Friday, May 28, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
In Remembrance of Watershed (2003-2010)
In the fall of 2003, I and a few friends followed a crazy dream to start a city-wide, multi-church, young adult group. We were inspired by Ezekiel 47:1-12. We longed to see young adults aged 18-30 go deeper in a relationship with Jesus. We wanted young professionals and college students to connect with one another. And we were nuts enough to think that a small group of young adult Christians from a wide range of churches could actually follow the lead of God's Spirit despite our non-essential doctrinal differences.
It never should have worked.
- I was on staff at a conservative Bible Church.
- Tom was on staff at an ELCA church.
- Steve was a young code monkey/engineer and was still pretty tied to his college church in Cedar Falls.
- Dennis was teaching middle school band and hadn't settled on a local church yet.
- Karen was a member at the same ELCA church as Tom, but was new to town as a community college guidance counselor in Iowa City.
- Adrian was at a small, semi-homeless Church of God.
- The large Assemblies of God church in town had a thriving young adult ministry.
- Similar ministries had come and gone in Cedar Rapids, most ending within 2 years.
- We had no budget.
- And our "test-the-waters" monthly Worship Nights were held in an echo chamber better known as a Jr. High youth group's room.
The facts screamed "THIS WILL NEVER WORK!" And other people were saying the same thing:
- I was told by pastors in other communities that this fledgling ministry would either split off and become a church plant, or fold within 3 years.
- Tom and I attended a conference together, and when we asked for advice about working together during the Q&A session, the staff of the hosting church looked at us like we were insane, and kept passing the mic around because no one wanted to answer our question.
On paper, this new idea seemed doomed from the beginning.
-----
But the first Worship Night brought 40. The next 50. The third saw 60+ and it was obvious we were tapping into something. So we set a date to "launch". We recruited people to help. We borrowed sound equipment from a different church. And we gave this new thing a name. We named it "Watershed".
The name Watershed was brilliant. It tapped into the essence of Ezekiel 47 and alluded to the river that stars in the passage. Plus, the definition reverberated with the dream we felt God had given us. A watershed event is a change of course - a turning point. And we knew that when people really meet Jesus, it is a complete change of course, a turning point in their lives. And that's what we wanted to see.
And see it we did!
- We saw some young adults come to faith in Christ.
- We saw young adults truly growing in their faith in Christ.
- We saw twentysomethings head out on the mission field (in fact, we sent 22 to Africa in our third year!).
- We saw this generation connect with local churches.
- We saw small groups form.
- And we saw people start Bible Studies in their work place.
- In other words, we saw people going deeper.
-----
But as with all of life, good things come to an end. Young adults move. They change jobs and schedules faster than rabbits can reproduce. They get married and shift into a new stage of life. Even my time with Watershed came to an end two years ago as I needed to be more available to my own family and the ministry God has given me as a young adult pastor. But the biggest ending of all has now come.
This past Thursday, the leadership team made the painful decision to end the 7-year ministry of Watershed. I am behind this decision 110%. My good friend Steve wrote an excellent letter explaining why it is time to say good-bye to the ministry we started and loved.
It is sad to think that the vision that God birthed within me, then brought such amazing folks to help make the vision a reality is now coming to a close. But my reflections are mostly ones of joy! I am thrilled that God got the glory in a ministry that wasn't supposed to make it. Many said it would never have seen the year 2006, let alone 2010.
Not only that, we saw the mission accomplished. We saw young adults going deeper in their spiritual journeys with Jesus. God did some wonderful things in those 7 years - and He deserves to be celebrated for them!
-----
The spiritual landscape of Cedar Rapids has changed some since Watershed was birthed. There are more churches today doing "young adult" ministry than there were 7 years ago, and that has me encouraged. The young adults Watershed was called to lead are now very connected to local churches, which also has me deeply encouraged.
It's interesting: The vision of Watershed has never died within me, even after I stepped away in obedience to God. And now that God has brought His ministry called Watershed to a close, the vision still burns in many of us. We still long to see this generation of twentysomethings (and I'll throw in thirtysomethings for good measure!) be "in over their heads" with Jesus. And any time we see this vision happening, even outside of "Watershed," we rejoice.
So Watershed as a formal ministry may be closing, but the move of God in leading young adults deeper with Him is not. I will remember Watershed's seven years with delight, but I also anticipate what He will be doing in the future through new "Watersheds."
