About All Those Books and Podcasts You Listen To…
I want to take a moment to talk about John Mark Comer. Actually, before I talk about John Mark, let me just say that, as a pastor, I harbor no illusion that Pastors Megan and Larry at Kitsap House are the sole conduits of spiritual teaching for people who regularly attend. In fact there are a bazillion voices out there serving as resources on spiritual matters. And that’s okay, actually it’s great. What a gift to live in a time where teaching and wisdom on the way of Jesus is so abundant and accessible.
If the congregants are utilizing different resources, you can believe the pastors are too! Rather than reinvent the wheel, it’s a gift as a leader to be able to lean on the research and winsomeness of other church leaders, while also contextualizing for our community and injecting our own personality, insights, and experiences in.
Which brings me back to John Mark Comer. Until recently, he was a pastor at an urban church in Portland (he’s running a nonprofit now), and there’s a lot to appreciate about what he says. He’s a great scholar of culture, winsome, and an excellent student of Scripture. He’s also a self-professed nerd, and doesn’t seem to take himself too seriously. Most importantly, he loves Jesus and talks a lot about what it looks like to follow him.
I’m not here to talk up John Mark, really just wanted to introduce you to someone who is a voice Megan and I listen to. And also, to invite you to listen to him with us. Well, technically, read him with us. On June 6 at 6:30pm, we’ll be meeting together to talk about his book Garden City. We’d love for you to read it and tell us what you think.
We’ve been talking about work at our Sunday gatherings, resisting the pull to keep God in a box and recognizing that God is in our 9-5 too. Garden City is about that too, and a little more. John Mark describes it as a book about what it means to be human. Here’s a teaser from the first chapter. “[This] book isn’t about how to get ahead in your career or spice up your résumé. The guts of this book are about working, resting, and living a full existence. About “spiritual life” invading all of life. And about waking up to a God-saturated world.” Sound interesting? I hope you’ll pick up a copy of the book soon and join us to talk about it on June 6. Actually, we’ll have some copies available to borrow on Sunday morning, along with other great books on work. I hope we’ll see you soon, either way!
Pastor Larry