Monday, December 31, 2007

Bargain Books In SoCal

I am so excited! We went to the Christian bookstore here in Colton to pick up some books we can't find in Helena. I was completely jazzed to find a number of books that I've been wanting to read on the Bargain books shelf. A couple of these we had to buy at full price, but for most of them we got 4 or 5 for the price of one. Whoo-hoo!

Carpe Manana: Is Your Church Ready To Seize Tomorrow? by Leonard Sweet. Written to help Christians in this strange new world of postmodern culture. Offers strategies for leaders to put their faces, not their backs, to the future. I already have this book, but it was a steal and would be a great gift to someone.
Chazown: A Different Way to See Your Life by Craig Groeschel. Chazown is Hebrew for “vision.” God wants to give His for you, and this book will help reveal it! Living God’s dream will rock your world and align every area of your life, from your relationships to your finances and health. I've read through a third of this and realized I need to wait until I have time to truly examine myself.
Confessions of a Pastor: Adventures in Dropping the Pose and Getting Real with God by Craig Groeschel. Why do we spend so much time trying to please everyone else and make so little effort trying to please God? When Craig Groeschel asked himself that question, he couldn’t come up with a good answer. So one day he decided to drop the act and start getting real. With that one choice, his life began to change in a big way. And yours can too. This is highly recommended by a bunch of pastor friends I know.
Holy Discontent: Fueling the Fire That Ignites Personal Vision by Bill Hybels. Very likely, the firestorm of your frustration reflects your holy discontent, a reality so troubling that you are thrust off the couch and into the game. It's during these defining times when your eyes open to the needs surrounding you and your heart hungers to respond that you hear God say, "I feel the same way about this problem. Now, let's go solve it together!"
Next Generation Leader: 5 Essentials for Those Who Will Shape the Future by Andy Stanley. Challenges young Christians eager to learn, grow, and lead in ministry or in the marketplace. Andy Stanley addresses essential leadership qualities such as character, clarity, courage, and competency. Andy Stanley rocks!
Sheet Music: Uncovering The Secrets Of Sexual Intimacy In Marriage by Kevin Leman. With his characteristic warmth and humor, Dr. Kevin Leman offers a practical guide to sex according to God's plan. This frank and practical book is a perfect resource for married and engaged couples. This one comes highly recommended from Simply Strategic Guy, Tony Morgan.
Static: Tune Out the "Christian Noise" and Experience the Real Message of Jesus by Ron Martoia. Christians often use words to communicate to others; however, these words arent understood by many of those outside the church. We can be so absorbed in our "christianese" that we dont realize others dont understand the jargon and cannot figure out what it is we mean by what we are saying. Static readers will become aware of what we are saying so we can re-focus our thinking to communicate clearly to those outside the church. I've finished this one already. A good examination of Jewish context and word origins.
Stop Dating the Church!: Fall in Love with the Family of God by Joshua Harris. Stop Dating the Church reminds us that faith was never meant to be a solo pursuit. The church is the place God grows us, encourages us, and uses us best. Loving Jesus Christ involves a passionate commitment to His church — around the world and down the street. We can't be apathetic. It's time to fall in love with the family of God. On some reading lists of Montana pastors.
Whatever Happened to Worship?: A Call to True Worship by A. W. Tozer. Tozer pleads for an insistence on making worship genuine and forsaking the compulsion to substitute work for worship. I had to pay full price, but this one is a classic.
Why Men Hate Going to Church by David Murrow. It's Sunday morning. Where are all the men? Golfing? Watching the tube? One place you won't find them is in church. Less than 40 percent of adults in most churches are men, and 20 to 25 percent of married churchgoing women attend without their husbands. With eye-opening research and a persuasive grasp on the facts, Murrow explains the problem and offers hope and encouragement to women, pastors, and men.

I realize that it's sad that I'm excited about a bunch of books. I guess I'm a book geek :-)