Saturday, June 25, 2011

Reviewing "In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day"

This is the third book Multnomah has sent me to review and I think I see a pattern. The authors seem fairly interchangeable. They are all approaching middle age, yet already touted as Christian leaders on a national level. They are good at thinking outside the box. They all like to call Christians Christ followers instead of Christians. They all like to talk about how bad the church has become and complain about Christians turning people off to Christ. Then they fill their books with stories of Christians who are doing wonderful things to serve God and bless others and reach people for Jesus. Go figure.

Back to the book at hand. I'm having trouble deciding whether I like this one or not. Author Mark Batterson is pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D.C. The book title derives from II Samuel 23:20-21 where we learn about a warrior named Benaiah. One of Benaiah's heroic deeds was chasing a lion into a pit, on a snowy day, and killing it. Later Benaiah was promoted to the highest position in King David's guard. Still later Solomon made him commander of the entire Israelite army. Like I said, Benaiah was a warrior and clearly he was good at it.

Batterson's thesis is that if we all developed the kind of mind set and intensity that it takes to jump in a pit and kill a lion then we would be much better at doing the things God has called us to do and therefore at building the Kingdom. He spends most of the book developing this idea around a few character traits, or skill sets, he feels we should all develop. These include: try to grasp God's greatness; face your fears; reframe your problems to get God's perspective; take risks; accept that you are going to look foolish sometimes.

While I think Batterson has gone a little too far in developing this whole model based on the brief little story of Benaiah, I have to admit it is actually pretty good advice. Plus, he does back most of his ideas up with other scriptures. Even though we do not all have the personality or the skill set of a savage warrior, most of us probably do need to go to battle, so to speak, for the Kingdom in ways and degrees that we have not been. And, yes, that will involve adopting Batterson's skill sets.

The writing was okay. He had a few inspiring paragraphs. Batterson uses a lot of illustrations and analogies from the world of science. In my opinion, he over uses them, and I enjoy science illustrations. Also, as mentioned earlier, he uses real life stories of Christians who are taking risks to better live for Christ. Most of these are interesting.

Overall, I'm somewhat ambivalent about this book. Read it if you need a good pep talk regarding your Christian life. Read it if you need some good illustrations and stories for your preaching or teaching ministry.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Friday, June 3, 2011

Message to the class of '81

(Family friendly warning, following some of the links below might lead to sites with songs or message boards containing naughty language.)

To the rest of you who graduated from high school in 1981, and especially from Dulles, what the pooh happened? One day you're walking across the stage grabbing your diploma, on top of the world, with big dreams and your whole life ahead of you. A couple days later you wake up and suddenly you have arthritis, bursitis, tendinitis, fasciaitis, reflux, receding hair line, cellulite, can't see too well, can't move too well, can't hear too well, can't remember too well, etc., etc., etc.

We're the last of the Baby Boomers. And I think we are the last generation to remember life before cable TV, computers, cell phones, and rap. We remember Blackwater as a song instead of a mercenary army or an oil spill. We remember the original Sesame Street gang, Reagan telling Gorbachev to tear down the wall, Lennon getting shot, and knowing that every Friday night Another One Bites The Dust.

Seriously, though, congratulations on the past 30 years. If you've made it this far you deserve to pause and have a little Celebration of your journey and all you've accomplished and all you've learned. You know, as great as we thought things were in 1981, I've learned that right now, these really are The Best Of Times, watching my kids grow and experiencing God's grace as my mind and body start going downhill. I've learned that love really is More Than A Feeling. I've also learned that there is no Stairway to Heaven, but There Is A Savior.

Take a few moments then, to simply be Still and enjoy this milestone. But, don't waste much time on that. You see, life really is just Dust In The Wind that flies by, and the next thirty years looms ahead. So whether you are an Urban Cowboy, Just A Good Old Boy, a Dancing Queen, a Desperado, or a Renegade, buckle up and Carry On My Wayward Son. Don't Bring Me Down by giving up, get back On The Road Again.

And as you travel through this Grand Illusion, learn from the past and things that happened All Those Years Ago, but don't cling to it. Dream On for a better future, but make the most of this moment--no regrets today.

This probably wasn't exactly your Rock 'N Roll Fantasy, or even a trip through Boogie Wonderland; but hopefully it brought back some good memories. Its shown me that clearly, I have Too Much Time On My Hands.

Congratulations class of 1981 on the 30th anniversary of your parole, i.e., high school graduation.