Which Bible Should I Get?

This past Sunday, I taught about Josiah's rediscovery of Scripture from 2 Kings 22. I said that everyone - regardless of where they are on their spiritual journey - should have their own Bible. You should read it, wrestle with it, study it, talk about it, ask questions of it, and engage God along the way.

One of the most frequently asked of me is, "What kind of Bible should I get?" When you go to a bookstore, there are so many options. So, here are a few of my thoughts on this.

1. Get a Bible you can understand. I like the beauty of the King James English, but let's be honest: nobody speaks King James English today. Not in England. Not in the United States. It's almost like a foreign language, making a King James Bible pretty hard to understand. I have one and I use it if I want the poetic beauty of that language in a wedding or a funeral, but I never study from it for the same reason I wouldn't study from a Bible written in Russian. I don't fluently speak either language. There are several good choices, and I suggest that you read through a few of them and find the one that speaks most clearly to you.
2. That said, I usually use the NIV on Sundays. It is the most popular modern English translation. I also study out of the NIV most of the time.
3. I also recommend that you have a 'Study Bible'. This kind of Bible will have a commentary in it (which helps you to understand what's going on), a concordance (which lets you look up words and locate them in the Bible) and other helps, like maps, introduction to the books of the Bible, etc.
4. The Message is a paraphrase of the Bible that I also keep handy for parts of the Bible that are particularly hard to understand. The Message is written in particularly easy to read language, but it is NOT a translation.

So, if you are looking for a recommendation, I suggest the Life Application Study Bible in the NIV translation AND The Message. I would get them both.

Hope this helps.

Brian

More about Getting Advice

Since last Sunday was about getting advice, I thought I'd share with you this article that someone sent to me. I found it to be extremly helpful.

Brian

Confirming Decisions

TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2

by Os Hillman

"Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed" (Proverbs 15:22).
Confirming major decisions through the counsel of others is one way God protects us from poor decisions. This process is designed to confirm direction for which we are seeking confirmation. Paul was sensitive not to get too heavy-handed in the confirmation process though. He offered advice to others but was not the enforcer of their decisions. "And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter"(2 Corinthians 8:10).

The requirement for efficient administration frequently requires single points of decision-making. Where there is willingness and trust to receive input, there is also humility, faith, and grace for God to work His pleasure in His servant. Where there is unwillingness, the opposite is true.

There have been times in my life where I have felt strongly about a certain issue only to receive feedback from those close to me which revealed that I was not accurate in my assessment of the situation. I have learned to yield in such situations, trusting that God is working through those in whom I am accountable.

The scriptures encourage us to seek advice and counsel from other Godly people who share the same values and goals that we have. "Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise"(Proverbs 19:20). "Make plans by seeking advice; if you wage war, obtain guidance"(Proverbs 20:18).

Peace of mind is another important confirmation requirement for making decisions. If you do not have peace about a decision, you should wait until God gives you peace. This does not mean your decision may not have some tension due to the faith aspect of it, but deep down you should have a peace that it is the right decision. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7).

Do you need to make a major decision? Ask God to give you confirmation through others.

One Truck At A Time!

Now THIS is exciting!

Work continues in earnest on our building.


Concrete trucks are rolling at regular intervals and things are definitely moving forward!

Are you praying about this? I hope so! God has set an enormous task in front of us! He has already built Powhatan Community Church by bringing people together. We are now responding to His call to build a facility that will be used to further God's kingdom and the mission to which He has called us.

This is all part of His plan, for His purposes, and He gets the credit. Meanwhile, we get the opportunity to participate, to get excited and to dream big dreams about what the future holds!

If you haven't had an opportunity to hear about the vision God has given us, please contact the church office and let them know that you would like more information about the REACH campaign. If you haven't yet started to give, you can start now. We are all in this together, and together we are going to celebrate what God has done, what He is doing today and what He will do in the future!

Why do we take Risks?

At the Leadership Summit last week, Bill Hybels talked about the need to take calculated risks in the church. (see my thoughts on that from my post on Sunday, August 10).

I wanted to clarify a few things. First, we don’t take risks just for the sake of it. Rather, we take them because if you aren’t staying out on the edge, you aren’t growing. Our world, with it's instant communication and information - is changing at a pace never seen before. If we don't stay on the edge, we'll fall behind. Falling behind means that we become out of touch. And being out of touch - for a church - is...fatal.

When we take risks, we're just looking for wild, crazy, whimsical risks…but calculated risks. These are the kind where you measure, consider the angles, consider the potential payoffs, weigh them against the potential and actual costs and, seeing a great unrealized reward, you just go for it.

I asked people at the summit to share some ways PCC had taken calculated risks and the list was amazing and included many things I'd never considered. But one person I pushed back on. Jim Mustian said that he thought the start of PCC was a calculated risk. My argument was that 'we had nothing to loose. There was property, no people, no established church. What was there to lose? That's how I viewed. Then it occurred to me later that night, after the meeting was over, that it was a calculated risk for the few dozen people who helped us. They had come from other churches and some were being scolded or shunned. Since they were helping the 'crazy church', their reputation was on the line. Politically, their standing with certain groups was on the line.

