One of my college professors, Dr. Jeff Myers, used to say, “You’ll be the same person 5 years from now that you are today, with the exception of 2 things: Who you spend time with, and the books you read.” It turns out, that statement has yet to disprove itself.  And as Rick Warren says, “Leaders are readers.” I know. Call it cheezy, but it doesn’t doesn’t make it untrue.

I set out at the beginning of ‘09 to read a book a week.  I didn’t quite succeed, because a few of them took a while to digest, but I didn’t do half bad.  I can’t even begin to tell you the influence books have had on my life, and therefore, (hopefully), the lives of those around me.

I haven’t included magic books, because you don’t have access to them, making listing them pointless.  Out of what I read this year, here are the 10 non-fiction, non-magic books that made the biggest difference in my life, in no particular or special order:

1. The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism, by Timothy Keller

2. Don’t Know Much About History: Everything You Need to Know About American History but Never Learned, by Kenneth C. Davis (Okay, this didn’t impact the way I live, but it did give me TONS of perspective on the history of our nation, and it was one of the coolest history books I’ve ever read.)

3. Sex God, by Rob Bell (I recently finished this since visiting Pattaya, Thailand, and the new perspective was incredible.)

4. The 4-Hour Work-Week, by Timothy Ferris (I read this in 2008 and loved it, and recently re-read it by getting the new expanded and updated version.)

5. Soul Cravings, Erwin McManus (One of the most quotable books I’ve ever read!)

6. It, by Craig Groeschel

7. The Way to Love, by Anthony De Mello (This book took me 2 years to fully read/process, and is by far the shortest book on this list. It’s life-changing.)

8. Meatball Sundae, by Seth Godin

9. Tribes, by Seth Godin

10. The Message, Eugene Peterson (While I’ve been studying the Bible since a kid, I’ve always done so by chapter or individual verses. I use this version to quickly read entire books or sections of the Bible, and I like the perspective gained by reading an entire book in one sitting.)

What about YOU? What were some of YOUR favorite books from this year?  After all, 2010 is coming quickly, and I’ve got a new reading list to create!

What is freedom anyway??

I know this for sure: A lot of people believe they live in freedom, when in reality, they’re in a straight-jacket. How do I know? Because it happens to everyone…including me.  

For years, banks have been loaning people piles and piles of money, and then those people feel the freedom to go buy the stuff they want.  Yet most just end up trapped by debt, and now struggle to pay their bills. What happened to the feeling of freedom? Was it real or just an illusion?

What about lust? Every day we look at things we wish we could have, and many times end up dwelling on how we can get it. But why? And what does it mean? The author of a great little book called Sex God wrote, “If I want something to the point that I can’t conceive of being content without it, then it owns me.” We all lust of things we wish could have, but we are not free.

Lust is slavery.

And what about our careers? We want the right jobs so we can make the right money and be free to live out the American Dream. Is that wrong? Is it true freedom?  It’s a valid question and likely depends on our motives.

Tim Keller, in his book, The Reason for God, wrote, “In our society many people have worked extremely hard to pursue careers that pay well rather than meet their talents and interests. Such careers are straight jackets that in the long run stifle and dehumanize us.”

I have friends who have currently decided not to live out the lives God created them to live, all because they want the “freedom” to live the “way they want to live.” But are they really free? Or, are they merely trapped in a lie, and have succumbed to the pressure to perform for the rest of the world? They aren’t living for freedom. They’re living for acceptance by the world around them.

That’s just counterfeit freedom.

There was a season of my life where I thought I had freedom, mainly because I was deceived into thinking that I was finally free to do whatever I wanted.  I grew up in a small town with no money. Then I started traveling the world doing magic shows, and started making friends and making money.  I got to live where I wanted to, in the sized house I wanted to live in.  I got to drive the cars I wanted, eat where and what I wanted, have whatever sized TV I wanted, and on and on and on.  But was I really free? Not at all.  I was trapped, and the result was a vicious circle of meaninglessness.

I was living in a straight-jacket, and my freedom was just an illusion.

Let’s be honest…I wasn’t living for myself. That may have been the desire and intent, but really?  Was I really living a certain way because I wanted what was best for me? Or do we live the way we live because we fall into the pressure to perform?

To be seen driving that car. Wearing those clothes. To be seen with that girl. For people to know we live in that house.

We’re just putting on a show, but really, we’re stuck in straight-jackets. Because the freedom we’re chasing is not only an illusion, it traps us, and we become slaves to our desires.

So let’s go back to our original question: What is freedom?

What does it mean to be truly free? What is the truth? And is there truth that can set us free?

What is freedom? And if it exists, how do we get it?

Because I am open about my faith, and often incorporate it into my show so that my art has substance, I am most certainly a different kind of illusionist.  Who I am affects what I do. What I believe affects my work. And my Creator is involved in the experiences I create.  Like me, who you are affects how you do what you do…whether you’re aware of it or not.

