Nike Ad Campaign :: Find Your Greatness

This ad was brought to my attention by Todd Henry, whom you should follow on Twitter. Really.

I love the concept. I love the visual. And I love the message: fitness is for everyone; greatness is measured by drive and pushing the boundaries of your own abilities.

What do you think? What do you think about the concept? The story you are invited to share? The implicit values?

Does this make you want to jog?

75 Books That Have Propelled Me Forward

Dear Sarah, Lindsey, and Countless Friends:

As I have cultivated a life of reading, I have learned a few lessons. For now, I will expound upon three. Then, you will find a list of 75 books that have helped me on my journey chasing after Jesus.

First, what C. S. Lewis wrote concerning the reading of old books is true, in that the ancient texts show us the biases and shortsightedness of our own age, as well as underscore where we have found solid footing. Don't read the prominent titles in the Christian Living section of the bookstores; dig deeper. Dare yourself to read Calvin and Wesley and Luther, and beyond them Augustine and Athanasius, the Didache and the Church Fathers.

Secondly, it is wise to keep a notebook handy when you read, and mark a page "to explore later", wherein you can record all the titles to which great authors make passing references, or those works buried within the footnotes that scream your name and ask for you to chase. I have become accustomed to following the breadcrumbs, and while on occasion I've found the trail fade and have turned back, more often I have found the morsels more satisfying the further down the path I'm led.

This second bit of advice led me to works like Watership Down and Saint Maybe, books I read because they were referenced within theological essays. It also led me to Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, a play I never explored in high school, after it was referenced in a compelling way within the context of a sermon. Books seem to work their way in to my life, and I am always searching for great titles. Bibliographies have become great friends, and as time has passed, more and more names I find there are familiar.

Thirdly, I would recommend aligning yourself with others who read great books, preferably those who you may see from time to time, so that the great ideas can enter in to conversation, and the truths of any book, whether it be fiction or nonfiction, can be wrestled with in community. As much as I love the realm of ideas, I have never lost sight of the reality that it is the life that counts. A great scholar is not necessarily a great saint. Let what you learn transform your life, with love of God and neighbor being your highest aspiration. 

These lessons are not exhaustive; more could be said. But they make for an adequate beginning. The life of study, I believe, is necessary for every Christian. Scripture is our foundation, but the Great Tradition also serves to build us up, as other Christians throughout history have sought to know and serve Jesus faithfully, and have left behind wisdom for us to explore and apply and take back to Scripture as we prayerfully discern what aligns and what stands askew. Learning is a constant wrestling with God; we are all like Jacob.

Since you asked me about the "great books" I have read, I have listed Christian books and others that are not explicitly so, but have taught me lessons or given me some insight in to our world. I'd rather not remain in the Christian ghetto. Like other evangelicals, I have attempted to maintain an "engaged orthodoxy", pursuing sound doctrine and a greater understanding of the truths of the faith, all while remaining cognizant of the world we live in.

Finally, if this list is too overwhelming, you may want to begin by browsing my recommendations for "Practical Approaches to Christian Spiritual Growth." You may also want to consult Renovare's 25 Books Every Christian Should Read, some of which are available for download, for free.

Blessings as you chase after Jesus. Hopefully some of these books will help you on the way. And of course, if you ever wish to discuss any of these titles, you know where to find me.

In Christ,

BAS

The Five Most Important Books I Have Read Apart from Holy Scripture

1. Thomas A’Kempis, The Imitation of Christ (Dover Thrift Editions)
2. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship
3. Stanley Hauerwas, A Community of Character: Toward a Constructive Christian Social Ethic
4. John Wesley, John Wesley's 'A Plain Account of Christian Perfection.'
5. Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God

Theological and Philosophical Works That Have Shaped Me 

1. The Desert Fathers, The Desert Fathers: Sayings of the Early Christian Monks (Penguin Classics)
2. William Abraham, Canon and Criterion in Christian Theology: From the Fathers to Feminism
3. William Abraham, The Logic of Evangelism
4. Aristotle, The Nicomachean Ethics (Oxford World's Classics)
5. Karl Barth, Dogmatics in Outline
6. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison
7. G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy
8. Martin Luther King, Jr., A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr.
9. C. S. Lewis, The Great Divorce
10. C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
11. C. S. Lewis, Miracles
12. Alisdair MacIntyre, After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory, Third Edition
13. Miroslav Volf, Exclusion and Embrace
14. John Wesley, The Works of John Wesley, 3rd Edition (7 Volumes) 
15. John Howard Yoder, The Politics of Jesus

Historical and Sociological Works that Have Been Invaluable 

1. James Davison Hunter, To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World
2. Alister McGrath, Christianity's Dangerous Idea: The Protestant Revolution--A History from the Sixteenth Century to the Twenty-First
3. Mark Noll, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind
4. Jaroslav Pelikan, The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, Vol. 1: The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (100-600) [Vol. 2-5, also.]
5. Rodney Stark, The Rise of Christianity: How the Obscure, Marginal, Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force ....

