Read the Bible Through in 2010

Tomorrow morning I will sit down for my last devotional reading of the year. I used the One-Year Chronological Bible to read the Bible through this year. I highly recommend it. I especially enjoyed the fact that it was in chronological order. This feature really helps when you're working your way through the Old Testament.

Next year (Friday morning), I will begin a 2 year plan of reading through my Ryrie Study Bible (New American Standard translation). I prefer the NAS because it is the most literal translation of the original languages. And, besides, I've had it since 1979 and I have a ton of notes written in it. I'm looking forward to getting back into my study Bible again.

Click the link above to purchase your copy from Amazon.com.

Serious Business at the Border

I've been following Nicolas Rapp at his blog, Trans World Expedition. He's driving around the world. He started in NYC in November and is currently in Central America. Here's a picture that he took at the Honduras/Nicaraguan border. Wonder if there were drugs in the car? Wonder how ticked the owner of the car was - especially if there were no drugs...

How to Keep Church Members in the Stands

This week offers more opportunities to watch football than any other week of the year. The NFL has teams fighting for position in the playoffs and the college bowl games are in full swing. Hundreds of thousands of fans will sit in the stands of stadiums around the country pulling for their favorite teams.

It's great to be a fan in the stands but it's even more fun to be a participant on the field.

Unfortunately, a lot of church members would rather be spectators rather than participants. God didn't design you to sit and watch. He created you for a purpose and He wants you on the playing field.

It reminds me of something I read a long time ago.

How to Keep Church Members in the Stands (and off the playing field)

1. Keep People in Large Groups

People get lost in a crowd so never encourage them to meet in small groups or classes. Pretty soon they will stop coming or be in trouble and no one will even notice.

2. Let a Few People Do it All

If you let a few people do all the ministry in your church, others won't feel needed and may stop coming altogether.

3. Make the Vision of the Church a Mystery

The Bible says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." If you don't let people know the vision and purpose of the Church, they won't have a cause that keeps them involved.

4. Don't Require much of your Members

The Bible teaches that every member of the Body of Christ has a function. That means members that don't serve keep God's Church handicapped. If you do away with all expectations for involvement, the lack of commitment will keep more people on the membership roll than in ministry.

5. Create Boring and Irrelevant Worship Services

People will want to attend a church that has exciting worship and teaching that speaks to everyday life. The better you bore folks, the more inactive they become.

6. Stifle Spiritual Growth

Healthy Christians are usually active church members. Don't encourage people to grow spiritually. Don't endorse spiritual disciplines like daily Bible reading/study, prayer, tithing, etc.

Book Review: Primal by Mark Batterson

What would your Christianity look like if it was stripped down to the simplest, rawest, purest, faith possible? You would have more, not less. You would have the beginning of a new reformation - in your generation, your church, your own soul. You would have primal Christianity.

Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity by Mark Batterson is an invitation to become part of a reformation movement. It is an invitation to rediscover the compassion, wonder, curiosity, and energy that turned the world upside down 2000 years ago. It is an invitation to be astonished again.

Mark Batterson is the author of Wild Goose Chase and In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. He is the Lead Pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC.

Book Review: 40 Loaves

40 Loaves: Breaking Bread with Our Father Each Day serves a three-fold purpose as a daily devotional, primer for a new believer, or help for those who have a lot of questions for God. Each chapter title is a question - questions everyone asks at one time or another. C.D. Baker does a good job of giving succinct answers to the hard challenges of life.

For example:

Why can't I overcome sin in my life?
Why don't I have more faith?
Why do I so easily lose self-control?
Why am I so afraid of death?
Why am I so confused about finding God's will?
Why does God seem silent in my life?

40 Loaves would make a great gift for those who are new to the faith or anyone with a lot of unanswered questions.

I have one copy to give away. Email me at genepjennings@aol.com and I'll randomly choose a winner on Christmas Eve.

"We Ain't Wastin' Nothing!"

Yesterday morning, our church family faced a difficult day when one of our staff members lost their beautiful baby girl after a healthy, full-term pregnancy. It is heart-breaking and gut-wrenching. Please pray for them.

As I was talking to Tommy, our Student Minister, about it yesterday, he said he felt funny preparing for the Element Student Ministries Christmas party. "It feels weird teaching on celebration with all that's going on," he said.

I told him to have fun and celebrate the moment.

It reminded me of another time about 20 years ago when we served a church in the Atlanta area. A pastor friend of mine suffered a similar loss in their immediate family. When he came home later that day his wife was obviously upset about the loss of the baby. He looked in the dining room and the table was set with the fine china that usually collected dust in the china cabinet. There were candles on the table and the entire meal was elegantly spread and waiting on the family to gather around.

"What's going on?" my friend asked. His wife replied, "After today, I've decided that we are going to celebrate every day. Every day is worth celebrating. We let the china waste away in the cabinet waiting for a special occasion. Well, this is special. From now on, we ain't wastin' nothing! We are going to live fully and rejoice. This is the day the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad."

She preached a great and memorable sermon to her family that night. And one that I remembered too.

Celebrate every day. Don't let petty things get in the way of your relationships. Don't let busyness keep you from rejoicing. Don't let a day slip away without realizing how special life is and letting those around you know how special they are to you.

The Tiger Woods Saga: What Should We Expect?

Since my previous post about Tiger more dirt has been published about his affairs and sordid behavior. The last count that I've seen is 9 women. My wife and I were discussing this last night. We asked each other the question, "What does the world expect?"

The media is wearing Tiger out. Some are even crucifying him and saying he is no longer worthy to promote razor blades or golf shoes.

This is the same media that:

• televises the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
• gave us a decade of Jerry Seinfeld sleeping with a different woman in almost every episode
• publishes the annual swimsuit issue in the most popular sports magazine
• furnishes porn with just a couple of clicks with a mouse
• profiles "The Girls Next Door" each week
• glorifies music featuring lyrics of sexual escapades
• featured Adam Lambert's gross display on the American Music Awards

You can easily add to this list, but you get the point.

The media slams it in our faces day after day for years and, when someone does what they promote, they slam him for doing it. It's hypocritical, isn't it?

What Would Jesus Say to Tiger Woods?

Like millions of people, I'm disappointed in Tiger Woods. He's obviously put his marriage at risk by being unfaithful. While the story still isn't 100% solid, it seems there's something fishy going on. I'm sure the tabloids have misreported or misrepresented some things, but it appears evident that Tiger has crossed the line.

It also disappoints me that he has communicated only through his blog. I wish he'd call a press conference and let all the cameras and mics record him saying, "I've sinned. I messed up. I'm going to try and make things right." To be honest, I think he's being a little cowardly by not stepping up and facing this thing. He's a public figure and it must be confessed in public (in my humble opinion).

Do you wonder what Jesus might say to Tiger? Here's a thought:

Jesus went to Florida and at dawn he appeared in a wealthy subdivision where all the people and media trucks gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The media brought in a man caught in adultery. They made him stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this man was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such men. Now what do you say?"

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at him." Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the man still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked him, "Tiger, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

"No one, sir," Tiger said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

(An adaptation of John 8:1-11)