Patrick's Top 10 Book Awards of 2013

That's right!  It's time for my 8th annual Patty Awards for the best books I've read this past year.  The red carpet has been rolled out.  Everyone is here at the Shriner Auditorium in Los Angeles.  All the big stars can be found including:  Gabe Kaplan of "Welcome Back Kotter" fame.  Is that Robbie Benson and Adam Rich smoking cigars next to Don Rickles?  Hey look!  There's the Latin Rapper Rico Suave!  It's a star-studded gala folks so let the action begin.

#10 Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boule  (274 pages)

A surprisingly funny, fast-moving, sophisticated, and deeply ironic sci-fi novel about American Astronauts who end up on a planet where humans are primitive and Apes rule everything.  It's a very clever book and a fast read.

#9  Wool by Hugh Howley (550 pages)

It is sometime in a post-apocalyptic future and the only human survivors on Planet Earth live in a large, underground silo.  The roles are strict, everyone knows their place, and no one dares venture outside of the silo to the destroyed world.  Better than "The World Inside" which I also read this year about an over-populated world where everyone on Earth is confined to living in 900 story high-rise buildings.  

#8  Revenge of Geography:  What the Map Tells Us About Coming Conflicts and the Battle Against Fate by Robert D. Kaplan (448 pages)  

My favorite home-doggy-dogg Robert Kaplan writes about the power of geography to determine the fates of nations.  It's all about geo-politics past and present.  

#7  The Kingdom of Childhood by Rebecca Coleman (347 pages on Kindle)

An American girl raised in Bavaria becomes a high school teacher and has a good, suburban life.  What would possess her to throw it all away for a boy in her school? Coleman has a smooth writing style that keeps the story moving quickly.  

#6  Falling into the Fire:  A Psychiatrist's Encounters with the Mind in Crisis by Christine Montross (257 pages on Kindle)

A psychiatrist shares about cases that she has been involved in that deal with abnormal psychology.  The challenges people face are shocking, and the moral questions that doctors and health care professionals have to deal with leaves your mind-boggling.  This would be an excellent book for anyone considering going into psychiatry, mental health, or choosing psychology as a major in college.

#5  The Book of Matt:  Hidden Truths About the Murder of Matthew Sheppard  (368 on Kindle)

A gay screenwriter trying to make a film about Matthew Sheppard's life, runs into all kinds of inconsistencies in the well-known story of a gay Laramie Wyoming boy who was bullied, crucified on a fence, and murdered.  Well-researched, what emerges is a story of three young men that not only knew each other, but worked very closely together in the crystal meth trade in and out of Laramie.  It's a story of lost, small-town youth turning to drugs, alcohol, and sex to ease their pain.  

#4  Paterno by Joe Posnanski (416 pages)

A biography of one of college football's most celebrated coaches who also experienced one of the quickest falls from grace after it was revealed his assistant coach Jerry Sandusky had been molesting children for years.  The portrait that emerges of Paterno is that of a nice, hard-working, sheltered, naive man from a different era who knew nothing in life but football.  That tunnel vision would ultimately lead to his downfall.

#3:  Waiting to Be Heard: A Memoir by Amanda Knox (480 pages)

Yes, I think she's innocent.  Amanda Knox a teenager from Seattle hopes to spend a year studying Italian in Perugia, Italy and ends up in prison accused of the murder of her roommate.  She obviously contends that she is innocent.  A very naive young girl, she is easily man-handled by the Italian justice system; their incompetence having been exposed in another book about an unsolved Italian crime that made my list 3 years ago entitled the "Monster of Florence," which features some of the same inept, bullying prosecutors that Amanda faced. Her life is pretty wrecked no matter what, and the real murderer is either an African also charged and currently in prison (most-likely) or is still on the loose.

