Here's a sampling of some of the things I've been reading and reviewing this week.  The hope is that these bite-sized sections of books, articles, blog posts, etc will stand on their own and be beneficial in-and-of-themselves.  But I also hope that some of you will like these excerpts enough that they pull you into the larger work from which they've been taken.

Let's start sampling: 

I read a fair amount - not as much as some; more than others.  As someone who loves to teach, I read to stay current on content.  But I also read because I really enjoy it.  Reading helps me learn and process, and it helps me relax.  Because I do so much reading, there aren't many books (besides the Bible) I've read more than once.  With most books, I dog ear (and then Evernote) a few pages that I'll want to reference again.  Or I'll return to specific chapters that are helpful in particular books.  Other books have indexes that help me benefit from select content numerous times.  For me, reading a book from cover to cover more than once is pretty rare.  

But it does happen..  And when it does, that means the book has grabbed my attention and helped shaped the flow of my thinking in particularly noticeable ways.

Here are five books I've read multiple times and plan to continue reading.  Consider that a recommendation to check 'em out yourself.

As I advocate for theological depth and teach the Brookside Institute "Fuel for Faith" class, I'm always keeping my eyes out for resources that will reinforce the value of theology.  Enter: Dr. Jeremy Treat, Pastor of Theology and Equipping at Reality LA, a church in the Los Angeles area.

He makes a winsome case for "Why Theology Matters" in your life.  The video embedded below is 30 min long, but it's worth every minute.  So take half an hour sometime soon and treat yourself to some Treat.  And then make sure you sign up for the Fuel for Faith class starting on Sept 14!

Click here to be taken to the page on Reality LA's site where I accessed this talk.  Here, you can download an audio version of this talk if that's more convenient for you, and see notes of his talk as well.

Here's a sampling of some of the things I've been reading and reviewing this week.  The hope is that these bite-sized sections of books, articles, blog posts, etc will stand on their own and be beneficial in-and-of-themselves.  But I also hope that some of you will like these excerpts enough that they pull you into the larger work from which they've been taken.

Let's start sampling: 

Last week I attended the Global Leadership Summit, a leadership conference I've attended for probably the last 8-9 years.  The Summit features a diverse faculty of presenters - some I've heard of before, some I've not - and every year I walk away having learned worthwhile lessons that can shape my leadership and ministry.  This year, one of the speakers who grabbed my attention most was a guy I wasn't really familiar with - Jeffrey Immelt, President and CEO of General Electric.

There's lots of things I liked about the session.  Immelt interviewed well with Bill Hybels - I always like to see leaders who seem comfortable in their own skin and who seem to genuinely enjoy leading.  (Yes, parts of leadership can be a burden and add stress, but when leadership becomes ONLY a burden, it's time to reassess ourselves and/or the situation.  We can also have fun leading, and it can be a joy!)  Immelt had a number of helpful points and one-liners on how to lead in our volatile context, and the value of simplification.  What stood out to me most, however, was the few minutes he and Bill Hybels talked about GE's leadership development university in Crotonville, N.Y.  

I hope to look more into how GE leverages Crotonville in the future, but even in the five or so minutes Immelt discussed leadership development at GE I saw immediate overlap with my vision for the Brookside Institute.  Here are three things that stood out to me:

Here's a sampling of some of the things I've been reading and reviewing this week.  The hope is that these bite-sized sections of books, articles, blog posts, etc will stand on their own and be beneficial in-and-of-themselves.  But I also hope that some of you will like these excerpts enough that they pull you into the larger work from which they've been taken.

Let's start sampling: 

Many of us (all of us?) are waiting for God to act in certain ways.  Certain prayer requests remain unanswered.  We're waiting for God to "fix" us in the ways we want to be fixed.  We're beseeching God for justice in the face of blatant evil.  We're waiting on our Lord's glorious and anticipated return.  But what does waiting look like?  What should waiting for God look like?

In just a few weeks, our Fall 2014 classes begin.  And I can't wait!  I get excited to teach.  I love to learn alongside others.  Studying God's Word closely and interacting with others about it "fuels" me like few other things.  In addition to this, I'm a learner by nature (my Strengths Finder "top 5" include "Learner," "Input," and "Intellection"), and so I'm pretty sure if there was a class on something offered sometime, somewhere I'd be at least interested.

But I know everyone's not like me.  The simple fact that a class is being offered doesn't spark immediate interest.  Many others (who are more wise than me!) need additional reasons to consider attending classes.  After all, everyone is busy.  There are more things pulling for our attention than we can devote attention to.  Most of us are looking for ways to create margin - not additional things to add to our plate.

Since this is the case, why should you be considering an Institute class this Fall?  Here are four worthwhile reasons that come to my mind first:

Here's a sampling of some of the things I've been reading and reviewing this week.  The hope is that these bite-sized sections of books, articles, blog posts, etc will stand on their own and be beneficial in-and-of-themselves.  But I also hope that some of you will like these excerpts enough that they pull you into the larger work from which they've been taken.

Let's start sampling: