The Reason For God.......

So this book landed today! Lots and lots has been said about the book and loads of people have been asking me for it since way back in January. Until recently i had not heard of Keller or his ministry in Manhattan. As well as being asked for his book i also heard Mark Driscoll mention him a few times, and not in a sarcastic manner!!  You can find a great list of Resources on the guy here. So whats going on with the guy and his book and his Church? I like this description of Redeemer Church that appeared in Newsweek: "There's nothing sexy here. There's no rock band, no drop-down theater-size video screen, no 100-member gospel choir—just a few chamber musicians and a couple of prayer leaders to help the congregation along in its hymns. The crowd at Redeemer Presbyterian is overwhelmingly young, single, professional and—for lack of a better word—sober."  I like it because, in a time where we are now surrounded with 'rock bands, drop down theater size video screens etc' in Church it is always encouraging to hear that it is not always relevant and necessary to choose these styles. There are negative conversations going around about Keller due to his views on evolution, 6 days of creation etc but perhaps we will get to that another time. In the meantime i shall begin the book as soon as.............

The Shack....

"This book has the potential to do for our generation what John Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress” did for his. It’s that good!” Eugene Peterson said that about this book, i like Peterson, i like his books and yes i kind of like The Message but on this occasion i think he is wrong. One thing i should state is that i do not read "Christian fiction," ever! This is "theological fiction" though so I have made an exception for the book that is causing quite a stir and has caused many "high profile" people to applaud it. I am aware that God is portrayed as an African-American woman in the story. Jesus is a young to middle-aged man of Middle-Eastern descent with a big nose and rather plain looks while the Holy Spirit is played by Sarayu, a small, delicate and eclectic woman of Asian descent. In the book, this is the Trinity! What do we make of this? It is likely that the book is going to continue to sell so many copies that its popularity alone will become its endorsement. I have learnt in the past about posting bad or incomplete reviews of books so it is likely i will not mention The Shack again. I also am well aware that this is old news for many folks, the book is being talked about a LOT online, its being praised by many and chopped up by others so take my advice if you want to read an in depth and very good review of the book, go here.

What do you think?

My day off and 'new job'........

Ok, i am off work today BUT i have been finding that when i am off from my day job that i am seldom actually off from work of some kind. Last weekend we had a great couple of days off, switched off the phones, didnt look at emails etc etc. The thing was when i checked back into normality on Tuesday last week, the emails and messages had just piled up and left me with even more to do! Today, i am working on another Open Uni assignment and believe it or not i value the course and the qualification that i will hopefully gain at the end of it so i want to devote proper time to it, not just cram it in hurriedly. 10am is my start time so i thought id blog first! I also have some news which i am being cautious about announcing or dramatizing but it is quite exciting, i think it is anyway. The last year has brought about massive changes in my workplace, changes that are for the best and are constantly improving the business and our customer service. The one thing that has been slow to happen and has been an uphill struggle for those involved has been the website and online shop. To cut a long story short, it is non existent right now and over the past few weeks after some discussions and prayer i have decided to take on the role of managing this project. Once we are up and running i will technically still be managing a Christian Bookshop, but an online one, with less shelves to stock!! The hope is that i can utilize all that the web has to offer as a means to raise our profile and get you guys to buy books from us, Faith Mission are about to go all web2.0!!! As yet there are lots of details to sort out BUT i am very excited and enthusiastic about this challenge. I will still work from ballymena, so i have no major upheaval in that regard. So, as i get more news i will let you know.......................

Buying Books online...............

Ok, i have some questions, some thoughts and some opinions! Those words should be the new "bloggers manifesto" but i doubt that will happen, though if it does please credit me! Today, I am curious about where people buy books online. I asked on twitter and so far amazon keeps being mentioned. I have bought books and music from amazon several times in recent years and have never once been unhappy or dissatisfied with the service. There are so many factors involved in what makes a good website/shop work but what does it for you? What keeps you going back and what impresses you? If you could add something to the site you buy from, what would it be? Just tell me what you think?

p.s i will explain why im asking soon!

I'm not very good at the Bible

This book landed with me today and i have to say i am quite excited by it. I guess its the first person i "kinda" know who has written a book. Though i hadn't actually ever spoke to him until the book was finished so i feel a bit lame for mentioning that now! I love that the first words of the "first" Chapter say "I'm not very good at the Bible." Its a sentence that i can relate to and often you don't get that in the first line of a book. I blogged about it here, you can buy it here and you can read his blog here. So, i am not very good at the Bible and like Dave i am trying to be honest about that and many other things. Perhaps i'll write the sequel for him!

Books may Kill me.........

