Apologetics: A New Kind of Apologetics by Scot McKnight

“Perhaps it is wise to remember that apologetics tell us about the Age in which we live as much as they provide a coherent reason for the faith.”

Association: Going Outside the Camp: The Holiness of Standing With the Losers by Richard Beck

“This is the disgrace of being outside the camp. The disgrace of being a loser and standing with losers. But when we go outside the camp to stand with the losers there we find the body and blood of Jesus, the sacrifice that makes us pure, holy and clean.”

Bible archaeology & geography: Seven Wonders of Israel by Todd Bolen

“Seven wonders of Israel were selected last year in an online vote sponsored by an Israeli television station.”

Death: Funeral Lessons: Things You Learn or Relearn When a Close Loved One Dies by Joe McKeever

“… lessons you learn or get reinforced in family funerals that you might otherwise miss.”

Emotions & leadership: * 5 Hidden Emotions of Many Leaders by Ron Edmonson; * How to Disarm Your Inner-Critic by Dan Rockwell

* “Wouldn’t it be easier if we dropped the game playing and revealed the true emotions we have in leadership? Call me a Snitch if you want, but I’m breaking the silence. Be honest if you can often identify with this any of these hidden emotions.”

* “I live with an inner critic who loves pointing out my faults, failures, and shortcomings. I’m never good enough … my inner fault-finder never shows me the path to success and happiness. He yells, but he never yells, ‘Go Dan! You can do it.’”

Evangelism: * Creating a Vision for Evangelism by Matt Dabbs; * Positive Evangelism, a series of posts by Paul Smith – parts one, two, three, four, and five [required reading]

* “We have been doing our Church Steps program for one month as of this week. Here is an update on what has happened so far.”

Generational differences, harmony & leadership: * Gen-Xers and Religion by Michelle Boorstein; * The Keurig Generation vs. Church Leaders by Mark Woodward

* “Generation X-ers — people born between 1965 and 1972 — are bucking previous demographic trends by becoming less religiously affiliated and less Republican even as they’ve aged, according to one of the biggest surveys of American religiosity.”

* “… people love having all those choices … [and] church leaders tend to resist lots of choices. If you have tension in your church between elders and ministers and/or leaders and members, chances are good that it has to do with those who want choices and those who don’t.”

Grace & graciousness: Wanted: Moments of Grace by Jim Martin

“Consider the people you are with today. Your family. Co-workers. The lady at the bank. If they are human, they will make -mistakes. What if I didn’t roll my eyes. What if I didn’t roll my eyes behind my eyes. … What if I simply showed grace.”

Outreach, evangelism & community: Belonging: Outreach is Not the Same as Belonging by Ed Cyzewski

“I had conversations with four neighbors the other day that I’ve yet to meet. … To think I took all of these classes in seminary and at different churches in order to learn how to “reach out to my neighbors.” What a waste of time and money. A garden and a little generosity was all I needed in order to be a normal member of my neighborhood.”

Parenting: Why Stay-at-Home Moms Are More Depressed Than Working Moms by Ellen Morgan Peltz

” A new Gallup poll found that stay-at-home moms are more likely than moms who are employed outside the home to feel negative emotions such as worry, sadness, stress and anger on a daily basis, as well as to have been diagnosed with clinical depression. … financial strain and lack of appreciation as the two leading causes for the negative emotions of stay-at-home moms. … In other words, the average stay-at-home mom is more likely to be a woman who stays home because she needs to, not because she wants to.”

Vision: * Why Vision Matters by Michael Hyatt; * Making Vision Stick by Andy Stanley

* “When times are tough, vision is the first casualty. Before conditions can improve, it is the first thing we must recover.”

* ” I found Andy Stanley’s book Making Vision Stick extremely helpful in understanding how to get an organization to catch and maintain a vision. This goes beyond forging mission statements and having meetings. This book gets to the core of leadership itself. “