Who Moved My Pulpit?

I wanted to give you a quick review of Thom Rainer's book, "Who Moved My Pulpit?". Dr. Rainer & B&H Publishing were gracious enough to get me some advance copies to review & distribute to ministry leaders. If you'd like to enter to win one of those copies, you've got three option. First, visit my Twitter page & follow the instruction in my #WhoMovedMyPulpit tweets. Or you can visit my Facebook page & follow the instructions in my "Who Moved My Pulpit?" updates. The last option is the easiest; you can simply leave a comment here on the blog. However, you need to hurry though because tomorrow I'll be selecting the winners & getting these advance copies out. If you miss out on one of the freebies, you'll be able to find it at bookstores on June 1st.

Dr. Rainer's focus in this book is on leading change effectively in the church. Some of the impetus for writing this book comes from the fact that 90% of churches are plateaued or in decline compared to their community. The overwhelming majority of churches need to change in order to survive & continue to be a viable part of the Great Commission.

In the book Dr. Rainer outlines a roadmap for leading change in the church that would serve as a solid baseline for any leader in any ministry context. In fact, I'm passing on copies of this book to our Church Leadership Team as we work through the process of revitalizing the ministry in our congregation. I'm also planning to get some copies to our local denominational leadership who will be working with churches seeking to revitalize.

If you serve on a church staff or as a ministry lay leader, you should invest in this little book. I finished it up in a couple of hours, so it's a quick but loaded read. If you'd like more information on "Who Moved My Pulpit?" visit the official website.

Book Review: The Battle Plan For Prayer

I recently had the opportunity to get a review copy of "The Battle Plan For Prayer" by Stephen & Alex Kendrick. Many people know the Kendrick brothers from their films like Facing The Giants, Courageous, & the recent hit War Room. Battle Plan was released in conjunction with War Room as a practical tool for believers, small groups, & congregation to use to grow in their own prayer life & also to give some guidance in leading prayer strategies with other believers.

The strength of this book is how it points people to the power of keeping one's prayer life or a group's prayer strategy rooted in Scripture. This book does a good job of encouraging people to move beyond a self-centered prayer life that's based on feelings & immediate "needs" & pointing them to build a prayer life that is a response to who God has revealed Himself to be in Scripture & allowing His word to direct our prayer life.

If you're looking for a heady, academic approach to prayer & discussing of prayer, you'll be disappointed. However, I see that as a strength. Prayer should be personal, relational, not academic. If you are looking for something to give your prayer life a kickstart, or if you're leading a congregation or small group through a focused time of prayer, this would be a good resource to use. I used it as a supplemental resource in a recent prayer revival in our congregation, & it was very helpful.

Disclaimer: I received this book from B & H Publishing for this review.