That connection wasn’t hard to see in this first completed book of 2011. Gabe Lyons does a great job of building on the research and material in his previous book UnChristian to identify a third option for being Christian today which should be quite appealing to college students as well as any-aged person who wants to participate fully with God’s mission to restore and redeem all of Creation.

I was personally captured by the very first line in the very first chapter: “Seven years ago, I was twenty-seven years old and embarrassed to call myself Christian.” Although for me it was about 8 years ago and I was 31 at the time…but I remember that angst. I was a youth pastor at the time, finishing a masters degree, and working part-time at Starbucks. The friends I was making in the cafe environment were many of the young adults whose negative opinions of Christianity showed up in Gabe’s previous book. (By the way, you can read more about Gabe and find out the kinds of things he’s up to here.)

Anyway, fast-forward a few years and here I am working with college students at the University of Cincinnati, hoping to see hundreds of students get a vision for their “calling” to find brokenness in the world and positively affect it. That’s what these “Next Christians” do, as Restorers…they approach the world and culture through a lens of grace.

Most Christians tend to fall into two categories (as Gabe points out): Separatist or Cultural Christians. Separatists are offended by the world and culture so they withdraw and express church & faith in insular ways, maintaining purity and holiness by condemning and withdawaing from the world. Cultural Christians tend to blend right in with the culture and operate from a very philanthropic posture (so-called “social gospel”) which is disconnected from the redemptive truth of the whole Gospel/Jesus.

But Restorative Christians are rediscovering the whole Gospel of God’s original intent for Creation which is marred and broken by sin, yet redeemed in the life/death/resurrection of Christ, which then leads to the follower of Jesus partnering with God in His mission to restore ALL Things through Christ (Colossians) until the ultimate Consummation of the Kingdom when Christ returns and all is as it ought to be. At this point, I really must credit the CCO and their campus ministry training which prompted my own discovery of this fuller approach to the Gospel. Gabe recently spoke to a gathering of CCO folks who work on 100 or so campuses and I remember thinking, “Did Gabe get a lot of his material from us?”  

Some key points which Lyons makes along the way:  Restorers are…

• Provoked, not offended. Showing up is their defining practice.
• Creators, not critics. Anything that incarnates Christ and communicates restoration.
• Called, not employed. Restorers don’t have jobs…they serve in a vocation. Where your talent and heart come together is your calling. (insert plug for Jubilee Conference here)
• Grounded, not distracted. In order to live this way, we must be deeply anchored to Christ.
• In Community, not alone. Restorers need and want to come alongside others and experience intentional relationships and community.
• Counter-cultural, not relevant. Many churches and pastors are guilty of emphasizing relevance over Gospel-infused living that champions the common good.

The other highlight section for me was a description of five significant disciplines in which Next Christians tend to engage:

• Immersed in Scripture. Restorers value the story of God over entertainment and other distractions and spend time in God’s Word.
• Observing Sabbath. Restorers realize that our modern emphasis on productivity often emotionally and spiritually bankrupts us and our families because we are not being restored.
• Fasting for simplicity. Restorers find ways to limit consumption, excesses, and distractions.
• Choosing Embodiment. Being present (face to face, relationships, etc) is more important than productivity or connectivity.
• Postured by prayer. Many Christians are rediscovering the discipline of fixed-hour prayers as well as intentional times of prayer in community.

Overall, I think this book affirms what I see God doing in the lives of many Christians around me, including myself. Gabe also does a great job of communicating the value which certainly exists in the Separatist and Cultural expressions of Christianity. And the story of a conversation with Billy Graham (which is shared in that first chapter of the book) lends credibility from an amazing evangelist and friend of Jesus. There’s no doubt in my mind. God is up to something with this next generation of Christians, millions of which are on college campuses around the world right now!

That has been a challenging posture to thoroughly condition into the muscle memory of our lives. Of course we would always give lip service to the notion of trusting God for provision over the years, and have certainly seen God provide in amazing ways in our first 15 years of ministry. But it seems like we’ve entered some new territory lately.

Raising most of our support as we’re on mission to transform the lives of college students in Cincinnati is revealing some head trash, bad habits, and trust issues. This book was a helpful read for Debbie and I both as we become determined to trust God more than anything or anyone else.

One of our temptations has been to put our trust in the provision rather than in the Provider. Jesus didn’t really do us any favors when He taught us to pray for daily bread. That essentially means we are to live in a posture of constant dependence on God. At one point the author correctly points out “We enjoy provision. But we detest daily provision.”  Our materialistic and consumeristic culture does not submit easily to this Kingdom notion that God’s ability to provide far exceeds our ability to gather.

Some other quotes which caught my eye in this quick read…

God wants to teach us that His presence is what provides safety, not our resources.

