Mark Conner's Space

A Book Lover's Delight

Everyone has a weakness. Mine is books. There is a certain joy in buying a book and putting it on your shelf ... even if you haven't read hte last 10 books you bought. Fellow addicts will identify with me right away. If you don't love books ... well, you just don't understand.

Fellow book-lovers, I have a host of articles for you on the topics of 'Books.' Just click here to get started ... and I promise you'll have an enjoyable time.

And when you're done reading, it won't have cost you a penny ... unless you choose to buy a book I've recommended, of course.

Enjoy your reading!

2011 Leadership Book Awards

They say that "leaders are readers" and "readers are leaders." Without doubt, each of us can only give out what we have inside. We fill our inner world through prayer and reflection on God's Word, through meditation and grappling with our own thoughts, but we are especially aided by engaging with others. Books are a terrific way to stimulate your thinking and help you engage with a wide variety of relevant issues.

Leadership Journal is an excellent Christian magazine for leaders in every sphere of society. They recently released their list of book awards for 2011. If you're looking for some new books to read, their list is definitely worth a look.

Click here to access it.

Mark Conner eBooks

Three of my books are now available as eBooks via WORD bookstore here in Australia: Transforming Your Church (Revised Edition), Prison Break and Pass the Baton (2nd Edition). Click here for details and ordering information. Oh, the wonders of modern technology. 

Tom Wright for Everyone

Tom Wright (also known as N.T. Wright) has achieved global recognition as a biblical theologian through his academic and popular publications. He is a leading New testament scholar and former Bishop of Durham in the Church of England. His most academic work is his Christian Origins and the Questions of God series, of which three editions have been released so far. These include The New Testament and the People of God, Jesus and the Victory of God and The Resurrection and the Son of God. Tom also has also written a commentary series on the entire New Testament called For Everyone, as well as a contemporary translation. His more popular books include Simply Christian (likened to C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity), Evil and The Justice of God and Surprised by Hope.

Because of the number and size of Tom's books, few people have engaged fully with his thought and grappled with the implications. Stephen Kuhrt has done us all a favor through the release of his new book Tom Wright for Everyone. He provides and excellent summary and overview of Wright's theology in a broad range of areas, then describes in detail the way in which he has sought to put this theology into practice through the ministry and mission of his own local church, Christ Church in New Malden, England. This is a terrific book, well worth reading.

On a personal note, while on holidays in the UK recently, I was priviledged to have a coffee with Tom at St. Andrew University in Scotland, where he now resides (see pic). I found him warm, friendly, insightful and a joy to converse with. 

P.S. Visit the unofficial N.T. Wright page here, where there is a wealth of articles, lectures and links.

 

Which book would you want if you were shipwrecked on an island?

If you were stranded on a remote desert island somewhere and could only have ONE book with you, what would it be?

G. K. Chesterton, the famous British writer, was once invited to a meeting of the leading intellectuals in England. They were asked if they were shipwrecked on an island, what would be the one book they would want to have with them. Everyone expected Chesterton, a prominent Christian, to say “the Bible.” When it came his turn to speak, however, Chesterton said that if he were shipwrecked on a desert island, he’d like to have “Thomas’s Guide to Practical Shipbuilding.”

Now there is an intelligent Christian!

Chuck Colson wrote about this recently and highlights the fact that we need to look at and engage with life holistically, not just spiritually. Food for thought. 

The Bible is of utmost important but we don't want to be like the Pharisees who knew the Scriptures so well but missed Jesus (John 5:39-40) ... and God's will for us is revealed in many ways, including through people, creation, wisdom and life experience. 

Jesus said "Come ..."

As we read through the story of Jesus as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew we see that: Jesus shares his Messianic message about the kingdom of God (Mt.5-7), he engages in a ministry of miracles and signs (Mt.8-9), and he commissions his disciples to participate in his mission (Mt.10). The crowds still follow but a tinge of dissatisfaction emerges as questions are being raised about Jesus’ identity and mission (Mt.11). Soon outright opposition and hostility will emerge, especially from the religious leaders (Mt.12). Jesus shows how privileged a generation these people are and with it comes great responsibility. They have witnessed the arrival of the long-awaited Messiah and also experienced the ministry of John the Baptist, the first prophet to speak for God in 100s of years. They have heard the messages from God but how will they respond? Unfortunately, many ignored what God was doing and Jesus pronounced words of judgment for their lack of repentance (11:20-24). He then turns to the crowds and says: 

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” [Mt.11:28-30. NLT]

This passage shows us an incredible invitation. As with any invitation, we need to consider three things: (1) who is making the invitation, (2) to whom is the invitation being made, and (3) what is being offered? Let’s look at these one by one. 

