Intelligence for Your Life
January 29, 2009 2 Comments
By John Tesh (Thomas Nelson, 2008 )
You may be wondering why I’m reviewing a book by John Tesh, since it wouldn’t seem connected to topics usually covered on this blog. However, I subscribe to several principles of reading: 1. You should read out of your field. 2. You should tell others when you read a good book. 3. Sometimes a book you come across by random change can be a real gem. (See the recent post about books for more thoughts on reading.)
One morning on my way to church I happened across John Tesh’s radio show “Intelligence for Life” and thought it was pretty interesting. The program is centered around sharing wisdom and helpful tips for personal growth, dealing with problems and generally living a more “intelligent” life. Yes, this is the same John Tesh who used to host “Entertainment Tonight” back in the 80′s and 90′s, and who has since gone on to a successful music career. He is also an outspoken Christian.
This is basically a self-help book packed with a lot of tidbits about parenting, marriage, health, faith, finances and a mish-mash of other topics. I intended to read a couple of chapters and return it to the library, but ended up reading the whole thing because it was interesting and really informative. But the most intriguing part of the book isn’t the “intelligence” he shares about different topics — it’s his own testimony. He tells how his wife (actress Connie Selleca) challenged him to a greater faith, and how he was moved to leave his lucrative job at “Entertainment Tonight” as a result of a powerful message by Tony Evans at a Promise Keepers conference. You rarely hear about a celebrity making a dramatic life change like this, which makes it all the more interesting.
It would be easy to dismiss the book as “light reading,” but it never claims to be deep. Rather, it’s meant to give some tips for better, healthier living, and on this point it succeeds. I don’t really like Tesh’s music, but I respect him because of his service-oriented radio show and genuine desire to help people. In the early part of the book he tells an engaging story about organizing a Katrina relief effort soon after the hurricane, when not many others were helping. I like his bold faith and desire to help people live a more intelligent life — and who among us couldn’t use a bit more wisdom?
I’d like to begin a series of periodic posts on what it’s like to fill certain roles in corporate worship. Most people involved in worship ministry stick to doing one or two things, but over the years I’ve had a variety of experiences both on stage and behind the scenes. My main roles have been leading worship and playing guitar, but I hope to elaborate on some other areas as well. My observations are by no means the last word, but hopefully they will give some folks a peek into some areas where they don’t normally serve. We can always use more understanding and appreciation for others who are different from us!
On the corner of my desk here at home I have a stack of books waiting to be read. I am a perpetual “book-stacker,” and am always looking forward to the next book to be digested. I just finished Phyllis Tickle’s The Great Emergence and Gary Chapman’s The Five Love Languages (audio), and am in the middle of George Barna’s Revolution and will be finished with that in a few days.
A few weeks ago I concluded my interim ministry with Pleasant Hill Christian Church (Potosi, MO). PHCC is a small rural church with 60-70 people in attendance each week. It’s also my home church, which was the main factor in taking the interim preaching ministry there. I consider myself a worship leader/teacher first and a preacher second (or third or fourth, depending on whom you ask). However, I am happy to join the ranks of other worship leaders and musicians who also have the “preaching bug.” (Preachers know what I mean.)
The New Year is a time when we think about resolutions, changes and new ways to approach life in the coming year. I don’t really plug products on this blog unless I think it’s truly something worthwhile. In this case that would be true — I want to share a little bit about Moleskine journals and let you know why I use them, and why this product has been helpful to me.
I call this journal my “brain” because it’s like an extension of my brain. It goes everyone I go — to school, church, running errands, in the car, or wherever. I want to have a central place to collect thoughts, notes, ideas, lists, whatever. Mine is divided up into four sections: personal, SLCC (college), miscellaneous, and prayer. In the past couple of days I’ve written down: blog ideas, a to-do list, notes from my study of Hebrews, and a prayer list. then when I’ve filled it up, I will transfer or consolidate the information and get a new journal. Many times I wil just tear out the pages and file them, depending on the type of information.
By Jim Henderson & Matt Casper (Barna Books, 2007)
It was a moment of total serendipity. A few weeks ago, in early December, I was poking around on iTunes and came across several songs being offered as a free download. One of them was “Winter Wonderland” by Tony Bennett. I love jazz, especially around Christmas, so I downloaded it and really loved it. Then it occurred to me that Tony Bennett is an American music icon, but I knew hardly anything about him or his music. How in the world did that happen? So I immediately ordered one of his CD’s (used) and checked out a couple more from the library. I prefer his music from the last couple of decades, but all in all I have greatly enjoyed developing an appreciation for Bennett’s music; he’s an American legend.
Well, it’s that time of year again…that is, time for us to make a bunch of New Year’s Resolutions that will induce endless amounts of guilt when we haven’t kept any of them six weeks from now. So to help out my fellow worship leaders, I have put together a list of resolutions that are not only easy to keep, they are fun! Here are ten resolutions every contemporary worship leader should strive to keep in 2009.
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