Category: Mission

My 2017 One Hundred Book Challenge – UPDATE

Reading-booksI’ve been asked by many of my friends about my progress toward 100 Books for 2017 and I’ve finally compiled a list compliments of an awesome site I’ve been using to track my challenge called Goodreads. Feel free to friend me on there for an up-to-date list of my current and past reads.

I’m not sure how this will format to my website, but the important thing is I’m ahead of schedule (57 to date) by only a couple of books thanks in part to some shorter ones I’m sure. As you’ll be able to see some of my favorite subjects are prayer, leadership, communication, ministry, and self-help.goodreads

I started out thinking I could write reviews of each of these books but between all of the reading, sermon prep, a full-time job, and the many hats I wear as a leader, it’s just not practical at this time. Suffice it to say however, I’ve gained a ton of wisdom and implemented, not all of this, but a great deal into my life and have found this journey so far very challenging, but extremely rewarding as well.

Thanks for all the support and encouragement, and for the recommendations. – Rodger

Title Author Date
Leaders Made Here: Building a Leadership Culture Miller, Mark * 12-Jul-17
The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It McGonigal, Kelly * 12-Jul-17
David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants Gladwell, Malcolm 2-Jul-17
The Barbarian Way: Unleash the Untamed Faith Within McManus, Erwin Raphael 1-Jul-17
Moving Mountains: How You, God, and Prayer Can Change Things for Good Eldredge, John 27-Jun-17
Leaders Eat Last Sinek, Simon * 23-Jun-17
Ego Is the Enemy Holiday, Ryan * 21-Jun-17
Rising Above a Toxic Workplace: Taking Care of Yourself in an Unhealthy Environment Chapman, Gary 19-Jun-17
How Good is Good Enough? Stanley, Andy 16-Jun-17
Good or God?: Why Good Without God Isn’t Enough Bevere, John 13-Jun-17
Take the Stairs: 7 Steps to Achieving True Success Vaden, Rory 29-May-17
Necessary Endings: The Employees, Businesses, and Relationships That All of Us Have to Give Up in Order to Move Forward Cloud, Henry * 19-May-17
Becoming a Contagious Christian Hybels, Bill 11-May-17
The Principle of Path: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be Stanley, Andy 2-May-17
Play the Man: Becoming the Man God Created You to Be Batterson, Mark 27-Apr-17
The Little Things: Why You Really Should Sweat the Small Stuff Andrews, Andy * 26-Apr-17
A Tale of Three Kings Edwards, Gene * 24-Apr-17
The Christian Atheist: Believing in God but Living As If He Doesn’t Exist Groeschel, Craig 21-Apr-17
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference Gladwell, Malcolm 20-Apr-17
Crash the Chatterbox: Hearing God’s Voice Above All Others Furtick, Steven 13-Apr-17
The School of Greatness: A Real-World Guide to Living Bigger, Loving Deeper, and Leaving a Legacy Howes, Lewis 11-Apr-17
The Lost Art of Spiritual Disciplines Whitley, Nathan 10-Apr-17
Prayer Bean, Verbal 3-Apr-17
The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play Fiore, Neil A. 2-Apr-17
Procrastinate on Purpose: 5 Permissions to Multiply Your Time Vaden, Rory 2-Apr-17
StrengthsFinder 2.0 Rath, Tom * 30-Mar-17
Divine Direction: 7 Decisions That Will Change Your Life Groeschel, Craig 28-Mar-17
Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man’s Soul Eldredge, John 21-Mar-17
The Grave Robber: How Jesus Can Make Your Impossible Possible Batterson, Mark 21-Mar-17
Soul Detox: Clean Living in a Contaminated World Groeschel, Craig 16-Mar-17
Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action Sinek, Simon * 15-Mar-17
Surprise the World: The Five Habits of Highly Missional People Frost, Michael 7-Mar-17
Seven-Mile Miracle: Journey Into the Presence of God Through the Last Words of Jesus Furtick, Steven 7-Mar-17
It’s My Pleasure: The Impact of Extraordinary Talent and a Compelling Culture Turner, Dee Ann 6-Mar-17
Wild Goose Chase: Reclaim the Adventure of Pursuing God Batterson, Mark 3-Mar-17
Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God Keller, Timothy J. 25-Feb-17
Chase the Lion: If Your Dream Doesn’t Scare You, It’s Too Small Batterson, Mark 25-Feb-17
Seven Practices of Effective Ministry Stanley, Andy 19-Feb-17
In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day: How to Survive and Thrive When Opportunity Roars Batterson, Mark 17-Feb-17
Essential Church?: Reclaiming a Generation of Dropouts Rainer, Thom S. 13-Feb-17
Shaken: Discovering Your True Identity in the Midst of Life’s Storms Tebow, Tim 7-Feb-17
With Christ in the School of Prayer Murray, Andrew 6-Feb-17
The Bait Of Satan: Living Free from the Deadly Trap of Offense Bevere, John 6-Feb-17
Visioneering: God’s Blueprint for Developing and Maintaining Personal Vision Stanley, Andy 6-Feb-17
QBQ! The Question Behind the Question: Practicing Personal Accountability at Work and in Life Miller, John G. 6-Feb-17
The Battle Plan for Prayer: Attacking Life’s Struggles Through Prayer Kendrick, Stephen 6-Feb-17
Influencer : The Power to Change Anything Patterson, Kerry 6-Feb-17
H3 Leadership: Be Humble. Stay Hungry. Always Hustle. Lomenick, Brad 6-Feb-17
Uncommon: Finding Your Path to Significance Dungy, Tony 6-Feb-17
Draw the Circle: The 40 Day Prayer Challenge Batterson, Mark 6-Feb-17
Creating Community: Five Keys to Building a Small Group Culture Stanley, Andy 6-Feb-17
Worth Dying For: A Navy Seal’s Call to a Nation Denver, Rorke * 6-Feb-17
Deep and Wide: Creating Churches Unchurched People Love to Attend Stanley, Andy 6-Feb-17
If: Trading Your If Only Regrets for God’s What If Possibilities Batterson, Mark 20-Jan-17
The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever Stanier, Michael Bungay * 13-Jan-17
Praying Hyde Carre, E.G. 2-Jan-17