1. Who is making the invitation?

Jesus is the one making the invitation. He claims to be the revelation of who God really is. He claims that he and the Father are one and that only by coming to Him can a person see and know God. Jesus has an exclusive and unique relationship with the Father. No one knew the Father like Jesus did. Part of His mission on earth was to reveal the Father to humanity (see Mt.11:27). Jesus describes himself as “gentle and humble in heart (11:29),” a very different picture of God than the religious leaders had portrayed.

Scrivener: Great Software for Writers, Speakers and Composers

For anyone who writes or speaks, the task of preparation is part science and part art ... with lots of prayer and perspiration mixed in. Some people think more intuitively. I know one speaker who prepares all of their messages in their head - never writing anything down. Others write out their ideas, sometimes word for word - on paper or by typing into a word processor.

I have always used a note pad to scribble down ideas for messages, often creating a bit of a pathway or 'story board' to outline my flow of thoughts and the direction of a message. Then I will type in all the details of my thoughts and research into a WORD document - often cutting and pasting back and forth. This can be quite a challenge, especially with a long document where you can't see everything in front of you at once. 

Enter ... some new software ... Scrivener.

Scrivener was designed by a writer ... for writers. Take the time to watch the 9 minute demo here.

This is a terrific piece of software ... and it works on a MAC or within Windows (beta version currently available). You can have everything in one place, including your research and other bits of information you may not need for your final message, whether spoken or in writing. I have just started using this program and I love it already. I can't wait to watch all of the video tutorials and use this software to its fullest potential. 

For a more in-depth review click here and here.

Scrivener ... I highly recommend it!

P.S. A 'scrivener' is a scribe who can read and write. 

Pass the Baton (Revised Edition)

It's been over four years now since I released the book 1st edition of Pass the Baton: Principles of Successful Leadership Transition. This book outlines the story of the two successful senior leadership transitions that have taken place at CityLife Church in its 40 year history - from Richard Holland to Kevin Conner and from Kevin Conner, my dad, to myself. Also included are many practical principles for any leadership transition - in a church, a ministry, an organisation or a business.

We have had excellent feedback from many churches and leaders who have used the lessons from our journey to help them in their own transitions. I pray that this book continues to be a help and a blessing to many churches and ministries in Australia and around the world.  

The revised edition has a number of edits and updates, including the fact that our founding pastor, Richard Holland went home to be with the Lord not long ago.

To purchase online, click here. 

Mastering Management

Leading and managing a church, a ministry, a business, or a non-profit organisation is quite a complex task. There is the cause or the mission that needs pursuing. There are the staff and volunteers who need encouraging and inspiring, much like a community. Then there is the corporate or business aspects that need conducting with excellence.

John Pearson has been active in management for over 25 years, serving with the Christian Management Association, the Willow Creek Association, and the Christian Camp and Conference Association. He is now president of a management consulting firm, serving both non-profit and for-profit organisations through workshops and training. John has recently released a book entitled Mastering the Management Buckets: 20 Critical Competencies for Leading Your Business or Non-Profit. The twenty competencies are grouped around the concepts of Cause, Community, and Corporation. Much of his thinking has been influenced by Peter Drucker, commonly known as the 'father of modern management' and a committed Christian until his passing away at the age of 95 back in 1995.

There is a very practical book with a broad range of ideas and practices relevant to anyone in leadership or management within any type of organisation. I highly recommend it.

P.S. Check out the author's BLOG here, and book web site here.

Ancient Future Church

How did the early church grow from as few as 25,000 people at the end of the first century (100 AD) to as many as 20 million people two hundred years later (310 AD)? Now that's a question worth thinking deeply about. While considering this question we must note that Christianity was an illegal religion during this period (at best they were tolerated, at worst they were persecuted), they didn't have church buildings, they didn't have all of the Scriptures as we know them (the canon was still being formed), they had no professional leadership, they didn't have youth groups, worship bands, seminaries or commentaries, and they made it hard to join the church. 

