2008 Book List

Here is my first attempt at making a reading list for 2008. These are books on my "short" list. There are two without links because they will be released some time during 2008. I know there are other books that I will read that I currently have on my book shelf. These are the ones that I will be buying some time in 2008.

1. Bring Out the Best in People by Aubrey C. Daniels
2. The Power of a Positive No by William Ury
3. Leadership on the Other Side by Bill Easum
4. The Dip by Seth Godin
5. Board with God by Shawn Dunn
6. The Starfish and the Spider by Ori Bradman & Rod Beckstrom
7. This Beautiful Mess by Rick McKinley
8. The Three Signs of a Miserable Job by Pat Lencioni
9. Beyond Megachurch Myths by Scott Thummar & Dave Travis
10. Overcoming the Darkside of Leadership by Gary McIntosh & Samuel Rima
11. Made to Stick by Chip Heath & Dan Heath
12. The Forgotten Ways by Alan Hirsch
13. Chazown by Craig Groeschel
14. Confessions of a Pastor by Craig Groeschel
15. Going All the Way by Craig Groeschel
16. Sex God by Rob Bell
17. Through Painted Deserts by Donald Miller
18. To Own a Dragon by Donald Miller
19. Let Story Guide You by Donald Miller
20. The Blogging Church by Brian Bailey and Terry Storch
21. Making Vision Stick by Andy Stanley
22. Creating Community by Andy Stanley
23. Choosing to Cheat by Andy Stanley
24. Go Big by Bill Easum
25. unChristian by David Kinnaman
26. Confessions of a Reformission Rev. by Mark Driscoll
27. Go Put Your Strengths to Work by Marcus Buckingham
28. Wide Awake by Erwin McManus
29. The Barbarian Way by Erwin McManus
30. Breaking the Missional Code by Ed Stetzer

Merry Christmas

I hope and pray that you will experience the miracle of Christmas today, tomorrow, and every day of your life. May you receive the greatest gift ever given. May you live for the One who was born of a virgin, lived life to the very fullest, was betrayed, tortured, crucified, died, and on the third day rose from the dead that you may spend eternity with God.

He is JESUS!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Everything Changed

"The Adoration of the Shepherds" by Rembrandt.

In the midst of the darkness God sent his Son Jesus as the hope of the world. His light beats back the darkness of sin and brings salvation to all who will follow as his disciples.

Rembrandt doesn't paint Jesus as an angel with a halo. He is a human baby. Rembrandt doesn't follow the other Renaissance painters and have the light of heaven shining down on Jesus. Instead he has the light coming from Jesus.

The ladder and the roof's crossbeam foreshadow the coming cross for Jesus. It is difficult to see it in this picture, but there is a rooster near the ladder - betrayal awaits this child when he becomes a man.

That first Christmas - everything changed. Alleluia!

Book #19 - When Necessary Use Words

The year is coming to a close and I am trying to finish up my reading list. I know I won't read everything I wanted to for 2007, but the last week of the year I am on vacation so I will be able to put in more dedicated reading time.

Anyway, I finished reading my 19th book of the year - When Necessary Use Words: Changing Lives Through Worship, Justice, and Evangelism by Mike Pilavachi. I was challenged earlier in the year to read a little bit outside of my "normal" reading patterns. I was specifically challenged to read about justice issues and racial issues. I picked up this book in order to be faithful to the reading about justice issues.

This is the line that really grabbed hold of me - "Sometimes we have to be good news before we earn the right to preach good news." That's good stuff.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve at Charter Oak Church this year is a great opportunity for you to invite your friends, neighbors, family members, and co-workers. People are more open to an invitation on Christmas Eve than any other time of the year. Our worship times and styles are...

5:00 - Traditional Carols and special music by children's choirs

7:00 - Traditional Carols and special music by adult choirs

9:00 - Contemporary Music

11:00 - Traditional Carols and Communion

Last year the 7:00 worship service was completely full and the 5:00 worship service was just about full. If you are bringing guests, please come at the time that is most convenient for them. If you are not bringing someone, it would be great if you attended one of the later two worship services.

