Book Review - Altar Ego by Craig Groeschel

Craig Groeschel is a great writer. I don’t think I can say that he is one of my favorite authors, but I do enjoy reading his books. He is quite prolific as well, having written Soul Detox, The Christian Atheist, and Weird. The newest book that I’ve read of his is Altar Ego.

Altar Ego is a book that seeks to introduce the reader to his identity in Christ. Too many believers are mired in thinking they are something other than what God has called them to be. I know that I struggle with this issue from time.

Like many of Groeschel’s book, Altar Ego is incredibly readable. Groeschel is a gifted communicator and he writes just like he speaks. For anyone who has heard Groeschel preach, you can pick up on his patterns and flow as you read the book. Matt Chandler’s The Explicit Gospel was very similar in this manner.

While I enjoy reading Groeschel’s books, I don’t think this is one of my favorites. It was not quite as accessible to me and not quite as easy to follow. I appreciate his take on this subject, but I believe that Mark Driscoll’s Who Do You Think You Are? does a better job of communicating the message.

Overall, I would suggest that this book be read, but it is not as groundbreaking as some of Groeschel’s previous material. There were some great illustrations (I especially enjoyed the story about praying in the grocery store), but this does not seem to have the same power as his previous books.

How Did I Get Here!

For those who know me, it will come as no surprise that I am a huge fan of Jon Acuff. Not the "Stuff Christians Like" Acuff (although "Jesus Juke" is now a big part of my vocabulary), but the Quitter, Start, work at Dave Ramsey Acuff. I have listened to almost every interview and talk I can find. I had the privilege of meeting and talking to him at SYMC 2013 and it was a great experience. He was very humble and even took the time to ask about my wife and family after I explained to him about a personal crisis I was dealing with.

In his most recent newsletter, Jon wrote about the five words all people will say. Those words are "How did I get here?" Incredible. He wrote that all of us will, one day, open our eyes, look around, and ask those words. How did I get here?

It made me think about that. Am I just coasting through life and my "5 Words Experience" will be one of sorrow and regret? I don't want to look back on life and not have accomplished anything.

There is a story in Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick where he relates about a conversation he had with a friend before going to see a U2 concert. He said that he wanted to have church in the arena that the concert was being held in. That is an incredible "5 Words Experience."

When I have mine, I want to be completely astounded by what has happened. I want to be flabbergasted at what God has done. I want to turn to my wife and excitedly exclaim, "How did we get here!" I want it to be a moment of tears and hugs and excitement because the Lord has moved in such an amazing way that I never could have done it on my own.

Book Review - gods at War by Kyle Idleman

For most of us, we think that idol worship is something that is done in the jungles or in third world countries. There is no way that you and I worship idols in modern-day, 21st century America. Sadly, this is not the case. Not even close. In fact, as Kyle Idleman will argue, you and I are probably some of the biggest idol worshipers on the planet.

In his book, Gods at War, Idleman illustrates how prevalent idol worship has become in our culture. Now, we don’t have statues or altars that we bow down to, but that doesn’t mean we don’t worship idols any less. And, as Idleman shows from the Scripture, this is an affront to God. In fact, one of the first commandments is to have no other gods before Him.

In the book, Idleman lists out nine different gods that are running rampant in our culture and trying (oftentimes successfully) to steal our hearts away from the one true God. These gods include the god of food, the good of sex, the god of success, the god of money, and the good of family. While none of these things are bad by themselves, when you and I make them the ultimate thing, they become an idol. Idleman tells a story of how individuals were enslaved by these gods and how, through the Holy Spirit, they were able to turn from the idolatry and begin to worship God. He also provides numerous examples from Scripture. The one that stuck out to me was Solomon and the god of entertainment.

As a youth pastor, each of the gods that were identified are areas that teenagers struggle with. There are teens who struggle with food addiction. There are teens dealing with sexual temptation and sexual sin. There are teens who are striving desperately to make money as a way of earning acceptance. This book will serve as a sermon resource and as a book to be shared with students and parents who are working through these issues.

Like his other book, Not a Fan, Idleman has written an excellent book, one that easily understood and immensely helpful. I would suggest that all pastors, youth pastors, and volunteers read it and become acquainted with the content.

How High or Deep Are You Willing to Go?

There is a very beautiful song by All Sons and Daughters called "Called Me Higher." The song is all about how we can rest in Christ, but that we are called to something so much more. Jesus is calling us to go higher and to go deeper. Jesus is calling us to something risky. Sadly, most of us are scared to see what it is all about.

As I've listened to this song and have been reading the book of Romans, I started to read some of the verses a bit differently. In Romans 8:38-39, Paul makes a list of things (life, death, angels, rulers, etc.) that cannot separate us from God's love. Right at the end, Paul says height and depth cannot keep us from God's love.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What if Paul listed those two things to let us know that we are to get risky? What if instead of just using these verses to comfort us (and they are comforting), these verses were written to spur us to movement, to get up and go higher than we've ever gone, knowing that Jesus' love is with us the whole time. What if we are to go deeper, know that no matter how deep we go, Christ is right there?

Knowing this, what heights or depths is Christ calling you to? How high or how deep are you willing to go with your ministry?

Five Awesome Ways to Find Youth Group Volunteers (A Parody)

Finding good volunteers for your youth group is a difficult thing. In a church of several hundred people, it can be hard to find two or three people that want to be involved. To that end, I have created this list of ways to find and recruit new leaders.

• Put an article in the church bulletin. This will make the need known to the church and you can take anyone and everyone who shows interest. I mean, if you put it out there, they will come, right?
• Hold a mirror under their nose. If fog shows up on the mirror, the person is breathing and ripe to be a volunteer.
• Ask who isn't involved in a ministry already. The best candidates are those who have been asked to leave other ministries before. This shows their willingness to serve and the fact that they don't have a ministry already works in your favor.
• Offer free donuts. You will get some awesome volunteers by letting them know that there are donuts in the youth room every Sunday morning.
• Beg, borrow, and steal. Your children's minister or choir director won't mind at all if you take their volunteers. I mean, we are all one church, right?

What other ways can you think to get warm bodies for your youth group? I mean, all they have to do is love kids and eat pizza, right?

Are You Prepared to Answer the Rob Bell Question?

As many of you may be aware, Rob Bell, the former megachurch pastor and author of Love Wins, recently expressed his support for same-sex marriage. This presents us with a very sticky situation. While I am not going to use this platform to discuss my own opinions on same-sex marriage, it is important for us to know how to handle the discussion when the situation arises.

In a discussion that I was a part of the other day in regards to Bell and his comments, it became apparent that many youth pastors have used his materials in the past. This can be a bit worrisome because students are constantly bombarded with the idea that same-sex marriage is legitimate and those who are opposed to it are bigoted and ignorant. Now they are hearing that a pastor, one that they have learned from in the past, is promoting same-sex marriage. They are going to want to know what to believe and why some people are saying yes and some are saying no.

To that end, I highly recommend that you get a copy of Shawn Harrison's book Ministering to Gay Teenagers. If you have followed my blog for long, you know that I am constantly promoting this book (you can read my posts here and here). Shawn is a dear friend of mine, but I do not promote his book because of our friendship. The issue of homosexuality and how the church is dealing with gay individuals is a serious concern, one that we need to be aware of and prepared for. You will do yourself a huge favor.

I would also recommend that you read Shawn's blog on a regular basis.  It is a great resource for you and for parents.

Video: Making Time for God by Blimey Cow

The folks at Blimey Cow really nailed it with this video. This would be a great video to share with your youth group.

And if you want more videos to share with your youth group, please check out my Pinterest account for some great ideas.