In his book, The Forgotten Ways, Alan Hirsch proposes that what they did have was what he calls Apostolic Genius - the inbuilt life force and guiding mechanism of God's people - and the living components or elements that make it up (a kind of missional DNA). Hirsch sees six ingredients as follows: Jesus as Lord, disciple-making, missional-incarnational impulse, apostolic environment, organic systems, and communitas (groups with a mission beyond themselves).  

Could it be that the key to the future of the contemporary church is to get back to our ancient roots. Maybe, we need an 'ancient future' approach. We need to look back in order to move forward. After all, God always includes in the beginning of something the seeds of its ongoing effectiveness.

For those serious about seeing the church become all that God intends it to be in our generation, Alan's book is essential reading. In addition, I would highly recommend The Forgotten Ways Handbook, which is a practical guide for implementing the concepts presented in the book. This is an excellent resource for church leaders or ministry teams seeking to become more missional.

The Culturally Savvy Christian

Dick Staub has written a thought-provoking book - The Culturally Savvy Christian: a Manifesto for Deepening Faith and Enriching Popular Culture in an Age of Christianity-Lite. In his opinion, culturally savvy Christians are savvy about faith and about culture.

The author does a good job of exposing the superficiality of much of pop culture but also challenges what he calls 'Christianity Lite' or 'Pop Christianity,' which he defines as "a brand of faith that tastes great but is less filling, and wherever it prevails, it a source of impoverishment of faith and culture." From a church history perspective, the author believes that we are at a low point not a high point because of today's shrinking Christian influence.

He presents three counter-productive ways for followers of Christ to react to culture:

1. Cocooning from Culture. This approach is about fleeing from the world and results in cultural separation.

2. Combating Culture. This approach takes the culture on in a kind of culture wars.

3. Conforming to Culture. This approach results in being more influenced by the culture that we desire to transform.

His solution is a call for Christian to (1) counter culture like aliens, (2) communicate in culture like ambassadors, and (3) create culture like artists. He cites C.S. Lewis and J.R.R.Tolkien as examples of culturally savvy Christians.

This book is highly relevant reading for today's church ...

 

Untamed: Re-activating Missional Discipleship

My good friends Alan and Deb Hirsch have recently written a book called Untamed that is definitely worth a read by every church leader and every Christian. As I talk around today, God seems to be re-emphasizing the need for discipleship. It is so easy to focus on numbers, church growth and bigness and miss the vital importance of people becoming more like Jesus. I think the Spirit is calling the church to grow deeper and to lift the spiritual vitality in our lives.

In this book, the Hirsches try to get us back to the revolutionary Jesus we are supposed to be following. Maybe our God has become too domesticated and we've lost the radical nature of what it means to be a Christ-follower. You won't find a methodology here but your paradigms will be challenged.

"A desperately needed shot of spiritual adrenaline into our mild-mannered and mediocre attempts at following Christ." [from the foreword by Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life]

Revised Edition of Transforming Your Church

A revised edition of my book Transforming Your Church has just been released. It has a new chapter, new and revised material in all other chapters, and five new appendices covering topics such as church governance, the role of the senior minister, women in leadership, and self care for church leaders.

The book is distributed by WORD Bookstore Australia and can be purchased from any of their bookstores around the country on via their web site.

I pray that this book will continue to be a blessing to many churches and Christian leaders.

Simple Life

Right now our church is going through a series of messages based on the recently released book Simple Life. Jesus said that he came that we might have LIFE - not just an average mundane life but a full and abundant life (John 10:10). Are we experiencing this? Life is definitely getting busier but is it becoming more rewarding? If we’re honest, many of us feel stressed. We’re often struggling to juggle all of our various responsibilities of our life.

The book is based on a study of 1,077 people and it looks at four areas of their lives:

1. Time: the majority of people wanted more time for areas in their lives that really mattered to them.

2. Money: financial strains were pervasive with most people in this study; struggles included overdue bills, limited income, inadequate savings and increasing debt.

3. God: these people, above all, saw a big void in their relationship with God. They saw clearly that they were too busy for God. They needed a simpler life in order to get closer to God.

4. Relationships: without a doubt many of the respondents struggled with balance in relationships. The simple life for them meant having better and closer relationships.

The authors identify four steps for moving closer to the abundant life Jesus promises - Clarity, Movement, Alignment, Focus - and refer to these in the introduction to each topic.

1. Clarity: means that you know where you are going.

2. Movement: congestion in life means that you are not making progress. You can have a clear plan of where you want to go (clarity), but until you move you will not experience the goal.

3. Alignment: when a car's wheels are out of alignment it becomes difficult to drive; alignment refers to addressing the challenges that interfere with progress.