Christmas Eve is a time of rejoicing and worshipping the risen Savior. I am looking forward to seeing you here!

Imagine this...Christmas Love instead of Stress

This is the podcast of the third part of the Imagine This...Christmas series.

Click here.

Book #18 - Reveal: Where Are You?

There has been so much buzz about the study that was performed at Willow Creek Community Church that I decided I had better read the book written by their executive pastor Greg Hawkins. The book is called Reveal: Where Are You? By the way, you can't purchase the book anywhere except from Willow, at least I couldn't find anywhere.

First of all, let me say how disappointed I was that the book cost $12.99 and the amount of information could have fit into a 20 page .pdf. Instead it is a 100+ page book that is mostly white and very little type. It is a huge waste of resources.

But once I got past my disappointment in the design of the book, I really enjoyed the content. Willow Creek knew they needed to ask some really difficult questions. They didn't just beg off because they are seen as "successful." Instead they went deeper and asked questions we all need to be asking about our church.

The thing that I really liked was that Willow Creek didn't stop by surveying their congregation and six other congregations. They used that information to help shape a new strategic plan for their congregation going forward.

As Charter Oak Church begins the process of forming our strategic plan in 2008, this book is extremely helpful to me and will be for the process. If you are ready to ask some tough questions and really get to the heart of where your church is, then read this book and put it into action.

Just as a side note...when I went on to Willow Creek's website I found out that the name of their sermon series this Advent is "Imagine." Our series title is "Imagine this...Christmas." I couldn't believe how close they are. I would love to be able to take credit for the title of our series, but it came from Cindy Jonczak. Maybe Willow Creek called her too - it wouldn't suprise me.

Rain!

I never thought I would be so happy to see rain on a Sunday morning, but that is what we have and I am excited. With all the sensationalism lately with the weather, I thought that the world might just be ending this weekend. All kinds of reports about ice, sleet, freezing rain, and snow. I woke up this morning and it was 38 degrees. I was cracking up because everyone who was reporting the weather said today's high is 36 degrees. They don't even want to admit that it is warmer than it actually is.

I'm so thankful that it is raining today.

Imagine this...Christmas Joy instead of Stuff

This is the podcast of the second part of the Imagine this...Christmas series

Click here.

Unspeakable Joy

This weekend at Charter Oak Church - The Christmas Cantata - Unspeakable Joy

In a world whose headlines scream of war, disease, homelessness, crime and financial disaster, where is the hope, the healing? In a world awash in worry, doubt, dread, and loneliness, where is the word to life the weary heart?

"The angel said to them, 'Do not b afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great JOY which will be for all the people." Luke 2:10

Good news of a great joy! This joy, this bounteous, contagious, and overflowing joy is what has been captured in the musical "Unspeakable Joy". It is the joy of Christmas. The joy of knowing the One who was born at Christmas. It's the joy of each believer discovering the love of Jesus Christ for himself, for herself.

What will make this work a Christmas favorite is the way the theme of "Unspeakable Joy" is so warmly woven throughout the musical. The story of the stable and the star, the angels and the shepherds, the baby on a bed of straw, is delivered with the power to amaze us with its mercy and fill us with a joy unspeakable.

Job Opening

We have an employment opening at Charter Oak Church for an Office Manager. I have copied the short version of what the responsibilities for the position are. If you are interested please give Cindy Jonczak a call at the church or email her at cjonczak@charteroakumc.org.


Office Manager is responsible for overseeing all the office functions of the church. Ordering supplies, managing office equipment, preparation and publication of all communications including the weekly worship folders and monthly newsletter, maintaining and managing the church's database, scheduling and calendar management.


