Pastor Rob recommends …
The Poverty and Justice
Bible (2008)
In
the Poverty and Justice Bible, all the verses related to justice and God’s
care for the poor are highlighted in orange. Reading this will impress upon the
readers that if you want to be on the side of God, you have to advocate for justice
and care for the poor, widow, and orphan.
Church: What to Do When Everyone is Like You
Daynette Snead Perez (2021)
Daynette
Snead Perez asks a question every church should ask itself. “Can there be unity and diversity here?” In her latest book ‘Church: What to do When
Everyone is Like You,’ she answers ‘yes,’ and ‘yes.’ There can be unity in your
church. In fact, there must be. And there can be diversity, no matter where
your church is.
Snead
Perez doesn’t just make the assertion.
She charts the course. Blending
Biblical principles, bible stories, and her own story, the author introduces
the reader to her Stranger to Neighbor ministry. This approach to unity/diversity is going to
catch on and alter the way churches see the people who walk through their doors
as well as the people in the community who walk past their doors.
Pick
up a copy of this book for your pastor, you church elders and deacons, the
Sunday school teachers, and yourself.
You’ll come away ready for a more colorful, blessed future for your
church.
Pastor Rob recommends …
Mere Christianity
C.S. Lewis (1952)
Lewis
writes, “Now the whole offer Christianity makes is this; that we can, if we let
God have his way, come to share in the life of Christ.” The brilliant 20th
century author/thinker unfolds the essence of a life spent following Jesus.
Pastor Rob recommends …
The Way of the Wolf: the
Gospel in New Images
Martin Bell (1970)
Bell’s
creative use of imagery and metaphor in his poems and short stories frames the
Christian faith in moving, beautiful, creative settings. This book was instrumental
in my faith development in my college years.
Pastor Rob recommends …
The Way the World Is: The
Christian Perspective of a Scientist
John Polkinghorne (2007)
Christians
who want their witness to be taken seriously by 21st century listeners
have to account for scientific discoveries in their testimony. Christ, not
science, determines a Christian’s worldview. However, science is not to be
ignored. The late John Polkinghorne, a physicist and Anglican priest brought
these worldviews together in a way that encourages Christians to develop their
faith in a world that listens to scientists.
Pastor Rob recommends …
That All Shall Be Saved:
Heaven, Hell, & Universal Salvation
David Bentley Hart (2019)
Bently
Hart makes a compelling case for taking a long look at passages like John 12:32.
Jesus said, “When I am lifted up, I will draw all people to myself.”
Hart shows how this and many other pericopes raise questions about traditional,
widely held assumptions about Heaven and Hell.
Pastor Rob recommends …
Crossing the Lines we
Draw: Faithful Responses to a Polarized America
Matthew Tennant (2020)
Drawing
on his reading of scripture, his understanding of Christian theology, and his
experiences as a pastor, Tennant presents a case for reconciliation. He urges
Christ-followers to reach across racial and political divides to unite with
their fellow human beings.
Pastor Rob recommends …
Surprised by Hope:
Rethinking Heave, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church
N.T. Wright (2008)
The
subtitle says it all. This is one of the
most helpful books on the resurrection and on what happens when we die on the
market today. It’s readable, biblically sound, and, as the title indicates, a
word about hope.
Pastor Rob recommends …
The Book of Forgiving
Desmond Tutu and Mpho Tutu
(2014)
One
of the profound acts Christ does for us and expect us to do for one another is
forgive. Through personal stories and an intentional process, Desmond Tutu sets
a path for forgiving.
Pastor Rob recommends …
One: Unity in a Divided
World (2017)
Deidra
Riggs sets the tone for relationships across racial and political lines from a
Christian perspective. That last part,
"a Christian perspective," is the key for appreciating Riggs's work. The market is being flooded with excellent
literature on race relations. Riggs'
book is extremely important because she writes first and foremost as a follower
of Christ. That above everything else
defines her and sets the tone for her work.
This is as it should be for a disciple of Jesus interested in racial justice
work and reconciliation. Jesus defines
how we understand justice. Too many
Christian writers insist that our sense of justice defines our view of
Christianity. It's supposed to be the
other way around and Deidra Riggs demonstrates this beautifully.
Pastor Rob recommends … (January 5, 2022)
The Green Bible: Understand the Bible’s Powerful Message for the Earth (2008)
“Many
Bibles called ‘red-letter editions,’ have Jesus’ direct statements printed in
red. We have adapted this practice to introduce the ‘green-letter edition,’ In
it we highlight the rich and varied ways the books of the Bible speak directly
to how we should think and act as we confront the environmental crisis facing
our planet” (p.I-15).