4. Focus: it will require focus for us to move past good intentions and toward making the tough decisions that will help us move towards a simpler life.

How's life? Consider simplifying your life ... it could be a revolution.

Hinges of History

I have always enjoyed learning about history. There is so much to learn from the past that can help us today.

Thomas Cahill is a prolific writer and student of history. In his Hinges of History series he recounts significant events in the formation of Western civilisation. To date the series includes five best-selling books. I have recently finished reading The Gifts of the Jews: How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels (1999) and Desire of the Everlasting Hills: The World Before and After Jesus(2001). Cahill has an uncanny ability to take broad-ranging topics and times and condense them into readable portions written with a creativity that provokes further interest. As with any book, you need to "eat the meat and spit out the bones," but there are some good insights in his writings. 

Next I'll read How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe (1995).

If you are interested in church history, I heartily recommend Justo Gonzalez two-volume work The Story of Christianity. I read it a few years back and couldn't put it down. Baker Books has a new multi-volume series on church history that looks good too.

Dan Brown and The Lost Symbol

I must admit, I don't read a lot of fiction (much to to my family's disgust!). Every now and then I do, just for fun ... and to see what other people are reading about.

I've read a few books by best-selling fictional writer Dan Brown. His writings are rapid-paced, page-turners and he can sure spin a yarn. His book The Da Vinci Code raised questions about the historical foundations of the Christian faith (click here for the first of three posts I did a while back where I addressed the claims of this book about Jesus), while Angels and Demons had a poke at the Catholic Church. He is also the author of Deception Point and Digital Fortress.

In his latest novel, The Lost Symbol, Brown attempts to unravel Freemason mythology and puts it in a blender with noetic sciences and a plethora of religious ideas. In typical style, the story is a fast-paced unfolding of diverse story-lines culminating in a climatic moment, with a twist thrown in for good measure. He mixes in plenty of fact and fiction (with plenty of distortions about the Bible), while also unpacking some interesting historical perspectives on the city of Washington DC and the foundation of America.

As a pulse of what people are thinking in our culture, spirituality is sure in (not atheism), but the syncretistic type ... which ultimately leads to a search to try to find god within ourselves. Sounds like an old lie disguised in a new set of clothes.

Click here for a Time magazine review and here for a New York Times review. For an excellent review by a respected biblical scholar, Ben Witherington, click here.

eBooks

Now that I am a Kindle user (yes, I received one from some good friends for my recent birthday!), I'm starting to learn a bit more about eBooks - or 'electronic books.' True, there is nothing quite like holding a book in your hands and flipping through its pages, but eBooks can open up an entire new world.

Amazon has a corner on the market for books dedicated to the Kindle, their own eBook reader. However, you can download other documents to the Kindle, as well as a variety of eBooks. You can also read eBooks on your computer via the aid of an eReader. A popular eReader is Mobipocket (they were bought out by Amazon a few years back, but don't let that hold you back from checking it out). Mobipocket is free and can be used to read eBooks on your computer or mobile phone. You can even create your own eBooks.

Another good thing about Mobipocket is that it can convert all sorts of file types (PDF, Office, HTML, text, etc) into eBook format (including for the Kindle). You can use it to read books, newspapers, magazines or reference materials. You can even learn another language with it.

Best of all, there a heaps of sites with free eBooks. Here a few for starters ...

1. Manybooks
2. Feedbooks
3. Free Tech Books
4. Google Books
5. Guttenberg
6. Mobipocket free eBooks - in multiple languages
7. A list of 20 web sites for downloading free eBooks
8. Another list of 25 sites

Happy reading!

P.S. For a few thoughts on the art of reading, click here. If you are struggling with 'information overload', click here for a few suggestions.

Conner Publications

With the recent closing our of church bookshop, WORD Australia is now the official distributor of books by Kevin, Mark and Nicole Conner. WORD currently has nineteen locations throughout Australia as well as an excellent online shop. Of course, you should be able to find these books in most other Christian bookstores throughout Australia and New Zealand, including Koorong.

For those living in the USA, check out City Christian Publishing or Anchor Distributors. Sower's Seed distributes many of my dad's resources in the Asian area.

Happy reading :)

The Rabbit and the Elephant: Why Small is the New Big for Today's Church

Imagine you take two elephants. For our purposes, they are a male and a female. You put them in your garage (hopefully, it's big enough!). You give them plenty to eat and drink and you shut the door on them. Three years later, you come back and open the door. What comes out?

