken, teamwork diminishes and is hindered.

I highly recommend the book; it’s short and an easy read. One thing that most folks will be surprised about is just how healthy conflict can be for organizations when it is nurtured and directed in healthy ways.

Encouraging differing opinions to be expressed and then working through them for the good of the team and organization is essential, the author says. Another essential is for members of a leadership team to see their team as their “first team.” In other words, they must truly confide in and count their highest team as their priority team, fully committing themselves to their peers on that team for growth, development, and progress.

Dekker begins this colorful trilogy with the novel Black and tells the story of a young, aimless 20-something who begins having dreams. Strange thing is, he can’t tell which is reality – and when he’s really dreaming.

One world that he finds himself in (while dreaming in the other one) is our present day reality. Another world is a vibrant, sensory and spiritual-filled world in which he is told that the other world (ours) is part of the “histories.”

Dekker creates a compelling plot, and I’ve got to say that I’ll be reading the next installment.

A great series for Potter fans that are experiencing post-series grief syndrome. (PSGS). ;)

It’s unusual for me to read as many “leadership” books as I’ve consumed over the past few months; however, Ryan and I as leaders of our church have committed to digest several to make sure that we’re speaking the same leadership lingo and are balanced in our approach to shared leadership.

As we read, we’re seeking to compare the principles of leadership with those of scripture and use what is refined to advance our leadership skills and cast aside what is dross.

Good to Great may be one of the single best books on leadership I’ve ever read. It speaks to leading, managing, and creating an enduring organization or business. As it applies to churches, for the most part, it is extremely applicable.

The author, Jim Collins, begins with the assertion that “good is the enemy of great.” Can we get a standing “O” for that stunning self-evident principle. There are just way too many churches settling for what is mediocre in their efforts, programs and sometimes, even staff. The church, of all places, should be one of the shining examples of joyous pride in who we represent and serve. Unfortunately, because it’s inhabited by people like you and me, it too often “settles” for what will “just get us by.” Collins urges us to press toward excellence. In the context of the church, we should never offer to God less than our best.

Here are the obeservations of the book as it relates to organizations that shed “good” and pressed on toward greatness. In this massive research project, of which the book is the result, Collins identifies these elements as what is common among “great” companies:
Level 5 Leadership
First Who, Then What
Confront the Brutal Facts
The Hedgehog Concept
A Culture of Discipline
Using Technology as an Accelator
Flywheel Momentum

As a summary…
Level 5 Leadership is described by Collins as dynamic leaders who realize that to be great, you have to combine “intense personal humility with intense professional will.” These are not leaders who go around reminding themselves to be humble (“I must be humble, I must be humble…) but rather who simply demonstrate a quiet humility as they lead. These leaders are attractive to those they lead because they inspire, motivate, and move aside to let others lead. They don’t see themselves as the cog that turns all the gears. However, they do have “an unwavering resolve to do what must be done” in order to lead the organization toward greatness. One interesting observation: in the companies studied that exemplifed the “Good to Great” principles, these Level 5 Leaders emerged from within the organization, rather than being brought in from the “outside.”

First Who, Then What speaks to the importance, as Collins says, of “getting the right people on the bus.” The reverse is also true: get the wrong people off the bus. In other words, the leadership must have a strong commitment to one another and must have dynamic personal character and competence. If you don’t have the right people leading the organization, the entire effort will falter. It seems elementary, but a survey of the business and church culture reveals immediately that in many places there are folks in leadership who really don’t belong there. Organizations have “settled” and promoted people into leadership that simply don’t belong there. Collins says to go after and get the very best people you can find. People of dynamic personal integrity, people who work tirelessly for the success of the organization. Once you have such people “on the bus” with you, THEN you begin to create an overarching vision for the organization.

This flies in the face of other leadership materials which urge you to develop a vision first and then invite folks to “buy into it.” However, Collins’ study found that when your lead team is committed to one another and people of great motivation, then they can not only help shape the vision, but if the the vision changes, they have no problem adapting since they’re committed to the team and the organization. On the other hand, if people are more commmitted to the vision, then if circumstances or concepts change within the organization, they have a difficult time making a transition to new ideas.

When in doubt, he says, don’t hire. Wait. The “right people” are that important.

“Confronting the brutal facts” is the way to honestly assess where the organization is… and isn’t. Don’t allow the organization to be self-deceived about its success or lack thereof. Rigorously scrutinize the facts. Use questions to dig beneath the surface of the organization. Even as you confront perhaps uncomfortable truth about where you are, make sure you retain “absolute faith that you can and will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties.”

The Hedgehog Concept is one of the keys to the whole process of becoming great. It is actually three perspectives:
Focus on what you are deeply passionate about.
Focus on what you can be the best in the world at.
Focus on what drives your economic engine.
Of the three, the last is the most confusing for non-profit and church organizations. Collins recognizes that and has written an additional monograph to help these organizations interpret this step.

The Hedgehog Concept simply helps you focus. It requires the organization to urge simplicity of what you love doing and are able to do with excellence. It requires the leaders to understand what their organization can and should excel at – not what others are doing.

You cannot have any of the above if there is not a culture of discipline within the organization. This is not advocating a rigid structure but “providing freedom within a framework.” Collins says that great organizations have disciplined people with disciplined thought who follow through with disciplined action. This discipline must be evident in the leaders – in self motivation, in initiative, and in their thinking.

This discipline enables them to radically and sacrificially adhere to their Hedgehog Concept when it becomes tempting to branch out into nonessentials and activities that might dilute their impact.

