David Whiting Live

Do You Want Some Free Books?

Want some free books?   

We have removed all the resources from our old library that are going to the new library. The rest are to be given away. So - here are some guidelines:

• If you have any books/resources checked out - please return them asap. There are boxes in which you can place returned resources. We want to go through them and see what we want to keep.
• Anything that is on the shelves - you can have it. Feel free to take it.
• Remember, there are shelves on three walls... don't forget about the shelves with media resources and the shelves above the magazines.
• Feel free to take any magazines in the racks.
• Please don't take anything in a closed cupboard, on the table, or in a box. We still need to go through those places to separate what we keep from what we give away.
• There may be a LOT of books being returned on Sunday. We want to go through those. So please leave those alone until we can go through them.
  

Have a good time. For the next two or three weeks - take any books you find on the shelves, then we will get rid of the rest.

To see a further explanation on the church library - read my blog on that topic by clicking HERE.

What Are We Doing with the Church Library?

One of the issues that we've considered with the new building is what to do about the library. We are planning on a bookstore - so should we have both a bookstore and a library or abandon the library altogether? We decided to have both a bookstore and a library (they will share space in the new bookstore) but to severely reduce the amount of books in the library. Here are some thoughts/reasons:

• We want to encourage people to read, but getting people to read IS NOT OUR GOAL at Northridge. We want to get people to read the right books... the best books... the books that will help us become more like Christ.
• We are taking a "less is more" philosophy. We (pastors) hand-picked all the books that will be carried in the bookstore and we anticipate more people reading by emphasizing the bookstore.
• The location of the library wasn't very conducive to getting people to read. The library has been hard to find (especially for those newer to the church). Having the library inside the new bookstore will be a better location.
• We don't want to take away the option to check out books for those who can't afford to or don't want to buy a copy of a particular book - so we don't want to just get rid of the library completely.
• We have space problems at church. Even with all the new square footage we are adding to the church, we are only adding two classrooms. When we move into the new building, we will be using every classroom in the building. A library makes a room difficult to use as a classroom because it makes the library inaccessible during some church hours.

An extensive study that was done on our library, and here are some surprising things that we learned:

• Out of over 1000 non-fiction books - 70% haven't been checked out ONCE in the last ten years.
• And 82% haven't been checked out in the last five years.
• Fiction, by far, has been the primary use of the library. Only 20% of the fiction books haven't been checked out in the last five years.

Now what?

• We need to get all the library materials back that are currently checked out.
• We are in the process of narrowing down our library to about 25% to 33% of its present size.

So - please drop off the resources this Sunday that you have at home so we can separate them into resources that will be carried in the new library and those that will be given away.

Thanks for your interest in good books!

Books Worth Reading

A good friend recently emailed me asking for a book to "fire him up" spiritually. I made a list and thought that a broader audience may want to see the list.  Here are 12 that have made a significant difference in my life in recent years:

Books that will challenge your commitment:

• The Cross-Centered Life - by C.J. Mahaney
• Crazy Love - Francis Chan
• The Best Question Ever - Andy Stanley
• Pursuit of Holiness - Jerry Bridges

Books that will challenge your marriage:

• Sacred Marriage - Gary Thomas
• Choosing to Cheat - Andy Stanley (cheating your work instead of your family)

Practical Book that will Challenge/Encourage you:

• The Principle of the Path - Andy Stanley

Book on working with others/ difficult relationships / counseling

• Relationships: A Mess Worth Making - Tim Lane & Paul Tripp

Book about leadership challenges (when you have a difficult boss / ministry leader)

• A Tale of Three Kings - Gene Edwards

Great apologetic book

• The Reason for God - Tim Keller

Great books to think about the Church:

• The Radical Reformission - Mark Driscoll
• Simple Church - Eric Geiger & Thom Rainer

Completely life-changing but deep book

• Desiring God - John Piper

Depression - Book Recommendations

On Sunday I spoke on depression ("God's Prescription for Your Depression").  If you missed it, you can listen to it HERE.  But I wanted to mention two specific resources for those who struggle. 

1. DEPRESSION: A STUBBORN DARKNESS - by Ed Welch  

It is a very helpful, practical, Christ-focus, solution-oriented book.  I recommend this book ALL THE TIME! I think it is helpful for the one struggling with depression and for those who love someone struggling with depression.

2. WHEN THE DARKNESS WILL NOT LIFT - by John Piper

I love the subtitle of this book, "Doing What You Can While We Wait for God - and Joy." Piper, not normally known for brief books, kept this one to 80 pages with large type.  Those struggling with depression probably don't need a 500 page explanation of their situation. They need hope.  Piper provides it in an incredible God-focused way.

