January 23, 2014  

BiVo: A Manifesto

BiVoOne of the fun things about reading more books is that as I finish a book I hope to write a short blog summarizing its content. Consider it a Web 2.0 book report of sorts. I will try to keep it pithy and present helpful parts of the books that relate to the content of this blog.

My first book that I read this year was “BiVo: A Manifesto” by Doug Black Jr. Doug is a simple church planter in Phillidelphia, PA, an evangelist, and an all around good guy. He and I have never met in person, but its a rare week for the two of us not to interact somehow on Twitter. And I have to say it was a lot of fun to include his book in my project because I rarely read books from authors I know.

If you’re not familiar with the term “BiVo,” it’s Christian shorthand for Bi-Vocational.  In the crazy, mixed-up Christian world we live in, someone decided that all important Christian leaders should be paid for what they do.  Then some folks came along and said, “Wait a second, being in the ministry isn’t all about being paid.”  So they started referring to themselves as Bi-Vocational, meaning they had one vocation that paid the bills and one that was a ministry calling from Jesus.  And since the advent of Twitter, everything needs to be shorter, so instead of saying “Bi-Vocational,” we use the term “BiVo.”

“BiVo: A Manifesto” is Doug’s story of transitioning from a full-time, paid youth pastor to a life following Jesus while working a full-time “secular” job. He shares about the difference it’s made in his life, helping him understand the lost world around him and opening up opportunities to reach out to lost people he never would have met inside the four walls of a church building.  It’s also an appeal for those in ministry who are full-time to consider how being a paid servant may color their approach to Christianity.  It looks at the down-sides of paid ministry and how it can hinder the growth of the church and the outreach to the lost.

What I loved about “BiVo” was Doug’s approach to the subject.  He didn’t degrade those who are taking a salary to serve the church.  In fact, in a very brotherly way, he presented his life and the fruit of stepping down from paid ministry and asked his fellow servants to consider a better way.  His heart for the lost shines through in this book.  A large part of his argument is that paid ministry hinders the outreach to lost people in a number of ways.   As someone who is BiVo himself, it was encouraging to see Doug thinking about money and the Kingdom of God in a similar way that I and others have. Sometimes not being alone in BiVo is half the battle.

“BiVo” was both a great testimonial and some really good introductions to the thought behind why BiVo ministry is helpful.  BiVo is not the full story on life as an unpaid servant, but it is a virtual tract that should be read and strongly considered by those who have never thought about how paid ministry could hinder the spread of the Gospel.  Thanks, Doug, for giving us this window into your life and learn from how God has lead you.

You can download a free copy of BiVo: A Manifesto for Kindle, Nook, or in PDF here.
January 20, 2014  

Relativism is an Opportunity for the Church

As I said earlier, I’m reading a bunch of books. From time to time, I may quote small sections for your edification. This comes from Neil Cole‘s book, Church 3.0:

Today, the philosophy of relativism is increasing at an alarming rate. It takes only a short time under such a framework for life to lose all meaning and darkness and despair to pervade all of one’s thoughts. The longer people live under such a philosophy of life, the more they hunger for solid ground beneath their feet. This is what we have to offer. Most of us feel threatened by the doctrine of relativism, but we should not be afraid of it. Most people find it a convenient belief, but not a practical one. The despair it brings creates a ripe climate for the Good News of the Kingdom of God.

January 19, 2014  

Thoughts on Reading

pile of booksYesterday I mentioned that I’m trying to read more books this year. Right before New Years, I read a blog post asking “If you only read one book a year for the rest of your life, how many books will that leave you?” This was a huge kick in the pants for me because I used to read quite a bit and I have dramatically slowed down how much I’ve been reading over the last couple of years. Last year I read two books.  Not exactly thrilling, especially when there are so many books I want to read.

 
So I started the year with a list of twelve books I’d like to read before the year is over.  That list has grown now to 17.  I’m a little freaked out by the goal, but at least if I shoot high, I’ll hit something.  Anything is better than two books.

So, with no further ado, here is the list of books I’m attempting to read for this year:

What Jesus Started
T4T: A Discipleship Re-Revolution
BiVo: A Manifesto
The Permanent Revolution
Church 3.0
The Failure of Nerve
Three Roads to the Alamo
Jesus: A Theography
The Interior Castle
Apostolic Foundations
The Impossible Mentor
Orthodoxy by GK Chesterton
Getting Things Done
The Starfish Vision
The Starfish and the Spider
Church Transfusion
Life Together

One thing I don’t want to do, however, is get too focused on reading to the exclusion of everything else in my life.  I’ve certainly read more church planting books than I’ve planted churches and it’s always better to follow Jesus than read about somebody else following Jesus.  I’m always (and especially in this endevour want to be) conscious of John Wesley’s warning about books: “Beware you be not swallowed up in books! An ounce of love is worth a pound of knowledge.” So keep me accountable and keep me from adding too many other books to this list!

That said, have you read any of the books on this list? What did you think? And what are you trying to knock off your reading list?

Photo Credit: Pile of Books by Aaron Suggs

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