ScottFentonBlog

“Steering Through Chaos” by Scot Wilson. I was given this book by a good friend, this  is a very practical and valuable resource for the leader/Pastor who is trying to cast vision while navigating transition, and the chaos that often accompanies it! I particularly like the real life stories that he shares, that really communicate the personal struggle and pain that comes to a leader who is trying to take their church places that they have not been, or do not even want to go. A relevant and hope filled resource to be sure…

Mark Batterson’s latest book Primal, A quest for the lost soul of Christianity, is simply a great book! to quote Batterson, “This book is an invitation to be a part of something that is bigger than you, more important than you, and longer lasting than you. It is an invitation to be a part of a primal movement that traces its origins all the way back to the ancient catacombs where our spiritual ancestors were martyred because they loved God more than they loved life.” Batterson takes you on a journey of exploring the great commandment, to really unpack what it means to love God with all your heart, soul , mind, and strength!….This is not about discovering some ‘new revelation’ about God, but about rediscovering our “primal’ or original purpose and potential to change the world with the good news of the Gospel of Christ! Enjoy reading it and let me know what you rediscover…..Amo Dei (Love God)

Just finished reading Waking the Dead by John Eldredge. I know the book has been in publication for a while now, but after a “three hour coffee chat” a good and trusted Pastor friend recommended that I read it and I am glad that I did. This is one of those books that you tend to speed read through the first time because you get the feeling that it is really speaking to the real issues in your spiritual journey and you can’t wait to get the end to see what a ‘heart fully alive’ really looks and acts like! But now I will read it again a second time to  really slow down and pray through it. For those of you who may struggle with feeling unworthy, and who wrestle with condemnation or maybe you have just believed the lie that your heart is  wicked. Please read this book! No simple techniques or tips here, just a real and life changing journey through the Word of God, and reclaiming what rightfully belongs to you! I pray you will find the renewed intimacy with Christ and the awakening of the Heart that I have found as you read this book….

The Journey Continues……

Just finished reading ‘Counterfeit Gods’ by Timothy Keller, who is fast becoming one of my favorite authors….I highly recommend this book. Keller really brings a contemporary and modern application to the reality of the ‘Idols’ that we easily worship and serve in the 21 century. This is not a ‘feel good’ book  by any stretch, but rather a book that really sheds light on the ‘good’ things that I tend to default to for happiness and pleasure. The happy ending so to speak of this book is that when we replace these broken and useless idols with God, we most certainly can experience true success, happiness and contentment….

Just finished reading ‘One Man’s Wilderness’  this book is a compellation of the journal entries by Dick Proennecke, whom you might recognize from the PBS special  as the guy who moved up to Alaska, built a log cabin and ended up living by himself up there for over 30 years! If you are an outdoor enthusiast, or just wish you could be, this book will be a pure delight for you. I can only speak for myself but probably many of us have dreamed of what it might be like to simply move up to the mountains , build a cabin with you own hands, hunt and fish for your meals and rise in the morning with the sun and go to bed as it sets! I found myself lost in Dick’s observations and thoughts about life in the ‘Wilderness’, you will enjoy his very dry sense of humor as well as his very deep philosophical and spiritual nuggets of truth. Dick’s love and respect for nature and his role as a steward of all ‘the good lord’ created is refreshing and perhaps even a bit of a lost passion for many. So if you can’t wait for camping season to start, or if you have never camped in your life, you will discover a deeper appreciation for the beauty that is all around us every day. I think you will enjoy this very easy to read and yet somehow very deep book!

Just finished reading Donald Miller’s ‘A Million Miles in a Thousand Years’….. Truly a great read! Donald Miller is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers; he combines humor, insight, creativity and honesty to communicate truth. Truth about God, and about ourselves also. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years is a book about the story that each of us are living out every day and how for many of us we discover that ‘our’ story is somewhat boring and a little bit disappointing. Miller uses the story of his own life as the backdrop for this book; in it he is painfully honest about his failures, misconceptions about God and people, and his constant battle between faith and doubt! I found myself laughing and crying my way through this book as I found myself right in the middle of the story line. This book is an ‘easy’ read, but ‘hard’ on your soul just a bit. I highly recommend this book and look forward to how God might use it to help you rediscover ‘your story’ and live it in such a way that people can watch it unfold and only see it as a amazing story of God’s grace!

Happy Reading….

Check this link out for a little taste of who Donald Miller is…..

http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m2500INV3K9Y4L