All posts by mjfelker1980

Books

Looking Ahead to 2007

3 Comments

I have been compiling a list of new books that I want to read in 2007. this isn’t an exhaustive list by any means just a jumping off point.

I want to know what you think.
Any suggestions?
Anyone wanna read with me?
Anything I should avoid?

News, Popular Culture

The Top 5%

I am in the elite 5% of the nation who did not have premarital sex according to a new survey. CNN is reporting a new study that says 95% of Americans have had premarital sex.

While I am excited to be part of such an elite group I really question that number. 50%, yeah. 70%, ok. 75%, more likely. But 95%!?!?!

I think that a quote from one of the researchers put this particular study’s finding in the highly dubious catagory.

“The data clearly show that the majority of older teens and adults have already had sex before marriage, which calls into question the federal government’s funding of abstinence-only-until-marriage programs for 12- to 29-year-olds,” Finer said.

Ding, ding, ding! There we go! Does everything have to revolve around politics?

I would like to read the rest of the study but I wanted to pass this article along right now.

Leadership, Music

On Being Authentic

Red Hot Chilli Peppers, LL Cool J, Tom Petty, Audioslave, and Jay-Z.

Q: What do all of the these artist have in common.
A: They have all worked with uber-producer Rick Rubin.

As I’ve stated before I think Rick Rubin is the kind of producer you want to work with. Every time you hear an artist or a group talk about Rubin they tell of the creativity and highly charged energy in the recording studio. Rubin seems to bring out the best in his artists.

Rubin helped resurrect Johnny Cash and it is the Cash on American recordings that will forever define this country legend. (For more of the process of working with Rubin check out the liner notes for the Unearthed box set)

I generally get excited when I hear about artists tapping Rubin to work with them. Recently Rubin has produced songs or albums by Neil Diamond, The Dixie Chicks, Justin Timberlake, Linkin Park, and, or course, U2.

I was happy to see and hear what Rubin has been able to do with these artists and each of them have been able to release some pretty great stuff. However, Rubin is working with another band and I am none too happy about it.

From Metallica.com:

Oh, and by the way, this up and coming producer guy named Rick something-or other, has been coming by the studio every now and again to listen to some of our new stuff and throw his two/three cents in. Since this Rick dude is new to all of this, we thought it would be a nice gesture to help break him into the music business by asking him to produce our next record. We’re very happy he said yes! In other words, we are psyched to share with you that Rick Rubin is producing the next Metallica album!

I think they were going for sarcasm in that post but it completely smacked of condescension.

Let’s be honest, Brand Rubin is red hot right now and Brand Metallica has been faltering for years. In the past 10 years Metallica has released 4 albums. Only two of those have had completely new material (1997’s Reloaded and 2003’s St Anger).

Beyond their music, their off stage antics (suing their fans) have turned them into the band everyone loves to hate.

Metallica has burned too many bridges with their fans to be so flippant about Rubin graciously agreeing to work with them. Leave it to Lars to act as though they are giving this incredible producer a break.

Authenticity must be earned and it is even harder to reacquire after it has been lost. I’ll be interested in hearing this new album if only to hear if Metallica allowed Rubin to do his job.

I’m afraid though that Metallica is Metallica’s worst enemy. Some kind of monster indeed.

link

Life Draining Schlock, News, Politics, Pope Bono

Meet The New Boss… Same As the Old Boss

My political fast goes on…

Meetings in Washington last Thursday between rock star Bono and Democrats, including Senate leader Harry Reid of Nevada, yielded a nice photo-op but not much else, according to Bono.

Bono, the U2 frontman and anti-poverty activist, was on Capitol Hill to seek assurances that $1 billion in planned U.S. spending to fight AIDS and malaria in Africa would not be lost if Congress freezes agency budgets in the coming year.

Bono said he also was seeking to close a “commitment gap” between what President Bush has requested for anti-poverty efforts and what Congress has agreed to spend in the past.

After meetings with incoming Senate Majority Leader Reid, House Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee, Bono said he came away empty-handed.

“I’m alarmed we could not get a commitment from the Democratic leadership to prevent the loss of $1 billion in the continuing resolution,” Bono said Thursday in a statement.

“I don’t know who to blame. Democrats are blaming Republicans. Republicans are blaming Democrats. But the million people who were expecting (mosquito) bed nets don’t know who to blame. They just know that a promise made by the United States to keep their families safe is in danger of being broken next year.”

link

Youth Ministry

Recovering, er, Scratch That… No Time

Man o man, December is only half over! The youth ministry machine has been in full effect here. Last weekend we had an event every night from Friday to Monday.

Friday Dec. 8- We headed downtown for a Dallas Stars game. As one of my students said our seats “were in Russia” but I don’t think there is a bad seat in the American Airlines Center. We were high but we were able to see all the “action.” I use that word loosely because Edmonton came to play and Dallas threw the game away. Over all though we had a great time.

Saturday, Dec. 9- The last time I scheduled a service project nobody showed. I went on ahead with the planned project (a hilarious story for another day) but I was glad that we had plenty of help this day. Together we collected 42 garbage bags full of leaves!!! My students worked their tails off raking and bagging and knocking out the yard in under two hours! Way to go guys!

