Primal
Breaking the fast for one post before the New Year:
Primal, Mark Batterson
I wanted to hate it. I really did. Just a page or two into the introduction, and I was convinced Primal wouldn’t be any different than any other book criticizing modern Christians for being “lukewarm.” I knew it was going to rant and rave through 192 pages. I was convinced that I would drag myself through and write the obligatory blog post.*
But when I hit the first chapter, my perspective changed. Batterson walked me through a reinvigoration of loving God with all (more) of my heart, soul and mind. His early admission of his personal fascination with science uncovers itself in nearly every chapter. While at times it appears that illustrations are injected for the sake of an illustration, the stories each add a layer to Batterson’s point and provide credence to his writing style. He’s well-read and well-thought, and writes out the intersection of faith in God and the intricacy of creation and science.
Primal is exciting. It’s inspirational and encouraging. It makes me eager to seek out God more clearly in my life. The early fear of an angry author attempting to change “the next generation” was thrown out the window along the way. Batterson’s personal creativity, both in his own life and in ministry, speak to me.
I didn’t hate it. In fact, far from it.
*my copy of Primal was provided by Multnomah Books, the publisher of the book. No other compensation was provided.
the 85% rule[s]
JM already posted about our time with Doug Murren last week. Another point he made stuck out to me — especially after hearing it twice [I also spent Tuesday with Doug at Fairview at River Club in Fredericksburg, and he told the story in both contexts].
Doug said that a few years back, they studied assimilation/visitor follow-up in two different style churches. One church had a 12-step follow-up process, and the other church did nothing. Doug found that both churches assimilated the same number of visitors. Why? Because 85% of people who visit a church already have a relationship with somebody in that church. When they visit, the assimilation is dependent upon the pre-existing connection. Some stay, others do not.
Last Monday, Kara Powell at Fuller Youth Institute also posted about 85%. She writes that Dr. Christian Smith at the National Study of Youth and Religion recently published a book where he says “that 85% of those 18-23 who have ever made a commitment to God did so before age 14.” That makes me even more excited about LSM at Gayton!
Also last Monday, I stopped in at Ukrop’s for a quick grocery shopping trip. Their Monday sale item was 85% beef. [this really has nothing to do with the other two points, aside from referencing 85%].
Review: The Expanded Bible
Bible. Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2009.”]![The [Expanded] Bible. Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2009.](http://www.rvaym.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/200_1000_Book.75.cover.jpg "The [Expanded] Bible")
How do you review The Bible?
The [Expanded
Really, you can’t review the text itself. You can review how it was written and the style, but not the content.
Thomas Nelson released The [Expanded] Bible this summer with praise from John Ortberg. Based off the New Century Version [NCV], The [Expanded] Bible takes the original text of Scripture and fleshes out English words with multiple meanings and expanded descriptions in order to more fully understand the movement of the text. For instance, John 3:16 reads this way:
[For] God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only [only; unique; only begotten; 1:14, 18] Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost [perish], but have eternal life.
Would I use this Bible on a regular basis? Really, I probably should. As I read through a passage, it would help me re-tell the story by knowing more of the true essence of the original text. I don’t use the NCV on a regular basis, though, so that makes it slightly more difficult. It does give a good glimpse into another way of reading Scripture, but I think I’ll wait until the full Bible is released in this style.