Welcome to Nolan's World

Swine Flu Ground Zero

194,000...

...that's the number of kids across the world who accepted Jesus Christ as Savior last year through the ministry of Compassion International...I'd say that's pretty awesome!!!

Put Your Dream to the Test

Confession: If John Maxwell writes it, I read it.  Through his books, Injoy Life Club, Maximum Impact, and special series, John Maxwell has served as a long-distance mentor who has been a huge contributor to my personal, professional, and ministry development.  All of his books are great...but I have a new favorite... 

Put Your Dream to the Test is a blueprint for dreamers.  This book is a practical guide meant to assist in moving your dreams beyond the stage of conception to reality.  The book asks the reader to put their dream through the grid of ten rigorous questions to see how well thought out a dream is so that it can actually be accomplished.

Put Your Dream to the Test is filled with great stories and practical steps, both mainstays of Maxwell's works.  I found this book to be "uncomfortably refreshing."  

Uncomfortable, because it reminds me that I must make my dreams happen by actually DOING something--too many of us miss the point of dreaming by waiting for our dreams to fall in our laps; our dreams will only become real when we take enough ownership of them to MAKE them happen!

Put Your Dream to the Test is also refreshing because each "test question" provides solid practical insights--not just into your dream, but into yourself!  The "success stories" of dreamers woven into the chapters really hold your attention and reinforce the questions (my personal favorites were Michael Hyatt from Nelson Books and Kevin Myers from 12Stone Church).

Because of the impact that John Maxwell has had on me personally, I tell leaders to read everything he publishes, but if I could only read three of his books, Put Your Dream to the Test would be ranked right next to The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership and Leadership Gold.

Take Note of The Noticer

Sometimes, the thing we need most in life is a fresh perspective.

Andy Andrews' most recent work, The Noticer, transports the reader to Orange Beach, Alabama where he will meet a variety of people, most notably, a drifter by the name of Jones.  His mission in life according to Jones: "I'm a noticer," he said. "It is my gift. While others may be able to sing well or run fast, I notice things that other people overlook. And, you know, most of them are in plain sight."  

Jones helps the person he encounters look at life through a different lens, one that provides a future much different than the present.  Those who cross paths with Jones never look the condition of their lives in quite the same way.

I can't fully tell you how much I enjoyed The Noticer.  Andrews' story-telling style reminds me of Patrick Lencioni (some high praise in my opinion).  It is a fast and easy read, but it leaves a lingering impact that has rippled through my life since I was first exposed to this story.  Being a pastor, my favorite line in the book happens when Jones visits church and speaks during prayer request time: "I'd like to pray for some smiling faces in this church."  Then in typical fashion, he added, "I think more people would want to go to heaven, if they weren't afraid it'd be like church when they got there."

My prayer is that many of you will read this book, let it challenge you, pass on a copy to those you know, and live out the message of being "a noticer."

Church, Read It and Weep (at least I did)...

"The challenge is that we in the church for a long time now have tried to cater to the "customer" in our pews, trying to make church as convenient as possible because know how busy people are and how fractured their attention span is. We've aimed our resources, ministries, and programs at making church as simple and fun and easy as possible.

Much good has flowed from this way of thinking and operating and will continue to do so. But I wonder if we haven't unwittingly created organisms that are unhealthy to ourselves and to others, organizations that are uninspiring to the world. It's like creating something meant for good, but before you know it, it has veered in an unintended direction and become a negative force."--Dave Gibbons, The Monkey and the Fish

Reminds me of the line from Matt Redman's song "The Heart of Worship"--"I'm sorry Lord, for the thing I've made it"

