Book Worms

There are loads of interesting books out there, some excellent and encouraging, some not so much. Which, if any, books have you found useful and/or inspiring on your journey?

[Thanks DontQuoteMe - ironically, I could not post the question without quoting you!]

Please remember the blog rule that adverts will be deleted. Which, in practice, means that you can name a book's author, and say how the book has influenced your journey, but you can't name the book.

True Or False?

1. An unbeliever, who has no previous knowledge of Jewish Law, cannot be expected to understand the words 'sin' or 'sinner'.

2. A believer is a sinner.

Jesus vs. Paul

Paul writes "... what fellowship can light have with darkness? ..." [bible:niv:nt:2cor6]

Luke writes how Jesus "... welcomes sinners, and eats with them ..." [bible:niv:nt:luk15]

Is this a contradiction?

If I believe Paul over Jesus, does that make me a Paulian, rather than a Christian?

The Church Iceberg

Have a look at this link. The guys from 'ship of fools' send out 'mystery worshippers' to measure church services and write reports. This one they describe as the world's smallest church.

http://ship-of-fools.com/Mystery/2005/1117.html

Surely the church service, like the iceberg, is only the proverbial 'one tenth' that you can see.

ShipOfFools have an interesting list of standard questions for the visit. But what about the other 'nine tenths'?

What are the questions that we should really be asking? How should we really be measuring the church?