If Sunday's message grabbed your attention, maybe you need to get one of these books.  I can't wait until we have a bookstore so these resources are more readily available for everyone!

Wild Goose Chase - part 2

Yesterday I mentioned Mark Batterson and his book "Wild Goose Chase."  I don't want to give a book report, but I do want to share some things that made my heart beat faster while I read. In the introduction Mark explains the title:

Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit–An Geadh-Glas, or ‘the Wild Goose.’ The name hints at mystery. Much like a wild goose, the Spirit of God cannot be tracked or tamed. An element of danger, an air of unpredictability surround Him. And while the name may sound a little sacrilegious, I cannot think of a better description of what it’s like to follow the Spirit through life. I think the Celtic Christians were on to something…

Here are my favorite quotes / ideas / themes from the book that moved me deeply:

• "I wonder if churches do to people what zoos do to animals. I love the church. I bleed the church. And I'm not saying that the way the church cages people is intentional. In fact, it may be well intentioned. But too often we take people out of their natural habitat and try to tame them in the name of Christ. We try to remove the risk. We try to remove the danger. We try to remove the struggle. And what we end up with is a caged Christian... And the cage opens when we recognize that Jesus didn't die on the cross to keep us safe. Jesus died to make us dangerous. Praying for protection is fine... But when was the last time you asked God to make you dangerous?  I would like to think that when I pronounce the benediction at the end of our church services, I am sending dangerous people back into their natural habitat to wreak havoc on the Enemy." (pp. 5-6)
• "I'm not convinced that your date of death is the date carved on your tombstone. Most people die long before that. We start dying when we have nothing worth living for. And we don't really start living until we find something worth dying for. Ironically discovering something worth dying for is what makes life worth living." (pp. 16-17)
• "Some of us live as if we expect to hear God say, 'Well thought, good and faithful servant!' or 'Well said, good and faithful servant!' God isn't going to say either of those things. There is only one commendation, and it is the by-product of pursing God-ordained passions: 'Well done, good and faithful servant!'" (p. 29)
• "Can I share a growing desire in my life? I don't want to do things I am capable of doing. Why? Because then I can take credit for them. I want to see God do things in me and through me that I am absolutely incapable of so I can't possibly take credit for them." (p. 35)
• "In the words of G.K. Chesterton, 'Grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. Is it possible God says every morning. "Do it again" to the sun; and every evening, "Do it again" to the moon? The repetition in nature may not be a mere recurrence; it may be a theatrical encore.'" (pp. 42-43)
• "I have come to this conclusion: I don't want to be good at lots of things; I want to be great at a few things. I would rather pour my heart, soul, mind, and strength into a few endeavors than do lots of things halfway." (pp. 53-54)
• "When Teddy Roosevelt was president, he and his naturalist friend William Beebe would routinely go outside after dinner and look up at the night sky. They would locate a faint spot of light in the lower left-hand corner of Pegasus and recite the following: 'This is the Spiral Galaxy in Andromeda. It is as large as our Milky Way. It is one of 100 million galaxies. It is 750,000 light-years away. It consists of 100 billion suns, each larger than our sun.' Roosevelt would pause and grin. Then he would say to his friend, 'Now I think we feel small enough! Let's go to bed.'" (pp. 73-74)
• "In the 1870's, an annual church conference was held at Westfield College in Illinois. During the conference, the president of the college prophetically said, 'We are approaching a time of great inventions. For example, I believe the day is not far off when men will fly through the air like birds.'  One bishop present accused him of heresy. 'The Bible tells us that flight is reserved for the angels!' The bishop's last name? Wright. His two sons, Orville and Wilbur, recorded the first successful powered flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December, 17, 1903. Where would we be if it weren't for children who challenge our assumptions?" (p. 78)
• "Faith is not logical. But it isn't illogical either. Faith is theological. It does not ignore reality; it just adds God into the equation.... Think of it this way: Logic questions God. Faith questions assumptions. And at the end of the day, faith is trusting God more than you trust your own assumptions." (p. 79)
• "I don't want to live my life in such a way that the best I can do is the best I can do. Frankly, my best isn't good enough.... When I fail to pray, the best I can do is the best I can do" (p. 85)
• "In the words of C.S. Lewis, 'When a man is getting better he understands more and more clearly the evil that is still left in him. When a man is getting worse he understands his own badness less and less.' If you understand that, you're getting better. If you don't, you aren't." (p. 99)
• "We are the most resourced church in the most resourced country the world has ever known. You know what is most lacking? Good old-fashioned guts! We need people who are more afraid of missing opportunities than making mistakes. People who are more afraid of lifelong regrets than temporary failure. People who dare to dream the unthinkable and attempt the impossible." (p. 145)
• "In the first century, church was anything but a safe place. It was a dangerous place... There is nothing remotely passive about being part of the kingdom of God. We are called to forcefully advance the cause of Christ. Faithfulness is not holding the fort. Faithfulness is storming the gates of hell." (pp. 148-149)
• "When did we start believing that God wants to send us to safe places to do easy things? God want to send us to dangerous places to do difficult things. And if you chase the Wild Goose [the mysterious God], He will lead you into the shadowlands, where light and darkness clash." (p. 149)
• "Jesus never promised safety or certainty or predictability. And He certainly didn't die on the cross to tame us. he died to make us dangerous. He died to invite us into a life of spiritual adventure." (p. 171)
• "Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death." (p. 171)
• "Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention." (p. 171)