Because I’ve discovered over and over again that labels ultimately fail, and because it got piles of conversations going 4 years ago, and then again when reposted 2 years later, here’s the original post yet again. Enjoy, comment, and pass it along…

The word “Christian”: Is it a Noun or Adjective?

I think it’s a great noun and a really poor adjective. But I haven’t always thought this way.

The person that opened my eyes was Rob Bell, the pastor of Mars Hill Church up in Grand Rapids, MI. You may also know him from the highly popular Nooma films. While I don’t always fully agree 100% with everything he does or teaches, he does have some good things to say, and I respect him for the questions he asks, and the discussions he prompts. For example…

For years, I billed myself as a “Christian Illusionist,” because that’s what I thought I was supposed to do. There were “Christian Musicians,” “Christian Bands,” “Christian Comedians.” I thought, “I’m an illusionist, and a Christian, therefore I guess I’m supposed to be called a “Christian Illusionist.”

If the guy that works on my truck when it breaks down is a Christian, why isn’t he called a “Christian Mechanic?”

Something didn’t make sense. My thinking was flawed.

I share the opinion of Rob Bell in at least this area: Part of what it means to be Christian is to do whatever it is that you do with great passion and devotion. Rob says in his book, Velvet Elvis, “We throw ourselves into our work because everything is sacred.”

In Colossians, Paul says, “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” He’s teaching people to live as Christians…to BE Christians. Then, whatever they do will be sacred, holy work.

Christian. Great noun, poor adjective.

So what about music and magic and comedy and mechanics?

Well, for just one example, music was really created by God. Therefore, it’s already sacred. God created it, and it doesn’t need a label to make it sacred or acceptable or blessed. (BTW: Is the same true for the food we eat? Is it already blessed, or do we need to “bless” it?)

So if all this is true, it’d pretty much be impossible for a Christian to have a “secular” job. As Bell says, “If you follow Jesus and are doing what you do in his name, then it is no longer secular work; it’s sacred. You are there; God is there. The difference is our awareness.” (That’s an important word – Awareness. Another future post…)

He goes onto to say later that, “The goal isn’t to bring everyone’s work into the church; the goal is for the church to be these unique kinds of people who are transforming the places they live and work and play because they understand the whole earth is filled with the kavod of God. God isn’t in one building only. Doing things for God happens all the time, everywhere. If you are an actor, the goal isn’t for you to do your work in a church building in a church service. Please go wherever it is in the world that people act and do it well. Really well. Throw yourself into it and give it everything you have.”

So ultimately, the labels somehow fail. No matter how useful they seem to be from time to time, they just don’t work because the life of Jesus is just that…a life that is lived by people who have oriented their entire lives about Him and His teachings.

One of the things I stress over and over again in a lot of our live events is to test everything. As Christians, we’re to be alert and engaged, and not let everyone else do the thinking for us. If we do that, we’ll make assumptions and be easily deceived. One of the dangers of labeling things “Christian” is because of that reason. It can lead to us blindly accepting things and consuming them as truth. And why do we do it? Because we assume that if it’s labeled “Christian,” then it must be safe and acceptable. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t work out that way. All the “Christian Stuff” in our culture isn’t completely safe and acceptable. Something can be labeled “Christian” and not be true or good.

I can’t tell you the amount of times that I’ve experienced this. It’s happened at conferences, churches, on TV, in bookstores, and on and on and on. And don’t get me wrong. I’m not an authority on truth. God is. I’m not referring to the books and speakers and churches that push the envelope on what most of us may refer to as “gray areas.” I’m referring to blatant deception that becomes accepted simply because of it’s label.

Let’s wrap this up. Take a look at one more paragraph out of Rob’s book…

“This happens in all sorts of areas. It is possible for music to be labeled Christian and be terrible music. It could lack creativity and inspiration. The lyrics could be recycled cliches. That “Christian” band could actually be giving Jesus a bad name because they aren’t a great band. It is possible for a movie to be a “Christian” movie and to be a terrible movie. It may actually desecrate the art form in its quality and storytelling and craft. Just because it is a Christian book by a Christian author and it was purchased in a Christian bookstore doesn’t mean it is all true or good or beautiful. A Christian political group puts me in an awkward position: What if I disagree with them? Am I less of a Christian? What if I am convinced the “Christian” thing to do is to vote the exact opposite?”

I could echo Rob’s words on my own art form! It applies to every vocation.

Again, we have to test everything.

In the meantime, I’m not a “Christian Illusionist.” Not because I’m leaving ministry and my role in the local church has changed. My purpose hasn’t changed. My label has. I’ve always hated labels anyway…

I’m an illusionist.

And, I’m a Christian.

It’s an awesome noun, but a really poor adjective.