Missions on the Frontline

a ministry of WorldVenture

Central Church Connections's Blog (41)

Devotional - Shaky Starts (Mark 1:14-20)

[by Dave Korb, as featured in the February 2010 issue of Missionary Monthly)

I had breakfast with a young friend the other day. Over eggs and toast he told me that his career and marriage are not going the way he'd envisioned. He feels lost, let down by unmet expectations of how it would be.

Well, many of us have shaky starts. Abraham Lincoln had a rough beginning. He dropped out of politics early in his career due to low popularity. He didn't receive the presidential… Continue

Added by Central Church Connections on February 22, 2010 at 12:13pm — No Comments

Book Review - Missional Renaissance

Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church

by Reggie McNeal

2009 Jossey-Bass (Jossey-Bass Leadership Network Series)

Reviewed by Dr. David Korb

Reggie McNeal’s Missional… Continue

Added by Central Church Connections on February 22, 2010 at 12:00pm — No Comments

Devotional - Building Trust

[by David Korb, as featured in the January 2010 issue of Missionary Monthly]

In his book Cross-Cultural Connections, Duane Elmer writes a chapter on trust as it relates to building relationships with those of other cultures. He begins the chapter by stating, "Nothing significant happens between people unless there is a strong bond of trust." Then he asks, "Do you agree?"

Well, absolutely! But what a significant statement he makes! It is true in marriages, in… Continue

Added by Central Church Connections on January 15, 2010 at 2:36pm — No Comments

Book Review - Cross-Cultural Connections

Cross-Cultural Connections by Duane Elmer

IVP Academic 2002

Reviewed by David Korb

Many books are interesting and informative, but not very practical. In other words, the content is engaging, and may even prompt the reader to take notes in the margin, but when the last page is turned, the… Continue

Added by Central Church Connections on January 15, 2010 at 2:34pm — No Comments

Devotional - On Walls (Ephesians 2:11-21)

On Walls (Ephesians 2:11-21)

[by David Korb, as featured in the October 2009 issue of the Missionary Monthly newsletter]

I’ve always enjoyed the poetry of Robert Frost. Maybe it’s because I have New England roots and much of what Frost writes about applies to my early days in the Adirondacks of New York. Whatever the reason for my inclination toward Frost’s… Continue

Added by Central Church Connections on October 23, 2009 at 10:02am — No Comments

Book Review - Foreign to Familiar

Foreign to Familiar: A Guide to Understanding Hot & Cold Climate Cultures

by Sarah Lanier | 2000 McDougal Publishing

Reviewed by David Korb in the October issue of the Missions Resource Monthly newsletter

This little book is easy to read and understand and would be a great tool for the… Continue

Added by Central Church Connections on October 23, 2009 at 9:58am — No Comments

Book Review - How the Mighty Fall

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… Continue

Added by Central Church Connections on August 10, 2009 at 9:52am — No Comments

Book Review - Home Tonight

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… Continue

Added by Central Church Connections on August 10, 2009 at 9:30am — 1 Comment

Devotional - Crisis Time! - by David Korb

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… Continue

Added by Central Church Connections on June 1, 2009 at 12:00pm — No Comments

Book Review - Jesus on Leadership

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… Continue

Added by Central Church Connections on June 1, 2009 at 12:00pm — No Comments

Devotional - Discomforted by Comfort - by David Korb

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… Continue

Added by Central Church Connections on May 1, 2009 at 12:00pm — No Comments

Book Review - The Birth of Christianity: The First Twenty Years (After Jesus: Volume 1)

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… Continue

Added by Central Church Connections on April 1, 2009 at 12:00pm — No Comments

Book Review - Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working & How There Is a Better Way for Africa

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… Continue

Added by Central Church Connections on April 1, 2009 at 12:00pm — No Comments

Devotional - The Church at Antioch - by David Korb

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… Continue

Added by Central Church Connections on April 1, 2009 at 12:00pm — No Comments

Book Review - Paul, Missionary of Jesus

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… Continue

Added by Central Church Connections on March 1, 2009 at 12:00pm — No Comments

Devotional - Traveling People - by David Korb

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… Continue

Added by Central Church Connections on March 1, 2009 at 12:00pm — No Comments

Devotional - Caring for One Another - by David Korb

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… Continue

Added by Central Church Connections on February 1, 2009 at 12:00pm — No Comments

Book Review - Beyond Duty: A Passion for Christ, a Heart for Mission

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… Continue

Added by Central Church Connections on February 1, 2009 at 12:00pm — No Comments

Book Review - Enough: True Measures of Money, Business, and Life

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… Continue

Added by Central Church Connections on February 1, 2009 at 12:00pm — No Comments

Devotional - What is Enough? - by David Korb

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… Continue

Added by Central Church Connections on February 1, 2009 at 12:00pm — No Comments