The Power to Comprehend with All the Saints

The pastor is also resident theologian of a local church, but many pastors rarely if ever consider "theologian" to be part of their job description. The Power to Comprehend with All the Saints (Eerdmans) is an interesting and substantive exploration of the formation and practice of pastor-theologians. The articles are written by a variety of authors who participated in a decade-long project sponsored by the Center of Theological Inquiry in Princeton, New Jersey.

Understanding English Bible Translation

Preachers use the Bible on a daily basis, yet many know little about the Bible translations they use regularly. In Understanding English Bible Translation (Crossway), Leland Ryken takes the reader on a tour of the background and process of translating the Bible into English.

A Multi-Site Church Road Trip

Wondering about the trend toward multi-site churches? Then hop on board A Multi-Site Church Road Trip (Zondervan) for an enjoyable and informative survey of what's happening across the American church scene. Subtitled Exploring the New Normal, the book is written by Geoff Surratt of Seacoast Church (with at least 10 sites at last count), and Greg Ligon and Warren Bird of Leadership Network. Don't consider that second site before reading it.

Orality and Preaching

David Dorsey wrote: "Humans need and appreciate communication that is arranged and organized." He makes the claim in the context of his discussion of biblical literature having been written not to be read but to be heard, even when read. "The Bible was written for an oral culture; the text was heard before it was seen; it was intended to be read aloud." This, by the way, is the best way to hear the message of the last book of the Bible, the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Read it out loud. "Blessed is the one who reads and those who hear the words" (Rev. 1:3). It takes about 90 minutes to read orally; but it is worth the time to hear what is hard to see.

Mistakes, Teaching

A high school senior saw an inspirational advertisement on television about becoming a teacher. She called the number shown: 1.800.45TEACH. After a woman answered, the student immediately began talking about how she thought she had found her life's calling and asked if she could send her some information.

Perfection, Excellence

Stradivarius violins are known as the best violins in the world. Famous musicians love to play them. These violins can be strong and powerful, soft and expressive, energetic and brilliant. Said one performer: "It's like a great race car."

Disciple-Making Churches

In a recent article for ChurchCentral.com, Thom Rainer writes: "As we heard from churches across America, we began to see a common pattern in churches that were more effective in making disciples. The attendance rate of members of those churches was higher, and the dropout rate was lower." Some of the common traits in such churches included:

Distracted

Learning that repeated calls from controllers to the cockpit of an Airbus A320 operated by a reputable airline, flying at 37,000 feet and moving at 450 miles per hour tends to grab your attention. It also leaves you feeling very vulnerable. Now, at least in this case, we know the truth. What is it? Well, the answer doesn't exactly put us at ease; and we kind of figured that it would be that way. Planes just don't keep flying past Minneapolis when they are supposed to land there.