This
is the Bible with the same words you’d read in your KJV study Bible. The verses
printed in green remind us that when God created the world, he saw that it was “very
good” (Genesis 1:31), and he placed us here to till it and keep it (Genesis
2:15).
Pastor Rob recommends …
Sticky Faith: Everyday
Ideas to Build Lasting Faith in Your Kids
Dr. Kara Powell and Dr. Chap Clark (2011) - SF: What is Sticky Faith? | Fuller Youth Institute
I don’t care how old you are or what your life situation, I want to ask you, do you have a stick faith? Is your faith one that endures, holds on even in the face of trials and adversity?
The authors offer a good perspective on teens transitioning to young adulthood in American churches. Christian leaders, pastors, and commentators observing the church in America all bemoan the trend of teens entering adulthood and gradually or immediately giving up the faith they were taught growing up. Powell and Clark identify why this happens and give numerous ideas for how to curb this trend. The reader of this book who wants to see teenage faith in Jesus Christ mature into adult discipleship is encouraged.
Moreover,
working through the slippery faith sometimes seen in teens, the reader will be
pushed to examine whether or not he/she has stayed connected to God in Christ.
Pastor Rob recommends …
Where is God in a
Coronavirus World? John Lennox (2020)
Lennox, an Irish
mathematician and devoted Christ-follower, deals with the theodicy, the problem
of evil and pain. How can suffering exist when we believe God is all-good and
all-powerful? This short book (only 62 pages) will help you wrestle with difficult
questions, and in the wrestling, you will grow in your faith.
Turn off Netflix; not forever,
but for now. Disney Plus. Hulu. HBO Max. Pluto TV. Plain, old cable or satellite.
Turn it off, unplug, and sit down in a comfortable chair with a nice mug of cocoa
and a good book. You know, the kind you hold in your hands. Losing yourself in a book is a lost art that our technology-crazed
culture needs to rediscover.
I hope to help with this. To
begin 2022, I am offering a daily book recommendation. I’ll do this
Monday-Friday, throughout January. It will be posted on my blog, my Facebook
and twitter pages, and I will post it on the Hillside church twitter page
(daily) and Facebook page (each Friday).
I read a lot of books. I
don’t read through an entire book every day, but I read often. If you trusted
me so much you went ahead read all the books I recommended, that would end up being
21 books – less than two books a month for 2022! Whether you read any of my
recommendations, or read your own books, please, READ! Engage your mind in the
activity of recognizing words on a page that then stimulate your imagination in
order to wrestle with concepts, or walk in new stories. READ!
We have such a gift. God’s
holy word is available to us in the Bible and in America, there are Bibles
aplenty. A Christian could easily benefit from the countless study Bibles that
are available. But, we need to read well.
We become better Bible
readers as we improve as readers in general. And the stories and ideas we glean
from our reading (poetry, novels, commentary, history, plays, short stories,
inspirational literature, etc) awaken our minds to the endless possibilities
that come from scripture. With illumined reading eyes, we see so much more in
the Bible. So, I hope you’ll join me on a beautiful journey of reading through
2022. Watch for the first recommendation today!
Hillside
Church, I am very thankful that 15 years ago, God called me to be your
pastor. I preached my installation sermon
here on September 24, 2006. This year, you
showed me and my family a lot of love, and I really grateful. But then, in countless ways, you show us love
every year, and I hope we show you love too.
I won’t say ‘reciprocate.’ Love
is not reciprocal, but flows from the Spirit beating within each of us and from
the generosity of the heart. You show love because of the heartbeat of Christ
in you. I hope that’s what I am doing as
well.
The
last few years we have seen ups and downs.
Before COVID came our church went through some changes, and now, 21
months of pandemic have imposed changes on all churches and on everyone
everywhere, churched or unchurched. I
thank God to have gone through this with you.
I
believe God will be seen this Christmas among us, as we love each other and
welcome all who come. I believe as the
word is proclaimed and praise is sung, the Holy Spirit’s touch will be felt. Reader, be part of it. Maybe you are a Hillside member who hasn’t
come in-person yet. Maybe you are
someone who sees our newsletter, but hasn’t gotten very involved in our
church. I pray that you will. I pray you will come and experience the love
and community that we offer. And I thank
God that I get to be part of it.
-
Pastor
Rob
Daynette Snead Perez asks a question every church
should ask itself. “Can there be unity
and diversity here?” In her latest book ‘Church:
What to do When Everyone is Like You,’ she answers ‘yes,’ and ‘yes.’ There can
be unity in your church. In fact, there
must be. And there can be diversity, no
matter where your church is.
