"Discover Your Mission Now"

TITLE: Discover Your Mission Now
AUTHOR: Dave Ferguson
PUBLISHER: Exponential Resources, 2012.

[Free ebook available here.]

Each of us has a mission. Every Church is called to a mission. The trouble is, have we forgotten it? Are we totally clueless about what mission we have? When in doubt, check back with Jesus. This is the prescription that Ferguson has for us.

First, we discover what is the mission of Jesus. Second, we look at five ways (missional practices) in which Jesus accomplishes this mission. As followers of Christ, we are to do no less. Using the story of Jesus with the Samaritan woman at the well as a launching pad, Ferguson highlights the 3Rs of discovering the mission of Jesus.

A) The Mission of Jesus

First, there is the REACH aspect where Jesus sets off purposefully to reach out to those who are far away from God. Just like the way Jesus reaches out to the woman, so too we are to reach out to our neighbours and friends.

Second, there is RESTORE. Jesus restores the woman's life, and urges her to sin no more. God's love is so deep and wide that He cares for the down and out, the outcasts, and the most marginalized people on earth. We are to be channels of God's grace.

Third, there is the REPRODUCE element. Note how excited the woman was when she goes to share of her encounter with the rest of the folks in the town. One good deed deserves another. One great act of kindness leads to another.

All these three elements are applicable to both Church as well as the individual.

B) Discovering Our Mission (BLESS)

Five steps are given.

1. B = Begin with Prayer
2. L = Listen
3. E = Eat
4. S = Serve
5. S = Story

All significant spiritual work must begin with prayer. Prayer is the window of relationship for man to meet with God, and for God to empower man to serve better. If we fail to pray, we are set for failure for we are then going forth in our own strength rather than God's.

Before we can bless the world, we need to be able to discern the needs of the world. Listening is a key activity. Prayer prepares the person to listen better.

Eating is essentially about opportunities to build relationships with people over a meal. In our busy world, while many people claim to lack time, opportunities are there for meal times.

Serving people from where we are is also an opportunity to bless our neighbourhood.

Finally, share the story of God and our testimony.

Ferguson ends the book with a challenge. Are we going to be people who "Read and Regret" or are we going to be people who "Read and Repeat?" Hopefully, in discovering our mission through BLESS, we learn to do the latter more and more.

The steps to discover our mission is very simple and practical.  Go and make disciples of all nations, and BLESS them.

conrade

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This book is provided to me free by Exponential.org resources without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

Book: "2:46: Aftershocks: Stories from the Japan Earthquake"

TITLE: 2:46: Aftershocks: Stories from the Japan Earthquake
AUTHOR: The Quakebook Community (various writers)
PUBLISHER: Quakebook.org, 2011.

This book is released as an electronic book for the purpose of spreading the message as wide as possible, through a medium as cheaply as possible. It contains short quips, observations and testimonies of the many Japanese victims affected by the reason tsunami. The infamous tsunami hit Japanese shores at 2:46pm on March 11, 2011. Caused by an undersea earthquake on the East of Japan, it devastated homes, buildings, properties, and swept away livestock and people. One thing led to another, and even the world at large are shocked at the widespread disaster, that wiped out basic infrastructures of one of the most earthquake prepared nations in the world.

The book began with a tweet that became a large fundraising initiative. It is helmed by a person that goes under the name "Our man in Abiko." The project is comprised of short messages of about 250 words to a page long story of witnesses, and observers who managed to live through it all. The primary beneficiary is the Japanese Red Cross.

You have various options to download and read the book:

1) Through Sony EPUB download here. (Free but you are encouraged to donate here)

2) Through Amazon kindle here. (Costs $9.99 but 100% goes directly to American Red Cross Japan Fund)

It is a worthy read, and a worthy cause. Note the words of Our Man in Akiko.

"Those of us who live in Japan are in a state of war. But not a war against a nation, or even nature. We are fighting defeat, worry and hopelessness. The question is: Are we strong enough to overcome?"

This book is full of stories. Some are hopeful. Others are shocking. The photographs themselves often tell of a story that words cannot describe.

booksaint

eBook Review: "The New Traditional Church"

TITLE: The New Traditional Church
AUTHOR: Tony Morgan
PUBLISHED: Ben Stroup, 2011.

This is a nice little book that summarizes 4 main aspects of Church that needs to be re-tweaked. Current modes are outmoded. It attempts to say that there is now a new normal. The modern culture has made it necessary for the Church to adapt. The four areas are:

1. Discipleship
2. Web Strategy
3. Music
4. Community.

On Discipleship, Morgan argues that the list of things that Church members are expected to do, are essentially things done to maintain and sustain a Church structure rather than focusing on God. He uses the pareto principle of only 20-30% of the people serving in the ministry.  Current church structures fail to empower more to do the same. His main gist is that people ought to spend more time 'being' the church rather than simply being present at the Church.

On Web strategy, Morgan says that most church websites are bulletin style, and fails to adequately engage an online generation of Facebook, Twitter, or social networking style. In the process, they are missing the wave that a whole new generation is riding on.

On music, Morgan brings in the popularity of hip-hop, equating it to the new kind of hymns for the new generation.

On community, Morgan feels that churches tend to try too hard in fixing up community for people. He observes that people naturally learn to create their unique communities.


My Comments

Tony Morgan cleverly writes a disclaimer at the beginning, saying he is not sure where he is heading toward.  That said, he is free to simply inject ideas, radical or not, to stir up the hornet's nest
 of tradition. At the same time, if strong objections arise out of his ideas, the author can retreat back into a position of non-commitment. Frankly, as I read the book, I think Morgan might have scratch some areas that some church leaders need to hear. At the same time, I tend to think that the issues Morgan has identified are not new. They have been around for a while.

Regarding discipleship and Morgan's use of the pareto principle, I will argue that it is not restricted only to traditional churches. All human institutions suffer from the 20-80 principle, (even 5-95), where 20% of the people does 80% of the job. Moreover, what makes us so sure that by changing the way Churches approach discipleship, that the pareto principle will not come back and haunt the 'new traditional church?'

Regarding web strategy, I believe Morgan hit the point really well. I think church websites need to be re-vitalized. There are too many stiff pages out there, and with an online generation becoming more web-savvy, this online strategy needs more serious look, and connecting with the online generation. Kudos to Morgan.

Regarding community building, I agree with Morgan. However, I still believe that Churches have a role to play to supply the resources, or to seed the birth of any new communities. They can actively start one, but the sustenance need to be handed by the community.

Regarding music, I think Morgan has gotten it all wrong. Worship is not about hymns, contemporary songs, or hip-hop. It is not even about music. Music is but an instrument in an orchestra of worship. At the same time, if we were to simply pander to the different music styles, I begin to wonder if we have substituted words for melody, rhythms of the music beat instead of the beat of the Holy Spirit.

I think while Morgan has bravely highlighted some possible ways to redo church, his thoughts need to be challenged. In true Christian fashion, let iron sharpen iron. If that is the intent to start a conversation, I think Morgan has done well.

This book is available as a free download here.

conrade