Growing Edge: In Brief - Christianity Today

Futurist Leonard Sweet has moved on—from water to land. After his Soul Tsunami and Aqua Church, Sweet is now serving as tour guide for those shipwrecked in a strange, new place. His latest book is Carpe MaÑana (Zondervan, 2001). The place is, in effect, Tomorrowland. But, Sweet warns, tomorrow is here.

Sweet compares the generation born before 1962 to refugees dropped on the shore of the future. Carpe MaÑana indoctrinates us immigrants so we can survive, surrounded by natives of the future. Even Sweet confesses, “I am an immigrant trying to learn a new culture. I am having Ellis Island experiences every day.”

Sweet says times have changed: “If the dominant time zone of the modern world was the present (before then it had been the past), the dominant zone for the postmodern culture is the future.” The book’s nine chapters are like nine classes, each designed to give the reader tools to understand and to navigate in this future-oriented society. These are well written and documented, with challenging interactive exercises at the end of each chapter.

For the preacher in me, the chapter on “Word to Image” was a great help in understanding the audience I need to reach. “Immigrants are word-based. Natives are image-based,” reminds Sweet.

Exemplifying the visual impact, Carpe MaÑana is available in tiger tail blue, long-snout orange, or potbelly green.

God speaks to all cultures in all times, Sweet says. If God is willing to work with this new culture, so must I. Personally, I need the information in this book to help me face the future instead of backing into it.

The church I pastor recently added a service to reach postmodern people, but the service is struggling. As leaders, we will work through this book together to see where change is needed.

Ross Lokken, pastorCalvary Baptist ChurchSanta Barbara, California.

Building a Church of Small Groups

The authors draw on their experience at Willow Creek Commmunity Church in this tour of small group community. It’s a daunting task to create “a place where no one stands alone.” Their stories of success and failure in training leaders, honoring limitations, and addressing dysfunction are infused with a passion to “reweave the bonds of community” in the church.

“When the student is ready, the teacher appears,” quips the Chinese proverb. As a small groups pastor, I have banged my thumb enough on the small groups work site to see the wisdom in this book. This is an excellent blueprint for building not just small groups, but a community of intimate relationships.

Building a Church of Small Groups is written by Bill Donahue and Russ Robinson (Zondervan, 2001)

Richard Kidd, pastorKempsville Presbyterian ChurchVirginia Beach, Virginia

On the Nightstand

Max Lucado shares his reading list.

Worship by Ronald Allen and Gordon Borror (Multnomah, 1987) “I’m preparing a series of sermons on worship—great research,” Max says.
I Exalt You, O God by Jerry Bridges (Waterbrook, 2001) “Just started it—trustworthy writer.”
Skipping Christmas by John Grisham (Doubleday, 2001) “Lots of fun.”
The Revolution Within by Dwight Edwards (Waterbrook, 2001) “Great book!”
The Life of Reilly by Rick Reilly (Total/Sports Illustrated, 2000) “My favorite columnist.”