Snead Perez doesn’t make the assertion. She charts the course. Blending Biblical principles, bible stories, and her own story, the author introduces the reader to her Stranger to Neighbor ministry. This approach to unity/diversity is going to catch on and alter the way churches see the people who walk through their doors as well as the people in the community who walk past their doors.
Two particular strengths that stand out are the weighted phrases Snead Perez pastorally invites the reader to carry. For instances, she likens ministry to standing. Wouldn’t we all like to stand on firm ground? Doesn’t Jesus instruct us to build our faith on the rock of his word, that we might withstand the storm (Matthew 7:24-27)? Of course he does. But our foundation is him. He does not tell us to avoid the storm! Thus, Snead Perez writes, “adjust your comfort to stand in a canoe, rather than on firm ground” (p.52). Have you ever toppled into the water trying to stand in a canoe? Yes, ministry can get wet and messy, but when we develop the agility to navigate the roiling changes in the cultural climate around us, we are ready to grow united, diverse congregations.
Another example of her powerful wording comes when she a process for stepping onto new ground in ministry. She writes, “Blind spots are removed through education, listening, and engaging with people willing to provide and share first hand knowledge of lived experiences.” Having practiced this approach of humble listening to people willing to share their stories with me, especially across racial and ethnic lines, I can attest to the efficacy of the approach she prescribes.
These are but two examples from a book chalk full of compelling wording and phrasing. The reader will be challenged to examine his or her own life is he or she has the temerity to follow the course the author is plotting. Yet the challenges Snead Perez presents come as an invitation, and this is the other particular strength to be mentioned here.
Her style is direct, but gentle. She tells her own story truthfully and vulnerably, but not in a way the condemns any particular racial or ethnic group. As a white male, I don’t read this and think, “Gosh, I am awful. I need to change.” It’s a conviction of guilt heaped upon me. Rather, I come away from reading ‘What to Do When Everyone Like You’ thinking, “I might need to change, and I know can! I can play role and unleashing a more diverse, unified, loving church upon the world.” Daynette has invited me to be part of the beloved community.
Pick up a copy of this book for your pastor, you church
elders and deacons, the Sunday school teachers, and yourself. You’ll come away ready for a more colorful,
blessed future for your church.
After I
preached a sermon on Mark 12:28-34 about loving one’s neighbor, one of our
members shared with me an article she read.
In it, Mother Teresa is interviewed.
The interviewer suggests that though Mother Teresa in her ministry works
hard and does some good things, in the long run, it makes little
difference. Her efforts do not alleviate
poverty on a large scale.
Here
is Mother Teresa’s response:
“I do not agree with the big way of doing
things,” Mother Teresa replied. “To us what matters is an individual. To get to
love the person, we must come in close contact with him. If we wait till we get
the numbers, then we will be lost in the numbers. And we will never be able to
show that love and respect for the person. I believe in person to person; every
person is Christ for me, and since there is only one Jesus, that person is only
one person in the world for me at that moment.”[i]
I appreciated her focus on loving
the person and not getting lost in the numbers.
We do the one and avoid the other.
We can focus on loving people, our neighbors. We can be creative and find meaningful ways
to show love to the people around us. We
can be a gathering of people willing to walk with individuals in their
struggles. We can help people see Jesus.
We can also avoid getting lost in
the numbers. In terms of active members,
our church is smaller than it has been in over 30 years. If you just counted bodies, you’d say we’re
in decline. However, when I see how many
of our people commit to neighbor love by volunteering at the food pantry twice
month, I see a small congregation doing a lot of good. When I consider the way our members support
the church through tithes and offerings, it makes me believe God wants our
church to thrive. We haven’t been this
small in a long time, but we also haven’t been this financially stable in a
long time. We have a lot going for us
and the Gospel we preach and try to embody is the same Gospel they read in
churches with thousands of people.
It’s OK for us to want a growing
children’s ministry. It’s ok to want youth,
young adults, and small group ministries that are more developed. It’s ok to acknowledge that one of the things
we probably need for these ministries is more people. It’s ok as long as we remember that God has
blessed us as we currently are, and the group that currently comprises our
church body is capable of countless manifestations of neighbor love. We dream about what will be even as we pour
energy into what are doing right now as a church.
Like Mother Teresa, we see and love
everyone who comes through our doors as if he or she were Jesus. We members of the church family go out into
the surrounding world intent on showing neighbor love. Jesus is in the neighborhood and we will see
him if we seek him. We seek him by
loving all the people we meet in the everyday places of our lives.
8-4-2021
I pray
you will be provoked. Wait! What?
That’s right, I pray you be provoked!
Doesn’t provocation lead to conflict?
