Why purge?

I’ve had a few questions about my recent “announcements” to purge some of the books from my collection and some of the friends on Facebook. Why am I doing this?

The answer: I’m bored.

Just kidding.

I’m getting rid of some books because I have too many. I’ve bought and acquired books that I read once and will never read again — but they sit on my shelves collecting dust. Why keep these? Like many people, I battle the temptation to accumulate “stuff” and it isn’t a healthy habit that I want to maintain. I want to purge the excess stuff as much as I possibly can. I will keep certain books — reference books, key resources, books I’ve not yet read, books that hold long-term meaning or value — but I need to release the temporal more.

And as far as friends on Facebook, I have too many people to keep up with anymore. Some people on Facebook never update their statuses, and some people were great to connect with at first, but we don’t have any ongoing interaction through wall posts or status update comments. You got married, have three kids, and successfully lead company XYZ? Awesome! Let’s catch up again in another five years! It’s nothing person; just a need to “clean house” digitally, too.

Cody's is closing for good.

Sad news from the Bay Area. Cody's Books is closing its doors and going out of business. I remember visiting the location on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley a few times when I lived there back in 1999-2000. More books than I could ever possibly consume in my lifetime. Loved the place!

Cody's Books, the legendary Berkeley bookstore that catered to literati nationwide for more than half a century and was firebombed in the 1980s because of its support of the First Amendment, has closed its doors, the victim of lagging sales.

The bookstore, which in recent years had closed its flagship store on Telegraph Avenue and its branches in San Francisco and on Berkeley's Fourth Street, finally settling in early April in one store on Shattuck Avenue, shuttered that store Friday.

Calling it "a heartbreaking moment," Cody's owner, Hiroshi Kagawa of the Japanese firm IBC Publishing, said in a statement, "unfortunately, my current business is not strong enough or rich enough to support Cody's."

"Cody's is my treasure and more than that, Cody's is a real friend of (the) Berkeley community and will be missed," Kagawa said.

Pat Cody, one of the store's co-founders, said the closing "makes me very sad. We worked so hard and we put so much into it, and it meant a lot to the community. It's a big loss."

Some new books in the hopper.

OK, so I'm addicted to buying books. And every now and then I actually read the new acquisitions. But here are some new ones that have joined my "to read" stack.

1. Fusion: Turning First-Time Guests Into Fully Engaged Members of Your Chuch, by Nelson Searcy with Jennifer Dykes Henson

2. Church is a Team Sport: A Championship Strategy for Doing Ministry Together, by Jim Putman

3. Among Empires: American Ascendancy and its Predecessors, by Charles S. Maier

4. Starbucked: A Double Tall Tale of Caffeine, Commerced, and Culture, by Taylor Clark

5. How Starbucks Saved My Life, by Michael Gates Gill

6. The Great House of God/Just Like Jesus/When Christ Comes (3-in-1 book), by Max Lucado

Now I just need to start making more time to read...

Too many books?

I've been trying to reorganize the books in my office, to shift things away from my desk that are less relevant (i.e. youth ministry) and bring other books closer to my quick grab (i.e. worship, adult ministries, etc). I'm having mixed success. But really what occurs to me is that I own lots and lots of books. I've read many, but not sure if I can say I've read most of the ones I own.

Perhaps the best solution is to stop buying more books until I read every tome I already own.

Yea. Right.

I like books.

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Dedicated Reader You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.
Literate Good Citizen
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Book Snob
Fad Reader
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz

Saw this quiz over on YSMarko's site and figured I'd give it a shot. I'd say it's pretty accurate. Anyone who's seen my stash of books knows it. But I think it's genetic, from both sides of my family. I blame, er, thank them.

Back to basics.

As noted yesterday, I've been here at Antelope Christian Center for 4 years as youth pastor. I've decided one of the best things I can do to mark this occasion is to re-read "Your First Two Years in Youth Ministry" by Doug Fields. I read this book just before starting this job in 2003, so I figured this would be a good way of reminding myself where I'm doing well and where I need to continue to grow (though, some people are really good at emphasizing that latter area, in much unkinder words). Should be a fun adventure!