#2:  Robert F. Kennedy: His Life by Evan Thomas (512 pages)

I've read a lot of JFK bios, but was ready to read a book exclusively on RFK.  Evan Thomas writes history as it should be written--in a highly, readable way.  Just how distant the two brothers were from each other until the Cuban Missile Crisis is a surprise, as is the fact that RFK was a late-bloomer as far as his intelligence.  It's a very balanced portrait neither idealizing him, nor throwing him under the bus.

#1:  Fall of Giants (Book 1 in the Century Trilogy) by Ken Follet (960 pages)

Part one of a three part series spanning much of the 20th Century, Fall of Giants takes place mostly around the time of World War I.  For those Downton Abbey fans, the book will be very rewarding as it sheds more light on the Britain Downton Abbey covers.  Following the lives of different families:  Russian, Welch, English, German, and American, the book spans the globe and looks at World War I from all different angles.  The characters are fun, the action is exciting, and you learn a lot of the world back then.  Follet can have a few too many coincidences, but it makes these multi-character books highly readable.  He reminds the reader who is who and what is what often, so you never feel lost even if you have to put the book down.  It's a cracking novel and I couldn't put it down.  I'm currently reading Part II.  Part III is due out later in 2014.

Honorable Mentions:

Winter's Bone:  Meth addiction destroys the residents of the rural Ozarks in Missouri. The movie is great too.  Jennifer Lawrence's performance is mind-blowing.

The Last Man in Russia:  An Englishman re-traces the steps of a Russian Orthodox Priest that stood up to the Soviet Union's leadership in the 70's and 80's.

Christ Stopped at Eboli:  A memoir of a man's 1 year spent in the 1940's living in the backwaters of Southern Italy in a village that is deeply primitive and superstitious.  

In the Pleasure Groove:  John Taylor, bassist for Duran Duran, writes about his love of music and his experiences in Duran Duran and struggling with sobriety.  

Okay folks.  That's it!  Congratulations to Ken Follet who will be receiving his Patty award in the mail.  I'm sure he's thrilled.

Coming up in 2014:  a central American journalist covers the Mexican drug wars, Philip Yancey on "the Question That Never Goes Away," the battle of Stalingrad, a pilot's recollections of all his near disasters, a new biography on Karl Marx, Francis Fukuyama on the history of the world's political order, part II of Ken Follet's Century Trilogy, and a novel about the colonization of Mars.  

 

 

COG Europe: "The Silicon Valley of the Church of God."

Is there hope for the small church?  Increasingly, churches of all sizes are struggling in North America as attendance declines, older churches struggle to keep their doors open, and young people feel disillusioned with organized religion.  While this is coming as a shock to many in the United States, this has long been the case in Europe, the heart of secularism where most churches are lucky to have 20 people.  Is the situation hopeless?  Must churches close their doors and give up?  In Europe, the Church of God is experiencing a renaissance as small churches with severe challenges are turning a corner and getting new life.  What is happening?

When Three Worlds was started in 2010, our Three Worlds team had a vision of XZ Berlin--a joint-minstry venture between the German Church of God and Global Missions-- becoming "the Silicon Valley of the Church of God:" a hub of innovation and experimentation for the Church of God.  In the same way that San Jose and its suburbs in the Bay Area are a place where risks are taken and innovative ideas are valued without fear of failure, we wondered if Berlin could be the heart of our efforts to help the Church engage the 21st Century.  Four years later and that "Silicon Valley" ethos is spreading throughout the Church of God in Europe as churches realize that when churches are small, they have to be willing to try new things and take risks.

The Paris Church of God (Eglise de Dieu) meets in an ornate 18th Century church just down the street from Notre Dame.  The sanctuary can seat 500 people, but a typical Sunday may only have 20 people.  What the visitor may not see is that there is another mid-week service and a gathering for younger people throughout the week.  But the Paris church refused to view themselves as small and insignificant.  As an Arabic-speaking church, the believers in Paris make up a community of Arab-speaking Evangelicals that only numbers about 700.  But when the Paris church decided that this community should be mobilized to do work together, 500 people showed up!  From there, a network has emerged that includes efforts to reach the French-speaking children and youth of Arab-speaking Christians.  The church has also intentionally also always reached out to native French people by continuing to use the French language and not resort simply to Arabic in services.  There have also been efforts to bring dialogue between Muslims and Christians, and now new outreach opportunities are opening up even outside of France. The Paris COG punches way above its weight because it views itself as critical to the Kingdom of God.