Three elephants, that's right! Mum and Dad elephant and one baby!

Now instead of two elephants, let's pretend you put two rabbits in the garage. At the end of three years, when you open the door, you had better run for your life, because millions of rabbits will explode out of that door.

The point? Something that is large and complex is hard to reproduce. Something that is small and simple multiplies easily. Elephants take a long time to reach maturity and have long gestation period. It takes time to produce a single elephant. Rabbits, on the other hand, are extremely fertile all the time. They reach maturity in four to six months, and their gestation period is a mere thirty days. Hence the expression "breed like rabbits."

So begins a new book The Rabbit and the Elephant by Tony and Felicity Dale and George Barna on why small is the new big for today's church.

God's original mandate to us was to "be fruitful and multiply (Gen.1:26)." Reproduction is God's will for all of us. Disciples need to reproduce more disciples, leaders need to reproduce more leaders, ministries need to reproduce more ministries, and churches need to reproduce more churches. No doubt, smaller (more simple and less complex) things reproduce far easier. That's why large mega-churches sometimes don't grow (proportionally) as fast as smaller churches. That's why small groups are an essential part of any church, and especially as a church gets larger, because they enable unlimited reproduction. The first church at Jerusalem was a large church with over 3000 people from the first day but they multiplied rapidly through a network of smaller groups meeting in homes throughout the city (see Acts 2). Maybe God is wanting to so something similar in our generation ... in every town and city across the face of the earth.  

Let's go forth and multiply ...

Movements that Change the World

Steve Addison is a lifelong student of movements that renew and expand the Christian faith. Thankfully, he has now published his many years of reflection and research into an inspiring new book, Movements that Change the World.  It should help to fuel church planting movements everywhere.

Steve notes that movements that change the world are characterised by five things:

1. White-hot faith. Missionary movements begin with men and women who encounter the living God and surrender in loving obedience to His call.

2. Commitment to a cause. Nothing is more important that their faith in Christ and his cause.

3. Contagious relationships. When movements spread rapidly, they do so through pre-existing networks of relationships.

4. Rapid mobilisation. New converts are won and fresh workers are recruited so that there is a constant supply of workers for the mission.

5. Adaptive methods. Ministry methods of movements are supremely adaptable, flexible, and transferable in contrast to the static, rigid, and anchored nature of the institutional form of church. The heart of the Gospel remains the same but the forms are changed to fit the context and to serve the needs of an expanding movement.

For further information, you can also visit Steve's blog and web site or click here. To whet your appetite, click here for a free PDF of the Introduction from Steve's book.

This book is important reading for church leaders and disciples everywhere. After all, Jesus didn't found a religion. He started a people movement! As Steve states, "movements change people and changed people change the world."

P.S. Interestingly, Ben Wong, Director of the Cell Church Mission Network based in Hong Kong, notes these five dynamics of all rapidly reproducing church movements:

1. They have 'fire' - passion, zeal, and international motivation.

2. They write their own songs that carry the movement 'ethos.'

3. They train their own leaders.

4. They publish their own material (books and other media) to pass on the truth and movement story to the next generation.

5. They are relevant - they reach out and meet the needs of the society they are within.

Insightful observations ...

For Dummies and Idiots ...

One of the things I really enjoy is learning new things or learning to do things I already know even better. The book of Proverbs tells us that an openness to new things and a passion for learning is a key to gaining wisdom for life. Today, there really is no excuse for not learning because there are so many ways to learn and grow. Personal growth can come from experience, mentors, or training. Another way is through reading. Through the minimal cost of a book, you gain the opportunity to glean on what is often a lifetime of learning from an expert in their field.

There are two series of books that are fun and educational to read. They have books on a wide variety of topics and they're very comprehensive. 

1. First, there is the DUMMIES range of books. Check out their web site for a full list of topics that they have books on. I just finished reading 'Quickbooks for Dummies.' I use the Quickbooks software program to help my dad manage his book business. I've been using it for years but I learned heaps of new thingsand time-saving tips through this book.

2. Then there are the IDIOTS guides. Their web site has a huge list of topics that have been written about. 

Come on ... you might feel like a dummy or an idiot in a particular area of knowledge but you don't have to stay that way :)  

  

How to Write a Book (Pt 2)

Here are a variety of resources that I have found helpful in the whole process of writing a book:

1. Self-Publishing:

Check out Self Publishing, which is an excellent web site dedicated to helping people publish their own material. Click here, here and here for some similar web sites. There are also many publishers who will take manuscript submissions.