Maybe. Stay with me here.
A
few weeks ago, a friend strongly recommended I spend significant time in the
New Testament book of Jude. Jude only
has 25 verses in total. Because I
greatly respect the friend who recommended Jude and because it is so short, I
decided to go through Jude praying each verse, phrase-by-phrase, in the manner
of Lectio Divina. I read a phrase out
loud, take several deep breaths, read it again, and then read it one more
time. I let the sound of the words
settle on me. Then, I write in my
journal what I hear. It took me a week
just to get through Jude 1:3, but that’s the whole point. I am taking my time; and being provoked.
Verse
1 includes the phrase “… kept safe for Jesus Christ.” I wondered if Jude was writing to a
persecuted church. He said they were “kept
safe,” but I had to ask did they feel safe?
In
verse 3, Jude feels he has to “contend for the faith.” I was provoked to ask, where do we, in Hillside
Church, have to “contend for the faith?” And, when we identify where that is, are
we doing it?
Verse
3 records Jude referring to “intruders.”
Have I confronted intruders at Hillside? Or, have intruders intruded, and when they
did, did I fail to recognize them?
Or, did I confront someone as an intruder who was actually a brother
or sister in Christ and was not actually intruding?
Do
you see? Simply reading and praying over
4 verses in Jude provoked me to a number of questions. Obviously, some of the questions with which I
wrestle are specific to my role as the pastor.
You, though, can read in the same way.
Read scripture slowly, thoughtfully, and prayerfully. Read with your life wide open before you,
before the Bible, and before God. When
the word prods you, respond in humble, confessional faith. Be vulnerable and moldable, so through the
Bible, God can shape you.
Last
Sunday (6-27-21), I urged the congregation to see that our greatest joy is
found in God’s presence. Being with God
is better than getting what (we think) we desire. You can watch that sermon here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnytxbCHJMw (begin
at 19:20 mark). Be with God.
Here I follow up that
message with an encouragement for you.
This summer, 2021, discover what being is God’s presence is like for
you. Prayer walking. Periods of silent
meditation. Worship singing. Journaling.
Find the mode and context in which you are able to tune out distractions
and focus on hearing from God. Feel God
speak to your spirit.
Jesus promised “I am with you
always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20b). Paul promises nothing in creation can
“separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39). Why is it good news when we say “God is with
us?” I bet you can answer that question intellectually
or rationally. Or, if you don’t
know the answer, you can research it and discover a cogent response.
Why is it good for us experientially? I suspect this one is harder to
articulate. And this is not something
you’ll learn by a google search our hours spent reading thick theology or
spirituality books. To experience God,
you have to invest significant time and focused attention walking with God,
sitting with God, and listening to God.
Do exactly that this summer.
Dedicate this summer to knowing God in your spirit.
There will be trial and error, and
frustrating periods of silence. It’s
worth the agony. Transformation comes in
the journey. And, you’ll see the world around
you differently, and you’ll become a new creation. Practice the presence of God. Discover who you are in light of your
relationship with God in Christ.
“Sin will have no dominion
over you since you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14).
“For by grace you have
been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God”
(Ephesians 2:8).
“Each of us was given
grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift” (Ephesians 4:7).
“Live in love as Christ
loved us and gave himself up for us” (Ephesians 5:2).
Why this sampling of numerous New Testament verses about
grace? We are “graced” people. We are saved by God’s show of grace, the
sending of his beloved Son on our behalf.
The hope we have for eternal life is a gift God gives us. If we understand we have been gifted with
grace, we will be eager to extend grace to others.
Opportunities to give grace come up in every encounter in
life. A most present and immediate application
for grace is the awkwardness of emerging from COVID-19 quarantines, back into
fully engaged life. Those vaccinated and
ready to take off masks need to have patience and give grace to those who
insist we still need to wear masks.
Those not quite ready to be fully open can extend grace to people
running around without masks on.
Some people have not been vaccinated and there are still
new cases of COVID-19 in our area every day.
Those under 12 years of age aren’t eligible for vaccination yet. Vaccinated people can be carriers of COVID
without getting symptoms themselves. When
they wear masks, they are “living in love” (Eph. 5:2), showing love for
vulnerable, unvaccinated neighbors.
Whatever one feels about masks, vaccinations, and COVID-19,
when we are in Christ, our priority is to share self-giving love to our
neighbors as Christ gave himself for us.
If we approach others in a spirit of self-giving love and extend grace, we’ll
get through the awkward conversations.
We’ll get past the tribulation of the pandemic. Our purpose is to bear witness to the gospel
of Jesus. One of the ways we can do that
is to give love and grace.
