Not that there weren’t some good books on the list…I am found of Dave Ramsey’s Leadership book and John Maxwell’s newest book. My fear is that pastors are being steered so hard to read books on Leadership and church growth and strategy and getting lost in that are books with spiritual depth. Yes, the Bible should be our first source of spiritual information and inspiration, I’m not denying that, but He has gifted certain men to communicate spiritual truth through the written word and we as pastors and church leaders should take full advantage.

I want to share with you the 20 books that made the biggest impact on me in 2011. Most were published in 2011, while a few were published in 2010, but I never got around to reading them until this year. To keep this post short, I will only give a one sentence blurb on each book…it’s up to you to get it and read it!

In no particular order;

20. The Good and Beautiful Community by James Bryan Smith.  The 3rd book in Smith’s Apprentice series, focuses on what it looks like to like in true biblical community with other believers.

19. Letters to a Young Pastor by Calvin Miller. Calvin Miller has been a pastor for 25 years and a professor and writer.  He shares a lot of wisdom with young pastors that I wish I had when I was 25.

18. A Kingdom Called Desire by Rick McKinley.  Rick McKinley has always been one of my favorite pastors and has written another insightful book to go along with, “Jesus in the Margins” and “This Beautiful Mess”.

17. God without Religion by Andrew Farley. This is a great book about the freedom found in Jesus as opposed to a religious system.

16. Scandalous by D.A. Carson. This is an instant classic on the work of the cross. Carson’s writing can be a little tedious, but it’s worth it.

15. Jesus + Nothing = Everything by Tullian Tchividjian.  A great explanation of the gospel for those who feel that Christs’ work on the cross wasn’t quite enough.

14. The Faith of Leap by Michael Frost & Alan Hirsch. I thought this was an excellent book on leaving the security we all seek and live out the dangerous faith we were meant to. Piper didn’t like it though!

13. Practice Resurrection by Eugene Peterson. Peterson writes in such an honest way, I’m sorry his, “Conversations” series is over.

12. Longing for God by Richard Foster. I enjoyed this one more than “A Celebration of Discipline.

11. The Next Christians by Gabe Lyons.  A peek into the future of what believers will look like.

Top 10 will be posted in Part II….Feel free to make any comments, disagreements, etc.

Here are my predictions:

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AL East:

1. Tampa Bay Rays   (Their pitching is SICK!)

2. Boston Red Sox (Loss of Bay will hurt…who are they trying to fool with Cameron?)

3. New York Yankees (Granderson cannot hit lefties, they’ll miss Damon and Matsui, Burnett won’t last an entire season, Jeter, Petitte, Rivera are all 106 years old)

4. Baltimore Orioles (They will battle for that 3rd spot and only finish less than 5 games back of the Yankees)

5. Toronto Blue Jays (Lots of young talent, but not ready yet)

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AL Central:

1. Chicago White Sox (Really good pitching and the return of Quentin will help them)

2. Minnesota Twins (Loss of Nathan, may have lost them a shot at Division crown)

3. Detroit Tigers (will make this a 3 team race and Scherzer is the real deal)

4. Kansas City Royals (only avoid the basement because of Greinke)

5. Cleveland Indians (bad, really bad)

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AL West:

1. Texas Rangers (Only if harden stays healthy)

2. Los Angeles Angels (loss of Lackey will hurt bigtime)

3. Seattle Mariners (even worse if Lee is hurt)

4. Oakland A’s  (a couple of years away)

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Wildcard: Angels

AL Pennant: Rays

MVP: Evan Longoria

Cy Young: Felix Hernandez

ROY: Brian Matusz

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NL East:

1. Philadelphia Phillies  (added Halladay and Palanco)

2. Atlanta Braves (Heyward will be ROY)

3. Florida Marlins (not enough offense)

4. New York Mets (this organization needs an overhaul)

5. Washington Nationals (Even Strasburg can’t save this stinker of a squad)

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NL Central:

1. St. Louis Cardinals (Albert and the gang win a weak division)

2. Cincinnati Reds (Votto will be a true MVP candidate)

3. Milwaukee Brewers ( Prince and Braun can’t carry a weak pitching staff)

4. Chicago Cubs (That line-up is old and getting older)

5. Houston Astros ( Could suprise and finish 4th!)

6. Pittsburgh Pirates (when will this team ever compete?)

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NL West:

1. Arizona Diamondbacks  (big risky pick, only will happen if Webb is healthy)

2. Los Angeles Dodgers (Manny has more left in the tank)

3. Colorado Rockies (will be within 2 games of division crown)

4. San Francisco Giants ( shame that good pitching has almost no offense behind it)

5.  San Diego Padres (When Jon Garland is your number 1, bad things happen)

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Wildcard: Reds

NL Pennant: Phillies

MVP: Chase Utley

Cy Young: Roy Halladay

ROY: Jason Heyward

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World Series:  Phillies over Rays in 7

Secondly, I don’t like it when Christian artists don’t write their own material but purchase the rights to cover a song. The writer or original artists version is 99 times out of 100 better, but somehow the covers find their way to the top of the charts! Revelation Song, Lead me to the Cross, Mighty to Save, etc are all recent examples of this.

Lastly, it bugs me that Christian radio plays the same tired music over and over again. Artists that people should really know about get no airplay. To prove my point, I printed off a recent playlist of a popular local Christian radio station. In a 24 hour period there were 315 songs played. Here are some interesting facts about which artists were played:

Third Day. 22 times
Casting Crowns. 29 times (including 4x in the same hour!)
Mercy Me. 19 times
Jeremy Camp. 21 times
Steven Curtis Chapman. 20 times
Michael W. Smith. 18 times
Toby Mac. 20 times
Phillips, Craig and Dean 12 times (this was the same song 12 times!)
Chris Tomlin 24 times

This is the same for a couple other artists.  I think this proves my point.  Not that any of these artists are terrible (although some are IMHO), but we don’t need to hear them that many times.  No wonder the world looks at our music as second rate and outdated.  Any thoughts?

I never thought God would use Metallica to convict me of sin, but He did.  Here are a few of the lyrics that spoke to me:

End of passion play, crumbling away
I’m your source of self-destruction
Veins that pump with fear, sucking dark is clear
Leading on your deaths construction

Master of Puppets I’m pulling your strings
Twisting your mind and smashing your dreams
Blinded by me, you can’t see a thing
Just call my name, ’cause I’ll hear you scream

Master, Master, where’s the dreams that I’ve been after?
Master, Master, you promised only lies
Laughter, Laughter, all I hear or see is laughter
Laughter, Laughter, laughing at my cries

Hell is worth all that, natural habitat
Just a rhyme without a reason
Neverending maze, drift on numbered days
now your life is out of season
I will occupy
I will help you die
I will run through you
Now I rule you t

I know that this song was written about drug addiction, but in that moment I realized that I had become a slave to my weight, food has become my master.  I eat when I’m happy, I eat when I’m sad, when I’m bored, when I’m busy…you see, the food which God had intended to lead me to worship, was controlling me, even killing me…certainly costing me a certain quality of life.  My weight had officially gotten to the place I swore it would never be…319lbs.  I’m 6’4″, so people will tell me, “You’re just a big guy”.  I’m tired of that cop-out.  With added weight came health problems, a worsening of my asthma, the development of sleep apnea, and the aches and pains on my muscles and joints that come from carrying that much weight around.  Not to mention the thought of not being around for my wife and kids in the future.  Despite knowing this, I did nothing about it…you see, I was a slave…I was addicted, and I was lazy.

Ok, back to the treadmill.  At the end of the song, these verses from Romans chapter 7 came to my mind:

So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God. When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.

I’ve been controlled by the old nature…just straight up laziness and glutony…that’s my confession.  But these verses reminded me that I have been released from that and I don’t need to be controlled by anything other than the Spirit of God.  So, my decision is this…I will no longer be controlled by food.  I will no longer use something that God intended for my good to lead me down a path of destruction.