Practical Approaches to Christian Spiritual Growth

1. The Rule of Saint Benedict
2. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community
3. Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth
4. Richard Foster, Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home
5. Reuben Job, Three Simple Rules: A Wesleyan Way of Living
6. Joshua Choonmin Kang, Scripture by Heart: Devotional Practices for Memorizing God's Word
7. Thomas Kelly, A Testament of Devotion
8. Scot McKnight, One.Life: Jesus Calls, We Follow
9. Eugene Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society
10. Eugene Peterson, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places: A Conversation in Spiritual Theology [Vol. 1 in his Spiritual Theology Series, five volumes total.]
11. James Bryan Smith, The Good and Beautiful God: Falling in Love with the God Jesus Knows (Apprentice (IVP Books))
12. James Bryan Smith, The Good and Beautiful Life: Putting on the Character of Christ (Apprentice (IVP Books))
13. James Bryan Smith, The Good and Beautiful Community: Following the Spirit, Extending Grace, Demonstrating Love (Apprentice (IVP Books))
14. Dallas Willard, Hearing God, Updated and Expanded: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God
15. Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives
16. Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, The Wisdom of Stability: Rooting Faith in a Mobile Culture
17. N. T. Wright, The Challenge of Jesus (with DVD)
18. N. T. Wright, After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters
19. N. T. Wright, Simply Jesus: A New Vision of Who He Was, What He Did, and Why He Matters
20. N. T. Wright, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church

Contemporary Works That I Have Enjoyed

1. Jon Acuff, Stuff Christians Like
2. Susan Cain, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking
3. Tom Conover, Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing
4. Matthew B. Crawford, Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work
5. Ian Morgan Cron, Jesus, My Father, The CIA, and Me: A Memoir. . . of Sorts
6. Andy Crouch, Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling
7. Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek (Harper Perennial Modern Classics)
8. Ross Douthat, Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics
9. Bob Goff, Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World
10. Timothy J. Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism
11. Timothy J. Keller, The Prodigal God
12. Timothy J. Keller, Generous Justice: How God's Grace Makes Us Just
13. Timothy J. Keller, Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters
14. Timothy J. Keller, King's Cross: The Story of the World in the Life of Jesus
15. Alister McGrath, Mere Apologetics: How to Help Seekers and Skeptics Find Faith
16. Eric Metaxas, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy
17. John Perkins, Beyond Charity: The Call to Christian Community Development
18. Rebecca Skloot, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
19. Avi Steinberg, Running the Books: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian
20. N. T. Wright, Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense

Provocative Fiction and Short Stories

1. David James Duncan, The Brothers K
2. C. S. Lewis, Chronicles of Narnia Box Set
3. Flannery O’Connor, The Complete Stories
4. Charles Porter, True Grit
5. J. R. R. Tolkein, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings

Books on Creativity and the Work I Do

1. Jon Acuff, Quitter
2. Seth Godin, Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us
3. Stephen King, On Writing: 10th Anniversary Edition: A Memoir of the Craft
4. Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
5. Steven Pressfield, The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles

If You're a Leader, Read This Book.

This past week I finished Gordon MacKenzie's book, Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool's Guide to Surviving with Grace.

Check it out.  This book is filled with wisdom, humor, and counter-intuitive instruction for those leading businesses, churches, and families.  There is also a great deal of guidance for individuals seeking to express themselves creatively in our world.

I recommended this book to friends of mine who are church leaders, even though the book doesn't address churches directly.  The book challenges the paradigms that dominate organizations, and creates space for everyone to be an innovator in ways large and small.

