The Making of a Leader by Robert Clinton

After LeAnn and I emerged from Converge’s Church Planter Assessment, one of the recommendations I received was to read The Making of a Leader by Dr. J. Robert Clinton*.  I was familiar with the title, and knew it to be a standard among leadership books.

But something in me was a bit hesitant to read it.  I feared it wouldn’t be timely.  I assumed it would be stuck in principles that may have worked in the late 80s, but would fall short of what is needed for leaders in the early part of the 21st century.

How wrong I was.

Clinton has written a masterpiece.  This work is a surprising mix of analytical thinking on the subject of leadership with spot-on biblical and contemporary illustrations.  Clinton is extremely thorough, looking at all phases of leadership, making this book appropriate for young ministry leaders as well as seasoned vets.  (In fact, I plan to re-read this book again, going through it with my 15-year-old daughter who has displayed a lot of leadership gifts throughout her young life.)  Yet, despite at times seeming like an encyclopedia on the subject of leadership (complete with a glossary!), each chapter is incredibly readable.

While I wish I could have read this book in my first full-time ministry, I’m grateful to at least read it as we pray toward starting a new church.  I think the best way to gain from Clinton’s work is to read it about every 5-10 years.  It is timeless enough that it will feel “contemporary” to whatever stage of leadership you find yourself.

Rating: 5 Leadership Phases out of 5

 

*Note: Link to NavPress is to the 2nd edition - I read the 1st edition, thus this review is based on the 1st edition of the book

 

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Little Wolves by Thomas Maltman (Book Review)

As part of my goal to read 40 books while I am 40 years of age, I decided I should read at least one fiction book.  I enjoy fiction, but I rarely seem to make time to read it.  So when I read a glowing recommendation by Relevant Magazine in their Jan/Feb 2013 edition for Maltman’s second novel ever, I decided to put Little Wolves on my list.

Dispatches From The Front (missions DVD review)

via dispatchesfromthefront.org

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

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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.

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.

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:

• 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

 

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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)

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Primal by Mark Batterson (Book Review)

Rating: 4 out of 5 torches

From the outside, the [Church of San Clemente] appeared weather-beaten and time-worn. But the frescoes, statues, and altars on the inside were remarkably well preserved. We quietly explored every nook and cranny of that twelfth-century church.  Then we discovered that for five extra euros, we could take an underground tour…

I’ll never forget my descent down that flight of stairs.  The air became damp, and we could hear underground springs.  We carefully navigated each step as we lost some of our light.  And our voices echoed off the low ceiling and narrow walkway.  Almost like the wardrobe in the Chronicles of Narnia, that flight of stairs was like a portal to a different time, a different place.  It was as if those stairs took us back two thousand years in time.  With each step, a layer of history was stripped away until all that was left was Christianity in all its primal glory. (pg. 2)

This excerpt from the first chapter of Primal, Mark Batterson’s latest publication from Multnomah, lays the illustrative foundation for the book’s premise. Just as Mark’s walk down those stairs helped him see an ancient Christianity stripped of its religious flourishes to a place where Christians worshipped from pure hearts, Mark wants to pastor modern Christians to a place where they, too, can love God purely.  And the “primal” foundation for Batterson’s Christianity is the same verse Jesus lays as the foundation when asked in the twelfth chapter of the Gospel of Mark to sum up the Mosaic law:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. (Mark 12:30)

For my review, I’ll use the same framework as the book:

Heart
I appreciate Mark’s pastoral heart.  It is evident to me that he has a genuine passion to follow God (as if that wasn’t obvious from his previous books, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day and Wild Goose Chase), and an equal passion to see others follow God with the same passion.  If I could hope anything, it is that Mark’s readers (including myself) would capture this heart: a heart to worship God purely, to follow Him willingly, and to enjoy God through the valleys and mountain-top experiences of life.

However, I feel like Mark (and perhaps his editors) tried a little too hard to reach the heart of the reader.  While I appreciate the vision-casting closing of chapter 10 (The Next Reformation), true reformations happen as an act of God, not because an author says we need one.  When Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the Wittenberg Doors, he was merely trying to help the Church he loved move in a more biblical direction.  I doubt the Reformation as we know it was exactly what Luther longed for.  If we are to see another Reformation in our day, once again it will be something that is a move of God, not something from the dreams of men.

