Middle School Volunteer Team Thank You!

Reading from 10.15-12.15.11

This book took me a bit to get into to but the style and story have stuck with me since. The atmosphere of the book has haunted me since finishing. One of the best books I have read in a long time.



This book is full of good reminders and was a different pace and tone from the books I have read like this the past couple of years. It took me back to my crusade days in a good way.



This was the UW-Madison Go Big Read. It follows Enrique, a young Honduran boy, as he journeys to find his mother. I personally connected with the book because of all my trips down to Honduras and was surprised to see pictures of the dump our team visited two years ago. It is a great discussion starter about immigration policy.

Films #2-5 - if I had a film fest 'Beauty, Hope, Justice and Redemption'

This film is a bit old now but still is a moving story with a glimpse of hope. It is also amazing to discover the movement that has come out of this flim and the power that can be behind telling a moving story.



This film wrestles with justice from the point of view that a white person is experiencing the injustice. After watching a number of films about more obvious minorities experiencing injustice I found my experience with this film very interesting. I think it would provide a great discussion about racism and injustice.



A great debate about whether or not Christianity provides overall good to the world. There seems no debate that in the name of Christ people have both done good and evil but does one outweigh the other? This film is an example of healthy debate and create the potential for all kinds of good conversation.



Most is a short film that tells the tale of a father making an impossible decision. This film is beautifully shot and communicates the emotional impact of the gospel and the power of grace.

Film #1 - if I had a film fest

I have dreamt of putting together a film fest for a few years now with films that pointed to 'Beauty, Hope, Justice and Redemption'. I want to post films here that I show in case this dream ever becomes reality.



Waste Land tells the story of social justice being done in a way that gives respect and hope in a place where it would be easy to believe there is none. While I do not believe it was its intent, this film has one of the best expressions of the gospel that I know.

Reading from 8.15-10.15.11

I loved this book. It was a bit wordy at times and maybe overused poetry and art as descriptors but very much worth the read. It challenged me to think differently about viewpoints I disagree with and I wish any and all people in church leadership would engage with Dark's book. Not that church leadership is the only intended audience.



We are giving this out to students within the MS ministry so I have been reading through it. I have been impressed but as with anything like this I wish they did not take such care to clean up the stories.



I have wanted to read one of Frederick Bueckner's books in a long time and I'm not sure this was the one to start with. I did love the prose. It imparted surreal feeling upon every reading.



Even better than book one.

books 6.1-8.13.11

I started this book with high hopes but I give it a mixed review. It had some helpful reminders to people in leadership roles but also described leadership in such hard terms that it came across a bit depressing. I think I would only recommend it to someone who has been leading for quite some time as a way for them not to feel alone. I went through part of it with one of our interns and it was not a great fit for her as a new and developing leader.




Finished off the Hunger Games series and have to say the first book was my favorite by a mile and it is only because of how well it was set up in book one that carried me through the next two.



Game of Thrones book 1 is not a book I would recommend to the students I work with nor my mom due to sometimes graphic content but it was a good summer read and really came alive after the first 60 pages.



Kingdom Called Desire paints a great picture of what the kingdom of God could look like. McKinley has a gift for reshaping and rewording tired ideas and church cliches and bringing them back to life. While his writing is only okay, his ideas make this a worthwhile read.

picture of influence

A Picture of Influence from Blackhawk Church on Vimeo.

jalen's story

My Story: Jalen from Blackhawk Church on Vimeo.

you are my influence

You Are My Example from Blackhawk Church on Vimeo.

Reading from 4.1-5.30.11

All kinds of controversy exist around this book and after reading it I was left with a sense of disappointment with the tone of the national conversation. A lot of people have a lot to say but I am not sure how much benefit can be found in the conversation. My sense is that while some of it is helpful, mostly it will reinforce why Christianity irrelevant to our culture at large.



I wanted to like this book better than I did but I just did not connect with it really on any level.





I read this as part of our media club and was one of my favorite books so far this year. I was challenged by Bonhoeffer's willingness to obey and follow where he sensed Christ was calling him.





This one was just for fun.

The birth of triple woohoo