And also a great reminder to all of us. 

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The college student who asked me about UnChristian while I was at Dunn Bros. probably thought I was strange for giving her the book- but I hope she digs it.

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What do you think of this? It’s based on the book by Matt Smay and Hugh Halter. I haven’t read it yet but the video is thought-provoking.

Check it out and let me know what you think the message is.

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On April 1, Tim Stevens‘ book, “Pop Goes the Church,” will be released. I anticipate the buzz will be hot as church leaders and Christ Followers get their hands on this book.

Tim will make you laugh enough to get a good ab workout. Nod enough to get a neck crap. And for some, feel enough discomfort to reach for the Pepto. But when the smoke clears, I think many will be inspired to engage culture with the gospel the same way Paul did in Athens.

Check out the sweet website accompanying the book.

I had the pleasure of reviewing an early manuscript and posted a review several months back (which you can read below).

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Review

Churches now have a guidebook that explains why and how to leverage pop culture, engage people, and point them to Jesus in the book “Pop Goes the Culture.” The book is written by Tim Stevens, a pastor at the innovative, Granger Community Church in Indiana.

As an early reviewer of the book, I can’t give away many details of it, but I can tell you that it is both engaging and provocative. The stories Tim weaves in throughout the book are a great touch with some surprising tales about his own life.

Tim comes across as a nice guy (I’m sure he is)- but he makes no bones that this book will offend lots of churchy people. After reading it, I would definitely agree. If you read it you will either dig or or disdain. I, for one, dug it.

There are aspects of the book that may be fodder for the “attack dog” “watchdog” bloggers out there. But I hope the message of the book will rise above all of that and provoke thought, discussion, prayer, and action instead. People need Jesus. Pop culture practically screams it out. Why not use it in a timely way to connect people to the timeless truth?

I think this should be required reading for every church planter, Christian leader, and Christ follower. I’m thankful for the opportunity to review this book and look forward to seeing the impact it’s bound to have on ministries, and ultimately people, everywhere.

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Fellow blogger, and talented graphic artist, Mike Anderson put together this cool e-book titled, “Are You Asleep?” by  J.C. Ryle.

“Are You Asleep?” is beautifully written with a passionate plea.  At heart, Ryle is trying to awaken the person sitting in church somewhere and thinking they are a Christian- when in reality, they are “asleep” and far from God.  At the same time, it a catalyst for personal examination of one’s own walk with God.

It’s worth a read.  You can download your very own copy of this 14-page ebook here.

Thanks to Mike for putting his talent to good use in putting this vintage piece of writing together and blending it with eye-friendly design and thought-provoking side notes.

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Here are some picks as we head into the weekend:

Sports- Patriots will win the Super Bowl. No me gusta NY Giants. (I’m a Philly fan)

Movies- Let’s see? U2 in 3D or Hannah Montana in 3D? Hmmm.

Politics- As things stand right now, my bet’s on Barack Obama becoming our next president.

Podcasts- The “Ask Anything” series by Mark Driscoll (pastor @ Mars Hill Church), is off the hook. But then again, I have the proclivity to dig most everything from Driscoll.

Books- Reading “Made to Stick” by Chip and Dan Heath. Vision is so important in church planting. So far, this book is dynamite!

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“unchristian” by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons
The book, “unchristian” is based on research about what 16-29 year olds think of the church, Jesus, his followers, and Christianity at large. I’m not surprised by the results and my observations have been validated with the research done by the authors. A must-read for leaders.

“Lectures to My Students” by Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Spurgeon’s words are so rich that I have to read this book slowly and take breaks to digest it. As I walk through the chapters I’m realizing that this may be one of the best books I’ve ever read.

“Presentation Zen” by Garr Reynolds
I build and deliver lots of presentations, so this book is very practical for me. I’ve read Garr Reynolds‘ stuff online and now he’s put all his knowledge and insight into a cool book. So far, it’s better than I expected. The book itself stimulates my imagination with it’s use of visuals, fonts, spacing, and word choice.

What have you been reading?

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Churches now have a guidebook that explains why and how to leverage pop culture, engage people, and point them to Jesus in the book “Pop Goes the Culture.” The book is written by Tim Stevens, a pastor at the innovative, Granger Community Church in Indiana.

As an early reviewer of the book, I can’t give away many details of it, but I can tell you that it is both engaging and provocative. The stories Tim weaves in throughout the book are a great touch with some surprising tales about his own life.

Tim comes across as a nice guy (I’m sure he is)- but he makes no bones that this book will offend lots of churchy people. After reading it, I would definitely agree. If you read it you will either dig or or disdain. I, for one, dug it.

There are aspects of the book that may be fodder for the “attack dog” “watchdog” bloggers out there. But I hope the message of the book will rise above all of that and provoke thought, discussion, prayer, and action instead. People need Jesus. Pop culture practically screams it out. Why not use it in a timely way to connect people to the timeless truth?

I think this should be required reading for every church planter, Christian leader, and Christ follower. I’m thankful for the opportunity to review this book and look forward to seeing the impact it’s bound to have on ministries, and ultimately people, everywhere.

Thanks for this book Tim. You rock dude!

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I don’t know what he was thinking but Tim Stevens, author and rock star pastor, has invited me and others to help him review his book prior to publication.

The book is called, “Pop Goes the Church” and it will be released later this year. In it, Stevens examines the relationship between church and pop culture. Tim is the right guy to write this timely book.

So I have the pleasure of reading it over the course of the next couple of weeks and add my two cents. It should be fun.

The publisher has asked that I not publish any of the specifics or quotes from the book. In fact, I think it self-destructs after January 30. Kind of like in Inspector Gadget. Remember that show? I loved it.

The theme song is now stuck in my head and my ADD is kicking in.

Thanks for the opportunity to help Tim! I’m looking forward to it.

“Go Gadget Go!”

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