1. Time Magazine's cover story: The End of Excess: Is This Crisis Good for America? Author Kurt Andersen deftly explains the 30 year cycle that led to our country's current Great Recession. I love the imagery invoked to explain the sociologically what happened:
"We all clapped our hands and believed in fairies. The popular culture tried to warn us. For 20 years, we've had Homer Simpson's spot-on caricature of the quintessential American: childish, irresponsible, willfully oblivious, fat and happy. And more recently we winced at the ultra-Homerized former earthlings of WALL-E."
If you're trying to understand America's current challenges and what light history can shed about our future (Mark Twain once said, "History doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes"), read this cover story.
2. I know its popular in blogging circles today to promote new books at writer's requests. This next recommendation is not such a case. I genuinely resonated with the opening chapter of Bob Franquiz's new book, Zero to Sixty. Bob writes:
"Bible college led me to conclude that every issue was theological in nature, and the Bible had a verse for any problem or malady that would come my way...
But I was caught off guard by the onslaught of issues I faced as a church planter and senior pastor...
I wish someone would have sat down and told me about them. They don't pertain to salvation or the second coming, but they're still important if you're going to plant a church that succeeds."
The heart and experience behind Bob's words make me want to read the rest of his new book. Remarkably, the introduction and first chapter are available online - - take a moment to feast on your free copy.
