It’s been a while since I posted a Friday Five. The transition of becoming a campus of Pantano Church has been an enormous one. A lot of people have asked how it is going, and it is going better than I expected, but it is more work than I anticipated (although I thought it would be a lot). Honestly, it might be harder than church planting. Maybe.
Right now, I am learning so much about church cultures, structures, merging churches, and those cultures that I can’t wait to write out and share because I believe that churches working together like we’re doing will become more common in the future.
Now, onto my Friday Five:
Favorite book:
I’ve been working ahead on sermon prep for 2020, and one of the series we’re doing is tentatively titled Invitations, and we’re looking at several invitations from Jesus. The idea is that the Christian life is a series of invitations: to follow, to abide, to renew our thinking, to let go of guilt and shame and so on. One of the books I read in creating that series was What Does Your Soul Love?: Eight Questions That Reveal God’s Work in You. Definitely one to put on your summer reading list as a leader to dive into what is happening in your soul.
Favorite podcasts:
Carey Nieuwhof’s interview with Gordon MacDonald was one of the best podcasts I’ve ever heard in my life. It was so rich and had so much wisdom.
Craig Groeschel had a great podcast on how to cut the slack in your organization that has been incredibly timely for me in the midst of the transition our church is in. How to cut back on emails, meetings, and make quick decisions. So crucial for any leader or church to figure out, especially as a church grows or things become complex.
Favorite blog posts:
Five questions about motivation with Daniel Pink. This came on the anniversary of his book Drive and what has changed since then and stayed the same when it comes to motivation.
Since Thanksgiving is this week, here’s a helpful blog about how to teach your children (and yourself) gratitude.
I hope you have a great thanksgiving!
