How the Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In
by Jim Collins | 2009 HarperCollins
Reviewed by David Korb
Yes, this is a “business” book (from the author of
Good to Great), but don’t…
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Added by Central Church Connections on August 10, 2009 at 9:52am —
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Home Tonight: Further Reflections on the Parable of the Prodigal Son
by Henri Nouwen, edited by Sue Mosteller | 2009 Doubleday
Reviewed by David Korb
I appreciate the writings of Henri Nouwen and find books like his
In the Name of Jesus so helpful. Nouwen struggled on so many fronts during his life, and his writings reflect some of the…
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Added by Central Church Connections on August 10, 2009 at 9:30am —
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We are living in a time marked by crisis. The news reports we read or hear today are not harbingers of good times to come. The markets have wreaked havoc on personal savings and retirement funds. The macro events in our world, from nuclear proliferation to wars around the world today, are evidence of crisis on all levels. This affects all of us; we feel the stress of accumulating concerns and worries that plague us in this time of crisis.
We often look to God’s Word for solace in the…
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Added by Central Church Connections on June 1, 2009 at 12:00pm —
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Jesus on Leadership by C. Gene Wilkes
1998 Tyndale House Publishers
Reviewed by David Korb
In 1998 I read a book on leadership. I was a senior pastor at the time. After reading the book myself, I required my staff and then the church board to read the book also. A dear friend who’s served as an unofficial mentor…
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Added by Central Church Connections on June 1, 2009 at 12:00pm —
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Air travel is generally an unremarkable experience for me. I do not sit at the gate in great anticipation of boarding the plane and spending the next few glorious hours in perfect relaxation and undisturbed bliss. I expect that experience when standing on the face of a mountain or reclining on the beach, but not on a plane. I travel often enough that flights long ago ceased to be “events” in their own right—air travel is just something I do. For me, going to the airport and getting on a plane…
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Added by Central Church Connections on May 1, 2009 at 12:00pm —
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The Birth of Christianity: The First Twenty Years (After Jesus: Volume 1) by Paul Barnett
2005 Eerdmans
Reviewed by David Korb
Last month I reviewed Barnett’s book
Paul, Missionary of Jesus (After Jesus: Volume 2). I found Barnett’s writing so helpful that I decided to read his Volume 1 on the…
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Added by Central Church Connections on April 1, 2009 at 12:00pm —
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Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working & How There Is a Better Way for Africa by Dambisa Moyo
2009 Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Reviewed by David Korb
Dambisa Moyo comes from Zambia, South Africa. She has a Masters degree from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and a PhD in economics from Oxford. Ms. Moyo…
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Added by Central Church Connections on April 1, 2009 at 12:00pm —
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Do you have a favorite New Testament church? Is it the church at Rome or Philippi? How about Ephesus or Thessalonica? Well, I choose the church at Antioch. One reason comes from Acts 13:2-3 where we read, “While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.” I believe one of the greatest marks of a church is…
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Added by Central Church Connections on April 1, 2009 at 12:00pm —
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Paul, Missionary of Jesus by Paul Barnett
2008 Eerdmans
Reviewed by David Korb
Did Paul preach the message of Jesus? In fact, what did Paul know about Jesus’ life and teaching, if anything? Did Paul carry out Jesus’ intentions? Did Paul ever meet Jesus? Did Paul have firsthand knowledge of Jesus? Have you ever…
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Added by Central Church Connections on March 1, 2009 at 12:00pm —
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We are traveling people these days. People travel for relaxation. People travel to a warmer place in the winter, or to a cold(er) place if they like to ski. People travel for business and for pleasure.
Well, there came a time in the book of Acts when people started to travel, but not because they enjoyed traveling. They started to travel because they finally recognized the seriousness of Christ’s commission to the people of God. Finally embracing the heart of God for all people and…
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Added by Central Church Connections on March 1, 2009 at 12:00pm —
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Do you remember church covenants? Often they were pasted inside the front cover of the hymnal. It seems like many churches have abandoned their covenants along with their hymnals. People in our society do not like to be bound by rules and regulations. Although I am definitely a “free spirit” (which is not always a positive thing), I do like covenants. I like to know what is required of me and of those with whom I am associated. This is especially true in a church.
