Using this, we randomly picked 5 people to give a copy of Blue Parakeet to.
Christie Murray
globalandy
chrismil
chrysannet
applebyday
If I don’t have your address, email me at mgoldsworthy [AT] parkcrest [DOT] org, and we’ll mail the book next week.
I’m a big fan of Scot McKnight. Not only is he a thoughtful scholar, but he’s a good guy and easy to relate to. He combines those two traits in his book Blue Parakeet, where he writes a thoughtful way of engaging the Scriptures, but makes it easily accessible.
Allison and some friends were doing a book club on it this weekend, and it reminded me of how much I enjoyed both Scot and the book – its one of those books that I’m regularly giving away. I actually have a pile of them for the purpose of giving them away. So, I thought I’d give a few of those away on the blog.
So, I’ve got 5 copies to give away here.
2 ways to get one:
1. Leave me a comment below
2. Or, Twitter this:
I’m hoping @mikegoldsworthy will give me a free copy of @scotmcknight’s book, Blue Parakeet http://bit.ly/bY4Blo
On Friday morning, we’ll put all the entries into a random picker thingy and have it pick 5 out. So, comment and Twitter to have your name in there twice. We’ll connect with you on Friday to get your mailing address.
And if no one wants one, that’s ok, you’re not hurting my feelings…but you might make someone else cry.
“Almost nothing that makes any real difference can be proved”
~ Frederich Buechner, Wishful Thinking
We’ve been doing some cleaning, trying to declutter, and have a bunch of books we’re going to get rid of. We thought we’d offer to give them to you first before we sell some of them on Amazon.
So, if you’d like one of the books below, you’re welcome to it. First come, first served…you’re just responsible for getting it. If you’re out of town, we’d be happy to mail it to you, you’ll just need to pay for shipping. Shipping via media mail costs around $2.50.
So, let us know if you want any of these by next Friday
(click on the image to make it larger)
My goal is to read 50 books a year. I’m not exactly sure how many I got through this year…I probably need to do a better job at tracking that, but it’s somewhere around 50. My favorites tend to be books that had me talking about it and thinking about it later. They’re books that I found myself referring back to and referencing to people in conversations. Often, as was the case with a few of these, I end up buying copies that I give away as well.
So, here were my favorites that I read this year1:
7. In-N-Out Burger by Stacy Perman
I’m not going to lie. I love In-N-Out. We had it at our wedding. Anytime I’m out of town, it’s the first place I go when I get back. So, I really enjoyed reading about how it started, some of their practices and some of the things they’ve done that have set them apart from other fast food chains. It was a good read for leadership principles. The only problem was that every time I read a section I had to run to In-N-Out to satisfy a craving.
6. Born to Run by Christopher McDougall
I seriously didn’t expect to like this book. I don’t think I’ve ever before read a book on running. It was a great story, that along the way gave you stats, advice and helpful antidotes on running. It inspired me to run for the joy of running, and to do it barefoot.
5. Me, Myself and Bob by Phil Vischer
This is the autobiography of Phil Vischer who was the creator of VeggieTales. Reading about how VeggieTales got started and what happened to it was interesting. But what sucked me in more was his story of grace and how he encountered God in fresh ways when he wasn’t trying to do more good stuff for him. After reading it, for Isaac’s birthday, I also ended up buying the children’s book that Phil wrote shortly after he lost VeggieTales.
4. Lamb by Christopher Moore
Probably about 5 years ago, a few people kept urging me to read this book and I never got around to it. I don’t know why I didn’t at the time, but it was definitely worth reading it this year. It’s the fictional account of the Gospel according to Biff, Jesus’ Childhood friend. It was so funny and fun to read. I actually laughed out loud several times as the author would retell a common story of Jesus from Biff’s perspective. One brief disclaimer though: Although there’s some great historical and biblical research done for the book, Christopher Moore isn’t a Christian, so if you’re someone who is easily offended, it’s probably not the best book for you to pick up.