2. Book-Writing:

Go to any bookshop or visit amazon.com online and purchase a book on book-writing. There's so much you can learn from reading about book-writing. Aother idea to type 'book writing' in a Google search engine. You'll find lots of free advice online.

3. Writing Guides:

Obtain a writing style guide that deals with spelling, grammar and lots of interesting things like that. It will help you become a better writer and it's always good to have a reference book like this nearby.

Happy writing!

P.S. A few final thoughts on 'books':

"But, my child, let me give you some further advice: Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out." [Solomon - Ecclesiastes 12:12. NLT]

"When you come, be sure to bring the coat I left with Carpus at Troas. Also bring my books, and especially my papers." [Paul to Timothy - 2 Timothy 4:13. NLT]

"Write down what you have seen — both the things that are now happening and the things that will happen." [The angel to John - Revelation 1:19, NLT]

"Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written." [John - John 21:25. NLT]

How to Write a Book (Pt 1)

With the recent release of my new book Prison Break: Finding Personal Freedom, I've had a few people ask me, "How do you write a book?" and "Where do you find the time to write?" So I thought I'd give you a brief outline of how to write and publish your own book (just in case you're interested).

1. Come up with a 'big idea'. This is usually a specific single focus that you want to write about. It could be a topic, an issue, or maybe your story. For me it was helping people find freedom in their personal life.

2. Start drafting an outline. Brain storm the kinds of things you could say about your big idea. What parts of the topic could you explore? For me, I listed a whole bunch of things that can become a prison in our lives. This wasn't too difficult because our teaching team did a series on this a few years back.

3. Set aside time for writing. I did most of my writing early in the morning, on some free evenings, and on weekends, over a period of about 6 months (on and off). In fact, at the beginning of this year, I set a goal to have my book published by July 1st. I created a plan back from that date and allocated time for each step. Everything didn't go as originally planned, but I did make my target date.

4. Start writing each chapter. I typed directly into Microsoft Word and made each chapter a separate file. Keep the formatting simple at this stage. You may want to draft out a brief outline or breakdown of each individual chapter too, so that you have a bit of a map to follow. But the main thing is just start writing!

[For my Prison Break book, I had someone transcribe a number of my sermons word for word. Then I added in extra material, deleted a bunch of things, and massaged the text to be more of a reading style than a listening style. That's the first time I've done this but it sure saved me a lot of time]

5. Write your introduction and conclusion. These are usually best left until last, because then you have the full perspective of what is in the rest of the book. This is also a good time to check all references, including any footnotes or quotes, to ensure you that you have acknowledged all sources correctly.

6. Proof-read everything. I had a number of people proof-read my book for me, including a friend with a degree in journalism. Fresh eyes see new things. Even then, you're sure to miss something. I've already found a few mistakes in my new book, which we'll correct for the next printing.

7. Design a cover. If you don't have experience with this, engage the services of a graphics designer. You might need graphics help with the inside text too. I formatted the internal pages of my book in Adobe InDesign 4.0, which is an excellent program that enables you to save to a PDF file ready for printing.

8. Find a printer. You can do an internet search for Australian printers. I received quotes from about seven different printers across the country and eventually went with someone locally recommended by a friend. The more copies you print the cheaper it is per unit. If you are only running off a limited amount of books, you might conisder photo-copying or digital printing.

9. Contact various bookshops to see if they will sell your book for you. It often pays to do this beforehand so that you can assess the interest level in your book. You will need to sell to them at a significant discount so that they can cover their marketing and sales costs, but then again, they have the ability to get your book to people you may never meet. Of course, you can also sell directly or via the internet.

Well, that's the basics. Tomorrow, I'll share a few helpful book-writing resources with you.

A New Book: Prison Break

I have just written a new book called Prison Break: Finding Personal Freedom. 

Living in our broken world creates the possibility of becoming trapped by various negative emotions and habits that can easily become like a prison around us. The book contains practical principles for finding freedom from common problems such as anger, fear, worry, rejection, depression, bad habits, addictions, and spiritual bondages. With God's help, we can make a prison break - beginning today.

I am really excited about this book and pray that it will be a help to many people. 

The book is available from WORD Australia bookstores or Koorong.