Can we follow Jesus if it means abandoning a value system committed to accumulation?

Is enough for today enough for me?

As we continue moving further up and further in…on this journey of trust and transformation, I want to be much more mindful of the “manna moments” which God uses to teach me about His unlimited capacity as Creator and provider.

That statement sums up the content of this challenging book on racial reconciliation. Since day one of my ministry at the University of Cincinnati, I have felt the Gospel compulsion to pursue relationships with students of all culture groups on our campus. So far, I’ve had the great privilege of connecting with a young female African-American student who has a tremendous passion for music, worship, and serving God. I look forward to more opportunities to connect with Darienne and her friends from choir, church, UC, etc.

As I move forward toward that goal, however, Perkins & Rice have challenged me with the basic structure of their book: Admit, Submit, and Commit.

Although, as a nation, we have elected our first black president and made many advances towards racial equality, in the Christian community we have certainly not come as far as we might think. Admitting that we have at least some biases (if not outright prejudices) is a crucial first step in the reconciliation process. And whether this is with the black, Latin, Asian, Native American, or any other community…we must remember that the Gospel can never be reduced to “me and God.”

That was Jesus’ point when he responded to the religious lawyer who wanted Jesus to pick and choose for him: loving God or loving neighbor. We cannot pick and choose when it comes to the very nature of the Gospel, which is a ministry of reconciliation as Paul points out in 2 Corinthians 5:18-19. We can’t even pick and choose which neighbor we do or do not want to be reconciled with.

Intentionality. At one point the authors challenged me with this statement, “We must be intentional, relentless, and forceful.” Now I believe as that progresses from intentionality to relentless to forceful…there must be a good bit of discernment and Spirit-guided actions. But it will certainly take action (not just loving with words and tongue–1 John 3:17-18) if we are to pursue reconciliation and model what the Gospel actually calls us to in our own relationships and ministry.

Ha, ha…but seriously. We’re into the second week of February and I’m about 3 books behind in my reading goal for 2010. But that’s okay…I just came across this helpful post on book reading techniques from Tim Elmore.

If you’re trying to be more efficient with your reading goals, check out his article here.

On a positive note, I’m on track to finish two books this week, so I should only be one week behind after that.

And I’m still open to swapping out some titles on my list if someone has a great book you want to pitch to me!

Whenever the conversation on the plane, bus, etc veers towards the topic of vocation my creative juices would start flowing…”What can I say that I DO this time?”

The baggage that often comes with “I’m a pastor” or “I’m a campus minister” or some similar declaration would often prove to be more pressure that I wanted to put on the conversation or relationship.

In my reading of Unchristian (by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons) I found a very relevant discussion of the issues which make identifying oneself with evangelical American Christianity problematic.

So the gist of the book is (in my opinion) coming to grips with the fact that Christianity in America often looks Unchristian (not like Christ) to outsiders. Two specific  groups of people are particularly scrutinized in their opinions, beliefs, perceptions, and values…Busters and Mosaics. Kinnaman describes Mosaics as being born between 1984 and 2002 and Busters between 1965 and 1983. Here’s a quick overview of some of the main themes representing the most common points of skepticism and objection: (p.29)

• Hypocritical
• Too focused on getting converts
• Antihomosexual
• Sheltered
• Too political
• Judgmental

Again, in the research presented, these themes represent the general perceptions of outsiders towards Christianity.

Now in terms of application (especially as I interact with college students) I believe that the future of Christianity in America is looking up. Being aware of these issues and knowing that a more biblically informed worldview is necessary, the stage is set for engaging in the right kind of ministry (so to speak). For me, this completely reinforces an approach to ministry which challenges college students to engage the scriptures, commit to lifelong discipleship, and join Christ his restoration of all things.

The book is basically more of Don’s story (can I call him “Don?” it’s not like we get together occasionally at the Ugly Mug.) But in the process of telling his own story, he enlightens us with inspiring notions about what it means to LIVE a good story and be engaged in the process of transformation.

Another book I’m in the process of reading is The Art of Pilgrimage by Phil Cousineau. It is all about the process and purpose of pilgrimage, a concept which I have been sensitive to for years but very much awakened to more recently. As Miller shares stories about hiking in Peru, cycling across America, and kayaking into beautiful inlets my passion for incorporating travel, adventure, and ‘sacred’ geographical destinations into my own story has enlarged.

I would imagine that anyone could enjoy what Donald Miller is sharing in this book. But especially for those who find themselves bogged down by the mundaneness of their own stories…or searching for the “inciting incident” which might propel one into a better story or scene…A Million Miles is contemplatively energizing.

Here’s my list…we’ll see how it goes.

Book List for 2010