Category Archives: Pastor’s Picks – Recommend Resources

These are recommend resources that we have been personally encouraged and challenged by and hope they do the same for you. It’s been said before that great leaders are readers, and we are committed to regularly reading through our Bible and never stop learning. May the Lord bless you as you grow! -Pastor Tim Molter

Book: On the Mountain of the Lord (Elijah Chronicles) by Bodie Thoene and Ray Bentley

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(The first book in the Elijah Chronicles series)

Watch history, prophecy, and current events leap to life as best-selling author Bodie Thoene and prophecy scholar Ray Bentley lead you on a journey that melds the past, present, and future into one unforgettable story.

Submerged in doubt after a brutal car accident ripped his wife, child, and faith from him, Dr. Jack Garrison travels to Israel on a fact-finding mission. When he begins to experience inexplicable visions within hours of landing, he knows he’s in over his head.

Join Dr. Garrison as he teams up with longtime friend Lev and a dauntless female Israeli Border Police officer to battle a furtive yet deadly enemy. His journey will take him from the city streets of London to the furthest shores of the Mediterranean as he’s forced to confront his doubts and accept the astonishing possibility that he is witnessing an ancient prophecy unfold.

This book is a must read for students of Bible prophecy.

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Book: Let It Rise (A Manual For Worship) by Holland Davis

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Worship touches every area of human existence. It defines who we are like WHO we worship.

In “Let It Rise – A Manuel For Worship”, author Holland Davis invites readers to think about worship from God’s perspective and offers insight into having a wonderful church worship service that honors God.

It’s more than singing songs to God. Worship is for God. Worship is not for us. Worship is a way of life.

If you wondering where Worship Leaders fit into the ministry or wondering how to worship the Lord in Spirit and in Truth than you’ll want to read this comprehensive resource for worship leaders and worshippers alike.

Holland Davis reminds us that worship is an attitude of heart. Worship is a life given to serving God. Worship is a heart given to loving the ONE who gave everything for us… the Lord Jesus Christ.

This book is a must read for both Pastors and Worship Leaders.

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Book: Letters to the Church by Francis Chan

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Rethink Church

If all you had to reference were the Bible, what would Church look like?

If God had it His way, what would our churches look like?

God’s Church started as a radical, spiritually intimate gathering of believers that ultimately changed history. Yet millions today are content to be mere observers at church. Many more have left, brokenhearted and cynical. But God is waking up His people—people who will risk anything and sacrifice everything to be the dynamic, world-changing Church of Scripture.

In “Letters to the Church”, author Francis Chan invites readers to wrestle with the fact that many churches have drifted from God’s desire for them. He challenges Christians to ask, “What does God want for His Church? When Jesus returns, will He find us caring for His Bride—even more than for our own lives?”

Letters to the Church reminds us of how powerful, how glorious the Church once was … and calls us to once again be the Church God intended us to be.

Speaking out of deep love for the Church, pastor Francis Chan guides Christ followers to live out God’s magnificent and beautiful vision for His Church—a vision we may have lost but God has never forgotten.

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Someone once mentioned to Pastor Francis Chan “I didn’t really like worship today.” To which he replied “That’s okay, we weren’t really worshipping you.”

Book: The Grasshopper Myth (Big Churches, Small Churches and the Small Thinking that Divides Us) by Karl Vaters

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When the Hebrews were at the edge of the Promised Land, ten of the twelve spies come back with this report: “All the people we saw there are of great size… We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” Numbers 13:32-33

The grasshopper myth is the false impression that our Small Churches are less than what God says it is because we compare ourselves with others. The solution is for Small Churches to see themselves the way God sees them.

A church of innovation, not stagnation. A church that leads instead of following. A church that thinks small, but never engages in small thinking

If big churches are the cruise ships on the church ocean, small churches can be the speedboats. They can move faster, maneuver more deftly, squeeze into tighter spaces and have a ton of fun doing it. They just have to see themselves that way.

