This is an interview that I did with my friend Shawn Lovejoy on the release of his new book, “The Measure of our Success”. This is a great book that pastors need to get their hands on.

Bob: Shawn, you’ve been a blogger for a long time…why a book? Why now?

Shawn: Well, believe it or not, I don’t love to write. I just feel passionate about some things and that drives my laptop keyboard at times. I must say, though, that I just felt compelled by God to write this book. That’s the only thing that would move me to crank out 200 pages!

Bob: Why were you so compelled to write this work?

Shawn: I love pastors. I love pastoring. But I think I love pastoring pastors more than anything else. Church Planting, specifically, was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I have felt compelled to be a lid lifter for pastors who are getting the you-know-what kicked out of them like I’ve experienced. Ministry is so hard. So many pastors need permission to be who God has called them to be; and they need to know they aren’t the only ones that have the struggles they do.

Bob: YOU mention in the book that “there’s a dark side of the force in ministry these days.” Can you elaborate?

Shawn: Absolutely. Recent studies show that eight out of ten pastors are disillusioned, discouraged, and discontent with how their ministries are turning out. Last time I checked, those are not fruits of the Spirit. Satan is sifting pastors, and they’re hurting. I hate it.

Bob: Why is it this way?

Shawn: I’ve wrestled a lot with this. Through churchplanters.com I’ve also been able to talk with hundreds of ministry leaders about this. Here’s my conclusion: Our root problem is that too many of us as pastors have exchanged God’s definition of success for our own. We have placed yokes on ourselves that Jesus did not place on us. I’ve personally wrestled with this; and I’ve watched thousands do the same; and it’s literally killing many of us! Thus, this “impassioned plea to pastors” is for all of us to radically alter our measures of success.

Bob: What are the types of things you talk about in the book?

Shawn: Sure. Much of the book comes out of my own experience and story of being sifted! “Hi, my name is Shawn, and I’m a workaholic.” Other parts are things I’ve learned from others as a pastor’s coach and consultant. In both cases, what I love most about the book is its practical nature. There is enough in here to radically alter a pastor’s life, ministry, and family.

Bob: What’s your number one hope for the book?

Shawn: I am so proud of the way the book turned out I believe God spoke to me on this one all along the way. I really do believe God will use this work to save lives, families, and ministries. That’s why I want t get it in the hands of every pastor in America. That really is my hope.

Bob: Thanks for sharing with us today!

Shawn: Thank you!

You can pick up Shawn’s book “The Measure of our Success” on Amazon.com by clicking here. 

I am a big fan of Wayne Cordeiro and New Hope Church in Hawaii, so I try to read everything Wayne writes. In fact, his book “Doing Church as a Team” is required reading for anyone who joins our staff.

So when I saw he wrote a new book I immediately downloaded it into my Kindle for iPad app and moved it ahead of several other books.

I really enjoyed this book. The book is not about how a church can be irresistible to your community. Instead, the book is about how a church can be irresistible to heaven. It’s about how to be the kind of church that God blesses.

I could give you a bunch of quotes that I highlighted from the book, but that will simply delay the inevitable: you buying the book. So buy the book. You’ll be glad you did.

Here’s the link to the book.

So many of you know that I'm a pretty voracious reader. I usually read about 150 books a year. But at the start of 2011 I decided to not read anything except the Bible for the 1st month of the year. So I read the New Testament for the 1st 40 days of 2011. 

But over the last couple of weeks I've been able to get through some good books on a variety of subjects. I hope you find something here that piques your curiosity.

Here's the last 5 books I've read: 

- Unmarketing by Scott Stratten – I finished this book last night. I really enjoyed it. I was challenged by some of what he said. I really liked his idea that social media is more than Facebook and Twitter. It's whatever people are saying when they interact with our churches, ministries or organizations. 

- The Questions Christians Hope No One will Ask by Mark Mittleberg – I loved this book. I loved how Mark tackled some tough questions like abortion, evolution, and the reliability of the Bible. But he answered the questions in a way that it helps the reader be confident, but not offensive in his position. Great book!

- The 5 Love Needs of Men and Women by Gary and Barbara Rosburg – I read this book about 10 years ago and re-read it in preparation for our current series on marriage. I love how the book explains the needs men and women have, but the different ways we go about meeting the same need. Good stuff!

- Rocking the Roles by Robert Lewis – This book gave a good explanation of the Biblical marriage roles. It wasn't the easiest book to get into at first, but the content was very good. If you're ever read any of Robert Lewis' books, you know he's a "go to" guy on the subject Biblical masculinity. 

- The Blessed Marriage by Robert Morris – I am an uber-fan of his book 'The Blessed Life", so I picked up his book on marriage. It doesn't disappoint. It's no "The Blessed Life", but there's great marriage content to glean in this book. 

Happy Reading! 

I've read a lot this year (thank you iPad), but these are my personal favorites so far: 

How to be a Fierce Competitor by Jeffrey Fox – I love everything Jeffrey writes, but this book was one of his best. This was a great book on the practical stuff that makes people effective. Loved this book!

No Excuses by Brian Tracy – This was a great book about taking personal responsibility and getting things done in your life without making excuses. Very motivational. Really enjoyed this one. 

7 Lessons for Leading in a Crisis by Bill George – This is a short book, but a powerful one. If you're going through any kind of transition or difficult time in your church, this is a great one to read. 

The 5,000 year leap by Cleon Skousen – this is the best book I have ever read on the subject of the philosophy behind the constitution and the founding fathers. Absolute must read if you live in America.

Rework by Jason Fried – So practical. So helpful. I love books about getting things done and this book is one of the best on the subject. 

Church in the Making by Ben Arment – I loved the idea behind this book. Few books about church planting have a lot of original ideas. This one definitely did. I make me think about how we sent guy out in the future. 

Sticky Teams by Larry Osborne – so far this is my favorite books this year. One of the best books on staffing and team building that I have ever read. It's a must read.