Inner Revolution

10 Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe

One of my resolutions this year is to become a better writer. (Someone said I probably should have thought of this before I started writing books, but better late than never.) The only ways I know of to improve my writing is to read more and write more, so to help accomplish those goals I am going to post a book review every Monday. Hopefully along the way you might also come across a good book to read.

This weekend I have been reading 10 Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe by my friend Larry Osborne. I like this book on a couple levels. On the most basic level it is a good read. Larry takes 10 common misconceptions; he calls them spiritual urban legends, and examines them under the light of scripture. Some of the myths are so ingrained that they sound like things that HAVE to be true: Faith can fix anything, forgiving means forgetting, God has a blueprint for my life, Christians shouldn't judge. But Larry shows that while these beliefs sound true, they simply aren't biblical. He then builds a case for true biblical belief in each area. In addition to being a good read I think 10 Dumb Things would be a great small group study (unless you've read Larry's Sticky Church and only do sermon-based small groups), or a good tool for counseling people struggling with one of these areas. If I were a young pastor I would also consider doing a summer series called 10 Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe and teach through the book. (Give Larry credit in the first message and tell people where they can buy the book at the end.)

I also like this book as a writer. Larry is a really smart guy with tons of experience and advanced degrees, but he doesn't let that get in the way of his writing. He takes complex issues and breaks them down in simple terms without being simplistic. He doesn't use jargon or obscure passages of scripture to prove his point; he just lays out the truth in plain language so that it is accessible to the common Christian. As an author it is easy to be complex and confuse your reader, and it is easy to be basic and patronize your reader; it takes real skill to simply converse with your reader. Larry does a great job of demonstrating that skill in this book.

Money for nothing and books for free

DailyLit is a great new website I found on the Fast Company blog. Here is Fast Company's description:

Being well-read might not be your biggest priority, but it comes in handy during dinner conversations. Luckily, there's DailyLit. The site offers both classics and contemporary titles, all provided in quick-reading installments that can be sent to you either via e-mail or RSS. Since most of the classics are in the public domain, they're free; newer titles are available for purchase. So, the next time the conversation turns to the genius of Herman Melville, you can join in.

They have a huge library of fiction and non-fiction and most of the titles are free. You simply find a book you want to read and click on the subscribe button. They will then either send you daily installments (or 5 days a week or 3 days a week, your choice) by email or give you a link to paste into your RSS reader.

Free books sent to me every day. Is this heaven?

The deed is done (sort of)

I just emailed the completed manuscript for Ten Stupid Things Pastors Do that Keep Their Churches from Growing, all 59,415 words of it. I have been thinking about and writing this book for so long I'm not sure what life will be without it. There is still a chance the editor will send it back laughing at the thought of publishing it or suggest that I rewrite everything except the word "that", but chances are the bulk of the work on my part is done. Wow!

Do you want to be writer?

The book (Ten Stupid Things Pastors Do that Keeps Their Churches from Growing) is almost done, so it is time time to return to the blog. Zondervan has graciously given me until February 18th to turn in the final  manuscript. I currently have a little over 58,000 words, so I'm well past the goal line. Now the task is to finish some unfinished thoughts, write some transitions and basically go over the book with a fine toothed comb. I feel confident I will get the manuscript in on time. From there Zondervan will decide if it is acceptable and then we will begin the much more exciting part of publishing which leads eventually to having a book in bookstores. I will share the process along the way for those who are interested in becoming writers.

Which brings me to the purpose of this post. I meet people all of the time who tell me they want to write a book. They have an idea, they have written a few pages, or they've always wanted to be an author. My question is do they really want to write a book or do they just like the label author? Writing is long, tedious work; at least it is for me. I first had the idea for 10 Stupid Things in June of 2006. Getting from the idea to a formal proposal took me over a year. Getting from a proposal to a signed contract took another four months. From contract to turning in the manuscript will be four and 1/2 months. The scheduled release at this point is February of 2009, so the entire process may take over 2 1/2 years. That is a long time to work on one project. During that time I have used three weeks of vacation time countless mornings, nights and days off to work on the book. (Today is Saturday and I am at Atlanta Bread for a morning of writing.) And at the end of it all I may or may not have book worth reading. I talked to someone recently who is friends with Stephen King and Stephen told him that he his terrified every time a book comes out that it will tank and his writing career will be over.

My agent (you can't get published without one) told me the other day about a little boy who said that when he grew up he wanted to be a missionary on furlough. I think that is really how a lot of people look at writing. They want to be an author, but they don't want to put in the effort.

Which is how we often approach our relationship with Jesus. I love the idea of overcoming temptation, fighting injustice and living an overcoming Christian life. I want to be like Jesus, but am I up for the hard work? Jesus fasted for 40 days before he faced Satan in the desert, sometimes he prayed all night long, he completely dedicated his life 24/7 to a ragtag group of men so he could mentor them in the reality of the Kingdom. I want to be called a Christian; I'm just not sure I want to write the book.

Deuteronomy 4:29 says that we will find God if we look for him with all our heart and all our soul. Is that really where I am at, or do I just want the label?

Books, books and more books

My beautiful bride is currently hosting a jewelry party in our living room to help raise money for a friend who is moving to Africa, so I am trapped in our den watching the Giants and the Bears. I have no interest in either team, so I decided to dive back into the blog. This could be a long entry, the first of several entries or just a couple of sentences if Devon Hester runs the kickoff back for a touchdown.