Thank you to every young adult who ever served with Watershed. Thank you to every church that supported this ministry. But most of all, thank you, Father God, for allowing us to be apart of something this special for a few years.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
Religion vs. Grace - The Spiritual Smackdown! (Thoughts from Tim Keller, blogged by Scott Thomas)
By Scott Thomas, President of Acts 29 Network
If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. – Galatians 1:9
Is your Christianity marked by a deep belief, assurance and dependency on grace through Jesus? Or is your heart bent on man-fearing, self-worshiping religiosity? Religious people are glory thieves – taking from God what is rightfully his. Even worse than resulting in personal corruption, religion spread insidiously in churches; Paul’s fiercest commands throughout his letters were always against the religious people in the church.
Grace is freedom from the curse of works (Gal. 3:10), freedom from condemnation (Gal 2:15), freedom from slavery (Gal. 5:1) and freedom to worship and obey Jesus by the power of the Spirit (Gal. 5:16). Religion can never love or honor Jesus – it is ashamed of and offended (Gal. 5:11) by the gospel that declares all as sinners in need of a Savior. Religion says you can save yourself. Religion is “another gospel.”
What gospel are you spreading like a wildfire in your church or life? Grace? Or Religion?
Tim Keller shows the difference between Religion and Gospel in his new publication, Gospel in Life Study Guide (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010), p. 16.
Acceptance
- Religion: “I obey; therefore, I’m accepted.”
- Gospel: “I’m accepted; therefore, I obey.”
Motivation
- Religion: Motivation is based on fear and insecurity.
- Gospel: Motivation is based on grateful joy.
Obedience
- Religion: I obey God in order to get things from God.
- Gospel: I obey God to get God – to delight in an resemble him.
Circumstances
- Religion: When circumstances in my life go wrong, I am angry at God or myself, since I believe that anyone who is good deserves a comfortable life.
- Gospel: When circumstances in my life go wrong, I struggle, but I know my punishment fell on Jesus and that while God may allow this for my training, he will exercise his Fatherly love within my trial.
Criticism
- Religion: When I am criticized, I am furious or devastated because it is critical that I think of myself as a “good person.” Threats to self-image must be destroyed at all costs.
- Gospel: When I am criticized, I struggle, but it is not essential for me to think of myself as a “good person.” My identity is not built on my record or my performance but on God’s love for me in Christ.
Prayer
- Religion: My prayer life consists largely of petition, and it only heats up when I am in a time of need. My main purpose in prayer is control of the environment.
- Gospel: My prayer life consists of generous stretches of praise and adoration. My main purpose is fellowship with God.
Confidence
- Religion: My self-view swings things between to poles. If and when I am living up to my standards, I feel confident, but then I am prone to be proud and unsympathetic to failing people. If and when I am not living up to standards, I feel humble but not confident – I feel like a failure.
- Gospel: My self-view is not based on my moral achievement. In Christ I am simul lustus et peccator – simultaneously sinful and lost, yet accepted in Christ. I am so bad that he had to die for me, and I am so loved that he was glad to die for me. This leads me to deep humility and confidence at the same time.
Identity
- Religion: My identity and self-worth are based mainly on how hard I work, or how moral I am – and so I must look down on those I perceive as lazy or immoral.
- Gospel: My identity and self worth are centered on the one who died for me. I am saved by sheer grace and I can’t look down on those who believe or practices something different from me. Only by grace am I what I am.
This blog post by Scott Thomas was so good that I couldn't just retweet it, I had to share it on my blog directly. Keller so clearly explains why religion enslaves, but grace frees.
If you are a Christian and find yourself thinking along the Religion lines on some of these, ask yourself what practical steps you can take to allow the Holy Spirit to move you to the grace side of this battle.
Are you ready to get wetter?
I won't take the time and space here to go deep into the passage, but in summary, the river in Ezekiel 47 is a prophecy of Jesus. It is my prayer that followers of Jesus would give more and more of their lives to Christ, until they are "in over their heads" in His river. Then the river/Jesus can take them wherever it/He wants.
I got to see this "vision" become reality once again this week. On Tuesday, I said good-bye at the airport to Preston who is allowing the river of Jesus to flow him into a nominally Muslim country to help build the country's first Christian camp up in the mountains. What's so cool about it is that it took a river to bring Preston into my life and the life of our church.