So, I take it back, Jim. You and Charlene are absolutely right. The starting and the launch of PCC was definitely a calculated risk...and I'm really glad you and a dedicated group like you were there - taking the risk together. I couldn't name the all, but some who come to mind are George and Regina, Sharon and Berk and Sallie Mae, Carolyn, Ryan and Ginny, Bridgette and Jeff, Kenny and Nora, Danny and Faye, Greer and Lori, Jeanette and Mel...the list goes on, but my brain is shutting down.

Suffice it to say this calculated risk paid off in ways none of us would have ever dreamed!! And I'm sure we didn't take a month of meetings to make it happen. We moved and God honored.

I'm enjoying these follow-up conversations. They will help make us better leaders and more willing to talk calculated risks.

Until next time...

Bian

4 Tools for Evaluating Advice

Today, I talked about the story in 1 Kings 12 of how Rehoboam got bad advice, followed that bad advice, and divided his country and his people forever. It was a path with monumental consequences. I shared 4 things for you to consider (that I learned out of this story) when getting advice. Some folks said they wanted to write these down, but had no way to do it, so I thought I'd give it to you here:

1) What is their motive? Is it your best interest? Do they have the best interest of your family? Or do they have a hidden agenda...an ulterior motive? The young men who gave Rehoboam poor advice were also trying to tell the King what he wanted to hear. Good advisers think the best and tell the truth.

2) What is their process? Good advisers listen carefully, trying to fully understand the situation before they give advice. Steven Covey, in his famous teaching The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People lists habit 4 as 'Seek first to understand, then to be understood.' This is about listening empathically....diagnosing before prescribing. Does the person giving you advice really listen and understand and ask questions?

3) What is their experience? Experience can come through the wisdom of having lived life for a while. It can also come from having gone through a particular set of circumstances similar to yours. The elders who advised King Solomon had seen the oppression of the people. They heard the grumblings. They experienced the experiment and knew that it was headed for failure. A new method was needed. A new philosophy was required. If the Kingdom was to be healthy, they needed to respond to the changing culture. The world had changed…and those with experience and collective wisdom knew it. Does the person giving you advice have the wisdom that age or circumstances can provide?

4) Where is their faith? Specifically, does their advice point you towards God…draw you closer to God, or does it pull you away? You want advisers that help you engage with God.

Hope this helps!

Brian

Concrete is Being Poured!!!!

As you can see from these pictures, the concrete trucks have started rolling. The brought in 40 cubic yards of concrete yesterday and were digging all day today to prepare for the next batch. It's very exciting! The metal has been fabricated and it's on site, so once the slab is finished, they will begin erecting the structure. If things go according to plan, we'll be in the building sometime in the 3rd quarter of next year.

On Excellence

Image found at www.2208.cina.com

My family is currently obsessed with the Olympics. Any semblance of normal life has gone out the window. We can't go to bed until the evening events end, so we're up every night until midnight or later. We huddle around the television in the living room, cheering on swimmers, marveling at the athletic ability of the gymnasts, talking back to the commentators. It's become a real bonding thing for us, because rarely do we get together and sit in one place for an extended period of time. It's been a good thing. This happens every few years, although I confess to a greater appreciation for the summer games than the winter ones.

We truly are captivated by these athletes, and I spent some time this morning thinking more deeply about what it is that attracts us to the Olympics every few years with such passion and, at times, obsession. I used to be a fan of professional sports - particularly football - and I would invest time every Sunday afternoon and Monday night to watch hours and hours of competition. That's fallen by the wayside in the last few years, and I'm just not interested any more. Neither baseball nor basketball have ever attracted my attention, and golf just puts me to sleep. So why is it that I find the Olympic events so compelling?

I think it is this: we watch athletes compete who are at the top of their game in every way. They are the best in the world, and they compete with a sort of purity, uncorrupted by multi-million dollar contracts. They indulge their competitive desire and pursue their dreams with passion and vigor, unbelievable discipline and focus. In a word, they achieve excellence. Not perfection - in each event, mistakes are made. They do fall short, sometimes literally falling. Execution suffers. Perfect 10's are rare, and only one athlete is the winner in each event. Someone always comes in last.

But still, in the midst of the competition, we see the outcome of discipline, training and commitment. We witness an incredible example of individuals striving for - and often achieving - excellence.

And the entire world is captivated.

We believe that excellence honors God and inspires people. It is a tried and tested axiom at our church, and we cling to it as we struggle through every obstacle, every criticism, every fear, in order to accomplish what God has called us to do. Excellence is at the core of our desire to live and breathe as people who love God more than anything else, who love His people with compassion and grace.

I am inspired this morning - not to go work on my form as a swimmer, not to master the uneven bars or put together a stunning floor routine. I am inspired to lean hard into excellence, in everything I say and do.

Because here's what I am thinking: If excellence captivates the human heart in the field of athletic endeavors, won't it do the same in spiritual areas? If the church runs as passionately after excellence in loving God and loving others as Federica Pelligrini pursues excellence as a swimmer, will people notice?

I think they might. And I think it might make a real difference.

You've all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You're after one that's gold eternally.

I don't know about you, but I'm running hard for the finish line. I'm giving it everything I've got. No sloppy living for me! I'm staying alert and in top condition. I'm not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself. - 1 Corinthians 9.24-27, The Message

Oh, and by the way: Michael Phelps is beast!