In my Bible I carry…
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Added by Central Church Connections on February 1, 2009 at 12:00pm —
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Beyond Duty: A Passion for Christ, a Heart for Mission by Tim Dearborn
1997 MARC
Reviewed by David Korb
I love this book! I have read and reread it, and every time it calls me back to the center of faith and of all our activities. Dearborn writes, "Lack of interest in mission is not fundamentally caused by an absence of…
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Added by Central Church Connections on February 1, 2009 at 12:00pm —
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Enough: True Measures of Money, Business, and Life by John C. Bogle
2009 Wiley
Reviewed by David Korb
John Bogle, founder and former CEO of the Vanguard Mutual Fund Group, writes, "At a party given by a billionaire on Shelter Island, Kurt Vonnegut informs his pal, Joseph Heller, that their host, a hedge…
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Added by Central Church Connections on February 1, 2009 at 12:00pm —
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I read the book Enough last evening (see review below) and it has stirred many thoughts within me. The book is really written as a business book, but my mind started to wander across the spectrum of life, asking the question over and over again, What is enough?
Last weekend I went skiing with my two sons, and as we traveled, talked, and skied together, the experience certainly had the feeling of being "enough." As they say, "Life is good!" I also met with a friend in Boston whom I…
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Added by Central Church Connections on February 1, 2009 at 12:00pm —
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Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcom Gladwell
2008 Little, Brown & Co.
Reviewed by David Korb
Gladwell is the author of bestsellers
The Tipping Point and
Blink. He follows those titles with this intriguing book that studies extremely successful people, termed "outliers," to see why they have such an impact. Gladwell argues that one…
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Added by Central Church Connections on January 1, 2009 at 12:30pm —
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The Lost History of Christianity: The Thousand-Year Golden Age of the Church in the Middle East, Africa, & Asia—And How It Died by Philip Jenkins
2008 HarperOne
Reviewed by David Korb
Jenkins begins his book, "Religions die. Over the course of history, some religions vanish altogether, while others are reduced from great world faiths…
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Added by Central Church Connections on January 1, 2009 at 12:00pm —
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The Shack by William P. Young
2008 Windblown Media
Reviewed by Dave Korb
I first picked up The Shack over the summer. The book made its way onto my reading list out of curiosity over what all the fuss was about (as of writing this the book is ranked #6 in Amazon’s overall book sales). I read the first chapter and had a…
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Added by Central Church Connections on November 1, 2008 at 12:00pm —
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Psalm 100 invites us to, "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name." Thanksgiving and praise go hand in hand; praise to God is the outpouring of thankful hearts.
1. Praise God because he is
POWERFUL.
They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. Nehemiah 1:10
That you may know...his incomparably great power for us who believe.… Continue
Added by Central Church Connections on November 1, 2008 at 12:00pm —
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Secret Believers: What Happens When Muslims Believe in Christ by Brother Andew and Al Janssen
2007 Open Doors International, Revell
Reviewed by David Korb
This book invites readers into the very real experience of men, women, and children living in the Islamic world—in countries like Iran, Indonesia, Egypt, and the countries of the Middle East…
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Added by Central Church Connections on October 1, 2008 at 12:00pm —
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Imagine the excitement, the intrigue. The news is spreading like wildfire that God is speaking again. God is speaking after 400 years of silence. Myriad generations have come and gone and now God has something to say to His people.
And who is the spokesperson? Is it the local priest? No! The holiest man in the community? No! Who is the spokesperson? It’s a man out in the desert, down by the Jordan River, some 20 miles away on the other side of the dry, barren hillside. In Mark 1:5 we…
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Added by Central Church Connections on October 1, 2008 at 12:00pm —
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