Ok Books might not actually kill me but i constantly struggle to juggle all the books that i am reading at any given time. I start a book, i mention it on the blog and i say that i will come back to it in more detail and then i do not! Sometimes this is because i don't finish reading the book, sometimes it is because i hated it and have major criticisms and do not want to run into trouble by saying that a particular book is crap. The reasons are endless but as you may know i sometimes mention my like or dislike, briefly and as far as i can manage, politely. I might have to admit that part of my reading tactics come from my "restless" nature as mentioned here, i do not settle well! The book pictured is where i am dabbling right now. Go to their website here and buy it here. There is much 'conversation' about this book, the topic of this book etc etc on the web, if you are interested just type 'emergent' into google. I have to say though, so far, in my experience the folks of this little land are largely ignorant of the 'movement.' I see people my age and younger who are aware of the authors, pastors and speakers who represent 'emergent' thinking, they might even embrace some of the thinking but that, i think is it! I have spoken to a few folks who are heavily involved in 'ministry' of one kind or another and their ignorance of the 'church' and its direction outside of their backyard is quite frightening. I sometimes see that as a 'Northern Ireland thing' but i think i am being harsh there! So, yesterday i was told that i read very widely. This is true, i don't always process the information as well as i should though. If i did, then perhaps i could review a book properly and actually do it credit on the blog but i am slowly realizing it is not a strength of mine. In this area i am not capable

"Not many of you should become teachers" just doesn't mean a speaking teacher who stands up in front of a crowd and preaches/teaches. With that i will endeavor not to promise you a book review as it is likely i will not produce the goods! If i did try, then books might just kill me!

So i found this at work..........

How stunned was i when i found this book tucked in behind another the other day? Its not too long since this post by Los made me aware of the book....................

I'm Fine with God, Its Christians i can't stand.....

"A nationwide survey by the Barna Research Group found that very few adults outside of Christianity have a positive view of Christians. In fact, in comparison with other groups, evangelicals were ranked only slightly more favorably than prostitutes. Bickel and Jantz agree—Christianity has an image problem. They take an unflinching look at the sometimes humorous, but often offensive, behavior of some Christians. With a refreshing call to authentic Christianity, they help believers and non–believers alike get past the peripheral issues so they can communicate openly and honestly about God." (from the publisher). So, I just picked this one up, here's hoping i do not upset anyone with my thoughts on this book! It is a VERY important subject i have to say. The fact that "we" are often regarded as judgmental, hypocritical, irrelevant and obnoxious is not something i like to be reminded of but it is fact and truth is, Christians need to know this and need to think long and hard about it. That includes me, who can be all of the above and more quite often. Stay tuned

What did you say?

Last monday i blogged this post and in all honesty i did what i do with most posts. I do not often get more than one or two comments so i forgot about it to some degree. Then i got a few messages! Eeeek, i have to say after reading it back and in interacting with Ken a little bit i have to admit i may have written it poorly. This is such a difficulty with blogging, you can appear completely different than perhaps you intended. Ken puts it well here. I will hope to ask some questions to Ken in the future and look forward to his responses. You can see how our interaction became amicable here.

Questioning Spirituality................

A while ago i got this book! I am tempted to stop right there with this post! You can read more of the official info here. Hey, i even exchanged a couple of messages with Phyllis Tickle on Facebook, she wrote the foreword, which on my pre-release copy was missing! I am not sure what else to say, i admit to almost throwing it away a few times, that would have been silly. I will not get into a deep theological criticism of the book. For one, i am not intelligent enough to do so but also i got frustrated and have not yet completed it so it would be unfair to judge the whole book on a partial reading of it. Here's the thing, i got fed up with Questions! Questions, one after the other and very few answers. I am sure there are answers in the book somewhere, i just wasn't seeing them. As some of you who read 'supersimbo' regularly (2 of you) will know i am not exactly John MacArthur but neither am i Brian Mclaren, if you see what i am saying? I don't expect all the answers but id like some and when i read a book by a "senior pastor" it concerns me to find such an abundance of questions and compromising. I will repeat that these thoughts are based on reading just over half the book. I have a friend who was raised in "Church" and at 30 years old is full of doubt, questions and difficulties with God, Faith and his soul. I know the solution to his situation is not more questions, it may not be a "slap in the face" barrage of truth either but again, i hope you see where i am going? Questions CAN be good, they are not always good though, especially if its all we have.
I don't see this as a review of the above book, just an observation or first impression. I will most likely read the rest of it when i am less inclined to burn it or throw it across the room, stay tuned.

How we Interact................

The web never ceases to amaze me! Los is one of the most fantastic bloggers around and he continues to innovate and create brilliantly through his blog. Here's the thing! He just filmed a Promo for a new series at his Church via a really cool site called Mogulus which i have an account with but have not yet used! So, while they filmed, those of us who had been following his blog today or who stumbled across him were able to join in. Join in? i hear you ask! Well, we chatted on-screen while he filmed, with occasional checks by Los to see what we were all saying to each other. It was awesome to be able to interact in this way with someone on the other side of the world while he worked. It was awesome to be invited to see Los and his crew at work and mmm playing cards!! hehe!! Connor stopped by also and we both got to say hi to Los, yes, geeks we are!

