Not Like Me: A Field Guide for Influencing A Diverse World is a reprint of Eric Michael Bryant‘s previous book titled Peppermint-Filled Pinatas. I did not read the first release so I am not sure how it is different, but I do know that in the form of Not Like Me, this book is like gold! There is so much in here to take away and apply that it could easily take me a year (or probably more) to get through all of it. Apparently, I’m not alone as Eric has provided small groups resources and teaching materials from the book’s website: http://notlikeme.org/.

Pastor Bryant shares his own personal stories and incorporates a lot of humor in a way that helps break down defenses and makes us want to connect with this book in a more personal level. It’s exactly the type of thing Bryant advocates for us as Christians--and as the church--to do with those we encounter outside of Christian community. He calls us to help overcome the Christian stereotypes that unchurched people tend to have of churched people. In doing so, he wants us to understand that we must hold others in a new light--that which does not include judgement. As Eric writes, “We [Christians] have created an environment where we are seen as judgmental, irrelevant, mean, and hypocritical.” and “We should not be surprised when people who have not surrendered their lives to God live differently [than we Christians should].” In order to see this happen, Bryant’s answer is to practice “the art of woo.” It is through this “art of woo” that Pastor Eric unfolds a story of how we might learn to develop diverse communities, resolve conflict, overcome bitterness, create a better future, and even heal our fractured world. “Wouldn’t it be amazing,” Eric asks in the introduction, “if as followers of Christ we found ourselves as part of the solution in our divided world rather than as part of the problem? In the end, don’t people matter most?”

Sharing stories and ideas on realizing diversity within the church and reaching those that do not know Christ in a relevant way, Not Like Me is a training manual of sorts. It’s a book written by someone that has accomplished all that he offers to teach us. As a pastor and influencer of Mosaic--a diverse and amazing community that seeks to follow (and be more like) Christ with services that are in various locations such as a nightclub--Eric Bryant is someone who lives what he preaches. His heart for seeing diverse communities of Gospel love, compassion, and grace is big. Eric gets why it’s important to celebrate cultural diversity and why the church must be about loving others more so than becoming a shelter filled with Christians trying to escape from the world that doesn’t know Christ.

Thanks to Zondervan and Eric Bryant for allowing me the opportunity and privilege of being a part of the Not Like Me: A Field Guide for Influencing a Diverse World blog tour. It is with great passion and enthusiasm that I will continue to refer to the pages and apply the things that Eric graciously shares for communicating and building community with those around me, especially those not like me.

Reading through From Eternity to Here by Frank Viola and as part of the blog tour, I wanted to share some thoughts. Viola writes about his own journey about learning who God is through God’s perspective. Too often we try to define God from our view, but in Viola’s case it is different. Different in that he is choosing to look at the whole eternal perspective of God rather than how God fits within in his own world view. He starts the story from the understanding that we are a part of something larger and more grand than we could ever imagine. It’s not about us, but all about God. Mr. Viola writes:

“The Christian life was no longer about me and what I could or should do. Neither was it primarily about others. The needs of human beings became secondary. A page had turned…it all became about God’s ageless desire.”

In order to display God to the world through the church, Frank Viola contends--as I do--that the church should be an open-participatory gathering rather than an event where people congregate and only see a few people minister to a mostly-passive audience.

The book concludes with a very missional expression of God’s love and purpose. It encourages us to invite others into a community that no longer chases after religious and Christian things, but instead chooses to know, explore, encounter, honor, love, and express Christ in all things. When the church truly becomes about Christ and not about any of us, we can fully express our understanding that we want to see eternity coming here…the kingdom of heaven here on earth.

From Eternity to Here: Rediscovering the ageless purpose of God is definitely a book that I need to spend more time reading through as I sense that Frank Viola has found himself in a place where I sense I am trying to see action happen and there is much to be learned in this book as a result.

