I have been thinking some lately about people who happen to be a particular age and then seem to shut down for some reason. Yet, there is something very stimulating about simply being interested and curious about life. I have been thinking about what has received my attention lately:
1. The Kingdom of God. I have spent a lot of time reading, studying, and reflecting on the Gospels this year. This has been a very stimulating time in the Gospels.
2. I have read a few books recently which have been stimulating. My friend Jon Mullican has recommended Peter Block who wrote a very fine book entitled, The Answer to How is Yes. This is a wonderful book which speaks of the importance of asking good questions in building community and relationship. Very helpful. Scot McKnight’s two newer books, The Blue Parakeet and Fasting have also been very stimulating. I finally finished a book that really made me think entitled, Generation Me by Jean M. Twenge.
3. I’ve been thinking a lot about the need for wisdom. I mean this in terms of who we are as Christians and Churches. What does it mean to live with wisdom? We are technologically advanced but often lack wisdom regarding our everyday lives and behavior.
4. I enjoy both Facebook and Twitter. Twitter, in particular, I have found interesting for the number of interesting links that are posted. Lately, I have been thinking about possible uses for both. I also found stimulating a recent article on technology and and the generations by George Barna.
5. Lately, I have been listening to a number of MP3’s from the National Pastor’s Convention. You can find them here.
6. I have been thinking lately about how to be a better father to my adult children (and one son-in-law). While the role is different (being the parent of adult children) it still remains an important role.
7. Last year, I heard Tim Keller speak of the value of reading book reviews. He spoke of his discipline of regularly reading The New York Times Review of Books and The New York Review of Books. For about a year, I have been regularly reading the print edition of each. However, you can get to many book review resources by looking to the right hand bar of this blog.
8. I recently spent part of an afternoon updating God-Hungry Live. I added many new videos to this site. The new videos include some by Christopher Wright, John Ortberg, Roger Olson, Luci Shaw, etc. There are many videos on this site which you might enjoy. I find these videos interesting.