I’ve had a tremendous experience as a ministry student at Geneva College, one that I feel has provided incredible training and preparation in so many aspects of pastoral ministry and caring for the local church. At the same time, however, I was definitely aware of some deficiencies, particularly in how to lead well on the administrative and elder side of things. Sticky Teams, a book I just picked up this weekend, has done a great deal to answer those deficiencies with sound pastoral wisdom and experience.

Larry Osborne is the pastor of North Coast Church in California and, for over twenty years, has provided vision, preaching and leadership for what was a struggling congregation when he was called to its pastorate. God has done some incredible things (which he shares) and taught him many things the hard way (which he shares) about the ins-and-outs of church leadership as pastors and elders seek to lead well in being united, in sticking to the mission, dealing with discipline, budget and policy issues, and more. Whether you are in ministry or planning on going into ministry, I would highly recommend this book to you as a continual source of wisdom and Gospel-driven insights.

On May 10, 2010 I became a graduate of Geneva College. I received my Bachelor of Arts Magna Cum Laude in Christian Ministries, with a minor in Sociology. I graduated as an Honors Scholar. I am a first generation college graduate. I’m graduating with very little educational debt to repay. And to top it off, I’m preparing to begin work on my Master of Arts in Higher Education from Geneva in August. It’s a lot “accomplished” in many respects.

But at the end of the day, even those good things don’t make me who I am. They aren’t proof or evidence of my faith in Christ. What’s more, they are some of the same things that could easily be used to bolster a faith in myself, an arrogance and pride that puts me on a course towards earth-shattering consequences for Christian academia. But that doesn’t factor in one thing: God’s grace.

I think God, in his grace, has taken that path from me. I think that, even though I would have opportunity to advance myself beyond many of my peers in areas of theology, biblical studies, biblical languages, and maybe even some work in sociology or other aspects of ancient history; even with all that, God has a different plan. And for what it’s worth, it’s utterly foolish. God’s plans for me are utterly, eternally, perfectly, and righteously foolish. And that’s grace. Because whatever happens, people will always know that it was never me: it was Jesus.

Some reading this, maybe some who know me, maybe others that don’t, will say I am out of my mind, that I’m wasting my God-given gifts, that my choices are irrational, that I’m not being careful or discerning, that I’ve not the wisdom to make a decision like this but that I should “wait and see” what God has. Those may very well be fair concerns. I certainly wouldn’t doubt the care and genuine love that those statements would come from. But what is more certain to my mind is God’s power and God’s wisdom.

In 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5, the apostle Paul tells us a few things about wisdom and power: (1) the Gospel is foolish and weak according to worldly standards, (2) God’s “weakness” and “foolishness” is still greater than the best the world offers, (3) Jesus himself is the wisdom and power of God and he has come to us, and (4) because all those things are true, Paul’s choice was to act according to the wisdom and power of God, not the things that are strong according to the world’s standards. In other words, Paul put away the best his rabbinic and literary training could offer him (which is more than I have to offer, by far), and limited himself to the Gospel, to proclaiming the message and passion that the Holy Spirit had put in him. That same Holy Spirit is the one who accomplished everything in Paul’s ministry.

Now, Paul didn’t deny his gifts. He used them in his epistles all the time. I’m sure his sermons had a number of great things that his background allowed him to do. But it didn’t define him. He couldn’t let it define him. In Philippians 3, Paul lists several of these credentials. And when he’s done with that, he tosses them to the wind, saying that he would suffer the loss of them all to gain Christ. In Galatians 1 and 2, he argues that nothing he had or knew or did could qualify him for his work, but only Christ’s call was sufficient for that. Paul figured something out: if I am going to know Christ, gain Christ, be like Christ, and be faithful to Christ, I have to put away the path that would make me self-sufficient and embrace the humility that Christ demonstrated (Philippians 2).