The 2008 flooded river of Cedar Rapids brought Eight Days of Hope to help with flood recovery. With Eight Days of Hope came Preston. This servant-hearted young adult decided to stay in our beloved city to volunteer with flood recovery longer-term. He became a part of the New Covenant church family, even helping us start a new ABF for twentysomethings. Then he attended the Perspectives course, which lead to him in the fall of 2009 co-leading a construction team to Kosovo, where he felt the Lord wanted him to return for a 6-month stint to really help this camp get going.
Even though it is sad to have Preston's wonderful (or should I say "unique"?) personality gone from among us, it is inspiring to see him giving his life to the cause of Christ, going wherever the river leads him. It is spiritually moving to see someone truly give up his own life to serve Christ through serving others. I have personally benefitted from Preston's serving attitude, and now the wonderful people of Kosovo will be blessed to have this "river rat" living and working with them.
I want to see more people give control of their lives to the river of Jesus. If you consider yourself a Christian, are you willing to get wetter, giving more control to the river's flow upon your life?
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Dispatches From The Front (missions DVD review)
LeAnn and I watched Episode 2 of the DVD series Dispatches From The Front by Frontline Missions (see the trailer above). We thoroughly enjoyed it!
Tim Keesee, the writer/narrater of the series, is an extremely talented worsmith. At times, I felt like I was listening to poetry made even more powerful being combined with breathtaking images (captured by top-notch camera work). Tim's insightful commentary helped captivate my heart in seeing the gospel lived out by my brothers and sisters in Christ serving overseas, as well as seeing the gospel advance. It was a wonderful reminder that when a life truly meets Jesus, everything changes! Marriage, family, outlook, thinking, behavior - everything!
My ADD friends might find Tim's narration a little slow, but I was completely enthralled. Dispatches is in a documentary style, so I didn't expect a fast paced story. Of course, my personal interest in the DVD was extremely high because one of the countries featured in the video was Kosovo, including the Christian camp that 6 of our young adults at New Covenant helped at last year, to which 2 are returning (one of whom left yesterday for a 6-month trip, the other leaves Lord-willing in August for 2 years).
I highly recommend Episode 2 of Dispatches, and can only assume Episode 1 is just as good. Now I need to go convince our church's missions department to purchase them. :o)
Rated: 5 dispatches out of 5
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
The Monkey and the Fish by Dave Gibbons (Book Review)
The Monkey and the Fish derives it's title from an Eastern parable about a monkey stranded on an island after a violent typhoon. From his safe position in a tree, he sees a fish struggling in the raging waters below. The monkey puts himself at great risk, reaching precariously from a low-hanging branch, to reach into the waters to "save" the fish. As he lay the fish down on dry land safe from the raging waters, from the monkey's perspective the fish initially showed much excitement, but soon came to a peaceful rest.
- When someone surrenders their life to Christ, being pulled out of the raging waters of sin, they aren't "killed", rather they are made alive (Ephesians 2:5). They aren't put on dry ground, instead they are put in life-giving waters (Ezekiel 47:8-9). Yes, some churches have treated their "converts" like the monkey treated the fish, and have led them to a dry, boring faith that appears lifeless. But biblically, when a person finds Christ (or rather Christ finds them) they find life (Romans 6:11).
- Dave doesn't revisit the parable again in the book! He prefaces his book with the parable and names his book after the parable, yet he never references the story again in the book. I truly believe Dave wants to help the church, to lead it to be more like God designed it to be, but I'm surprised that after using such a memorable parable and making such a strong assertion that the church is a monkey actually hurting the "fish" it wants to help, he doesn't revisit the theme of the parable.
