Pursuing Glory

This is a list of what I’m reading now.  I’ll usually post a little blurb about the book if it’s good or warn you about heresy if it’s wrong.  Either way, I’ll try and give my two or three cents about the book so you know if it’s worth investing your time into. For those of you who have benefitted from “The Kolder Family Library” and all those who have ever wondered “What’s Travis been reading lately?” this page should prove interesting.  I’ll try and keep this fairly up to date and hopefully even have some topical arrangements for those of you who want to go in depth on a certain subject. If you’re interested in any of the books…you can purchase them here: Amazon.com Widgets.

Recent Reads

The Cry of the Harvest

Lately, I’ve been picking up a little steam in updating this section of the blog.  My hope is it’s helpful.

I just finished up “The Cry of the Harvest” by Chad Taylor.  I was looking for a book to stir up a passion for reaching lost souls and give direction in how to do it.  I found that and more.  Chad is probably one of the most radical American evangelists that I’ve read about in recent history.

What I love about this book is that Chad is profoundly set apart to reach lost souls in this culture.  He is not impressed by charismatic Christianity that is obsessed with God’s power but never touches the lost.  He calls for a reformation in the church that looks a lot like house churches, but is quick to point out if they forget they are for the harvest they have lost their way.

Chad’s voice echoes the Lord’s heart for us to no longer be complacent about the lost that are dying around us. In many ways, Chad’s writings were a gentle, fatherly rebuke to not forget part of the purpose for which the church exists.  Here’s a warning: This book will challenge you. If you’re interested, you can pick the book up here.

Crazy Love

I just want to go on the record by saying “Crazy Love” was a lot better than I expected.  I’ve seen it on the bookshelves of Christian bookstores for at least a year or more and had sortof written it off as the kind of book that would last a few weeks and fade in everyone’s memory.  The whole book looked like it was written to get a sale but not change anyone.  It took a recommendation from (I think) Frank Viola before I would actually read the book.  Who would ever believe that you can’t judge a book by it’s cover?

The first thing I loved about this book was the time that Francis Chan spent delving into attributes of God at the beginning of the book.  Most modern books present a problem and then tell you how to fix it.  Chan takes us into the character of God before he takes us anywhere and I believe that is part of the reason this book is so successful. In a way, this section reminded me of the book “The Knowledge of the Holy” by A.W. Tozer, but it’s written in a way that would move the heart of any college student.  Because the remainder of the book calls the church to action, Chan spends the first three chapters describing a God worthy to act on.   The book succeeds because it’s not a response to a problem but a response to God as He really is.

Chan then spends the next several chapters looking at what it looks like to not be moved by God in an appropriate manner.  Unfortunately, we find more of ourselves in these chapters than we care to admit.  The chapter entitled “Profile of the Lukewarm” was probably the hardest chapter of the book to listen to because it challenged me at a very deep level. Chan takes a look at a number of “religious people” in the Old and New Testament who thought they had it all together but really had no relationship with God.

I think a lot of people who read/listen to this chapter and the following chapter could very easily get offended because in a lot of ways it challenges what most of us feel satisfied with in our religious lives.  But because Chan packs these chapters with biblical truth and an unfolding of God’s character from the earlier chapters, his observations make sense.  There will still be many who will be offended as they read and my hope is that their offense will lead them to go back to the Bible and decide if what Chan is saying is true.  This may be the beginning of some of us, including me, waking up.

From there Chan begins to unpack what it looks like to be moved by love for the God he described in the first few chapters.  This is the “practical” section of the book where he begins to describe his journey and the journey others took to change their lifestyle to match what they see in scripture.  My favorite chapter of this section is “Who Really Lives That Way.” Most books like this one leave you feeling like you could never do what the author suggests. But  Chan introduces you to person after person who has lived radically for Jesus.  Some of these people are from a century or so ago but most of them are still alive today.  The beauty of this chapter is that most of the people he describes are not famous.  They don’t even think they are special.  They are all just changing their lives to respond to the God they have fallen in love with.  If you want to get a picture of what that looks like, I highly suggest you read this book.

If I have one beef with the book, I would have loved to see more of Chan’s personal story to see how these things have been worked out in his life. While he doesn’t give us the whole story, he does give us quick glimpses.  They are helpful, but I think readers would profit from a more personal perspective to encourage them that they can live whole-heartedly as well.    I’m convinced from his writing that his life has significantly changed… I was just looking for more than a snapshot here or there.

But the book was a great read listen and I would highly recommend that if you have a chance, you pick up this book.  I have to say I was moved by this book and am seriously rethinking some different aspects of my life, especially how I relate to the poor of the Earth.  Chan provides one of the most balanced arguments for Christians living their lives differently that I’ve seen in a book in a long time.  It will challenge you for the better.  And, if you want more when you’re done, you can hop on over to Christian Audio and listen to his new book “Forgotten God” by clicking here.

08/31/09

Travis

What Jesus Demands of the World

We live in a world enamoured with change.  All around us people are becoming tired of the status quo and begging for someone to lead them to a place they have never been before.  You only have to turn on the news and listen to the current crop of presidential candidates to understand that the topic on everyone’s mind is change.  This is just as true for the Church as it is for the world.  There is an awakening happening all over the earth as believers are beginning to realize business as usual won’t cut it any longer.  I whole-heartedly believe God is going to change the understanding and expression of Christianity in the Earth in one generation.  I believe change is God’s agenda.