We’ve come to realize that our small size is not a problem to be fixed, but a strategic advantage God wants to use. We’re heading out with vision, faith and courage into places God wants us to go. Places giants cannot tread.

If you read this book you’ll find your thinking challenged, your heart encouraged and your life and ministry transformed.

How to get this resource:

For Innovative Leadership from a Small Church Perspective check out the Christianity Today Blog called pivot by Karl Vaters

Book: Small Church Essentials (Field-Tested Principles for Leading a Healthy Congregation of Under 250) by Karl Vaters

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Did you know that big churches are a small part of the church landscape? In fact, more than 90 percent of churches have fewer than 200 people. That means small churches play a big part in what God is doing.

Isn’t Bigger Better? We’ve all heard this phrase and it’s crept into the church culture too. There is an unhealthy obsession with growing bigger churches in America. Building the church is clearly Jesus’ job, not ours. Jesus said “I will build my church”. But he did not say “I will build bigger churches.”

If God says our church fellowship is big enough to do what he wants us to do, no matter how few of us there are, who are we to argue? It’s time to stop worrying about what we can’t do because we’re small, and start asking what Jesus can do with us because we’re small and healthy.

The giant coffee company Starbucks only builds small coffeehouses with a mission to create a culture of warmth and belonging, were everyone is welcome. Small does not mean unhealthy, insular, poorly managed, or settling for less.

Both big and small churches play vital roles in the kingdom of God, but they each require a different set of tools. Most church resources are produced by big churches that works well for big churches, yet most churches are small.

“Small Church Essentials” is for those who desire to be fruitful as a smaller congregation. You’ll find this book will encourage you, debunks myths, and offers principles for leading and helping a dynamic, healthy small church.

How to get this resource:

For Innovative Leadership from a Small Church Perspective check out the Christianity Today Blog called pivot by Karl Vaters

Book: Speaking of Jesus (The Art of Not-Evangelism) by Carl Medearis

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Tired of defending Christianity? There’s good news…you don’t have to.

Once we become a follower of Jesus we somehow pick up learning a new language called Christianize and some of us learn new ways to define who is in and who is out of the kingdom of God. But what if we are missing out on speaking to people on a level they understand and in a way we did before we came to faith in Christ? 

In “Speaking of Jesus”, author Carl Medearis draws on his experience of international reconciliation between Muslims and Christians to remind us of the heart of the matter: Jesus. In this thought provoking book he shares with us tools, stories, and the foundation we need to move beyond “us” and “them” and simply talk about the One who changes it all.

Many are ready to debate on moral positions but they can miss out on the who gave us our morals. As Carl writes, “While others are explaining and defending various -isms and -ologies we’re simply pointing people to our friend. The one who uncovers and disarms. Who leads people right to himself. The beginning and the end of the story. A good story indeed.”

This is a refreshing book about simply pointing people to Jesus and simply being reminded to speak of Jesus. The more you know Jesus the more your ready to share about Him with others (and if not spend some more time in the four Gospel accounts to learn how to engage with people in the midst of these ordinary conversations the way Jesus did).

The question I was left with after reading this book was: Where would Jesus be hanging out at in our local town, and if He would be there, why do I not go there and point people to Jesus?

How to get this resource:

 

Book: Your Home A Lighthouse (Hosting A Home Bible Study) by Bob and Betty Jacks

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If you want to reach your non-Christian friends, but church overwhelms them, this book demonstrates how to lead an evangelistic Bible study to share Jesus with others in the comfort of your own home.

Author Bob Jacks is a businessman who began to reach out to nonChristians through home Bible studies and through that ministry, he and his wife, Betty saw many come to Christ and reach their loved ones for Jesus too.

There’s no better way to warm your home than with a neighborhood evangelistic bible study. “We had never seen ourselves as evangelists or missionaries and still don’t,” write Bob and Betty Jacks. “But the relationship we had in knowing Christ was too good not to share it with others.”