OK Go Makes the Coolest Videos (Needing/Getting)

The Kauffman Center, the Creative Class, and Kansas City

The Atlantic recently filed a short, engaging piece on the newly opened Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, located in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.  Hampton Stevens explains how this investment is important for the city in ways that reach beyond the arts.  The presence of this structure, and the cultural events it will host, is a draw for "creative class" workers.  Richard Florida and others have argued that these workers are needed for the revitalization of cities and the growth of urban economies, and therefore city governments should seek to design communities that will have appeal to these types of persons, so that a vibrant, dynamic environment might result, bringing about more innovation, more ideas, greater aesthetic beauty, and an increase in the overall quality of life.

Read the article here.

Disruption/Honesty/Ache/Solidarity/ Elimination/Failure :: Rob Bell's Drops Like Stars

Since 2005 I've taken an interest in Rob Bell.  I first heard Bell speak at C3 (January 2005) in Grapevine, Texas, held at Fellowship Church in Grapevine.  The talk Bell gave changed my life, for I heard him articulate concepts about the spiritual life in a way that resonated deeply with my experience of the world and the church.  In the months that followed I was introduced to the NOOMA series of short films, listened to Bell's sermons via the Mars Hill podcast, and as he began to publish, I began reading his books.  I also saw him at a live event a few years ago in Lawrence during the Everything Is Spiritual tour.  I visited Mars Hill a few years ago as well with my friend Steven.  Though I've come to be more critical of Bell as the years have passed, I can honestly say that his ministry stretched my thinking and challenged me at pivotal moments, and as a result I have come to consider the person of Jesus more fully, while also seeking to follow him more truthfully.

Bell's latest offering in print is a reflection on suffering entitled Drops Like Stars.  The book is notable more so for its visual effects than for its prose, but that is by design.  Bell provides his thoughts on the "What now?" question posed by moments of pain, disappointment, and heartache that we all face in life.  He does not mean to provide an answer for the cause of suffering, nor an apologetic defending the character of God, but instead seeks to invite the reader to contemplate how we are to live in the face of the suffering that will inevitably come, whether it be in the death of a loved one, an incurable illness, or a tragic circumstance. While it would be easy to critique Bell for failing to face the difficult task of apologetics, he states up front that this is not his aim, and therefore should be judged on the merit of his answers to the "What now?" question, not on his failure to answer questions he does not set out to address.

This book is compelling because of its originality.  I've never seen anything like it.  The variation of typeface, spacing, and colors, mixed with stunning images generated by Bell's creative team, make this project more a work of art than a conventional book.  In that regard it reminds us that books are the product of creative minds.  Bell's format thrusts that fact to the forefront.  The point cannot be missed.

As for prose, Bell's explorations of suffering, placed under the divisions of the art of disruption, honesty, ache, solidarity, elimination, and failure, are each helpful in their own rite.  We can all image how suffering disrupts our daily lives.  Suffering draws out honesty in us.  Suffering causes us to recognize a deep ache that exists in our world that all is not as it should be.  Suffering creates solidarity with others.  Suffering helps us eliminate the unimportant in our lives.  And suffering that comes with failure teaches us lessons through which we are propelled to greatness.  Imagery from the Art of Elimination carried the most weight with me.   Bell's parallels between the process undergone by artists creating soap sculptures and how suffering helps us to peel away those things in our lives that are unessential was incredibly compelling.

As far as an answer to the "What now?" question posed by the reality of suffering in our world, Bell's answers are not completely original, and lack the degree of creativity I've come to expect from his writing and speaking.  While Bell says many things that are true concerning suffering, and even provides wisdom from various experiences he has had as a pastoral leader, the overall narrative of his story fails to provide us with a firm grounding upon which we can face the "What now?" question with confidence.  His teaching seems to be an amplified version of "pick yourself up, you can do it."  Quoting Abraham Joshua Heschel (an author I enjoy), Bell applies this lesson, "When you're young, start working on this great work of art you call your own existence,"  and while I understand the sentiment here, one of the fundamental truths I have found as a follower of Jesus is that ultimately our lives are not our own--we have been bought with a price.  Therefore, we are not our own creator, our ultimate purpose is not found somewhere deep inside of ourselves.  Rather, we are to set ourselves upon the One who made us, in whom is found our reason for existence, and our true purpose as a human being.  Another way of saying this is that I believe Bell's account of how we face suffering is too anthropocentric, and not theocentric.

All in all, despite these critiques, I'd recommend reading Drops Like Stars.  I think Bell is an important voice in Christianity today.  As I've said, as the years have passed I've grown more critical of Bell, but there is much to learn from his commitment to creativity, his willingness to leverage the arts, his passion for those on the margins, and his incredible ability to tell a story.