"I Will Be Your Server Today"

If you've been to a restaurant anytime in the past decade, this is how your server (formerly known as your waiter/waitress) addresses you. It is their job to make sure that you are served the things you order and make sure that your needs and wants are taken care of. They are in the "service" industry. Service is something that I take a hard look at, mostly because I come into contact with the service industry quite a bit. There is this elusive thing called "Customer Service". It is like the Loch Ness Monster of the service world. You are usually met on the customer service hot line with a recorded voice that instructs you to choose from several options. When you finally reach a "real" person, though, there is not much service of the customer going on. I usually hear nothing but the company line. The customer service person is not really there to help me but to help their company. This frustrates me a little. Can you tell? Jesus says in Matthew 20:28 that He came to serve and not be served. Now that's a novel concept and one that I thing the church would do well in adopting. This past Saturday, our church had 26 people doing community service projects around our town. We also had some folks from the Methodist church and another Baptist church helping too. You know, I never once heard someone complain about having to paint something, wash something, clean something or pick up something. There was a common goal to serve the people of our community in a visible and viable way. Most people of the community did not know who was doing the work, just that the work was getting done. Isn't that the true heart of service. Service is meeting the needs of people in a joyful way so as to improve and impact their lives. It is putting the needs of others above your own needs. It is helping others without the need of recognition. That is at the heart of service. So...whom will you serve today?

Everyone Communicates Few Connect by John Maxwell

John Maxwell’s book “Everyone Communicated Few Connect” focuses on the importance of communicators making connections with their audiences. His approach is applicable for one-on-one communication, small group communication or large audience communication. Maxwell gives very practical information on the importance and necessity of connecting with the audience. For me, the principles that he presented were things that I already know and practice. As a pastor, I speak to people all of the time and know and understand the importance of connection. This book would be really good for someone who is just getting into speaking or needs to build upon their speaking ability. One of the things that I found was that John has a tendency to share lots of personal experience. This is good, but there are times that it comes off a little arrogant and self-centered. Case in point is the book jacket. The largest print on the cover is his name. This is a little off-putting for me. There is also a bubble just off from his name that says, “The world’s most respected leadership expert.” Granted, Maxwell is very well known for his leadership abilities, but saying he is the “most respected” is a bit of a stretch for me. In the prologue he promises five principles and five practices. In true Maxwell style though, each of the principles and practices have anywhere from four to seven other things that you must do. So instead of ten simple principles and practices it’s more like 50. All of this is not to say that I did not gain any new knowledge, I did. More importantly, it reaffirmed the things I already knew.

The Map: The Way of All Great Men by David Murrow

David Murrow follows up Why Men Hate Going to Church with The Map: The Way of All Great Men. The Map answers all of the questions that were left in the minds of readers after reading Why Men Hate Going to Church. Murrow sucks you in with the “story” of how he discovered the map that leads to manhood. Globetrotting and adventure lead to the secret of what it means to be a great man. The answer lies in Matthew’s gospel and the account that he gives on the life of Jesus. Matthew writes and Murrow “discovers” the three journeys that are apparent from Jesus life. Consequently, these are the same three journeys that are necessary for men to take to achieve not only godliness but manliness as well. I have found myself seeing the three journeys as I read the Bible. It has also become a major theme of my teaching and preaching. The key is for men to see that you can be a man and a Christ follower at the same time. There is no need to check your “man card” at the front door of the church. Murrow hits on very practical applications not just for men but for churches as well. The challenge is to help men see that it’s okay for them to be men and have a heart for Christ. Churches must also see that they are to lead men on these three journeys. The problem is that most churches are stuck on the first journey and; therefore, men check out. I have found many applications for the principles that Murrow teaches. The Map has also given me a fresh look at how to reach men and what is necessary to keep them and grow them within the church. I highly recommend this book and strongly encourage you to put it into practice before it is too late.