Crazy Friday Thoughts

• I am getting ready to go BACK into work in about an hour.  I am almost exclusively an opener at my Starbucks, but I not only opened this morning and worked a full shift, I am going back in for a short closing shift to help out a friend.
• I am off tomorrow so that will give me time to recover. 
• I also prepped for it by taking a three hour nap when I got home this afternoon. 
• We are celebrating my day off by going to the zoo in the morning. 
• It will be our third visit as a family so far this year...the season pass rocks!!! 
• Thanks to all who participated in my "Dumbest Thing You've Heard in Church" contest...wow, I was blown away by some of your comments...we have all heard some pretty dumb things in church apparently...the winner by random selection is Bill Goodwin...Bill, e-mail or facebook me with your address and I will mail your copy of Ten Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe on Monday!   
• I got to miss the Exponential Conference and Catalyst West Coast this week.  One thing I really miss about being a pastor in a full-time position is the privilege of attending conferences.  
• Piece of Unsolicited Advice: Office people having someone pick up coffee for the whole office on Friday morning at 7:30 AM (our busiest half hour of the week)--PLEASE send someone who has actually been in a Starbucks before--trust me, it'll help us all out!!!
• We were CRAZY busy at work this morning...you wouldn't know there is a recession if you worked my side of the counter today. 
• Summer movie season is here.  We went to see State of Play last week...hoping to see The Soloist sometime this weekend.  
• Survivor has totally sucked me in this season.  I hope JT wins it all and I can't wait to see the Coach/"Dragon Slayer" go home!  
• American Idol will be interesting the rest of the way...great final five...I would love to see Kris and Danny in the finals personally, but Adam is so incredibly talented that I don't see how he won't make it...
• ...but Chris Daughtry was the most talented on his season and didn't make the finals...worked out okay for him though. 
• I have to finish two books this weekend for review Monday and Tuesday...they are both EXCELLENT reads, so it will be fun to wrap them up.
• Is Jack Bauer gonna die this season?  Since I read a report of him going to New York next season, I DON'T THINK SO.  
• Sadness is a week without Lost!  :(  What a great show!!!  
• I have put off the inevitable long enough...gonna go burn the midnight oil at the Bucks...have a great weekend!!! 

I Wish I Said This First:

"Leadership is not about making decisions on your own. It’s about owning the decisions once they are made.”--Andy Stanley

10 Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe

I love reading books that have the potential to shake up your way of thinking and even possibly make you mad.  I feel that my most recent read, 10 Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe, fits that bill.

Larry Osborne, takes on many well known "spiritual urban legends"--commonly held teachings of many evangelical churches that are often regarded as Scriptural yet have little or no Biblical validity.  

The list of hot-button issues that are tackled in the book are:

  1. Faith Can Fix Anything 
  2. Forgiving Means Forgetting
  3. A Godly Home Guarantees Godly Kids
  4. God Has A Blueprint For My Life
  5. Christians Shouldn’t Judge       
  6. Everything Happens For A Reason
  7. Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide
  8. God Brings Good Luck
  9. A Valley Means A Wrong Turn           
10. Dead People Go To A Better Place

I really enjoyed this book because I found it to be biblically sound, thought-provoking, and deeply-challenging.  Osborne compels the reader to examine the biblical basis behind these beliefs.  Each of the above listed chapters are proven to have little or no Scripture foundation, even though I have heard a form of each phrase uttered in more than one sermon in my lifetime. 

Larry Osborne comes across as smart, engaging, and authoritative in this work.  I like his writing style, and while this is the first book I have read written by him, I am excited to check out his other books now.

Ten Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe would serve as a great curriculum for a small group Bible study and discussion catalyst.

 

I am giving away a copy of this book on Friday.  It's not too late for you to enter.  You can find out details here. 

God Wants Your Absolute Best

God wants your absolute best...will you give it?  This is one of my favorite movie clips.  Watch it, remember the message and be blessed today.

What's the Dumbest Thing You've Ever Been Taught at Church?

Larry Osborne's newest book, 10 Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe, will be reviewed here later this week as part of a Book Blog Tour.  I want to give you a free copy (by the way, it's a fantastic book, and getting it for free is a bonus).

Here's the basic premise of the book: "Just because everyone believes it, doesn't make it true.--People don’t set out to build their faith upon myths and spiritual urban legends. But somehow such falsehoods keep showing up in the way that many Christians think about life and God. These goofy ideas and beliefs are assumed by millions to be rock-solid truth . . . until life proves they’re not. The sad result is often a spiritual disaster—confusion, feelings of betrayal, a distrust of Scripture, loss of faith, anger toward both the church and God.

But it doesn’t have to be so. In this delightfully personal and practical book, respected Bible teacher Larry Osborne confronts ten widely held beliefs that are both dumb and dangerous. Beliefs like these:

• Faith can fix anything

• Christians shouldn’t judge

• Forgiving means forgetting

• Everything happens for a reason

• A godly home guarantees good kids

…and more."

The Free Book Part--Leave a comment here or at my Facebook page that tells me the dumbest thing you have ever heard taught at church.  Something that sounds true, that almost everyone believes, but has no real Bible basis.

Here's my answer: "The safest place to be is in the center of God's will."

Sounds great, widely accepted, yet not true.

Put your thinking cap on and participate.  I will choose a winner by Friday!