Platform

Michael Hyatt's brand new Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World--also subtitled "A Step-by-Step Guide for Anyone with Something to Say or Sell"--is a great book. Though packed full of information, it is an easy read; I was genuinely amazed at how quickly I got through it. Though I have read Michael Hyatt's blog for some time now, and could of course recognize some content I had come across before, all of it was nonetheless fresh and helpful. And though I have been writing, speaking, and tooting my own horn for a couple decades now, and have thousands of Facebook friends, blog subscribers, and Twitter followers, I learned a lot--as evidenced by the many markers I stuck on pages (see the photo) indicating ideas or suggestions I want to follow up later.

Anyone who plans to publish, speak, or otherwise get a message out (as the subhead says) needs to read this book. It is thorough. It is entertaining. And it is tremendously helpful.

Church of the Week: St. John the Evangelist Church

Just over a week ago, in the company of my (much) older brother Larry, I visited the neighborhoods in which I grew up--Silverton, Deer Park, Kennedy Heights, and Pleasant Ridge--in Cincinnati. On our drive around the area, we stopped for a few minutes at St. John the Evangelist Church at the corner of Plainfield and Deer Park, in Deer Park.

The Roman Catholic church was founded in 1891 and is the oldest church in Deer Park. I remember this impressive modern building in my childhood, dominating the fork in the road just north of Montgomery Road, Meyer Winery, and the Italianette Pizzeria (all of which are still there, so I can't be that old).

We checked the doors, and they were all locked (whatever happened to churches being open for prayer during the day?). So we had to content ourselves with peering in the windows at the lovely sanctuary, and strolling through the well-tended gardens.

The church's website is here. Their annual festival is coming up June 8-10. We should all go.

Church Signs With Moveable Letters Should Be Outlawed (Pt. 9)

Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus

One of the most rewarding areas of study for me in my several decades of ministry has been the Jewish background and milieu of Yeshua Mashiach (Jesus the Messiah). That's what makes Lois Tverberg's Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus such a fun and enlightening read.

It brings many of Jesus' words and teachings to life as it explores the cultural, Jewish context of those teachings. The author explains numerous Jewish idioms and expressions that expose deeper and richer--and often clearer--meanings to what Jesus said. She sheds new light on many of Jesus' familiar parables. And she reveals the linkage between Jesus' words and Scriptural or historical background that his first audiences would have understood and appreciated--yet which modern readers miss.

I made numerous marks and notations in the book, which is one measure of quality for me. I thought the earlier chapters were especially helpful, and was amazed at the book's voluminous endnotes, many of which are as fun and helpful to read as the body of the book.

In short, I recommend Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus. Whether you're a newbie to the subject or an experienced Bible student, you'll find much to learn and much to appreciate there.

Pastor Retreats

The lovely Robin and I have benefitted numerous times from the ministry of various friends and organizations who have offered us retreat sites for nothing or next-to-nothing. In Michigan, Colorado, Kentucky, and Ohio, we have experienced the generosity and hospitality--and recreativity--of prayer retreats and pastoral health retreat.

Now, one of my favorite bloggers, Lawrence W. Wilson, has posted a state-by-state listing (here) of guest, retreat, or vacation accommodations for those in ministry, some of which are offered free and all of which are affordable.

Check it out. And then GET A ROOM!

Preaching Today

Tony Jones, presenting today at the Festival of Homiletics in Atlanta, says:

We live in the most highly educated society and the most highly participatory culture in the history of humankind. Everything around us has changed: the clothes we wear, the way we transport ourselves, how we communicate.

And yet, 99% of preachers stand up on Sunday morning and deliver a monologue. A soliloquy.

And their churches decline. And they wring their hands.

There is another way. There is a way of participation and inclusion and dialogue and conversation.

He's absolutely right. How has YOUR preaching changed? How SHOULD it change, in order to reach the hearts and minds of today's audience?