In Athens, the Church of God was on the brink of being finished forever.  This would have been a shame, not only because this would mean the end of the Church of God in Greece, but also because the church is located in probably the prime area for ministry opportunities in all of Greece.  The Exarchia neighborhood, only a 20 minute walk from the Acropolis, is the home of a university, of the anarchist movement, it's the center of a young Bohemian art scene, the drug trade, and has a red-light district.  Most Evangelical churches would kill for a location like this.  The new Pastor Vassilios Tsimparas walks through the neighborhood, engages drug-addicts, musicians, and anyone he comes across.  He even invited local musicians to use the church stage for a community music night.  While the church was lucky to have 5 to 10 people when he took over, today there have been special events that have had 300 show up.  An Indonesian community has also joined the church and pretty soon it's time to start thinking of youth opportunities for the emerging youth group.  "We may need an English service too, in addition to Greek and Indonesian," he reports.  

In the Netherlands, the Three Worlds concept is being put to the test as traditional churches, post-Christendom churches, and a Non-Western (African) congregation join forces to become a unified force.  All these smaller churches have special people and gifts that can benefit the other.  With Daniel and Christy Kihm now stationed in the country, the three worlds will interact and connect on an even greater level to each other and the whole Church of God.

In Egypt, an older congregation has allowed the Oldhams to start a new children's ministry targeting a different generation in a different location--but still part of the same church.  In Bulgaria, the Simpsons have encouraged new methods of outreach including English-speaking events, reaching international students, and developing youth leadership around the establishment of regular youth events.  In Hungary, an older leaders graciously stepped aside to allow a new generation of leadership to emerge, the same way Kelley and Rhonda Philips did when they voluntarily stepped down making way for Patrick and Jamie Nachtigall.  The Hungarian churches are now unified like never before as they make sweeping structural changes.

"The church can still afford to be in denial in the United States in a way that the European church cannot," says Regional Coordinator Jamie Nachtigall.  "In Europe, it is very clear that the church has got to become more flexible if it wants to reach people for Christ.  It's very clear that staying exactly the same and hoping things will change does not work.  It all comes down to whether people in the churches are willing to put their pride aside and seek a new vision wherever that may lead."  Fortunately, European churches and leaders are willing to take chances.  

But all of this is definitely high-risk.  XZ Berlin has continually had to remain flexible and make adjustments.  But core ministry has clearly emerged as the Kelley and Rhonda and two German couples reach out to a very secular community, serve those caught in sexual slavery, train and equip college students and other leaders to engage the Post-Modern urban environment, and creating internship opportunities.  XZ Berlin is a safe place for young people to process their struggle with their call to ministry or with Christianity.  It's also a safe place to think about totally out-of-the-box leaders.

"We are finding that struggling churches can retain their identity but also create space for something totally new," says Jamie.  "There has to be a portion of the church that is off the ledge.  It's possible that the Church of God in Europe is becoming a model for this kind of innovation, the Silicon Valley."

But are church-turn arounds really valuable?  Isn't it better to just start new ministries? No, for at least a couple of reasons.  First of all, many of these faith communities do not feel finished.  They are willing (and that's the key!) to change and allow a new vision to emerge.  If people are open to a fresh, new vision, then they should be given the opportunity to try.  Second, in Europe, closing a church can mean losing the right to do ministry in an entire country!  Churches and denominations have to be registered, and if they go extinct, it's possible that the Church of God would never be able to get permission again to operate.  