First things first; what is happening with the book? Short answer is nothing and a lot. After a good start of writing 1000 words a day I fell off the wagon, so the new strategy starts tomorrow. I am taking this week off from work and writing every day. I got the idea from Tim Stevens who took a week in Daytona Beach to work on his book. I thought about going out of town, but I already live in one of the nicest places in America; seems silly to leave. I need to get at least 15,000 words this week. I'll try to post at the end of the week and let you know how it goes. If you don't hear from me you can be pretty sure I am in deep weeds.

Speaking of books, I know what you can get me for Christmas. I just saw the Kindle from Amazon and I have a serious case of lust going on. It's a little pricey at $399, but I'm pretty sure I'm worth it. Besides, after reading this review of the iPhone I don't need one of those any more. So just get me the Kindle and we can continue to be friends.

A quick update on The Multi-site Church Revolution. I just got my 3rd quarter statement from Zondervan (things are slooow in the publishing business) and we've now sold over 13,000 copies. I have no idea if that is good or bad, but considering the fact that I wondered if we'd sell 10 I am overwhelmed. To everyone who has purchased a copy, thank you! For those who haven't what are you waiting for? It makes an excellent stocking stuffer. What 8 year old doesn't want to read about new growth trends in the North American evangelical church?

Bookmark IV

I only remember my Roman Numerals up to 38 (XXXVIII) so I may have to change the name of these posts soon. I did not write on Wednesday or Thursday so I had to write 3000 words today. I just finished 3348. I don't know if any of this stuff is any good, but I'm about 25% through the raw stuff.

Bookmark III

Just finished 1127 words for today. 40,854 words to go. This may become the most boring blog on the planet, but it is giving me some accountability. Shawn stopped me at work today and asked me if I finished my 1000 last night. Two cool things about that:

1. I have to have someone or something pushing me to get anything done. Now I have a deadline, a blog and coworkers riding me. I hate the pressure, but I can't function without it.
2. Shawn's day is coming.

I once heard Berkely Breathed talk about writing the comic strip Bloom County. (Still the best comic strip ever) He had to turn in his comic strips once a month for the following month. He could draw the comics anytime he wanted to and he always had a month to work on them. But every month he wouldn't start drawing until the Friday before the strips were due on Monday. He would work furiously all weekend and then break the speed limit all the way to airport to get the cartoons on the last plane for New York on Sunday night. Every month he cursed himself for not starting earlier and every month he waited until the last possible moment. He said he would sit and stare at a blank piece of paper all month with no inspiration until the deadline was staring him in the face. I know EXACTLY what he was talking about.

Is this an organizational defect or a character flaw. Anyone else have this disease?

Bookmark II

I finished 1131 words yesterday. (I have to find out if hyphenated words count as one or two. If they count as one I'm losing the hyphen!) Its so bad that last night I dreamed that I discovered that I had already written the last chapter and it was a better feeling than winning the lottery. The good news is that when I checked this morning I found another 2803 words I had forgotten about. So here's the score:

Total words to write: 50,000
Words written so far: 8,019
Words to go: 41,981

Writing a book is so much fun! I recommend it to all my friends.

A Pleasant Surpirse

I got a pleasant surprise when I returned from Spain; a package from Zondervan. (I love packages, I love surprises and I love Zondervan. This was a triple whammy) Inside was a new copy of our book, The Multi-site Church Revolution, and a nice card from Zondervan saying that the book was from the new printing that was just out. I didn't know that the last printing (I think the second one, making this the third) was sold out.

Writing the book has been a fun adventure. I have had people from all over the country contact me and say that the book has been instrumental in helping their church make changes. When I arrived at Nairobi Lighthouse in Kenya Pastor Don Matheny had a copy on his desk. In Barcelona one of the pastors at Holy Trinity Brompton mentioned the book as well. (They are opening their first video venue in September) I've read several newspaper articles from around the country that quote different parts of the book (sometimes attributed, often not)

So to all of you who have purchased copies, thanks! To those who haven't, what are you waiting for? I have hungry mouths to feed and I need the $0.25 I make for each book sold! In all seriousness it is amazing that God has allowed me to be on the ride I've been on for the last couple of years.

We have arrived on Purpose Drive

  Okay, its official; we've gone big time. Rick Warren's Ministry Toolbox this week features an excerpt from the The Multi-site Church Revolution. There's my name barely two inches below Rick's picture. (By the way, if you're here because you clicked the link at the end of the article, you might want to go to the Multisite Church Revolution blog. It has serious stuff about Multi-site churches. This blog is just boring stuff about my life) Now I have to admit this is a pretty big thrill for me. Until our spam filter started banning anything from pastors.com (you know, all the porn Purpose Driven apparently puts out) I have read the Ministry Toolbox religiously for years. I never imagined my name might show up some day.

Other book highlights recently

1. Greg S spotted a copy at a Borders in Washington D.C. Borders is like mecca to me. We don't have any in Charleston, so anytime I get the opportunity I go to worship at the altar where they sell every freaking book ever written. I once had a job that gave me the opportunity to spend 2 hours a day at Borders. I had to quit the job; it was like a cocaine addict getting a job in Columbia. (The country not the city)
2. I did a phone interview with a reporter from the St. Petersburg Times. I don't know anything about the paper, but it was kind of cool having someone from a paper in Florida call me because I'm an expert on something. (Expert: X=Unknown+Spurt=A drip under pressure therefore an Expert=An unknown drip under pressure)
3. The book was on the table next to one of Tony Morgan and Tim Steven's books at the Purpose Driven conference. I actually think I got cooler just by having the book close to theirs.
4. A guy in a bathroom at Saddleback stopped me and said he really liked the book. My first urinal review, how cool is that? (Now you get the picture)

I know I sound pretty arrogant at this point (not a surprise), but I'm new to the big time. Once I get an agent and a Boxster I'll be fine. (If I only made more that $0.17 per copy)