This is a much longer post than I prefer to write, and I hope that wasn't too many quotes for you, but I couldn't limit my favorites to ten quotes...  I also hope if any of those quotes grabbed your attention as they have mine, that you might think about reading "Wild Goose Chase."  It will be worth your time! 

Wild Goose Chase - part 1

I thought I would do a lot of reading on my sabbatical.  And although I have read several books over the last eight weeks - it isn't as many as I expected.  But this morning I finished a book called "Wild Goose Chase" by Mark Batterson.  I've followed Mark's ministry for a couple of years.  I had heard about him starting a church in Washington DC (not the suburbs, but inside the beltway).  DC is my favorite city - so I took even more interest.  I have heard that land can cost $1,000,000 per acre inside the DC beltway - so planting a church creates unique challenges.  So National Community Church decided to not build a building, but instead to become an early adapter of the multi-site movement.  They now meet in four locations (3 inside the beltway). One is in Union Station (a place I love). They meet inside the movie theater at Union Station. Another is in Georgetown (known as a place "where church plants go to die").

You can read the history of the church here (if interested).  But in 2004 they took a very different approach and built a coffee house not far from Union Station (it opened in 2006).  So in the fall of 2006, when Sue and I were driving through DC on the way to the Outer Banks, we decided to stop and see two churches that I have come to admire.  First, we stopped at Capital Hill Bapitst Church, which is pastored by Mark Dever. I truly appreciate Mark and Capital Hill.  I love his bilblical insights and his love for the Gospel!  It is a very old, traditional building on Capital Hill.  Later in the day, we walked to Ebenezers Coffee House - built by National Community Church.  We bought coffee and talked to one of the workers about National Community Church for a while. They have a meeting room downstairs used for church services and all the profits of the coffee house go to outreach in the community.  I LOVE that!!

I love Mark Batterson's thinking about loving people and introducing them to Jesus Christ.  He challenges my thinking constantly. I haven't recommended a lot of books via my blog, but this one is worth recommending.  You can buy it at any website (although I like amazon.com for the free shipping with a $25 purchase)... 

Tomorrow I plan to write just a little bit about the book...  You could also look at a website based on the book.

Six Best Books in the Last Twelve Months

I was once told, "You will be the same person in five years that you are now except for the books you read and the people you meet." I like that quote. Books have changed my life.  Here are six books that have impacted my life over the last twelve months.

• Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas - This is truly one of the best books I've ever read. I love Gary's perspective on life.  This was the third time I've read through the book and I will probably read it again.  The theme of the book is, "What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy?"
• Relationships: A Mess Worth Making - by Paul David Tripp and Tim Lane - If you have a longing to help people, this book is worth it's weight in gold. This book has helped me be a better and more biblical counselor.
• Church History in Plain Language - by Bruce L. Shelley - This was one of the church history books that I read in preparation for the current series I'm doing called, "What's the Difference?" If you enjoy history or feel that you should know more, this is a good place to start.
• Radical Reformission - by Mark Driscoll - The subtitle of this book is, "Reaching Out Without Selling Out." It is so refreshing to read a pastor who has not compromised on theology yet is very aggressive and progressive when attempting to reach people who are far from God. I wish every pastor would read this book!
• UnChristian - by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons - This book is based on an extensive survey of the reputation of Christians. I found it fascinating and at points, very insightful.
• Reveal - by Greg Hawkins and Carlly Parkinson - This is a very open and honest self-evaluation done by Willow Creek Community Church in seeing how they are really doing at helping irreligious people become fully devoted followers of Christ.  I love the honesty of the book and their desire to fix what they have been missing. I salute them and admire their self-revelation. 

What's the best book you've read over the last year? I'd love to hear some recommendations for my sabbatical reading.