But it is difficult.  "Both in Europe and the Middle East, the work is hard and the pay-offs are few."  The 3W Missionaries have to be resilient and not easily discouraged because in Europe their is strong philosophical resistance and in the Middle East there can be deadly physical resistance.  While a lot of Evangelicals like big wins, and clear results, Europe takes a lot of effort.  "But this is increasingly the journey that the North American church must take also so why not do it together?," Jamie adds.

The next big challenge is Liverpool where the small Birkenhead church is only one of four Evangelical churches in an area of 80,000 people--where none of them have more than 20 people.  The remarkable thing is the good people the Egan Street Church of God have been hosting a group of teenagers that have migrated their way.  It is almost a mystery as to why very secular, at-risk kids in England's poorest neighborhood show up to the Church of God.  They know so little about religion or even proper behavior that one would expect them to avoid the church like the plague.  Instead, Mark Rainford and the church provide a place for them to feel safe for a few hours.  Zach and Audrey Langford who have 1 1/2 years of experience working with these youth in Birkenhead are looking for financial support to continue this task in one of the most difficult mission-fields in not only Europe, but the world.  The Church in North America needs to walk with and follow how these risk-taking ventures work out.  

"These European churches are becoming trend-setters by being bold and taking risks.," adds Jamie.  "Personally, I've always liked small churches more than larger churches, so this is a good place for us."  Fear is the enemy of mission and the Church of God in Europe is accepting this truth.  If "Jesus is the Subject," as our new General Director says, then propping up our institutions and traditions is not our top priority.  Taking risks no matter what the cost is a better mission.  Keep your eyes on Europe, a place where the small church has a chance.

 

 

3W Staff Meeting: The Video

We hope to unveil a number of new videos in 2014, this being the first one.  Each one should highlight a different aspect of 3W.  This one is about the importance of our annual 3W Staff Meeting where we share reports, strategize for the next year, and unload our burdens and let off some steam.  It's a very important event and hopefully this video captures the great spirit of the 3W Team.

Thank you for your support and the difference you are making!!!

Feel free to give an end-of-the-year tax-free donation to Three Worlds at:

Church of God Ministries

Memo Line:  Three Worlds NextGen Fund
#42.30401
P.O Box 2420
Anderson, Indiana USA

 

 

Annual 3W Staff Meeting: Rome 2013

Every year the Three Worlds Team has a staff meeting in the fall where we have a time of fellowship, strategizing, and mapping out our game plan for the next year.  It is pretty much the highlight of our year each year as this team loves to be together and work together.  A few things about the staff meeting:

Who Attends?  

Everyone on the 3W Team attends and this includes the children. We have 6 MK's and 12 adults

Where is the event held?  

It used to be held in Berlin, but we outgrew that.  Now, we are rotating it to either support a 3W Family on their field, or a country where 3W is strategically investing and can encourage the church.  This year it is in Rome because we are launching our "Italy Expansion Project" this coming year, and it is a time for the church in Rome/Ostia to meet the whole 3W team.

Why do you have this meeting?

The 3W team missionaries work on their own fields (in a particular country), but they also work regionally and support their teammates on their fields.  Consequently, there is a lot of interaction and cross-pollination that is expected to happen throughout the year.  We have many joint-projects, and by being together for a few days each year, we can cover all the work we are doing and discuss everything in detail.

Jamie and I also really value the input of our teammates and ask them to help shape 3W in all of its aspects.  This is an opportunity for everyone to map out the future of 3W together.

Our time together also builds unity.  We laugh, we share, we cry---we go through this crazy life together and with our kids.  Unity is the most important thing at 3W--the highest value--so this is a wonderful time to be together and affirm each other.

It's also a time for our missionary-kids (Third Culture Kids) to have time together.  They live unusual lives:  Sometimes fun, sometimes dramatic, sometimes painful and difficult.  This is a great time for the 3W Kids to see their "aunties" and "uncles" as well as see each other and share this strange experiences of living between worlds.  

Lastly, while we are often communicating with each other view Skype and email, there is simply no substitute to having time together of long periods of time.  

