Last spring during the transitional time at Hazelwood, our men’s study group was going through Mark Driscoll’s little book On Church Leadership (A Book You’ll Actually Read).  We were going through the book chapter-by-chapter as men and leaders in the congregation in an attempt to get a better grasp on what our roles were as leaders in the body of Christ.  The study went very well (who knew that 20-somethings and 70-somethings could come together over a Driscoll book?), but as things started getting busy and hectic with the calling of a new pastor it trailed off and we never actually finished the book.  Over the holiday weekend I finally picked it back up, re-read some early portions and finished it out, and I can safely say that I’d definitely recommend it as a resource for any church leadership team.

True to the title of his A Book You’ll Actually Read series, Driscoll has written a book that is obviously meant to be accessible to the layman.  It’s short (able to be read through in a couple hours), free of complex theological terminology (and when Driscoll does use a term some might find unfamiliar, he explains it), and it clearly and concisely presents Biblical teaching on subjects such as elders and deacons and the roles of women in church leadership.  Despite the book’s simplicity in presentation, its actual content is quite rich.  Driscoll has a gift for clearly presenting ideas that could be quite convoluted in the hands of another author – a skill he’s no doubt honed over years of preaching to Seattle’s largely unchurched population.  As such, the book is a useful tool for exploring ideas like plural eldership to people who have never heard of it outside a Presbyterian context. 

To a seminary grad or well-read pastor, Driscoll’s not providing any earth-shattering revelations, but he has provided  a great entry-level primer into some important aspects of leadership in the local church.  This little volume would be a great topic for a study among men’s groups or leadership teams.  Sure, you could always buy your deacons a big fancy tome with a fancy cover and more material, but why not buy them a book they’ll actually read.

Check out this nice ESPN feature on college basketball coaching legend John Wooden and the love of his life.

Zach Nielsen has some good reflections over at his blog about why Focus on the Family’s latest watchdog effort is a really bad idea.  Here’s an excerpt…

“Whether unbelievers use the words Happy Holidays or Christmas is of little consequence as to their understanding of the Gospel. In my view, this kind of stuff only hurts our mission to communicate the truth of the Gospel. If you think people using the word Christmas somehow makes our materialistic holiday extravaganza more pure you are probably not paying attention very well. Boycotting secular businesses that do not exhibit the kind of behavior that we think they should is the last thing that an unbelieving world needs to see.

The main question this website asks is, “How Christmas Friendly Are Retailers?” What does retail have to do with the essence of Christmas anyway? Obviously, the true meaning of Christmas is very important to us and we want to teach our kids the meaning of Christmas, but that is not going to be found in any retail store, no matter how “Christmas friendly” they are.”

I tend to agree with him.  Do we really think that if a retailer slaps “Christmas” on their ads to avoid a boycott that they would be “respecting Christmas?”  Like many quasi-political actions, I think the thing this is most likely to accomplish is to make us feel like we’re making some sort of difference, when the only difference we need to be making is by living and speaking the gospel to a culture that is in increasingly desperate need of it.  Go read Z’s full post, and this winter when you’re out shopping and somebody wishes you a happy holiday, leave your snide remarks at home and respond with grace and love instead.

Matt Chandler, pastor of The Village Church in Dallas, TX, had a seizure yesterday and was taken to the ER.  The doctors discovered a small mass on the frontal lobe of his brain, and he is scheduled for neurological tests soon.  Please pray for him and his family this weekend.

Heather and I have enjoyed a couple new shows lately – one you’ve probably heard of, one you probably haven’t.  The first show is ABC’s remake of the 80’s sci-fi miniseries V, about an alien race known as The Visitors who arrive at Earth and greet us with peaceful and philanthropic promises but hide a sinister agenda beneath.  The series features a few actors who will be familiar to sci-fi fans, notably Elizabeth Mitchell from Lost and Morena Baccarin and Alan Tudyk of Firefly/Serenity fame.  We’re three episodes in (the fourth – and last until the spring – aired last night) and enjoying the ride so far.  Here’s a preview…