The following bloggers are posting a review or Q & A with Frank Viola on his bestselling book FROM ETERNITY TO HERE today, Tuesday, July 21st. You may order the book at a discount at www.FromEternitytoHere.org – it’s also on audio book. Free discussion guide, sample chapters, interviews, and a free audio of the first chapter are available on that site also. Here are the bloggers who are participating:

Jay Becker -- http://www.jaybecker.org

Mark D -- http://deadmanstravelog.blogspot.com

Igniting Hearts -- Kimber Britner -- http://www.ignitinghearts.blogspot.com

Karyn -- http://tiger-kar.blogspot.com

Barefoot Preacher -- http://thebarefootpreacher.blogspot.com

Every Day Angels -- http://www.WeAreEverydayAngels.com

FaithEngineer -- http://www.faithengineer.com

Kristen Schiffman -- http://dancinginthemargins.typepad.com

CrossPointe: The Church at Bevo -- http://churchatbevo.blogspot.com

Crazy Love for God -- http://crazyloveforgod.blogspot.com

Amazima Ministries -- http://oatsvallteam.blogspot.com

Down to Write Honest -- http://downwritehonest.com

A Beautiful Mess -- http://blnorth1105.blogspot.com

The Blakes on a Mission -- http://www.theblakesthailand.blogspot.com

Words by Jud Kossum -- http://judkossum.blogspot.com

Eric Jaffe -- http://www.ericjaffe.org

Reconnect with God – http://www.Reconnectwithgod.org

2nd Cup of Coffee -- http://www.2nd-cup-of-coffee.blogspot.com

Nolan Bobbitt Website -- http://www.nolanbobbitt.com

Klappyanne -- http://www.xanga.com/klappyanne

Dave Ingland -- http://www.daveingland.com

Randi Jo Rooks -- http://seedsinmyheart.blogspot.com

Ephesians Five – http://ephesiansonefive.blogspot.com

Michael Bayne -- http://www.michaelbayne.net

Encounter Church Helena Blog -- http://encounterhelena.org

Thoughts B4 Conviction N2 Action -- http://tsharrison.blogspot.com

Edevotion -- http://www.e-devotion.blogspot.com

Seeking After -- http://seekingafter.blogspot.com

Eric Powell -- http://www.encounterhelena.org

Borrowed Light -- http://fbcnewlondon.blogspot.com

Do you know Jesus as your personal savior? If you don’t, won’t you take time to invite him into your life now?

How do you think most people in society would respond to that question? If you’ve been asked it before, you probably didn’t receive it favorably. If you’ve asked the question before, the conversation probably came to a halt shortly thereafter. Do you know why? In a nutshell, it’s because it comes across as if you are either selling something like Amway, or you are being asked to buy into something, such as Amway.

Amway is a huge, global company. Funny thing about it is that it really isn’t about a product. It’s about getting people that will go out and tell others about how lucrative it can be and teaching them how to get others to do the same thing. It’s not the product, but the sales pitch that is king. It all sounds so corny, but there is no mistaking that it has been effective for some people. As successful as Amway has been, there is a huge stigma associated with it. When someone comes up to us and starts to pitch Amway we immediately try to find out if they are Amway salespeople and then do our best to flee the conversation. In the past, Amway representatives have gone to using deceit in order to make their pitches. They won’t outright say it’s Amway they are selling and are evasive in order to get you to take the next step. However, regardless of the tactics, we all have our idea of what Amway is and how it infringes on our time and why we would never be interested in it. Thousands of people make millions of dollars per year promoting Amway, yet we won’t even give it 15 minutes of our time. You know I’m right!

Now, think about how we approach evangelism of our faith. The way we “invite” people into a conversation with an agenda of getting them to make a commitment to seek the Lord. How we put our faith in hoping we can somehow give a polished enough presentation that others will be able to make a commitment to a grandiose god without any substance. We tout him as the answer to everything in a world that isn’t looking. We ask the question hundreds of times hoping that we will be invited to the top producers banquet in heaven someday.

What if you asked someone to accept Christ as Lord and they agreed--dropped to their knees and prayed right on the spot. Success, right? Well, when you present Christ as if you were presenting Amway, it is only temporary success that has no eternal impact. Imagine being the Amway salesperson getting someone else to sign on the dotted line and committing to sell it for you. When they are unsure of what they are doing, lack confidence because they weren’t really given much truth, and get beaten down from rejection, they will stop selling Amway as they no longer see any benefit. In the end, it was just a bunch of hype. We preach salvation so people won’t go to hell, yet when hell is no longer real to them their salvation becomes irrelevant.