3. The Orthodox Heretic by Peter Rollins
Peter Rollins is a bit controversial for some other things he has written, but regardless of whether or not you agree with his theology, I think that this book is brilliant. Essentially he writes his own parables, some of which had me thinking about them for days afterwards. It also made me think about what it looks like in preaching or writing for the story to be the message, and to not have to make the story be supplemental to the message. I haven’t ventured to try anything with that yet, but it definitely compelled me to consider it.
2. The Blue Parakeet by Scot McKnight
Scot has definitely become a significant voice in the evangelical world, and it helps that we had him out to speak at Parkcrest and I got to know him a bit. But this book was something that I had been looking for, for a long time. A book that the average person at Parkcrest can read that helps us to thoughtfully engage the Scriptures.
1. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller
This was the one book that I read this year that I had a hard time putting down. I think I read it in two sittings, and need to go through it again. This was definitely Donald Miller’s best book yet. He recaptured his great writing style where he tells you stories about himself, but at the same time has a bigger overarching narrative that he’s drawing you into. He does a great job at encouraging us to live a better story.
I was talking with a friend recently about all the great books on preaching that will never be assigned in a preaching class, or at least it wasn’t in any that we took.
From my own reading the last couple of years, here’s what I think are the top 5 books on preaching that will never be assigned in a class on preaching:
5. How Can The Bible Be Authoritative by N.T. Wright
Ok, my first one isn’t technically a book, although N.T. Wright did write a book specifically on this later, but I’m still a fan of this lecture personally. The way we approach the Bible in our messages teaches the people who listen to us how to approach the Bible. Many of us are missing the mark maybe not in how we read it, but in how we preach it, and are falling into one of Wright’s Authority Problems.
4. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamont or On Writing by Stephen King
I’m having a hard time deciding between these two. They both are books about writing that have given me some great insight into preaching regularly. I read them both originally at the same time, so in some ways they both blur together for me. But, what I learned is that there is a lot of crossover between what it is to write regularly and what it is to speak regularly. There’s some great inspiration as well as great practical advice.
3. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
This book isn’t about speaking or communicating, but instead about creativity and the battle to release creativity. So much of what he talks about regarding “The Resistance” can easily be applied to crafting a message. I have a few books on my need to read every year list, and this has become one of them.
2. Communicating for Change by Andy Stanley
I’m honestly not sure why this one isn’t included more often at least in introductory courses to preaching. Maybe it’s because it’s a simple read, but it’s some great thoughts by one of the leading communicators in the church today. While he gets a little too systematic at times for me, I think he provides a really helpful framework in what makes an effective sermon.
1. Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath
One of the best books written on why some messages resonate with people and others don’t. While it’s more directed towards marketing, it easily applies to what makes an effective sermon. Understanding the “Curse of Knowledge” alone makes this book worthwhile.
Those of you who regularly speak in front of audiences, what other books would you recommend that would probably never get assigned?
Since I’ve mentioned it in a few messages recently, several people have been asking me for some information on barefoot running. Here’s a few places to start being convinced of the goodness:
Born to Run is the book that first got me interested. It’s not really a technical book about running or a book that’s trying to convince you of a certain way to run as much as it is a story that has some interesting facts along the way. It’s so interesting that not only did I read it quickly but now Allison is almost done with it.
The NY Times recently wrote an article with the author of Born to Run. He makes it sound pretty convincing that it’s worth a try. Make sure to watch the video too.
Tim Ferris has a few interesting facts on his site
Michael Hyatt’s post was the one that first got me interested in the book
Bottom line…give it a try, what’s it going to hurt? (well, maybe your feet a little, but still…)
I started in on Don Miller’s new book yesterday and almost finished it in the morning. It’s that good.
Thought I’d share a brief quote:
Here’s the truth about telling stories with your life. It’s going to sound like a great idea, and you are going to get excited about it, and then when it comes time to do the work, you’re not going to want to do it. It’s like that with writing books, and it’s like that with life. People love to have lived a great story, but few people like the work it takes ot make it happen. But joy costs pain.