Thanks for spreading the word :) 

Mark Conner

Recommendation

"To some extent we all have our personal prisons, in these hectic and stress-filled times. This is why Mark Conner's book Prison Break is so timely and helpful. Whether your personal prison is one of anger or fear, worry or some destructive habit, addictions or whatever, Mark offers help that free you from your prison. The book is practical yet sound, both psychologically and biblically, and easy to read. I am sure no reader will be disappointed."

Archibald D. Hart, Ph.D. FPPR.

Senior Professor of Psychology and Dean Emeritus

Graduate School of Psychology: Fuller Theological Seminary - Pasadena, California

Book Reading Update

I've been reading a few books lately (I love books!). Here are some comments about them:

The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller. This is one of the best books I have read for a while. Keller unpacks the story of the Prodigal Son and shows how it is really a story of two lost sons, or more accurately, of a loving father. See my earlier posts for more details on this. Definitely worth the read.

The Multi-Site Church by Scott McConnell. This is the best book I have read to date on this topic. Scott pulls together research from over 40 multi-site churches and shares some excellent wisdom for churches considering becoming "one church meeting in multiple locations."

Dave Browning's book Deliberate Simplicity looks at how complex we can tend to make things as Christians and as churches. He outlines a journey of getting back to the basics of follow Christ and of clearing the clutter in order to create better effectiveness for the kingdom. This is a message that is being emphasised at this time. See also the excellent book Simple Church.

I recently bought a few books by Mark Driscoll, leader of Mars Hill Church in Seattle Washington. One of them is Vintage Church. Mark has a ability to share the basic truths of Christ and his kingdom in creative and practical ways. I'm still reading this, along with his other book Vintage Jesus.

From Eternity to Here is Frank Viola's latest book tracing the purposes of God from eternity to our time and through to eternity. I'm just about to start reading this one.

Have you read any good books lately? If so, let me know. I have room for a few more on my shelf ... but don't tell my wife :)

Coffee with ...

Looking for a great gift for a book-loving friend? Looking for some short interesting books for your own reading?

A while back I was given a few cool little books called 'Coffee with ...' (there are 14 books in the series so far). Each book is a fictional dramatic dialogue with a well-known person based on biographical facts. They are written by experts on that particular person. It's a fun way to have a relaxed chat with some amazing people and get inside their world a little.

This week I read 'Coffee with Plato', 'Coffee with Michelangelo', and 'Coffee with Einstein'. Hey, I even understand the theory of relativity a little bit better! :)

For a literary review, click here.

Maybe one day someone will do something similar with significant Bible characters or influential Christians throughout history. That would be great!

The Extreme Future

In his book The Extreme Future, James Canton shares the top trends that he believes will reshape the world in the next 20 years. Canton is a renowned global futurist, social scientist, keynote presenter, author, and visionary business adviser. He is also the CEO and Chairman of the Institute for Global Futures, a think tank founded in 1990. He has been forecasting trends for over thirty years.

Here is a brief outline of his top 10 trends:

1. Fueling the future - energy will play a critical role in every aspect of our lives in the future, especially energy alternatives such as hydrogen.
2. The innovation economy - emerging technologies include Nano, Bio, IT, and Neuro.
3. The next workforce - more multi-cultural and more female.
4. Longevity medicine - will new medical breakthroughs lead to longer and healthier lives?
5. Weird science - where will science take us next?
6. Securing the future - threats to our freedom include criminals, terrorists, and mind control.
7. Globalisation: cultures in collision - more global trade and competition; the rise of China and India; the clash of cultures and values; and the ideological battle for the future.
8. Future of global change - the environment is changing, including global warming, pollution, and threats to health.
9. Future of the individual - how will individuals navigate personal threats from technology, governments, and ideologies in the struggle for human rights, liberty, and freedom?
10. The future of America and China - the destiny of these two nations will have a big affect on the future.

No doubt, there is a lot of uncertainty and even fear about the future today. Life is getting more and more complex. New thinking and new ideas are needed to find solutions for many of the world's current and future challenges.

As followers of Christ, we want to be like the people of Issacher, who had understanding of the times so they knew what they should do and how they should respond (see 1 Chronicles 12:32).

The prophet Isaiah was given an interesting picture of the future during his generation ...

"Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you. Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you. All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance." Isaiah 60:1-3. NLT

Whatever our future may be, may we continue to be God's light in the world and a channel for his love to reach out to all people.