That is why I am not pursuing an academic career. It’s a path of self-sufficiency and self-promotion. It will get in the way of my pursuit of Jesus. It will make me my own Messiah. I don’t want that. I don’t think God wants that. In fact, I know God wants me working in the West End of Pittsburgh. I think God has a work he wants to do there with the Gospel. I know that he is going to reconcile people of every age, ethnicity, economic status, and background to himself and to one another. I know he’s going to bring together the unlikeliest group of people to worship and honor him and bring the Gospel to Pittsburgh. I know I can’t do it, but I know far better that he most certainly can. So, please, pray with me for this. Ask God for that vision. If he is calling you to this work, check it out. But whatever you do, praise him, because he is the God who watches and protects his people and does everything he intends to do for them, with them, in them, and through them for his own glory.

Legends, fables, and history blend together without any sense of direction in most discussions and writings about the 5th Century “Apostle to the Irish.” In this new book from the Christian Encounters series entitled Saint Patrick by Jonathan Rogers, however, there is a literary excellence accompanied by scholastic caution and a concern for spiritual edification. In other words, I’ve yet to run across any book about Patrick that does so well. Dr. Rogers begins with the hazards of researching writing on Patrick but launches into the biography with the things we do know about him, both certainly and questionably, with several “sidebars” in the realm of lore.

The work is as complete as it can be, insofar as things directly relate to a biographical sketch of Patrick, his life and ministry. Rogers’ concern for Patrick’s spirituality and sense of calling are clearly at the forefront of his orientation, and, it would seem, based on Patrick’s writings (contained in Appendices A & B), they were for Patrick as well. Representing this British Paul carefully and honorably is certainly accomplished by Rogers and anyone who is in the least intrigued by Patrick would benefit from reading this book in whatever format they may.

I’d be willing to walk a far distance for A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life. In a stroke of writing genius, Donald Miller has given people a challenge far more imperative than The Purpose Driven Life and other similar books. While reflecting on the process of adapting one of his previously published books for the silver screen, Don discovered something about life: it’s really a story and it really needs to be a good one, and if we don’t have a good story in our lives, we’re profoundly (and rightly) dissatisfied. So, Don wants his readers to get a better story.

I enjoyed A Million Miles from the first page until the last page of the acknowledgments. The challenge is provocative and vital. The approach is transparent and humorous. The satisfaction from reading is high. A prayerful reader will benefit greatly from pondering and reflecting about the story that they are telling with their lives. Are you living a good story? Are you the character that God has called you to be? Don won’t answer those questions for you, but he does give you the chance to find out for yourself.

How can I deal with sin that just sticks with me? How can I survive the tough times that come my direction? Why should I worry about my friend’s Christian walk? What’s the point of reading my Bible and praying regularly? Although these questions seem only loosely related, Mark Hall’s Your Own Jesus does a tremendous job of presenting the truth that everyone needs to be in a saving, enduring relationship with the God of the universe.

“God has no grandchildren” as the saying goes and Mark shows convincingly the need for believers to not depend on their parents, churches, friends, or books and music to be their source of experiencing Jesus. Believers need to be in their own intimate walk with the Savior Who bought them with His own blood and will bring good, lasting fruit into their lives. For anyone who considers themselves a disciple of Jesus, this book is highly recommended as a helpful resource as you pursue Christ and get to know the One and Only Jesus Christ.

“I know what I call you in Bemba” Vincent said, “Umuntu! It means you’re like me!” Those were words that were told me on a recent trip I made to Ndola, Zambia to assist in the building of a school. In writing The Hole in Our Gospel, Stearns notes that the Gospel we preach has often left out the command to seek justice for the poor and oppressed, to love our neighbor. Stearns is right that we, who have received the mercy of God in infinite abundance, have so often failed to show and share that mercy with our fellow men around the world, who lay dying. So Stearns issues a prophetic, God-honoring call to action…but misses a beat.

His vision is somewhat dampened, I think, by the sense that it is Christians who will put all wrong to right in the world. We are the agents of redemption, but this redemption will be realized and consummated by Christ. I would heartily recommend reading The Hole in Our Gospel to anyone, only exhorting them to trust in the sovereign work of God and not depend upon their own actions, but the Holy Spirit’s effective power.