Category Archives: Books I’m Reading

Just a few books I’ve been into lately. I thought I’d share!

The Gospel According To Starbucks by Leonard Sweet
Chasing Daylight by Erwin Mcmanus
Wide Awake by Erwin Mcmanus
Between A Rock A Hard Place by Aron Ralston
More Than Enough by Dave Ramsey
Trail Blazer the story of David Livingston
Unstoppable Force by Erwin Mcmanus

Books I'm Reading, outdoors, Yosemite

THE WILD MUIR

I am loving reading in his own words, is a collection of John Muir’s most thrilling experiences. From his famous snow avalanche trip down a side canyon in Yosemite Valley to his dizzying ride in the top of a tree during a fierce windstorm.

Would have liked to meet the man.

He founded the organization I work for, the Sierra Club, in 1892, and helped protect places like Yosemite. For instance, before he was a treehugger, he was an inventor who exhibited his work at a state fair. He was blinded in an accident but regained his sight. He was a world-traveler long before Southwest airlines. He’s got a planet named after him. And, hey, he’s on the California quarter!

I’ve walked where he walked.

Steve

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Books I'm Reading, outdoors, Yosemite

SOUL PRINT

Just picked up two copies of Mark Batterson’s newest book Soul Print.

Mark’s book points us to the need to know God before we can know ourselves.

Paul the Apostle say’s essentially the same thing is Acts 9 when he ask the question to Jesus, “Who are you Lord and what do you want me to do?”

“Your uniqueness isn’t just a gift from God. It’s your gift to God.” – Mark Batterson

http://www.markbatterson.com/

I bought the two copies for an adventure trip I will be taking with my son-in-law this August to Yosemite. – Mark is the featured devotional speaker for the three days.

I can’t think of a better conference than the one that we are going on with Mark and  Joel Malm and http://www.summitleaders.org/

Really looking forward to the read and the MANCATION hike up Half Dome…..pics to follow from the top of course.

Steve

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Books I'm Reading

The Teflon Rhino

Just ordered this newest book by Pastor Bill .

Bill Wilson writes in his book  The Teflon Rhino – “Its hard to drain the swamp when you’re up to your rear end in alligators.” – Bill Wilson

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. – The Apostle Peter (1 Peter 5:8 KLV)

The first rule of living in the jungle of real life is you have to survive, which means staying off the lunch menu. The rhinoceros (rhino) is a great example. It lives in contented solitude that does not completely exclude, but selects its companions carefully. It does not rely on the herd for protection. It is not the fastest, strongest, tallest, or smartest animal in the wild. It stays off the lunch menu due to its protective skin that is over one-half inch thick. It is extremely difficult to penetrate.

Teflon is a slick coating that has transformed the world due to its nonstick properties, thus The Teflon Rhino. The rhino’s skin is slick and thick. It is not swayed by the crowd, coerced by opinion, or motivated by the popularity. It does not flinch in the face of adversity or succumb to the fear of the unknown.

My greatest attribute as a leader and a citizen of the real world was birthed in me as an abandoned child.

I am a survivor, and I have written this book as a survival manual for you.

I pray that the survival skills I have learned over six decades of life and ministry will help navigate you through the trials, heartaches, adversity and attacks that the real life will bring into your jungle.

Whether or not you believe it, you can be a survivor of the rarest kind. Like me, you can be a Teflon Rhino.

http://www.metroministries.org/

Can’t wait to start into this ministry survival gem

Steve Lummer

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Books I'm Reading, LEWIS AND CLARK, Ministry

HOW TO GET UP AND OVER YOUR PROBLEMS

UNDAUNTED COURAGE is Stephen Ambrose’s best selling account of the  Lewis and Clark expedition

….After two years of battling nearly insurmountable problems – hunger, fatigue, desertion, hostile enemies, severe illness, and death – the party had reached the headwaters of the Missouri river. All their advance information had led them to believe that once they reached the Continental divide, they would face about a half – day potage, and then reach the waters of the Columbia River and float safely to the Pacific Ocean….They were on their way to hero status…The hard part behind them…OR SO THEY THOUGHT!
Meriwether Lewis left the rest of the party behind him to climb the bluffs that would enable him to see the other side, hoping to see the waters that would carry them the rest of the way…IMAGINE WHAT HE FELT WHEN RATHER THAN SEEING A GENTLE SLOPING VALLEY AS EXPECTED, HE WAS INSTEAD THE FIRST NON-NATIVE AMERICAN TO LAY HIS EYES ON THE MASSIVE ROCKY MOUNTAINS IN FRONT OF HIM.
What do you do when you think you biggest problems are behind you only to find out you are really just getting warmed up?