My goal is to lose 100 pounds in 1 year.  I know that I can do this through the Spirit’s power.  I’m posting this to make my confession and goal public.  I hope it has inspired some of you to take off the chains of addiction to food and get yourself healthy so you can more effectively serve God.  For those of you who see me on a regular basis, I ask your help.  I ask you to care more about me than about my feelings.  Ask me how I’m doing, keep me accountable, help me make the right choices, exercise with me. For those of you who don’t see me on a regular basis, Facebook me, e-mail me and most importantly, pray for me.  Thanks for reading my confession.

From Wikipedia:

Between the Trees is an American indie rock band from Orlando, Florida, formed in 2005. The band consists of vocalist and guitarist Ryan Kirkland, drummer Josh Butler and bassist Jeremy Butler.

Between the Trees released their debut album through Bonded Records in 2006, entitled The Story and the Song. In 2007, they signed to The Universal Motown/Universal Republic Group, but it was later announced that this relationship had fallen through and their next album would be self-released. Their second album is entitled Spain and was released on August 11th, 2009.

http://www.betweenthetrees.net/

http://www.myspace.com/betweenthetrees

Check out “We Can Try” over to the right in MyBox!  Let me know what you think.

People who forgive

a good book

my boys laughing and playing

a nice 75 degree and sunny day

people who are willing to step out on faith, even though it may cost them something.

Ollies

Good music

My beautiful wife

The Beauty of Creation

giving and givers

when I live the gospel and people take notice.

Opening Day!

a well timed phone call

Church politics

Family Christian Bookstores (no, for the love of God NO, I don’t want the “FireProof Gift Pack!!!!!”)

The Newsboys (seriously, Micheal Tait?  It was time to hang it up guys.)

Rain

The fact that there aren’t more hours in the day.

Testamints, Stupid christian t-shirts and bumper stickers

Poverty

My lack of action to alieviate poverty.

Digital Hymnals (what???)

consequences

Christian “celebrities” and their “groupies”

when the UPS man doesn’t knock.

cowards

crime in my neighborhood

comfortable Christianity (check yourself)

Satan

25mph in a 45mph zone

fear

that I’m my own worst enemy

wet mail

what grinds your gears?  All in good fun!

I was hanging out with one of the young people in our church today.  We decided to hit the local driving range and try to see how far we could hit the ball (I’m not a golfer!).  Now it was probably 95 degrees today and after  good 30-45 minutes of driving golf balls, we’re dripping sweat!  It was a workout!  While we were there I participated in one of my favorite activities…people watching, and I saw this guy driving, sweating,getting a really good workout.  He then proceded to take a seat, get out a nice clear bottle of smart water (expensive water that doesn’t have any of the bad stuff in it) and lit up a cigarette!  It really struck me as funny at first….”Hey, it’s almost 100 degrees out, I’m working out here, dripping sweat….you know what I’d really like?  A Cigarette!”  Then it became something really sad.  Here’s a guy, putting in some time exercising (even if you don’t consider golf a sport!), then in the same “breathe” destroying any good he had done his body.  He was taking one step forward and two steps back.  And while I found part of me chuckling and even judging him, I realized that I frequently do the same thing.  Not just in excercise, but in many areas of my life…especially spiritually.  How many times have I taken a step forward in my walk with Christ, only to find myself seemingly taking two steps backward?  How many times do I allow myself to fall into bad habits or sin that basically destroy the spiritual work or momentum I had gained?  The truth is, is that if I want to be more like Christ, if I want to daily be transformed and be an active participant in progressive sanctification, then I’ve got to give up smoking! (metaphorically speaking)  I’ve got to stop shooting myself in the foot spiritually and grab hold of the power of Christ in me that will allow me to shed the habits and sin that keep me from ever truly becoming the man of God I have been created to be.  What about you?