I know Mark would agree with me based on this paragraph from Chapter 9 (The Hammer of a Higher God):

Here is the great irony when it comes to loving God.  And maybe I should have revealed this at the very beginning of the book, because this is the crux of the matter.  In and of ourselves, we’re not capable of loving God.  We cannot manufacture love for Him.  We can only respond to His love for us.  And I hope that sets you free.  Religion is all about doing things for God.  Christianity is all about receiving what Christ has done for us on the cross and what we do for God is a reflection of and response to what God has done for us. (pg. 155)

Likewise, we are incapable of ushering in a reformation to modern Christianity.  We can submit ourselves to God individually, but it is only by HIS grace that changes like this take place.

Soul
I really enjoy Mark’s writing.  Just as in his previous books, Mark’s style is very easy to read, comprehend, and remember. In other word’s, Primal has a good soul.

Part of this “soul” is the framework for the book. Mark uses the four aspects of loving God from the Great Commandment as his template.

However, Mark’s treatment of “heart” left me wanting.  Mark turned “loving God with all your heart” into “having compassion for your neighbor.”  I don’t disagree (after all, Jesus captures this idea when he tacked on the second part of the Great Commandment), but to me this concept isn’t complete.

I’m of the opinion that when Jesus tells us to love God with all our heart, he is telling us to fully love God with our emotions.  When we find joy, we exalt in God.  When we experience sadness, we fall on our knees with tears before our Father. When we have anger, we submit it to God and unleash it in God-glorifying ways.  And when we love God fully with our heart, THEN we find ourselves overflowing with compassion for our neighbors.

Mind
Mark is one REALLY smart dude, but you never feel ignorant while reading Mark’s book.  Mark’s excitement for what he has learned helps you get excited about the insights he has and the spiritual parallels he is able to draw. (More on this under “Strength.”)

I also appreciated Mark’s approach to “loving God with your mind.”  I have heard pastors and seminary professors in the past claim this is the area lost by American Christianity, and they trumpet this aspect so loudly the begin to ignore the other three.  Mark heralds the intellect and loving God with your mind, but not to the exclusion of the other three ways.

However, a couple of Mark’s quotes in this section could be dangerous if taken out of context.  For instance:

“God ideas often seem like bad ideas.  But that is when you need to allow the Holy Spirit to override your intellect.” (pg. 140)

Sentences like this can give people permission to do hair-brained ideas that are not originated by God.  Hopefully Mark’s readers will have enough discernment to understand Mark is trying to say we have to submit our human intellects to God’s, because His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, not abandon reason altogether.

Strength
One of the strengths of Primal is Mark’s masterful use of illustrations.  Mark leverages his strength of learning from many different realms to turn scientific insights and historical stories into spiritual analogies.

But the greatest strength of the book is what I have already acknowledged – Mark’s heart.  Mark truly believes this stuff – he has poured much of himself into this book. Primal is truly the overflow of his role as a pastor.  Just as he longs for his church family to worship God purely from a primal understanding of Jesus and love, Mark can’t help but long for that same thing of the universal Church.

And I have to admit – I long for it, too.

Conclusion
Primal releases nationwide on Tuesday, December 22nd.  I feel honored to have been chosen as one of 750 bloggers to be given a pre-release copy to read and review. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and will probably recommend it to a few people.

However, I don't feel that people must make it the first book they read in 2010.  It’s fine if they do, but I don’t feel overwhelming motivation to get this book in the hands of everyone.  Part of the reason is that I had such high expectations. (I think I bought into the marketing a little too much – see the website for an example – “this is more than a book.”) And so, I found myself slightly disappointed.  Like Mark, I long for a reformation, a revival, to sweep across the world.  But a human book isn’t going to accomplish it.  Only the Word of God and the work of the Holy Spirit will bring that about.

With that said, if Primal gets even a few Christ-followers to get back to Scripture and back to worshipping God wholeheartedly (and whole-soulfully, whole-mindfully, and whole-strengthfully!), then I will be thrilled, as I know Mark will be.  That’s why I will still highly recommend Primal to the young adults I have the privilege to pastor.

For more info, visit http://www.theprimalmovement.com/

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