To read a book, a book to read.

I bought a new book the other day. I'm trying to cut back. This book addiction can get quite expensive.

I try avoiding the places that feed my addiction, just as an alcoholic avoids bars, liquor stores and bingo halls. But earlier this week, I was hanging out with a student and we visited Borders. And I gave in.

Fortunately, I did pass over the "Inside Details of Anna Nicole's Death" and "The Notepad of Legal Paper," by John Grisham. What caught my eye was "The Jesus Way" by Eugene Peterson. Some of you know him simply as "the guy who wrote The Message translation of the Bible." Well, maybe not so simply.

This is the third book in his series on spiritual theology. I've bought and breezed through the two previous books, though both demand and deserve much more thorough readings. Last month we did a series with our youth on The Way of Wisdom, and this one feels like it'll be relevant and interesting, especially since I'm still kind of focused on the word "way" and the path of following Jesus.

So, this should be a good read.

Once I get around to reading it.

Some recent reads

OK, folks, here are some books I've recently read -- or recently FINISHED reading. Some were from last week's trip back to Iowa. Others were finished earlier this month.

The Starbucks Experience, by Joseph A. Michelli

Offered some interesting perspectives on how Starbucks' corporate values could be translated into other organizations. Author is definitely a Starbucks fan, perhaps to a fault. But still had good ideas about why Starbucks is a valued "third place" in our culture. Lotta ideas that could be applied in church settings, especially for front-line ministries like greeters, ushers, grounds, etc.



The Gospel According to Starbucks, by Leonard Sweet

Takes the idea of Starbucks' popularity and appeal, and finds some spiritual application. Sweet focuses around the EPIC concept: that Starbucks is experiential, participatory, image-rich and connecting. Sweet isn't a gushy fan of S'bucks in the way Michelli is, but he recognizes the social and cultural impact the corporation has, and he makes a good argument for how Christians can live EPIC lives. Seems like a great book for small groups, or for front-line ministries.



Second-Guessing God, by Brian Jones

Wasn't sure how good this would be when I bought it, but I read it in a span of just about 3 days. Jones tackles some intense topics that Christians face. He doesn't shy away from addressing the challenges -- things like feeling distant from God and wonder where He is and what He's doing -- but he also doesn't offer cheap, simple, easy answers. Wrestling with these issues is part of the Christian experience.



The Rock That is Higher, by Madeleine L'Engle

Great book. Not sure if I agree on every theological tenet L'Engle holds, but she's a superb writer with mature spiritual insight. The book follows her path as she recovers from a car crash back in the 1990s, and she offers her unique brand of wisdom along the way. No easy answers about what comes our way in life, but she's a good companion for the journey.



Preaching Re-Imagined, by Doug Pagitt

Wow, this book has challenged me more than almost any book I've read in the last year. Pagitt makes a rather strong case that our approach to preaching isn't really consistent with how the earliest Christian circles understood or practiced it. He makes the case for "progressional preaching," which uses the experiences, insights and understandings of the WHOLE congregational community -- not just the pastor/preacher -- to create and present sermons that are more than just memorable or cute or funny. He talks about finding ways to interact with the body of believers and battling the image that a pastor/preacher has all the answers to people's challenges. I found myself doing a LOT of thinking in recent days. Not sure if I have any real, solid, strong answers yet, but I'm thinking and praying and wondering how this whole notion could apply to our youth ministry here, and our whole church ministry.



The Three Hardest Words (in the World to Get Right), by Leonard Sweet
We're doing a Love/Relationship/Sex/Dating series all month with our youth, so I've spent time reading through love-focused books. Sweet's book proved a fast read for me: two airplane flights on Saturday. He breaks down the words "I" "love" and "you" to discover how Christ-followers need to receive a new identity, new integrity and new intimacy. Good February read!