The second show isn’t actually a TV series but a web series.  The Guild is about a group of gamers playing an online RPG (think World of Warcraft) and actually (gasp!) meeting each other face-to-face for the first time.  Hilarity and awkwardness ensues.  The episodes are about 4-8 minutes in length, so each season clocks in at about an hour.  We just finished the season three finale last night, which was very funny.  Heather and I have absolutely loved the show, which will bring out your inner nerd like no other.  Episodes can be watched for free at www.watchtheguild.com or on Xbox Live’s Zune Marketplace (the Xbox Live versions are bleeped, the ones on the official site are not, for those interested).  The audience for this one may be a little more niche, but there’s enough just-plain-funny moments to make it appeal to more than just the geek crowd.  Here’s a look, and happy viewing!

We just returned yesterday from a weekend trip to Charleston, WV – one of the cities our team is currently considering for church planting in the next couple years.  Pastor Andy DeHart and the rest of the people of Centerpointe Church in Hurricane, WV were very gracious to us during our stay, and we greatly enjoyed getting to know them and worshipping with them as we sought whether God has work for us to do in Charleston.  The trip was very helpful, and we’d ask for your prayers as we continue in the decision-making process.  Whether we end up there or not, please also pray for the spiritual condition of Charleston (believe it or not, between 65-70% unchurched) and the people like Andy and other area pastors seeking to reach the city with the gospel of Christ.

New movies are usually released to theaters every Friday, but who’s got 10 bucks these days to drop on a movie that may well be a load of crap? Given those odds, on Friday I offer an alternative on DVD that you can rent at your local video store (or in some cases, avoid at all costs). Some will be new releases, others you may have to hunt for, but all of them are available to light up your small screen should it be a lazy Friday night.

Zodiac

Director David Fincher is a master of the suspense thriller.  I reviewed one of his films, The Game, a couple weeks ago, and you’re probably familar with some of his other work as well – films like Se7en, Alien 3, and Panic Room have established him as a director at the top of the genre.  So, when I saw his name attached to 2007’s Zodiac, about the eponymous serial killer of the 1970s, I was intrigued.  I never saw the movie upon its initial release, but I had the opportunity to borrow it from a friend last week and I found it to be very good – if a little different than Fincher’s normal work.

The film is based on the true crime book of the same name by Robert Graysmith, a cartoonist at the San Fransisco Chronicle at the time of the killings and the subsequent investigation.  The film  follows the journey of Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) as he moves from casual newsroom bystander to obsessive investigator.  Interweaving with his story is that of Chronicle crime reporter Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.), the lead journalist on the case, and Detective Dave Toschi (Mark Ruffalo), SFPD’s lead investigator.  As the mysterious killings continue, the three men each chase the truth in a case that affects each of them on a personal as well as professional level.

As I noted above, the movie is quite a bit different than much of Fincher’s previous thrillers.  Rather than relying primarily on suspense, Zodiac finds its thrills in the exploration of the mystery of the case and the toll it takes on the three lead characters.  Once I got into the movie enough to see that it would slant more towards mystery than thriller, I was skeptical as to how a mystery film could end up satisfying when it’s based on a case that, to this day, is still open.  Those fears were allayed.  Not only is Zodiac a captivating ride, but it ends by walking the fine line between satisfying the viewer’s need for closure while still respecting the less-than-airtight facts of the case.   Much of the credit on both fronts is due to James Vanderbilt’s writing and Fincher’s directing.  This is a two-and-a-half hour movie that is made up overwhelmingly of dialogue, and not once does it ever feel boring or self-indulgent.  The performances are strong, with Downey Jr. standing out as the high point and Gyllenhaal turning in the weakest.  He’s not distractingly bad by any stretch, but his portrayal of Graysmith comes off a bit flat and kept me from investing in the character as heavily as I’m sure the movie intended.  The murders themselves are very well handled – Fincher presents them in a sufficiently horrific manner while avoiding the temptation to play them for cheap shock.  All-in-all, this is a movie that won’t necessarily be for everyone, but mystery fans and history buffs (the film portrays its period with perfectly subdued accuracy, immersive without ever screaming “Look, this is a 70’s film!!!) will find Zodiac well worth the rental. – ***1/2 (out of 4).

Zodiac is rated R for some strong killings, language, drug material and brief sexual images.