…….I picture Lewis looking at the rest of the party climbing up the hill IN EXPECTATION…..AND HE IS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW HE WAS GOING TO BREAK THE NEWS TO THEM…..”he guys hang on just a minute…Don’t come up here just yet!….I have a little surprise for you when you get up here.

Yes, eventually the Rock Mountains would perhaps be the most amazing part of their entire trip….the challenge would call for enormous courage and creativity and perseverance….it would lead them to sights they would never forget and experiences they had never known before……it would get them to a point where if they had CONQUERED THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS THEY COULD TACKLE ANYTHING NOW…

THE SAME HAPPENED TO PETER OF THE NEW TESTAMENT…HE WAS ON HIS WAY TO HIS DESTINATION ON THE WAY TO HIS DREAM …THEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN IT HAPPENED…HE WAS IN A STORM, HE WAS NECK DEEP IN TROUBLE….THE BIBLE EVEN SAYS “HE COULD SEE THE WIND”.

The same things happen to us…. We launch into a great adventure, star o new job, take on a stretching ministry assignment, begin a family…In the initial days we are filled with hope and faith…We are out of the boat on our way to our dream and achieving something worth while with our lives…THEN REALITY SETS IN WE SEE THE WIND, WE FACE THE OBSTACLES , CONFLICT SAPS OUR SPIRIT…PLANS GO AWRY…THE ECONOMY TANKS…JUST WHEN WE THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE SMOOTH SAILING WE ARE LOOKING AT THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.

WHAT NEXT….. WHAT DO WE DO NOW?

1. FOCUS your life around the one who  can to save you.

Matthew 14:30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”

Why do most people FAIL?  Not because of a lack of FRIENDS, or a lack of FINANCES …but most people fail because of a lack of FOCUS..

How do you kill a man with a great DREAM ? …..give him another one!

Soon he will be DIVERTED …DILUTED AND DISCOURAGED RIGHT OUT OF HIS DREAM …

2. Break free from WRONG PEOPLE

And when He had sent the multitudes away, Matthew 14:23

And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” 28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”  Matthew 14:26-28

If God wants to bring blessing into your life he will send a person
If the devil  wants to bring destruction into your life he will send a person …ALWAYS!

“Continue to do the right things and eventually THE wrong things and THE wrong people will eventually leave your life” – David Blunt

Rick Warren writes, “when people leave you, don’t try to get them back into your life….it is probably God saving you from something.”

3. Don’t let PAST mistakes keep you from your PRESENT possibilities.

Isn’t it funny that life is understood by looking backwards but must be lived looking forward.

But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” 31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.   Matthew 14:30 – 32

Focus your life – Break free from wrong people – Don’t let your short term problems shorten the length of your vision.

Reach out to God, he will pull you up and over and even out of your problems.

Steve

Lead pastor – Prescott First Assembly

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Books I'm Reading, marriage, Ministry

THE FIVE LOVE LANGUAGES


Over the next eight weeks Brenda and I will be doing a teaching together called the Five Love Languages.
Starting Wednesday night November 17th at 6:30 we will begin our first session as well as take our love language assessment to let you know just what love language you have.

Dr. Gary Chapman, Christian counselor and author of The Five Love Languages writes about the importance of being able to express love to your spouse in a way that your spouse can understand. He calls this type of communicating using the five love languages.

Chapman’s Five Emotional Love Languages:

* Words of Affirmation
This is when you say how nice your spouse looks, or how great the dinner tasted. These words will also build your mate’s self image and confidence.

* Quality Time
Some spouses believe that being together, doing things together and focusing in on one another is the best way to show love. If this is your partner’s love language, turn off the TV now and then and give one another some undivided attention.

* Gifts
It is universal in human cultures to give gifts. They don’t have to be expensive to send a powerful message of love. Spouses who forget a birthday or anniversary or who never give gifts to someone who truly enjoys gift giving will find themselves with a spouse who feels neglected and unloved.

* Acts of Service
Discovering how you can best do something for your spouse will require time and creativity. These acts of service like vacuuming, hanging a bird feeder, planting a garden, etc., need to be done with joy in order to be perceived as a gift of love.