What kind of topics are covered at the 3W Staff Meeting:

We cover many things at the 3W Staff Meeting.  The most important is the 3W Prism where we make sure that we are really all achieving our 3 objectives:  1) Engaging young people in cross-cultural ministry 2) supporting empowered and accountable leaders under 45 and 3) creating inner-connectivity in the Europe/Middle East and beyond.  

We also review how things are going in each country (there are 18) and each mission-field where we have personnel.  Every family gets an opportunity to share about their year (their struggles, their achievements, their hopes) and we map out the upcoming year.

There's also discussions about recruitment, internship, our tech presence, financial issues/accounting, fundraising, and time given to special events such as Conferences and Seminars that 3W is putting on.  We also review the upcoming schedule of events for everyone in the upcoming year.  

The days are long, but they are always fun and extremely invigorating.  This year we will also be doing preparation for our first ever 3W Women's Conference to be hosted here in Rome in February 2014.  We will be discussing with Pastor Daniele Santonocito all of the logistical details as we prepare for this big event.  

Sadly, there are not very many mission-teams that are actually united and full of people that genuinely like to work together.  Three Worlds is a real exception to this.  We are very proud of our crew and proud of the fact that our nearly 4 years as a team has been conflict free and very inspiring for all of us and effective for the Europe/Middle East region.  

Thank you for your support of this wonderful team!

Time to Laugh: The Reactions of Children

Just to remind you, the "Time to Laugh" feature on the diary started because I felt that this job gets too serious sometimes.  We have a lot of fun on the 3W team and we still do very serious work.  So last year (this year?) I decided we would post "Time to Laugh" segments to lighten up people's day. 

This one comes from the Jimmy Kimmel show.  It's a bit mean as children are told that their parents have eaten the children's Halloween candy,  but the reactions of the children are priceless.  It's so amazing how kids wear their emotions completely on their sleeve.  Children are so unpredictable and transparent at the same time.  They are a blessing to the world.  God's greatest creation?  The child?  Enjoy?

 

Let's NOT be Jesus for a Day

What if every Christian chose one day to go out into the community to make a difference by serving the way Christ served?   Wouldn't that be awesome?  No.  Not really, and here's why.   

Often challenges like this go up from the Evangelical Community---a moment for Christians to go forward and do a deed that helps others and shows how generous and selfless Christians are.  But there are hidden, arrogant assumptions behind all of this.  

First is the idea that it's great if we do this, when in fact, should we not be doing it all the time and everyday?  Aren't we supposed to be the "salt of the earth" everyday?  Why would one chosen day make a difference? Wouldn't it look like any other day, if we are taking our faith seriously.

The second assumption is that what we are doing is just purely good and free of self-interest, while at the same time, there is an unspoken agenda that we are trying to convert people through our pious actions.  A bunch of Christians handing out sandwiches in the park might be nice, but let's be honest--it is also usually agenda-filled.  It's meant to convey an image and hopefully convert.   

These first two points are going to be disputed and get people hot under the collar. After all, doesn't Jesus want us out there washing feet and proclaiming the "Good News."  But Jesus also had no patience for the prideful religious person praying so that all could hear or giving money so that all could see his super awesome goodness.  Bygones.

But the third to me is the most important and it is this simple fact:  Even people that are atheist, agnostics, pagans, or Muslims are often good people that like to do good.  Christians don't have a corner on the market of being generous or loving.  How about the secular atheist that works as a nurse in a Convalescent home caring for disabled senior citizens in diapers.  What about the agnostic that helps refugees in Darfur, Sudan with a relief organization.  Or the pagan that contributes a large part of their annual income to salary.  Or the Muslim girl who gets shot in the face at 14 and immediately forgives the shooter.    

I'm a Christian and I may believe that Christianity offers the most rational and real foundation for human existence and good, but it does not mean I have perfected that good or that non-believers aren't out there changing the world for better every day.  I believe I know who gave us our moral compass, but we are not the only ones that lead our lives by a moral compass.  The following video shows some Middle School kids doing a very touching, humane act of good.  There are many other wonderful, kind, decent acts done everyday by people that are not believers.  