The study also found that while it’s important to use technology, no “great” company bought into techonology and expected the technology alone to make them great. “If we buy this or use this, we’ll be successful…” Rather, they use technology to accelerate productivity but not be the cause of it.

The Flywheel concept is used an illustration of long-term vision and consistent effort. A flywheel is an extremely heavy disc mounted on an axis. It can’t be turned with just one push… or two… or three. Constant effort and pushing must be applied to achieve even the first revolution; however, once it begins to turn, it becomes easier and easier to build up speed and momentum. Collins uses this analogy to demonstrate that all great companies realized that they would not change overnight. It never happens in “one fell swoop.” He says, “There is no miracle moment.”

Rather than looking for a quick fix, leaders of great organizations keep their basic principles in front of them consistently and through a long, determined effort in the same direction, see the organization begin to pick up momentum and emerge as a great company.

This is no fluff piece. Collins’ work is dynamic and a must-read for anyone leading these days. It refutes the work of 80% of leadership books in print. It is a distinctly practical book, but it also at the same time unearths age-old principles that can be found in the Book of Books, the Bible.

All I can really say is… “Yawn.”

Barna simply writes too many books. This is probably way too unfair, but anyone who writes as many books as he does simply can’t hit homeruns all the time. This book is simply repetitive and adds nothing to the plethora of resources already available on team leadership. It almost comes to the curb too late. You get the sense that you’ve read it before, and you probably have.

Another distressing Barna characteristic is his omission of source material. I’m sorry, but in this book, there’s not much original.

Read Good to Great and save yourself some time. Then read anything by Aubrey Malphurs.

On the other hand, if you’ve never read anything on team leadership, I’d highly recommend this book. You’ll feel like Barna’s a genius.

I had high hopes for Stardust after Mark Wegley recommended it to me. I don’t know if it was my mood or just my expectations that caused this book to simply fall flat.

I’ll give it credit. I kept turning the pages. I was truly interested in how the story would develop. But it is no epic, and has has left no lasting impression, unfortunately. Alas.

For those interested in a short, easy-to-read fantasy-magic tale, it’s cute.

I think I’ve just gotten spoiled on the broader, character-driven epic series created by Lewis, Tolkien, Martin, Paolini and yes, Rowling.

So few believers today are aware of what shook Christendom in the year 1900. It was a shocking uprising in China led by a religious-spiritist cult called the “Boxers.”

This book details the disheartening, graphic, and apalling attempt at the extermination of “foreigners” from China, focusing on the events of the siege of the diplomatic section of the city of Peking for three months while the western world powers uneasily twiddled their fingers.

In particular, it’s an insightful book as to why the Christian church in China has exploded, but has had to do so under the radar screen and by staying “underground.”

Few know that up to 40,000 Chinese Christians and foreign missionaries were savagely slaughtered at the turn of the century, including women and children.

It’s a riveting, compelling read. While the author does not help you make any connections to the Christian mission of today and the impact that events 100 years ago have had, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to peel back the layers of history to see the tragedy and yet blessing of the persecution.

I’d highly recommend it!

There have been few books that have been as provocative as Claiborne’s book. As one of the primary architects/revolutionaries behind The Simple Way, the book is his group’s manifesto.

In it, you’ll read with edge-of-your-seat incredulity as he describes ministry activities in some of Baghdad’s bombed-out poor neighborhods, in India alongside of Mother Theresa and to lepers and also as an intern on staff at Willow Creek Community Church, one of America’s largest mega-churches.

His observations of American Christianity will have you nodding, and you’ll be amazed at the grace he shows in his assessment of our consumerism-consumed church culture. I would have been far harsher, I think.

However, some of Claiborne’s conclusions are still taking chip shots at some previously-unquestioned assumptions:

Claiborne says, and these will be proof-texted and summarized:
There is such thing as “just war” for the follower of Christ. Using Jesus’ examples of non-retribution, Claiborne goes so far as to say that our nation’s response to 9/11 was tragically anti-Christian.
He says that the prevailing mindset of Christians in our country is unbiblical and continues to unquestioningly support the “arrogant myth of redemptive violence.”
Claiming that the “monologue of the religious right is finally over,” he urges serious attention to Jesus’ teaching, words, and lifestyle. The biblically-guided believer cannot, he emphasizes, continue in blind support of one political party over the other today.
American churchgoers are consumed with preserving their own lives and comfort, in direct opposition to Jesus’ words that “he who seeks to save his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for my sake will find it.” Claiborne says that the believers should stride boldly toward the war-torn places on earth, toward the poor and imprisoned, just as Jesus did.

In a powerful quote from one of his college professors,
“All around you, people will be tiptoeing through life, just to arrive at death safely. But dear children, do not tiptoe. Run, hop, skip, or dance; just don’t tiptoe.”

Claiborne also shares stories about intentional Christian communities springing up all over the world to literally practice ministry to the poor, outcast, overlooked and disenfranchised. He has a lot to say about redistribution of wealth, which upon first reading sounded like socialist or Marxist propaganda. However, Claiborne is able to share stirring biblical evidence for the radical importance of our churches’ need to seriously reevaluate our ministry to the poor.

I’m still processing, I confess; however, I deeply appreciate any book, thinker, or leader that simply does that… make me think deeply. While I am not stepping forward to embrace all that Claiborne advocates, I am moving forward. No one can say that they are following Christ and stay where they are.

I just hate the occasional “R”-rated junk in the book. It almost seens that Martin forces it into the narrative in order to become a Don Imus of the fantasy world.

The storyline stands by itself. It has no need of the junk that prevent me from recommending it to others.