Sunday, Dec. 10- Three words: Christmas Par-Tay!!! We exchanged gifts and I ended up with a Sonic gift card. Woo-Hoo! Sandy cooked a turkey and our girls brought some delicious desserts. A good time was had by all.

Monday, Dec. 11- Monday nights we hold our high school Bible study, ChiAlpha. We have been going through the Gospel of Mark this semester and have been really enjoying our time together. We gather at 7:30 to hang out and, more importantly, catch the last half of Deal or No Deal. After that, it is on to the study. We are almost through Mark. Any suggestions for next semester?

Yesterday I felt like I had finally recovered from last week. However, today is a youth ministry black day.

Tonight, the scourge of youth ministry goes down:

The Lock-In.

My students love the lock-in. I could take or leave them. I’m not so much anti-lock-in as I am pro-sleeping! I promised my students that if we only had one or two lock-ins a year I would make sure that they were extra-ordinary.

So, tonight we will stuff our faces with pizza, watch some movies (NAAAAAAHHHCH-OHHHHHHH), and play some broomball a little after 2 in the morning. Whew! Maybe I can recover next week. We’ll see. Have a great weekend everybody!

Church Planting

Must See TV

I downloaded and watched the first episode of the new Sundance Channel show One Punk Under God. The show follows Jay Bakker, son of Jim and Tammy Faye, as he struggles to grow his church in Atlanta.

The show was great and I really enjoyed the brief peek of behind the scenes church planting. I hope that continues through the rest of the series.

You ought to check out the show. It’s worth a watch.

Best of 2006, Book Review, Books

The Best of 2006: The Books

3 Comments

One of my resolutions for this coming year is to keep better track of the books that I read. So, to the best of my memory, here a just a few of the best books that I read in 2006.

Ministry
Communicating for a Change: Seven Keys to Irresistible Communication by Andy Stanley and Lane Jones

Best. Preaching. Book. Ever. Just as in other Northpoint Ministry Resources, Communicating for a Change is divided into two parts. The first is a fictional tale about a burnt out pastor who desperately needs help in connecting his sermons with his congregation. He finds just what he’s looking for when he takes a road trip with a truck driver who helps him map out and prepare his messages for maximum impact. Section 2 takes the nuts and bolts from the story and turns them into highly practical tools for any communicator. This is a highly practical book not only for ministers but for teachers, businessman, and coaches as well. This is a quick read that will change the way you prepare for and deliver the important messages in your life.

Confessions of a Reformission Rev. by Mark Driscoll

A lot of ink (both real and digital) has been spilt over Driscoll, the pastor of Mars Hill Church Seattle. Whether it is his headbutting with Emergent or his recent comments about Ted Haggard that landed him in hot water with many bloggers Driscoll seems to draw a lot of attention. Regardless of what you think of him this is an interesting little book. Part how-to and part tell-all Driscoll takes you through the planting of Mars Hill and his own growth and development through the years. He isn’t afraid to say “Hey this didn’t work” and he is quick to give credit to the Almighty when something works like gangbusters. Driscoll might seem a bit rough around the edges but I relished in his honesty and was amazed at how different his voice sounded. Great read for church planters and manly men.

Notable: Confessions of a Pastor by Craig Groeshel, Deep Ministry in a Shallow World Chap Clark & Kara Powell, In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson

Business
Small Is the New Big Seth Godin

Small Is the New Big is a collection of business guru Seth Godin’s greatest blog posts culled from his personal blog and others like Fast Company. Each post is listed in alphabetical order and is full of great wit and wisdom. Godin has an incredible knack for writing the simplest yet most profound statements. Small is a great primer to introduce you to Godin’s best ideas. Everything from free prizes to purple cows gets plenty of play here. Keep this book by the bedside table for quick inspirations before bed or for the first thing in the morning.

Pop Culture
The Perfect Thing: How the iPod Shuffles Commerce, Culture, and Coolness by Steven Levy

My favorite part about this book: The chapters are shuffled! How cool is that? Levy takes us through the development of the iPod and its impact on the culture at large is this punchy little book. Each chapter is crafted with great care. Levy’s writing is real and relevant as he carries us through topics such as podcasting, business models, Microsoft, iPod fights. One of my favorite books of the year.

One Step Closer: Why U2 Matters to Those seeking God Christian Scharen

Just as Get Up Off Your Knees, a collection of sermons featuring U2 references, was a completely new look at the gospel in culture genre this too is not your typical U2 and the Gospel book either. One Step Closer wants to challenge the reader to “think about how U2 fits within a larger tradition of Christian voices” pointing us toward the cross. Scharen is able to accomplish two things in this work. First, he does the work of U2 justice by letting the statements and lyrics speak for themselves. Secondly, and most importantly, he doesn’t twist the Gospel to fit into the U2 box. What comes out is a reflective, prayerful tome that introduces people to a band made up of Irish friends whose music is flavored by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Masterful work.