The Book that Didn't Click
While Dave doesn't revisit the parable and overtly say the Church needs to be less "monkeyish", the book of course contains Dave's opinions and experiences of how to do just that (help the "monkeys" understand the "fish" better). God has done a lot in Dave, changing him as a pastor and follower of Jesus to lead him to experience church being done differently than he had been taught or previously participated in. While I know God is changing me just as He is changing Dave, this is another of my hesitations about the book. Much of Dave's thoughts come from his experiences. Experience isn't a bad thing, but it must be viewed in light of the timeless Scriptures. I am not charging Dave with an unbiblical approach to church, I just don't see a strong framework of Scripture surrounding his thoughts and opinions. (A bit more on this later.)Out of his experiences and research, Dave argues that the church needs to be third-culture and liquid. I love his image of being "liquid." Liquid always adapts to the container. The liquid itself doesn't change, but it always takes on the shape of the context it is in. To be third-culture means to adapt from your culture into the culture you find yourself in, which in essence creates a new blended culture. Missionaries have been doing this for years (and some missionaries have NOT been doing it, but probably should), but Dave says the entire world is now multi-cultural, so the church needs to be multi-culture in it's approach to spreading the gospel of Christ, much like a good missionary (to which I agree).While I was challenged by many of Dave's thoughts and agree with several of them, overall I didn't "click" with the book. One reason I think I didn't easily grasp hold of what Dave is proposing is that you can't capture these ideas adequately with a book. They have to be lived. The Foreshadowing Foreword
J.J. Brazil unknowingly foreshadowed this in the foreword. As a journalist, Brazil used to cover launches of the Space Shuttle. After a while, Brazil says launches became routine and even inconvenient. But then he had a chance to watch a launch from a rescue helicopter hovering over the shuttle as it launched into space. He says that rush has helped him see Space Shuttle launches in a completely different way. This is a fantastic illustration. However, I have personally never seen a shuttle launch in person from even the ground! I think I would have to experience things first hand to truly understand what Brazil has experienced.
Rating: 2 flopping fish out of 5
Likewise, I have a certain experience with God's church, much of it in mid-america Iowa, and much of what Dave proposes in The Monkey and the Fish seems to be for deeply multi-cultural urban contexts. Not to say there aren't things I need to learn in order to better welcome the lost into God's Kingdom right here, but I think I would need to spend significant time in another context to help open my eyes to the cultures already in my local context that I am currently missing. (And I say this as someone who lived for two years in Venezuela, has visited the Czech Republic and Jamaica, and feels very comfortable with others from vastly different cultures).Another reason I didn't "click" with Dave is that I am currently at a place in my life where I am deeply appreciating the teaching of authors and pastors who use the Scriptures as a framework for their beliefs. Dave references Scripture several times throughout the book, but it feels more like the Scriptures support his experiences which frame his opinions, rather than the Scriptures framing his opinions which are supported by his experiences. That might be unfair to say, but that is how it felt.More Missing Clicks
Other things that didn't click with me as well:
The part that clicked with me most was the Leadership Journal article at the end of the book. If I were to do reread The Monkey and the Fish over again, I would read that article first, then read the meat of the book while ignoring the Preface. As I reflect on the book and realize how harsh my review sounds, I think I might want to reread this book in a few years, perhaps after further experiences and study of the Scriptures myself. I may resonate with the book more in the future, and appreciate more of what Dave has to say.A Hesitant Conclusion
• Some of the opening quotations in each chapter.
• Some of the applied stories (While it was an amazing story, I still don't understand how the closing story of Julio Diaz in the Preface is a model for what it means to be a third-culture leader. I think the way he relates to the teenage robber is just how Christ-followers should behave regardless of culture.)
• Some of the chapter titles (I still don't know what "cWoWs" are - church w/o walls?).
• Putting the majority of the "practical application" points in the last chapter rather than weaving them into the completion of each chapter.
The part that clicked with me most was the Leadership Journal article at the end of the book. If I were to do reread The Monkey and the Fish over again, I would read that article first, then read the meat of the book while ignoring the Preface. As I reflect on the book and realize how harsh my review sounds, I think I might want to reread this book in a few years, perhaps after further experiences and study of the Scriptures myself. I may resonate with the book more in the future, and appreciate more of what Dave has to say.A Hesitant Conclusion
The "people-pleaser" in me struggles to be so harsh on a book review. I mean, I've never been published, so who am I to point out a book's flaws written by a pastor who is 3x smarter than I and has accomplished more in a week for the kingdom than I probably will in a lifetime?
I truly do think there are valuable things in The Monkey and the Fish, and I honestly was challenged a bit from reading it. I just feel like either I need:
- more experiences myself,
- a better grasp of the Scriptures to see Dave's points in there,
- or Dave needs more time for these things to settle in his mind and heart so they can be better communicated.
I really enjoyed hearing Dave speak at last year's Leadership Summit, so I know he is a great communicator. I just didn't resonate with his book like I hoped and expected. Which is disappointing to me as I have had some wonderful cross-cultural experiences, a passion to see God's Church truly being the Body of Christ, and becoming more comfortable than ever being "in the world, but not of it." (Perhaps I am being "liquid" like Dave wants his readers to be.)
Rating: 2 flopping fish out of 5
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Forgotten God DVD review
A while back I posted an enthusiastic review of Francis Chan's second book Forgotten God. A couple of months ago, someone at David C Cook happened to see my review. I received an email from Angela asking for my address so she could send me a copy of the DVD Study Resource for Forgotten God to also review. (So full disclosure - yes, I received this DVD for free in exchange for this review.)
My wife and I happily used a couple of our weekly date nights to watch these videos since both of us were equally impacted by Francis' book. Unfortunately, we didn't have a physical copy of Forgotten God with us as we watched, but we had my wife's notes she had jotted as she read the book. Based on our personal recollections and my wife's journaling, we both felt the videos truly were an excellent companion to the book.I have not seen the workbook that groups use alongside this DVD resource, but even without the workbook, these videos have worth. Thankfully, the videos do not replace or duplicate the content of the book. Instead, it seems they were filmed with the goal of complimenting and enhancing the content of the book. And it is my opinion they met that goal superbly.The videos themselves have a Nooma-esque feel to them. Several times the music (which was wonderfully composed for this DVD) would be playing as the camera panned or zoomed, and I half-expected Rob Bell to appear in his iconic glasses. While the films weren't as "original" as I would have preferred, Francis thankfully isn't trying to be a surfer-Rob, rather he is completely comfortable being himself in front of a camera. (Don't get me wrong, the quality of these films are excellent - they just mimicked the style of the Nooma films a little too much.)Throughout each film, Francis didn't sound like he was using a script. The content felt like he was just talking (much as he sounds in his preaching). While this approach has surprised me in the few Sunday sermons I have heard from Cornerstone Church's podcast, I found myself appreciating this aspect in the videos. This indicated to me that these ideas are coming from deep within Francis due to his passion and study of God's Word. He truly believes this stuff. It felt as if Francis was talking from his heart, off script, straight at you or your small group. His pastoral heart definitely comes through, just as it does in his books.The DVD chapters match the book's chapters. My wife and I watched the first 4 chapters on one date night, and finished the last 3 a few weeks later. The difference between those nights was that three days before we watched the last videos, Francis had announced he was stepping down from his church as senior pastor. His reason? He feels like the Holy Spirit is calling him to something new. He doesn't know what it is yet, but he felt that it was time to step out in faith and obey the Spirit's prompting. It's refreshing to see a pastor and author truly living out the words he has written in a book and spoke into a camera.If you are part of a small group that is looking for some material to study this summer, I highly recommend Forgotten God. Again, I haven't seen the workbooks. But if they are half as good as the book and the complimenting videos, I think your group will have fantastic discussions, be challenged as disciples of Jesus, and stop ignoring the forgotten person of the Trinity. I'll warn you, though: some of what Francis says will challenge you, especially if you are living a comfortable Christian existence. But if you desire a deeper walk with Christ and a better understanding of the Holy Spirit's work in the life of a Jesus-follower, you won't be disappointed with this material.Rating: 4.5 out of 5 doves (I'll use doves again since I used that image for the book review rating)Monday, May 10, 2010
Sweet Second
My family thoroughly enjoyed watching the winter Olympics this past February. As medal after medal was snatched up by the US, each gold-winning athlete made themselves household names in America (at least for a season).
We are inspired by those who come in first, aren't we? Whether it is in individual efforts or team sports like hockey, anything less than gold is sometimes considered failure, or at least a profound disappointment.This attraction to first place even comes out in our lives. Because our society admires the "golden ones", we long ourselves to be in first place. We long for the attention, the admiration, the rewards, and the resulting benefits.However, God seems to have a very different economy. It seems He esteems those who would be "silver medalists." For example: • God chose Jacob, the second born, over his manly, first-place brother, Esau. (Genesis 25:23-26, Malachi 1:2-3)
• God's chosen one to rescue His people from a future famine, Joseph, was a first born, but of Jacob's second wife. (Genesis 35:23-24)
• God established David, the second king of Israel, as a dynasty instead of the first king, Saul. (1 Samuel 13:14, 16:1)
• The prophet Elisha, the follow-up to Elijah, received a "double portion" of Elijah's prophetic gift. (2 Kings 2:9)
I'm quite sure I could find more examples, but the ultimate example is the first man, Adam, versus Jesus. Romans 5:17 (NET) says:
For if, by the transgression of the one man, death reigned through the one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ.