The Office Manager is responsible also for the front desk including answering phones, greeting visitors and being a presence as the first voice and face of COUMC.
Volunteer team development and leadership as needed including training and overseeing a receptionist staff.


Skills necessary for the position are: Proficiency in Microsoft Office including Publisher. Organization and attention to detail, people skills and ability to recruit volunteers and manage their schedules and tasks. A detailed job description will be available upon request.

Podcast of Imagine This...Christmas - Peace

This is the podcast of the first part of the Imagine This...Christmas series.

Click here.

Book #17 - Rules for Revolutionaries

This weekend I finished reading Guy Kawasaki's book Rules for Revolutionaries: The Capitalist Manifesto for Creating and Marketing New Products and Services. Guy was with Apple Computers very early on and has become a guru on thinking differently in the marketplace. He is at Garage Technology Ventures now. What most people don't know is that Guy is a follower of Jesus. He "steals" biblical words and infuses them into the business world.

There are three sections to this book - Create like a god, Command like a king, and Work like a slave. I really liked this book a lot because I read it through the eyes of someone trying to change the culture of a church and possibly a denomination that is used to doing things the way we have always done them. Guy writes the book for people in those positions in business, but I filtered it through the Church. Good book for revolutionaries.

Imagine this...Christmas

This weekend we kick-off a brand new series called "Imagine this...Christmas." It is so easy to get caught up in all of the chaos and craziness of this season. However, we are supposed to be using this time to prepare for the coming of Jesus.

What would happen if we tried to imagine living into the real point of this month? This week we will look at moving from the chaos put on us by culture and living into the peace of Christ.

This is a great time to invite those people in your circle of influence at work, school, or your neighbor. People are more open to attending a worship service during Advent than any other time of the year. Take a risk and invite someone to join you this weekend in worshipping God at Charter Oak Church.

Different Way of Thinking

As I work through Dallas Willard's book The Divine Conspiracy, I am struck time and time again with a different way of thinking about God, the Bible, and my role in the whole Kingdom of God. Here's what I was reading this morning that really grabbed me...

"A short while ago the Hubble Space Telescope gave us pictures of the Eagle Nebula, showing clouds of gas and microscopic dust reaching six trillion miles from top to bottom. Hundreds of stars were emerging here and there in it, hotter and larger than our sun. As I looked at these pictures, and through them at the past and ongoing development of the cosmos, I could not help but think of Jesus' words before he left his little band of students: 'In my father's house there are many places to live. I go to get some ready for you.'"

My small thinking of what Jesus is preparing for me and for you has just been blasted out of the water!

November 2007 Worship at a Glance

November 3/4 - Dave preached
694 in worship (8.4% increase from 2006)
279 in Sunday school (2.2% increase from 2006)

November 10/11 - Mark preached
718 in worship (19.9% increase from 2006)
256 in Sunday school (.7% increase from 2006)

November 17/18 - Mark preached & Youth Musical
1038 in worship (63.2% increase from 2006)
163 in Sunday school (57.6% decrease from 2006)

November 24/25 - Dave preached
694 in worship (2.4% increase from 2006)
256 in Sunday school (18.5% increase from 2006)

Our year to date average attendance is 21% higher in 2007 than the year to date average attendance for 2006. That's 40% growth over the last two years!

Keep inviting your friends, neighbors, co-workers, and family members. They matter to God!

Book #16 - Mavericks at Work

Over Thanksgiving I finished reading Mavericks at Work: Why the Most Original Minds in Business Win by William C. Taylor and Polly LaBarre. I loved this book because it pushed me to think - really, really think about being different. In a world of churches that all look exactly the same, and is often more interested in copying other churches, how can we stand apart and do only what God is calling us to do at Charter Oak Church? What would happen if we started thinking differently about how we fulfill the call God has placed on our hearts? What if we believed - really believed - the transformational truth of Jesus Christ was to be made available to all people no matter what? What if that call burned passionately within us to the point that it was the only thing we could think about?