The Answer is Still Hope

Daily we’re bombarded in the media with disturbing headlines…

  • Gradually, the freedoms of our nation are being chiseled away in the name of security.
  • Our unemployment rate is at an all-time high, while the value of our dollar is at an all-time low.
  • Consumer confidence is at an all-time low, while prices for things are at an all-time high.
  • The divorce rate is at an all-time high.
  • The murders, shootings, and stabbings, litter the front page of every morning paper.
  • Abortion continues to be legal.
  • Political corruption is rampant in our government officials.
  • The Muslims have declared war on the western world
  • The US has declared war on terrorist countries
  • Iran wants to bomb Israel off the map
  • There’s genocide being committed in the Dar Fur region
  • Every day we hear about famines and droughts taking lives
  • Natural disasters, rather than bringing out the best in people, have brought out the worst, with looting, pillaging, price gouging, and hidden political agendas.
  • Every day another drug deal goes bad
  • Every day another child dies in a drive-by shooting
  • Every day another school or place of business gets shot-up
  • Every day another terrorist threat is discovered
  • The children and the elderly in our country continue to get the short end of the stick
  • Justice seems to favor the criminal
  • Our prisons are over-crowded
  • People are losing their homes
  • Banks are going out of business

Yet, everyday people get up and do their dead-level best to keep their chin up. The odds never seem to be in their favor. What on earth (or in Heaven) could ever breath hope back into people’s lives? What if anything could remedy the pain of feeling of being violated?

The Apostle Paul wrote, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” I Co. 15:19.

  • This world doesn’t need a powerful political figure…
  • This world doesn’t need a powerful political system…
  • This world doesn’t need more money, more programs, or more tax breaks…
  • This world doesn’t need more change, just for the sake of change, what this world needs is HOPE!

Peter said in his first epistle (3:15) – “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”

The answer is hope! Let’s point people to the real hope that spans beyond this world – it’s the hope that drew Christ to the Cross at Calvary…YOU!

As long as there are “YOU’s” in this world, there is hope…

  • People whose lives have been forever changed
  • People who have been given a reason to carry on
  • People who have drank from the freely from the well and now have living water flowing from their own souls
  • People who have everlasting joy and peace
  • People who have hope

While hope is one of the greatest of all commodities on the planet it’s futile if it’s not shared with others. People everywhere are waiting, knowingly or unknowingly, to hear a message of hope.

If you’re born again of the water and of the Spirit, you contain the hope that humanity needs in earthen vessels. Let’s not withhold this hope from mankind.

Jesus read a passage in Isaiah 61:1-3, “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 2To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.”

Jesus was the fulfillment of this Old Testament prophecy, but today, the Spirit of the Lord is not just “upon” us…He’s in us; reaching out to a lost and hurting world through us! It’s up to us to complete the mission Jesus started, until the day of His return!

Ant on a Mission

Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Proverbs 6:6

As springtime blossoms, we see evidence of new life at every turn; flowering buds on trees, Robins nesting, Sparrows singing, and the return of summertime’s pesky insects. Proverbs points us to one such insect that has been around since the dawn of time and has over 12,000 different species – the assiduous ant! Known for her industry, the ant is ever searching for food and water sources. No time for luxury or frivolous pursuits, she’s always on a mission!

Solomon was contrasting the sluggard with the industrious ant, but as Christians, what’s our take-home message? Have we become like Aesop’s lazy grasshopper, basking in the temporary pleasures of this world, flitting from one blade of grass to another seeking enjoyment and pleasure? Or, are we like the laser-sharp-focused ant who never forgets she’s on “Mission from God?” We’ve been commanded to go into all the world preaching the Gospel of Christ’s Death, Burial and Resurrection. An ant builds a colony, numbering in some cases in the millions. Let’s make God’s Mission our mission. Let’s work the harvest while it is day, and colonize for the Kingdom of Heaven.

II Timothy 3 warns us all, “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.” (NASB)