Let's NOT be Jesus for a day.  Let's be humble servants everyday, and that starts by admitting that we need Christ to forgive us for our selfishness and arrogance, and we need to not only love our neighbor but view them as capable of love too.  We are not the measure of goodness; Christ is--and all of the rest of us fall short. 

 

They Will Know We are Christians By Our Love

This is a powerful video that I recommend you all watch.  It will lift your spirits and encourage you.  The title of this video should be: "They Will Know Christians by Our Love," because it is Christian love that transformed this Muslim man's heart.  But here is what we need to think about: 

 Why is it that Christian agape love melted the hatred that this Muslim had for Americans and Christians, but many American Christians are choosing to give in to prejudice, hatred, and a desire for revenge against Muslims around the world and in the USA?

In other words: How can Christian love transform the heart of a Muslim terrorist, but many American Christians are choosing to view Muslims with anger instead of compassion?  Aren't we the ones who are supposed to be intimate with Christian love and the power of Christ's forgiveness. 

There isn't just a lot of pro-USA Nationalism amongst many Christians today, but there is also a Spirit of Fear.  A fear or terrorists and Muslims that that squelches Christian compassion and forgiveness against Muslims.  And it is fueled almost entirely by Evangelical Christians that have never met a Muslim or had a Muslim friend.  

This video shows a different alternative.  And it should cause us a lot of soul searching.  Are we being driven by our most base self-protective impulses, or are we viewing things from a Kingdom perspective? Are we remembering the story of the Good Samaritan or are we only thinking about the desire for revenge and fear we felt on September 11, 2001?  What is the mature Christian response?  And are we up to it?  If a 14 year old Muslim girl in Pakistan can forgive the Taliban boy that shot her in the face, then why are so many Evangelical Christians that have never even encountered a Muslim in real life so filled with fear and anger?  

 

 

 

 

He heard a voice call his name and saw a vision of Christ. This was miraculous, because up until then, Kamal was a Muslim... The Christian Broadcasting Network CBN http://www.cbn.com

Time to Laugh: Shame (as exemplified by dogs)

Well, that seemed like a short break from the diary.   And the reality of my Father being gone has hit hard in the past few days.  So it's probably a good time to have one of our "Time to Laugh" segments.  As I reflected on the years 2000-2013, I have felt like being in ministry has often made life too serious, robbed me of some joy, and has made me less light-hearted.  So I started the "Time to Laugh" segment at the Diary.  A time to step away from all the seriousness and just have a good laugh. 

So in today's episode:  The look of shame.  Shame is never a good feeling, but we all feel it at some point or another.  But no one wears there shame on their sleeve quite like dogs.  When they are guilty, their eyes just fill with remorse and even their whole body looks shamed and ready for castigation.  Luckily, there's usually grace from their owners who love them very much.   Dogs truly are man's best friend.  (Trivia fact: They have the ability to emotionally connect at the level of a 2 year old).  

Kimiko Yoshida: The Anti-Self Portrait

From Patrick's Facebook:  "Kimiko Yoshida is a Paris-based Japanese artist who does not believe that any self-portrait tells the real truth about a person. To subvert this idea, she has produced "self-portraits" of herself that cover her real self with unbelievably gorgeous images and costumes--many inspired by traditional and tribal costumes from around the world. Her creativity and images leave me speechless. Have a look and lets go see her in Paris."

 

400 self-portraits by Kimiko Yoshida, shot between 2001 and 2010, edited by Maison Europeenne de la Photographie (Paris, France). The artist's statement: Art is above all the experience of transformation. My Self-portraits, or what go by that name, are only the place and the formula of the mutation. The only raison d’être of art is to transform what art alone can transform. All that’s not me, that’s what interests me. To be there where I think I am not, to disappear where I think I am, that is what matters. Listen to the first verse of "I Am the Walrus" by John Lennon: "I am he as you are he as you are me"...