arieljvan.com

Time to give a nod to another book that, from where I’m sitting, looks can’t-miss.

Ever since reading a blurb about a new title by Derek Tidball, I was interested in cracking this book and exploring his premise. From the intro of the disarmingly titled Ministry by the Book:

This book seeks to open the imagination about ministry, not to close a discussion down. It seeks to sketch several models of ministry, all of which have their origins in the New Testament, and challenge the stunted understanding of ministry that so often characterizes our churches today. I hope it provides a number of “models of permission” that enable a freer approach to ministry and the way it is conducted, and provides encouragement for those who don’t fit the “McDonaldized” version of ministry so common today.

It became obvious fairly early in my life that I wasn’t going to grow into one of the soft-spoken, bleeding-heart pastor-counselors I saw in churches around me. I wished I could, and speculated about whether I could pump up enough tender, gentle qualities to qualify for ministry.

When I entered seminary, I once again felt the bite of square peg/round hole syndrome, as I struggled through classes that tried to groom me for a suit-and-tie-wearing, Sunday school-class organizing, business meeting-driven model of church leadership. This also was not happening, and at times it made me wonder what the heck I was doing.

During these years, I began to realize that leadership and ministry was not homogeneous in the New Testament, shouldn’t be homogeneous today, and that I didn’t need to fit myself into various homogeneous existing models of ministry. So I stopped trying, continued to read the Bible carefully, and did my best to figure out Jesus’ vision for my gifts and ministry instead of taking my cues from various church cultures.

Now, as I start through Derek Tidball’s Ministry by the Book, I’m thinking, This one would have saved me a lot of angst, confusion, and wasted time if it had existed 5 years sooner and, say, been required reading at my seminary. Hopefully it will prove as eye-opening and liberating for readers today as it would have for me back when I was trying to change myself into a soft-spoken, tie-wearing, pastor-counselor. (Who I’m not, but who of course have a place in the church.)

Last weekend I was given the opportunity to preach on the life of Jacob at DeSoto Community Church, a growing gospel community planted by my friend Matt Maestas. In a truly gutsy move, Matt is marching through the Old Testament in the second major sermon series at DCC, emphasizing the presence of Jesus throughout God’s redemption history.

As a result of all my books being packed away in boxes in Lindsay’s grandpa’s garage, I only had access to one Genesis commentary as I tackled the challenging topic of “Jacob”…his entire life and times. If I’d had my library at my fingertips, John Calvin’s commentary on Genesis might not have been the first book I opened. But as it turned out, Calvin’s insight into the human emotions and divine interventions of the Jacob story were excellent and apropos.

Reading the perspectives of dead theologians is a great way to escape the sometimes-narrow perspectives of the living. Thought I’d take a second to recommend Crossway’s Classic Commentaries series in general, and Calvin’s Genesis in particular.

I’m a huge fan of online book shopping, and have been ever since I discovered that by surfing Amazon I could prevent my college book store from ripping me off to the tune of $100-200 a semester…a trend that continued in seminary. Tuition is enough of a donation, right?

However, when someone gives me a gift card to Barnes & Noble or Borders, I can easily get lost in there for a couple hours. Yesterday I found myself on the plaza with some downtime on my hands, so I hit up the local B&N. I walked out with a couple books that should make for some great reading.

Agincourt. One of the great come-from-behind victories in history gets a gritty fictional treatment from Bernard Cornwell in this new bestseller. How did the British underdogs pull off an amazing W against the French at Agincourt? Well, you can read Shakespeare’s Henry V (possibly my favorite Shakespeare play), watch Kenneth Branagh’s great film version, check a history book…or read this one. Cornwell embellishes his character’s backstory, but the historical data is for real. Probably not for the faint of heart though. If Finding Private Ryan, Gladiator or Braveheart made you gag, don’t pick this one up. Medieval warfare was nasty.

Orthodoxy. I’ve read and raved about G.K. Chesterton’s superb book before. But this is a book you re-read…and own multiple copies of. I’ve been coveting this hardback, large print, wide-margin edition for a couple years, so when I spotted it, I went ahead and grabbed the only copy I found in the store. If you haven’t yet read this one, expect adventure, humor, biting dialogue, romance, suspense…and all this in a “theology” book. C.S. Lewis comes the closest, but probably no one will ever match Chesterton’s passionate knack for revealing the bright, terrifying, stunning reality in which we live.

Bought any good books lately?

I’ve been reading Total Church in the last couple weeks, and this book on gospel and community is tearing it up. Jason Allen is also reading Total Church (we’re discussing it) and has posted some excerpts on why Christian community, specifically in the small group sense, is the ideal setting for marriages to flourish. Check it:

Why a Community Group is Good For Your Marriage | LifeConnection Church.

Lifted directly from Culture Making:

I’m all for reading bad books because I consider them to be a gateway drug. People who read bad books now may or may not read better books in the future. People who read nothing now will read nothing in the future.

—Novelist Ann Patchett on “The Triumph of the Readers“