by Thomas Friedman

November 24, 2018

Loved the idea of this book, but about 80% of the book was about the accelerations and only about 20% was about the Thriving. Found myself wishing it was at least 50/50. Still, it left me with much to consider which is what I most ask for in a book.

by Douglas Adams

November 24, 2018

Rereading an old friend. I’d forgotten much of how the book resolves, but some of paragraphs in the first few chapters were still completely memorable. Is it okay to say this was one of the most formational books of my childhood? Don’t panic.

by Miroslav Volf

November 24, 2018

I started this for my final sermon series at aMS. Volf writes about how Christianity should be engaged in the greater good of humanity, and like everything by Volf it is so well though out. Proved even more to be a timely read for my new role with Help One Now.

by David Sax

November 24, 2018

A quick listen of an audiobook. Not going to make to it recommendation level in any conversations I have with other readers, but interesting enough to finish it. Chose it because I’ve been shifting to a handwritten Bullet Journal (which I really need to write about) after years and years and years of digital task management. And by years and years and years, I mean my whole adult life.

November 24, 2018

A final sermon for the church we started and love. Thirty or so minutes couldn’t begin to cover all things the I would have wanted to say. Or all hopes and prayers for them as the continue forward.

October 22, 2018 4:30 pm

I hope that it is clear by now that every day going forward we’re going to be asked to dance in a hurricane, set off by the accelerations in the Market, Mother Nature, and Moore’s law…. There is only one way to thrive now, and it’s by finding and creating your own eye. The eye of a hurricane moves, along with the storm. It draws energy from it, while creating a sanctuary of stability inside it. It is both dynamic and stable — and must we be.

This quote is the payoff of the book, and it took 11 chapters of him stressing me out talking about the accelerating world to get to it. Worth the journey, though.

October 12, 2018

This one looks simple on the surface, but it was one of the most complicated sites I’ve worked on. It’s a site to help voters in Central Texas learn more about the positions of candidates in their own words. The Honor Roll, an agency in Austin, contracted me to build out their design. Had a great working with them and a lot of fun taking on the challenges involved in building it.

October 11, 2018 10:40 am

In such a time, opting to pause and reflect, rather than panic or withdraw, is a necessity. It is not a luxury or distraction–it is a way to increase the odds that you’ll better understand, and engage productively with, the world around you.

September 28, 2018

Didn’t intend it when I scheduled it, but this turned into a celebration of all those who have stepped into critical roles in the life of Austin Mustard Seed. And now maintain critical roles as they carry forward the life of our church community. One of the easiest sermons I’ve ever preached, because really it just required me to talk about people I have deep affection for.

by Chris Marlow

September 28, 2018

So the thing is, Chris is a good friend, and I was closely tied to the early days of Help One Now. But I hadn’t read his book. I finally started in on it a couple months ago to prep for the Make Good series at Austin Mustard Seed.

Starting a job with Help One Now certainly wasn’t on my radar at the time. But now it’s imminent. (Something I need to write about more in depth here on the blog.) Nobody has asked me if I’ve read the book anywhere in the process, but I’m ready to say yes if they do.

by NT Wright

September 28, 2018

This doesn’t completely read like a biography. It’s biography enough though, in that it serves as a helpful introduction to how all of the Paul related pieces of the New Testament fit together. And it offers an overall view of how Paul’s developing theology fits in early and contemporary Christian conversation.

Also, it is NT Wright. I read everything he publishes.

September 25, 2018

A privilege to take the new design for Jonathan Dodson’s new site and turn it into a working WordPress theme. While jiggling around in the backend I was reminded that I first created a theme for Jonathan almost ten years ago. Great job on the design, Jeremiah Chaney!

And while were at it, congrats to Jonathan on the release of is new book, Here in Spirit, today!

September 18, 2018 5:53 pm

Happy to see that the Siri Shortcuts app picks up from Workflow with everything still intact. All my prior workflows work great, like that one that’s publishing these words. Seems a little faster too.

September 18, 2018

Continuing our journey, and my final series, through the life of Nehemiah. Getting a little more personal in this one, as I think circumstances dictate. Also, many apologies to all for three points that formed the acrostic H-I-P. They really were the best words to use.

by Robert Nye

September 18, 2018

The quest continues to work through some classics with my kids. In this case Beowulf, which I’d never read myself.

This is more of a paraphrase of the original, so I hope it isn’t considering cheating. It was very readable though, so I think we made a good choice.

by Robert Lustig

September 16, 2018

Super duper likely this will end up being one of the most influential books I read this year. A collection of themes that have been on my mind in recent years, but presented in a way that pulls them all together.

So much of what happens in our marketing saturated culture is corporations hooking us into something that’s not healthy for us and keeps pulling us back. He explores the addictive and toxic effects of sugar and social media, among other things. But it’s not all a diatribe, as he ends the book with several thoughtful chapters on exploring a better way for individuals to live.

I read the audiobook and got more out of it than I normally do an audiobook. But I’ll be returning soon to the words on page version — there’s more for me to take away from this book, I’m sure.

September 13, 2018

The beginning of what is to be my final series of teaching at Austin Mustard Seed. A look at the life of Nehemiah that’s not focused on how to be a great leader or entrepreneur, as Nehemiah is often taught. But it is about how to prepare ourselves and partner with others to join in God’s work of rebuilding and repairing rather than settling into the cynicism and despair that is mor prevalent in our day.

by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

September 13, 2018

A book I’ve been interested in for a long time. The idea of flow is that all of us are capable of achieving some kind of optimal working condition where attention is tuned and effort seems streamlined. It’s an idea that’s common often for me both in conversations and inner ponderings.

Yet, it’s a challenging book to read, and one you almost have to feel like you’re already in Flow to engage. It’s a deep dive. I appreciate that it’s not a simple how-to manual constructed for quick sales, but almost requiring one to achieve levels of flow to stay engaged and read it. Yet, for others (and me at times), that depth might be a challenge to read through at a time when so many of us would benefit from why the engaged levels of attention of flow are worth regaining.

by Robin Sloan

September 13, 2018

I don’t even recall where I found this one — pretty sure it was another from the Best of 2017 lists. Curious and entertaining with some veiled deeper themes, but I don’t think it will be first to come to mind in conversations I might have about recent books I read.

September 13, 2018

The first time I’ve ever taught on Zacchaeus at Austin Mustard Seed, I think? And certainly the first time I ever used the story of Zacchaeus as a calling to participate in small groups of any kind. But I’d do it again.
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