The truth of the matter is, though, that change is dangerous.  There are very few peaceful revolutions.  I’ve watched people as they’ve began to realize that things they’ve believed in for so long are false.  Some have navigated the change well.  But I’ve watched others’ faith get shipwrecked for a season because things they thought were so real have proven hollow and false.  In the name of change, they pursue God. But as time passes change becomes the focus and God becomes a means of change, rather than the end.  This business of change is tricky stuff.

In a seaon where some are arguing that everything must change (not a recommendation, by the way), I was delighted to read “What Jesus Demands of the World.”  This book, written by John Piper is both a call to repentence and a glorious reminder that our task is to return to the roots of who we are as believers.  Piper writes about Jesus, takes the Gospel writers at their word, and calls us back to the simplicity of following a man who could call us to leave everything behind and follow Him.

The joy of reading this book is that it calls us back to the real revolution by experiencing the power of Jesus.  Most of our contemporary “Change Mentality” is rooted in us going out and making something happen.  It’s strength rests on the ability of our flesh to cause us to suceed (both in the world and in the church).  But Piper’s book begins by telling us that our only hope to fulfill the commands of Jesus is to be born again.  Throughout each chapter, Piper calls us back to the fact that without an encounter with Jesus that transfers us into the Kingdom of God, we cannot fulfill the commands of Jesus.  And because of that incredibly important fact, each chapter takes us deeper into more challenging commands of Jesus while still bringing us back to the fact that our ability to fulfill these commands comes squarely from the power of God we gained at the new birth.

One of the things that made this book a worthwhile read is that the book never seperated the commands of Jesus from Who Jesus is.  Every command of Jesus that Piper looks at is more than just a command.  It became a doorway into understanding the heart of the One who commanded it.  Jesus’ commands to take up the cross and follow Him, to rejoice and be glad, to enter into the narrow door, and to not be anxious took on new light as prescriptions from the Great Physician. The book truly brought me to a place where I was better able to understand that “His yoke is easy and His burden is light.”

Part of the problem that comes with any book that teaches on the commands of Jesus is the tendency to water down what Jesus said.  Piper never shies away from the fact that this is difficult to do.  However, in the midst of teaching the commands of Jesus, he calls us to radically pursue what Jesus said while still interpreting the passage with grace and rationality.  Piper gives us the commands of Jesus in a way that we can understand and swallow, without taking away any of the power in the commands that actually causes us to change.  It’s my opinion that Piper keeps us from dumbing down the commands to a place where anyone alive is already meeting them.  Instead we get a real picture of a real command and a real encouragement that this was meant for us.

As the book progresses, it moves from very basic and initial commands of Jesus such as “Repent” and “Believe in Me” to more difficult commands such as the commands to “Love Your Neighbor,” “Love Your Enemy,” and “Disciple All The Nations.”  Each of the 4-8 page chapters looks at a different facet of a command of Jesus.  Though the book is thick (clocking in at 375 pages) it is divided up in a way that you can pick it up and read anywhere in the book at any time or you can read straight through.  However someone decides to read it, they will be greatly encouraged and strengthened in their ability to continue to pursue God in His strength and not on their own.

I have to highly recommend this book to anyone who is a believer in Jesus.  Rick Joyner often teaches that the best people in any proffession are those who review the basics of their trade no matter how often they practice them.  A great proffessional pitcher will always still go back and practice the fundamentals of ball throwing.  A great speaker will always review the basics of good rhetoric.  Piper’s book will allow you to review the basics of Christian living that will take your walk with the Lord to a whole nother level.  With this in mind, I will be adding What Jesus Demands to the World to the small list of books I will read a second time and to the even shorter list of books I read yearly to keep my walk in step with the Lord.

Travis

04/06/08

Healer-Prophet- I’ve wanted this book for a little while and I received it last year, but about early December the Lord started stirring my heart to read the book.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with William Branham, he launched the healing/tent revival of the 40’s and 50’s.  He functioned both in the gift of miracles and as a seer.  Many times he would tell people who came through his healing lines what their name, disease, and sometimes their address was.  William Branham pioneered a ministry that Paul Cain walked in for a few years before the Lord called him away to a season of wilderness. I once saw a video where William Branham picked out a lady that came into his prayer line, told her that she hadn’t come for healing but she had come for someone else, told her the disease the person she came for had, and how that person would be healed.

Now to the book.  I’m really not recommending the book for everyone.  Branham didn’t end his race well, at least according to most historians.  This book was written by a church historian for a Southern Baptist university, so while he reports on the reported supernatural ministry of Branham, it’s covered in a shroud of unbelief. He is also very unsympathetic towards Branham at any stage of his life, so even during the years that Branham moved powerfully with the Lord in a way very few ever attained, Branham’s weaknesses clearly remain the focus of the book.

But here is why this book is valuable.  Hebrews 11:7-8 says, “Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”  While the biography is negative towards Branham, it is honest.  Branham moved in a realm of God’s power in a way few ever had and we need to learn from him.  We need to consider his conduct.  Branham also was lead astray in his prophetic gifting to a point of confusion by those who followed him.  We should consider his conduct in this arena as well.  Jesus Christ, who does not change, gives us examples in history of how he deals with mankind.  We learn much from studying His dealings with His people.  There are few better examples of men who moved in such power and yet fell into deception.  We would do well to learn from the life of Branham.