One more thing, some of you know i manage a Bookshop. Well, it is becoming more popular in N.Ireland for Churches to have bookshops in their buildings, or at least a few have taken the lead and others are sure to follow. Buckhead Church, where Carlos is on staff have a bookshop, go take a peek here

Just being honest..........

" I grew up in church. I can’t imagine my life without it. My whole life I have been going along on Sunday and singing the songs. I know when to lift my hands and when to keep them down, but the thing is, I spend most of my time wondering why I feel like I’m missing something. Sometimes I feel like everyone else is getting it and I’m just not. I hope I’m not alone; the only one who doubts and questions. The more I talk to people, the more I see a desire to be honest, to share struggles and questions, to discover the truth by being authentic about our doubts.This isn’t theology or doctrine; it’s a reflection on my journey. I hope it will help other people to be real, to cherish the questions in an environment where only the pure, holy and sorted seem to survive."

Dave Magill Is Youth Coordinator at St Michael le Belfrey, a large evangelical anglican church in York. Dave is also part of the leadership teams of G2 and Conversations, two congregations of the church. Dave is married to Joanne and has no lovely children.

This Book is coming soon, i will keep you posted

On my Own with Joyce Meyer.............

This morning i arrived at work and began my usual routine of getting things set up for the day. Mondays are not really busy with customers but i normally have lots to do in order to get the week off to a good start for us. So, as i set up our tills for the day the last thing i needed was a phone call to say that Josephine was sick. She is the longest serving member of staff in the shop, she almost never gets sick or needs a day off but hey, that happens sometimes. I was resigned to the fact that i would spend the day alone in work which is not so nice. As it happens i was able to get another member of part-time staff to cover a couple of hours so i could get lunch and do some banking but for most of the day i was on my own.
I found myself wanting a conversation with every customer by the time the day was half way through. Sometimes that doesn't work, not every person who comes through the door has the time or patience to discuss the weather, the time change or the new range of NIV Bibles that are about to be launched! In fact, starting a conversation with a "King James Only" customer about NIV Bibles is just misguided and foolish but when one is by oneself it is hard to stop talking.
All in all the day was pretty straightforward, typically frustrating of course but without major incident. When Liz left me alone again after lunch, the door opened and a delivery driver dude brought in 6 boxes of new stock so that kept me moving for a couple of hours! It was like Christmas, only nobody has ever bought me a Joyce Meyer book for Christmas, Praise the Lord for sensible Christmas presents!

Nobody likes a 'Lousy' T-shirt......

Sometimes a book title just says 'read me' and this is probably one of those times. I had heard about this somewhere so when Trevor mentioned it this week i was eager to have a look. I have read the first few chapters even though i haven't finished the Ken Wilson book yet. Raised by a Jewish mother and abandoned by his professional poker-playing father, Antonucci found Jesus at age twenty after studying the New Testament. When he finally started meeting Christians, he was disappointed to discover a "boring, stale religion." Sound familiar? Well, instantly i have engaged with this book, thats a good start for me! It gets a glowing recommendation from loads of "popular" authors & speakers which is not always a good reason to buy a book but in this case they seem to be warranted. I will come back to this when i get finished with Jesus Brand Spirituality which i have to say, so far i have had several reservations about, but thats another blog post!!

For now check out the Lousy T-Shirt website here

Mad Church Disease.....

This book is not due for release in the U.S until Feb09 so i guess it won't arrive with me in the UK until a little bit after that but i will periodically put some updates up about what is going on with it. Looks like a good one! Check the website out here and visit the Authors Blog here



update: ah what the heck, iv put a link in my sidebar! maybe il get a free advance copy :) eh anne?

Jesus Brand Spirituality.....

I got an "advanced readers copy" of this book yesterday. I am looking forward to reading it but was disappointed to discover that the foreword by "facebook friend" Phyllis Tickle was absent from my copy. She is adamant she wrote it so it should show up in the final print run! She tells me its "one heck of a fine book." You can find out more about what the author is calling "Jesus Brand Spirituality" on the website of the Church he pastors here. I should also say that i am not advocating or affiliating myself with Emergent thinking, you will see references to it on the Church Website. Imagine a world where you read a book by a certain author and suddenly you are elevated to being a member of his "club" who shares all his or her beliefs without your knowledge? We live in that world! Oh, did i say that the main tagline of the book seems to be "He wants his Religion Back" in reference to Jesus. Its great that i am looking forward to the book and instantly i disagree with that statement. I guess its the way its worded, i understand the meaning behind it but i like to think that Jesus never had any intention of starting a "religion" in the sense that most people understand the word. This is hardly new thinking on my part so i won't wax lyrical on that but you get what i mean!? Anyway, more on this another time............