An Unstoppable Force

Another excellent book on the church is An Unstoppable Force: Daring to Become the Church God Had in Mind by Erwin McManus. Erwin is the Lead Pastor of Mosaic in Los Angeles. He one of the most creative and innovative thinkers and church leaders I have ever met.

Erwin shows us that God desires the church to be an unstoppable movement of people, not an institution or organisation. He calls us back to our origins.

"Origins finds the future in the beginning. To explore we must first excavate. To discover we must first recover. To re-frame we must first reflect. To imagine we must first examine. To move forward we must first step back. We need the compass of an ancient text. The maps will guide us to reflect a noble past but willing to decode the present context."

The church is to be active and engaged with its community. The church is a body not a business, a living organism not an organisation, a family not a machine or a company, a movement not an institution. It's time for that movement to begin again - "... defying tradition ... strangely sacred yet sacrilegious ... revolutionary ... against all odds ... unstoppable."

Inspiring and thought-provoking stuff!

Essential Church

The book Essential Church, by Thom S. Rainer and his son, presents recent research that indicates that more than two-thirds of church-going young adults drop out between the ages of 18 and 22. The research was done by Lifeway Christian Resources.

 

Here are the top 10 reasons:

1. Simply wanted a break from church.
2. Church members seemed judgmental and hypocritical.
3. Moved to college or university and stopped attending church.
4. Work responsibilities prevented me from attending.
5. Moved to far from the church to continue attending.
6. Became too busy though still wanted to attend.
7. Didn't feel connected to the people in my church.
8. Disagreed with the church's stance on political or social issues.
9. Chose to spend more time with friends outside the church.
10. Was only going to church to please others.

As a result, they no longer saw church as "essential" to their life.

One-third of young adults do stay in the church. Why? Because they see their church as essential to their lives. According to Rainer's research an essential church has four major components:

1. They have learned to simplify. They have a clear purpose and a clear process for making disciples. They get their structure right.
2. They move church members to deepen their knowledge of God and his truth. They get the content right.
3. They have high expectations of church members. This results in high commitment. They get their attitude right.
4. They are committed to helping their members multiply spiritually. Evangelism, mission, and ministry are part of the heart-beat of the church. They get the action right.

Is your church an essential church? If so, be thankful. If not, what steps could you take to help change it?

The Purpose-Driven Church

Rick Warren's best-selling book The Purpose Driven Church has become a bit of a classic since its release in 1995. Rick is the pastor of Saddleback Church in California and the founder of pastors.com, an excellent web site resource for church leaders.

Each church is driven by something - tradition, personality, or programs. Rick proposes that churches should be driven by the purposes of God. Based on his study of the Bible, he proposes five core purposes of every church:

1. Worship - "Love the Lord with all your heart"
2. Ministry - "Love your neighbour as yourself"
3. Evangelism - "Go and make disciples"
4. Fellowship - "Baptising them"
5. Discipleship - "Teaching them to obey"

A healthy church has a balance of these five purposes. All of them are pursued with passion. None of them are to be neglected. Churches need to do everything 'on purpose'.

Rick goes on to show how Jesus attracted crowds of people from the local community. Yet he never said, "I will build by crowd." He loved the crowds but he also called them to greater commitment. Those who responded became his disciples and part of his core team. He trained them to go and reach even greater crowds of people with the message of the kingdom. The church today is called to do the same.  

This book is essential reading for any church leader or person passionate about seeing the church become all it can in our generation.

The Forgotten Ways

The Forgotten Ways by Alan Hirsch is a book about 'reactivating the missional church'. Alan calls us back to the beginning - to what he calls 'apostolic DNA'. This apostolic genius has six ingredients: Jesus as Lord, disciple-making, missional-incarnational impulse, apostolic environment, organic systems, and communitas.

Alan critiques contemporary church growth models, making a call for a movement away from what he calls the 'attractional' model approach. This has generated quite a bit of discussion and debate. Click here to read an article in Christianity Today by Dan Kimball (read the comments section too), as well as a response from Alan.

For me, I see the spreading of the gospel taking place through two approaches: 'go and tell' (Matt.28:18-20) and 'come and see' (John 1:40-42; 4:29-41). I think it is 'both/and' not 'either/or.' Of course, the 'come and see' approach only works if people are doing the 'go and tell' step first. We need to begin thinking and acting more like missionaries, even in our Western world context.

Alan is an insightful analyst of church and culture. This book is not a light read but it is an excellent discussion starter for where the church is now and where it should be going. Click here to visit Alan's blog.