These are the questions that began to form in me as I read this book. Good stuff.

Gospel of Sin Management

As I was reading The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard this morning, this really jumped out at me.

"The current gospel then becomes a 'gospel of sin management.' Transformation of life and character is no part of the redemptive message. Moment-to-moment human reality in its depths is not the arena of faith and eternal living.

What right and left have in common is that neither group lays down a coherent framework of knowledge and practical direction adequate to personal transformation toward the abundance and obedience emphasized in the New Testament, with a corresponding redemption of ordinary life."

Day 6 - Thursday

Thursday was a big coffee making day! Our team ordered over 150 pounds of coffee that was grown in the Harmons community. Part of Wednesday and all of Thursday, and in to the night, was devoted to making coffee. A group of Jamaican men cooked the coffee right in front of us as we finished up the last details of putting the green house together. You have no idea how good roasting coffee smells! A group of ladies from Charter Oak Church helped to cool, bag, and sew on the labels of the coffee.

The final details were also being completed on the house we were building, a group went to the local elementary school and actually taught because a couple of teachers didn't show up for work, and the medical team open the clinic at the Harmony House for the very first time.

After lunch, everyone went to the house dedication. We all climbed up to the top of the mountain and dedicated the house to the glory of God and handed over the keys to the owners. We presented them with a Bible, a bag of rice to share with their friends, a flashlight, and a weather gizmo that would warn of coming storms. (The house we built was to replace the one the family lived in that was destroyed by a hurricane.) This is a picture of Woppy, the owner of the new house. BTW, that night we celebrated his birthday and my birthday.

Thursday night was dinner at a Jamaican's house. We were divided into groups of about 5 or 6 people and were sent to have dinner in the homes of some local Jamaicans. The food was sent by Won by One to Jamaica ahead of time. The host family prepared the food the way they wanted to and then we all ate together. The group of people I was teamed with went to the home of a single mom with one teenage son. She had a small house that was constructed a few years ago by Won by One to Jamaica. The Americans sat at a kitchen table, but our host had to sit on her bed because there wasn't enough room for her at the table and she refused to let us squeeze her in. The food was very good and it was awesome to spend some quality time building a relationship with her. She was laughing when she found out that I am a pastor. She said, "I always get the pastors!"

After dinner we had a powerful closing time that brought closure to our time in Harmons.

Day 5 - Wednesday

Day five we continued to work on the green house, building the walls of the house we were carrying all of that maul up to, other odd jobs, and the medical team also saw between 125-150 people in the morning. We worked until about 1:00, took a break for lunch, then we headed off to the Infirmary.



Every time I have been to Harmons and have gone to the Infirmary, it has been the most intense part of the trip for me. The Infirmary also called the Poor House is where people are placed that have no one to take care of them. It is a very large, one level structure made of concrete block painted white. It is very institutional looking. Most of the people are either elderly or mentally unable to take care of themselves.



We were there to spend time building relationships with people who don't have anyone else in their lives. Some on our team sang songs with the residents. Some read scripture. Some prayed. Some even handed out candy (that was very popular). As I watched our team serve "the least of these" my heart was filled to bear witness to the fact that they were way outside their comfort zone and right in the middle of God's will.



I spent my time with two elderly gentlemen. Talking about the love and grace of Jesus and reading scripture with them. I was blown away by how much they knew by heart. I don't really know if I added any value to them, but I know that they did to me. I was blessed to sit with these two men for the cause of Jesus.



Wednesday night was ladies night. They invited the local Harmons women to come and be pampered by the ladies from our group. Men were not allowed. It was a great opportunity for our ladies to build one on one relationships as they did their hair, nails, etc.

What I learned on Wednesday...

1. It is very hard to really get out of our comfort zones, but it is when God takes over and we live right in the middle of his will - there is no better place, scary, but good.
2. When a group of God's people live in this zone of the unknown and allow God to work through them, the potential is limitless.