* Physical Touch
Sometimes just stroking your spouse’s back, holding hands, or a peck on the cheek will fulfill this need.

Really looking forward to the journey in this amazing study that will help us all communicate better with the people we love the most.

Pastor Steve

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Books I'm Reading

Lewis and Clarks Journey and Journals

Just finished watching Lewis and Clark’s scientific/exploratory
expedition to the northwest by master historical documentarian Ken
Burns. Thorough, fascinating, important…Great stuff.

I remember when I lived in the St. Louis area, I had a book by John Bunyan restored called Pilgrims Progress.

I had the book work don by one of the best restoration craftsmen in the country.

Richard C. Baker offers a full range of conservation services for books and printed works on paper and parchment

While I was picking up my book Richard showed be what he was also working on at the time .

He took me in the “the vault” as he called it and behind a glass case was one of the original Lewis and Clark journals,

the “Elk skin” journal was right before me.

What a memorable moment to see that kind of history placed just inches in front of me.

Just recently I was give the Ken Burns documentary of Lewis and Clark’s journey on DVD.

I can’t remember exactly how much time was actually covered in history class about the journey of Lewis and Clark to explore the land purchased from Napoleon and France by President Thomas Jefferson in 1803. I know it was discussed, but essentially it was glossed over in text and given a paragraph or two. The magnitude of what they did, especially in those times, was never presented.

Thankfully, the Ken Burns documentary production of Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery rectifies this. Burns makes the case that the journey of Lewis & Clark as at least as important as the journey to the moon – if not more important. When they set out, the United States was a collection of former British Colonies on the Atlantic Ocean. By the time they returned, the nation stretched from sea to shining sea. In addition to exploring the land purchased, they also explored the disputed Oregon Territory, came back with details of many of new species of plant and wildlife, forged relationships with Native Americans along the way, and provided confirmation that the mythical Northwest Passage, searched for by so many for so long, didn’t exist.

The history behind the two men who led the expedition is in itself somewhat astonishing. Merriweather Lewis was Thomas Jefferson’s personal secretary. Only twenty eight years old, he was an unlikely selection. He had been an army officer and considered to be skilled on the frontier. It had been noted he was prone to depression and sometimes he drank too much. The depression seems evident at times when there are no entries in his journal. Burns focuses on these bouts of depression quite a bit, as they resulted in the suicide of Lewis a few years after the expedition returned.

William Clark was a frontiersman, having spent time on what was then the western frontier – Kentucky and Ohio. He didn’t have the same education as Lewis, but had the knowledge and temperament. In the end, he would be the one to tell the stories and details of the expedition as Lewis died without ever forming a manuscript from the journals they kept along the way. Luckily, the journals themselves did survive.

The trip itself was treacherous. The budget was just $2,500. In addition to the fact that they spent most of it going upstream against the currents of the muddy Missouri River, there were the usual dangers of frontier life and exploration: wild animals, disease, lack of food, weather. In addition, the men had no idea of where they were going or what they would encounter along the way. While the astronauts could look up and see the moon (and remain in contact with their base back here in Houston) Lewis & Clark were on their own, venturing to places they could never have imagined. There were no photographs or descriptions of the Great Plains or Rocky Mountains. In addition, they could never be certain of how the Native American population would react to them along the way.

I am really enjoying the study of this amazing time in American history.

Steve and Brenda at the launch point for the Lewis and Clark expedition along the Missouri River.

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Books I'm Reading

FEAR FIGHTERS

I just picked up this book by Jentezen Franklin the other day.

So far, It is a great read.

Will you live in FEAR? Or will you live by FAITH? Fear has the deceptive ability to influence and affect our daily lives and the world we live in. What do you fear most in life? What are the greatest threats facing you? Crime? Violence? The economy? Failure? Death? Eternity? “Fear Fighters” helps you identify and defeat the very source of fear that threatens you from living in peace and joy. This  book is opening my  eyes, building my faith and hope.

Jentezen is one of the few Christian TV guys that I can listen too.

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Books I'm Reading

PRIMAL

“Our generation needs a reformation. But a single person won’t lead it. A single event won’t define it. Our reformation will be a movement of reformers living compassionately, creatively, courageously for the cause of Christ. This reformation will not be born of a new discovery, It will be the rediscovery of something old, something ancient. Something primal.”…..Mark Batterson

This will be the third book I have read by Mark.

Great writer as well as a great public speaker.

If he is ever in your area go hear the talk.

Steve

lead pastor- Prescott First A/G

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