Gregory Boyd has a chapter in The Myth Of A Christian Religion titled The REVOLT Against SECULARISM. In it, he describes this style of evangelism as a sales pitch:

We can be saved--which these people think means we won’t go to hell--simply by reciting this magical confession. We’re basically purchasing fire insurance with a magical prayer.

Boyd goes on to explain that Webster’s Dictionary defines a lord as: one who has power and authority over others. Therefore, when someone confesses that Jesus is their Lord, they should be confessing that Jesus has power and authority over them. Boyd claims that if someone confesses Christ as their Lord, yet does not submit to his power and authority, then they are contradicting themselves. He says it’s as if they are saying they are a married bachelor or a round square. Pastor Boyd affirms:

No wonder Jesus asked, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things that I say?”

The simple truth is that when the Bible promises us that if we confess Jesus as Lord we will be saved, it’s not telling us how to get cheap fire insurance by reciting a magical salvation formula. Rather, it’s stipulating what kind of relationship we need to have with Jesus to participate in the healing and wholeness of God’s reign. This relationship, by definition, must be one of submission. We are saved when we authentically surrender our life to Christ, enthroning him as Lord.

Once the confession of Christ as Lord is made, it starts a journey of being in submission to his power and authority. It’s a journey because we have to look at the long-term significance of an eternity with Christ, yet we can only do so one step at a time. Boyd describes it by saying “Our lives are nothing more than a series of present moments strung together. The only thing that is real is now.” How true that is!

How can we profess Christ as the magical answer to the world’s problems if we Christians live our lives filled with problems ourselves? Don’t you know that the world sees us as hypocritical, brainwashed and judgmental people? If we did, why would we live our lives outside of Christ yet feel the need to invite others into a life with Christ?

We must learn that the world around is a secular one. Gregory Boyd explains that the word secular comes from a Latin word saeculum, which means “the present world.” That a secular worldview is one that focuses on the present physical world and ignores or rejects the spiritual realm. If this is truly the world we live in (and it is!) then we must learn how to be more relevant in our actions and words. We must come to understand that it’s not about heaven or hell, but it’s about the beauty of a kingdom that puts other people ahead of ourselves and trusts in a Lord with power and authority. That we can have a relationship with this Lord and be in his presence every second of every day. To know that he is actually calling us on a journey with him in an imperfect world that can be made perfect through his reign. We are to seek first the kingdom of God, not just a desire to be in heaven instead of hell. Just as God wants a relationship with you, he calls us to seek a relationship with others. We should look upon people with love and kindness rather than prospects for a sales pitch. We should seek to explain to them the truth and the daily struggles that go along with our relationship with Christ, rather than churn people out as disciples of a well-orchestrated sales pitch machine.

God is definitely asking us to share his love and describe our life with him to others. He is actively working through you and I in this world so that he may be made known to it. However, please don’t take this to be an agenda. Don’t be cliche. Know that it’s about much more than words…it requires action based on our submission to Christ. We must take the time to listen to his direction, discern what needs to be done, and trust that his power and authority will be made known to those that we come in contact with. God isn’t the CEO of Amway and he shouldn’t be reduced to a sales pitch. Boyd closes the chapter by writing:

As we grow in our capacity to live under the reign of God moment-by-moment, we increasingly manifest the beauty of his ever-present love while revolting against the ugly secularism that afflicts or world.

This is the heart of the Kingdom of God

This is the heart of the revolution we’ve been invited to participate in.

Viva la revolution!

One of the people that has spoken volumes into my life and ministry is Dallas Willard. This is probably one of the reasons why I am so drawn to the thoughts and writings of Gregory Boyd as he is also a student of Willard’s teachings on the Kingdom of God.

Boyd’s latest book, The Myth of a Christian Religion: Losing Your Religion for the Beauty of a Revolution is an amazing read! So amazing that I can’t just write a review of it, rather I’d like to break it down into chapters and expound upon some connections and challenges.

In the introduction, Pastor Boyd declares something so simple, yet misunderstood. It summarizes the core of Willard’s teachings:

This may surprise or even offend you, but Jesus is not the founder of the Christian religion. True, a religion arose centuries after he lived tht was called “Christian,” but…in many respects the very concept of a “Christian religion” is something of a myth when understood in the light of what Jesus was about.