Adam came first. He was created perfect and sinless. He had the unmarred image of God within him. He was golden. But through his willful, sinful decision to place himself above God and disobey God's only rule (Genesis 2:17) came the entrance of sin and the sting of death.
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Why Moms Get a Day
Here is a funny short film by The Skit Guys, explaining why Moms deserve a day to be celebrated, honored, and remembered.
Saturday, May 08, 2010
The Monkey and the Fish by Dave Gibbons (Book Review) ((publish on 5/12/10 at 8:00 am))
The Monkey and the Fish derives it's title from an Eastern parable about a monkey stranded on an island after a violent typhoon. From his safe position in a tree, he sees a fish struggling in the raging waters below. The monkey puts himself at great risk, reaching precariously from a low-hanging branch, to reach into the waters to "save" the fish. As he lay the fish down on dry land safe from the raging waters, from the monkey's perspective the fish initially showed much excitement, but soon came to a peaceful rest.Dave Gibbons, founding pastor of NewSong, says to his targeted audience of pastors that the 21st century church is the monkey. We have reached into the lives of people to "save" them, even sometimes at risk to ourselves, but what we have really done is hurt them! Having recently read When Helping Hurts, I partially understand Dave's point. But two things frustrated me about this illustration:
- When someone surrenders their life to Christ, being pulled out of the raging waters of sin, they aren't "killed", rather they are made alive (Ephesians 2:5). They aren't put on dry ground, instead they are put in life-giving waters (Ezekiel 47:8-9). Yes, some churches have treated their "converts" like the monkey treated the fish, and have led them to a dry, boring faith that appears lifeless. But biblically, when a person finds Christ (or rather Christ finds them) they find life (Romans 6:11).
- Dave doesn't revisit the parable again in the book! He prefaces his book with the parable and names his book after the parable, yet he never references the story again in the book. I truly believe Dave wants to help the church, to lead it to be more like God designed it to be, but I'm surprised that after using such a memorable parable and making such a strong assertion that the church is a monkey actually hurting the "fish" it wants to help, he doesn't revisit the theme of the parable.
The Book that Didn't Click
While Dave doesn't revisit the parable and overtly say the Church needs to be less "monkeyish", the book of course contains Dave's opinions and experiences of how to do just that (help the "monkeys" understand the "fish" better). God has done a lot in Dave, changing him as a pastor and follower of Jesus to lead him to experience church being done differently than he had been taught or previously participated in. While I know God is changing me just as He is changing Dave, this is another of my hesitations about the book. Much of Dave's thoughts come from his experiences. Experience isn't a bad thing, but it must be viewed in light of the timeless Scriptures. I am not charging Dave with an unbiblical approach to church, I just don't see a strong framework of Scripture surrounding his thoughts and opinions. (A bit more on this later.)Out of his experiences and research, Dave argues that the church needs to be third-culture and liquid. I love his image of being "liquid." Liquid always adapts to the container. The liquid itself doesn't change, but it always takes on the shape of the context it is in. To be third-culture means to adapt from your culture into the culture you find yourself in, which in essence creates a new blended culture. Missionaries have been doing this for years (and some missionaries have NOT been doing it, but probably should), but Dave says the entire world is now multi-cultural, so the church needs to be multi-culture in it's approach to spreading the gospel of Christ, much like a good missionary (to which I agree).While I was challenged by many of Dave's thoughts and agree with several of them, overall I didn't "click" with the book. One reason I think I didn't easily grasp hold of what Dave is proposing is that you can't capture these ideas adequately with a book. They have to be lived. The Foreshadowing Foreword
J.J. Brazil unknowingly foreshadowed this in the foreword. As a journalist, Brazil used to cover launches of the Space Shuttle. After a while, Brazil says launches became routine and even inconvenient. But then he had a chance to watch a launch from a rescue helicopter hovering over the shuttle as it launched into space. He says that rush has helped him see Space Shuttle launches in a completely different way. This is a fantastic illustration. However, I have personally never seen a shuttle launch in person from even the ground! I think I would have to experience things first hand to truly understand what Brazil has experienced.