So they apprehensively opened their home for a weekly Bible study. Surprised by the results, Bob and Betty quickly shed their fears and proceeded to make a significant impact on their community. This book is the practical guidebook that grew out of the Jacks’ years of experience with evangelistic studies.

In this book, you’ll learn how to start an Evangelistic Bible Study in your own home (or office or campus). You’ll find out who to invite. What to study. How to ask good questions. How to answer them. And when to encourage a decision for Christ. Remember that you can reach people your pastor never could and in your own neighborhood. 

Ultimately, what you’ll discover by reading this book is that the secret isn’t in your personal skills or influence with people. It’s in a simple, heartfelt concern for your nonChristian friends-and the power of God’s word. Now that’s the kind of housewarming your home needs!

How to get this resource:

See if the book is available from your local library – It’s free
Your Home A Lighthouse (Amazon) at: https://www.amazon.com/Your-Home-Lighthouse-Hosting-Evangelistic/dp/0891091270

Book: Tabernacle Of Promise by Will Glaspie

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TabernacleOfPromiseDo you know the purpose of the Tabernacle in the Old Testament, or that the earthly one was a copy of the Heavenly one? There are many wonderful promises that the Tabernacle gives us and  it points us to all that we have in Jesus Christ. For example, the bread of presence and the Bread of Life, the lampstand and the Light of the World, and the mercy seat and the Cross of Christ.

All the colors, materials, measurements and procedures are symbols of God’s promise of reconciliation and they provide us with a picture of how God is making good on His promise. In this book ‘Tabernacle of Promise’, Administrative Pastor Will Glaspie of Calvary Chapel Chico shares the meaning behind the Tabernacle and it’s symbols from the Old Testament to the New Testament.

If you have ever wanted to study or learn about the Tabernacle then this is the book for you as it will walk you through why it is in the Bible and how it points us to Jesus Christ and the many promises we have as Christians. And, don’t forget that by studying the Tabernacle, we get a glimpse of what Heaven will be like as the real Tabernacle in Heaven is going to be even more spectacular.

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Book: Tell Someone (You Can Share the Good News) by Greg Laurie

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TellSomeoneBook The church of today has a choice: either we evangelize or we fossilize. Show me a church that doesn’t have a constant flow of new believers coming in, and I will show you a church that is stagnating. With the church of the first century, “each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47).

If you are like me, at some point in your past or even the present you’ve probably felt a bit of uncertainty about how to effectively share the “good news” of the Bible’s redemptive message. Understand, this book by pastor and author Greg Laurie is not written to condemn you if you have not engaged others with the gospel message. This book is written to encourage and inspire you.

Taken from the life and witness of Jesus, and tested over Greg’s forty years of ministry, these ideas are intended to mobilize every person in the church to “Tell Someone” about Jesus Christ. If you’ve struggled with evangelism then this book give you the tools you need to overcome some of the obstacles you face in sharing the gospel message. Personally I’ve appreciated the down to earth advice found in this book because it is grounded in the overriding principle of love.

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Book: Adopted for Life (The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches) by Russell Moore

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AdoptedForLifeBookAre you living like an orphan or an adopted child of God? The gospel of Jesus Christ doesn’t simply reconcile us vertically to God but also reconciles us horizontally to one another. In this book Russell Moore invites you into a conversation about adoption between both God and us, and with us and children who are in need of a family. I believe more firmly now than before that adoption forms a “real” family and that our adoption in Christ means the church is a family made up of all adopted sons and daughters of God.

As Christians we should care about the things that God cares about which is people. And if Christians did not adopt, do foster-care, help single parents, or care of orphans then we would be hypocrites to be only known as being pro-life. We should be caring for human life at all stages and care for individuals as Christ would.

The mission to share the love of Jesus includes caring for those around us. Too often we think of missionaries as those off in a far away country serving the Lord, but each of us are missionaries too and even more so if we are looking out for children around us from other countries. Once you read this book you’ll never view adoption the same again and that’s why I highly recommend and encourage you to learn more through reading this book.

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