Yes, you did read that correctly. Yes, I do believe it to be accurate theology. You see, Jesus was more than what we make him out to be. Jesus was more than a prophet…he was actually revolutionary! The Son of God, the Christ, the Messiah was not about religion. In fact, he showed time and time again that he was against religious acts (Luke 18:9-14; Matthew 6:5).

Jesus is known as a great story teller with a knack for sharing his truth in ways that caused people to think, rather than be spoon fed everything. It was unheard of in that day and even his own disciples questioned why he spoke in parables so often. It was all part of the revolution he was creating. A revolution against being religious. Boyd writes:

What Jesus was about had nothing to do with being religious. Read the Gospels! He partied with the worst of sinners and outraged the religious. This is what got him crucified.

What Jesus was about was starting a revolution. He called this revolution the Kingdom of God.

Imagine that! In reading the gospels, we find that in Luke 4:43 NIV Jesus states his purpose in coming to us was to preach the good news of the kingdom of God. This is such an amazing thing that Boyd describes the kingdom of God like this:

The Kingdom of God that Jesus established is centered on one thing, and one thing only: manifesting the beauty of God’s character and thus revolting against everything that is inconsistent with this beauty. The Kingdom is centered on displaying a beauty that revolts.

The kingdom really isn’t about religion after all. It’s about following Christ and all that is beautiful in God’s ways while we shed all that is ugly. As Boyd so perfectly summarizes, “The kingdom, in short, is a beautiful revolution.”

What a great find! My wife has struggled with ADD and me being a highly-driven and results-oriented person, it is often difficult for me to understand her actions. Not only has This is Your Brain on Joy: A Revolutionary Program for Balancing Mood, Restoring Brain Health, and Nurturing Spiritual Growth helped me to understand the symptoms, Dr Henslin has also gone into some possible causes as well as treatments.

One of the points that I really appreciated most is that Dr. Henslin is a Christian doctor and know the Scriptures and has a strong faith, yet tries to drive home the point that one must be willing to take an active approach to overcome personal issues. As Christians, many rely on God to heal them through prayer, yet do not do a single thing to move towards such a recovery. This book will help many that struggle with certain things to learn how to overcome them. This in addition to prayer is something God will use to deliver his people.

There is a very useful test to determine what issues one may be struggling with and therefore which parts of the book will be most useful to the reader. For me, it was like a eureka moment. I had heard my wife talk about her ADD for years, but seeing it in print and connecting the issues she has with ADD through taking the test with her really helped me gain some clarity.

Henslin breaks down the different parts of the brain and isolates conditions that occur in those areas--such as ADD being associated with the prefrontal cortex—and then delivers the treatments specific to them. It’s much more than getting a prescription for Ritalin; it’s a full regimen of actions, herbal remedies, thoughts, etc. There are even key Bible verses and prayers offered as a way to connect this program with faith and to put trust in God to heal through our active participation.

This is Your Brain on Joy has been a tremendous blessing in our home. I am so grateful for the work of Dr Henslin and his willingness to share his research and wisdom with the world through this book.

The subtitle of this one pretty much explains what you’ll find inside this book: Reaching Toward Heaven for Hope. It’s a very timely message and an important one.

One of the beauties in Lucado’s writing style is that he uses a style of prose that is very calming and relaxing. It helps to keep the reader focused on the point of the story rather than in feeling overwhelmed by the situations such as he highlights on the first page of the introduction: “When all that is good falls apart, what can good people do? When illness invades, marriages fail, children suffer, and death strikes, what are we to do?” The answer to these questions lies in the remaining pages of this little book that does a big job of showing us how we can rely on an even bigger God.

My favorite part of For the Tough Times is reading the way in which Max Lucado uses the example of Job, not as someone that is going through severe trials and remains faithful, but instead as someone that talks way too much. It truly is in the silent times--when we have finished working things through in our own words—that God begins to speak as he knows only then are we ready to listen and follow.

Another great book from Lucado to help point the way to God and call upon his promises for his people so that we may come to find peace and hope as we look upward.