Rating: 2 flopping fish out of 5
Likewise, I have a certain experience with God's church, much of it in mid-america Iowa, and much of what Dave proposes in The Monkey and the Fish seems to be for deeply multi-cultural urban contexts. Not to say there aren't things I need to learn in order to better welcome the lost into God's Kingdom right here, but I think I would need to spend significant time in another context to help open my eyes to the cultures already in my local context that I am currently missing. (And I say this as someone who lived for two years in Venezuela, has visited the Czech Republic and Jamaica, and feels very comfortable with others from vastly different cultures).Another reason I didn't "click" with Dave is that I am currently at a place in my life where I am deeply appreciating the teaching of authors and pastors who use the Scriptures as a framework for their beliefs. Dave references Scripture several times throughout the book, but it feels more like the Scriptures support his experiences which frame his opinions, rather than the Scriptures framing his opinions which are supported by his experiences. That might be unfair to say, but that is how it felt.More Missing Clicks
Other things that didn't click with me as well:
The part that clicked with me most was the Leadership Journal article at the end of the book. If I were to do reread The Monkey and the Fish over again, I would read that article first, then read the meat of the book while ignoring the Preface. As I reflect on the book and realize how harsh my review sounds, I think I might want to reread this book in a few years, perhaps after further experiences and study of the Scriptures myself. I may resonate with the book more in the future, and appreciate more of what Dave has to say.A Hesitant Conclusion
• Some of the opening quotations in each chapter.
• Some of the applied stories (While it was an amazing story, I still don't understand how the closing story of Julio Diaz in the Preface is a model for what it means to be a third-culture leader. I think the way he relates to the teenage robber is just how Christ-followers should behave regardless of culture.)
• Some of the chapter titles (I still don't know what "cWoWs" are - church w/o walls?).
• Putting the majority of the "practical application" points in the last chapter rather than weaving them into the completion of each chapter.
The part that clicked with me most was the Leadership Journal article at the end of the book. If I were to do reread The Monkey and the Fish over again, I would read that article first, then read the meat of the book while ignoring the Preface. As I reflect on the book and realize how harsh my review sounds, I think I might want to reread this book in a few years, perhaps after further experiences and study of the Scriptures myself. I may resonate with the book more in the future, and appreciate more of what Dave has to say.A Hesitant Conclusion
The "people-pleaser" in me struggles to be so harsh on a book review. I mean, I've never been published, so who am I to point out a book's flaws written by a pastor who is 3x smarter than I and has accomplished more in a week for the kingdom than I probably will in a lifetime?
I truly do think there are valuable things in The Monkey and the Fish, and I honestly was challenged a bit from reading it. I just feel like either I need:
- more experiences myself,
- a better grasp of the Scriptures to see Dave's points in there,
- or Dave needs more time for these things to settle in his mind and heart so they can be better communicated.
I really enjoyed hearing Dave speak at last year's Leadership Summit, so I know he is a great communicator. I just didn't resonate with his book like I hoped and expected. Which is disappointing to me as I have had some wonderful cross-cultural experiences, a passion to see God's Church truly being the Body of Christ, and becoming more comfortable than ever being "in the world, but not of it." (Perhaps I am being "liquid" like Dave wants his readers to be.)
Rating: 2 flopping fish out of 5
Forgotten God DVD review ((publish on 5/11/2010 at 8:00 am))
Sweet Second ((publish on 5/10/2010 at 7:50 am))
• God chose Jacob, the second born, over his manly, first-place brother, Esau. (Genesis 25:23-26, Malachi 1:2-3)
• God's chosen one to rescue His people from a future famine, Joseph, was a first born, but of Jacob's second wife. (Genesis 35:23-24)
• God established David, the second king of Israel, as a dynasty instead of the first king, Saul. (1 Samuel 13:14, 16:1)
• The prophet Elisha, the follow-up to Elijah, received a "double portion" of Elijah's prophetic gift. (2 Kings 2:9)
I'm quite sure I could find more examples, but the ultimate example is the first man, Adam, versus Jesus. Romans 5:17 (NET) says:
For if, by the transgression of the one man, death reigned through the one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ.
Adam came first. He was created perfect and sinless. He had the unmarred image of God within him. He was golden. But through his willful, sinful decision to place himself above God and disobey God's only rule (Genesis 2:17) came the entrance of sin and the sting of death.Then along came the second perfect, sinless man. And through Him, Jesus, the Son of God, came life. Because Jesus chose second place, putting the the Church first by dying for her sins, God exalted Him into true first place! (Philippians 2:5-11)If you are a follower of Jesus, you are to imitate Him. So let me ask you: Are you being like Christ, putting others in first place? (Philippians 2:3-4). Or are you being like Adam, putting self in first place, and missing out on God's sweet second?
Monday, May 03, 2010
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