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A La Carte (3/28)
- 03/28/11
- 17
This is the week I will have to choose the topic of my next book. Odd, isn’t it? One book releases (this Friday!) and at the same time I need to figure out what the next one will be about. The funny thing is that I really have very few ideas at the moment. So if you know the book I need to write next, do tell me!
A War By Any Name - An interesting column from the New York Times. “But by any name or euphemism, the United States has gone to war, and there are questions that the president must answer. Here are the four biggest one…”
What Is Heresy - Heresy is often used but seldom defined. Here Ian Clary provides some of Michael Haykin’s thoughts on the word and its right definition.
Preaching Hangover - Here’s one for preachers. “You may call it something different, but every pastor knows about it. It is the mental, emotional, and spiritual crash that takes place the next day (Monday) as a result of pouring your heart and soul out in the proclamation of God's Word to God's people the day before. Personally, it has affectionately become known as, ‘The Preaching Hangover.’ There is no easy remedy, medication, or quick fix that can prevent it. There are, however, several practical efforts I make every Monday that are tremendously helpful to fight through the fog.”
The Hobbit Begins - Finally.
RIM - This article gets progressively less interesting, but the early parts are quite useful as the writer discusses why RIM is losing market share against Apple in the smartphone wars.
Blogging Theologically - I’m a relative newcomer to Aaron Armstrong’s blog “Blogging Theologically.” I want to commend it to you. It’s not often that I find a guy willing to put in as much effort as Aaron…or a guy who has so many interesting things to say.
My grand point in preaching is to break the hard heart, and to heal the broken one. —John Newton
I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a husband to Aileen and a father to three young children. I worship and serve as a pastor at 
Releasing on April 1, The Next
Published in 2008, this book
This is a guide that calls men,
This review of the bestselling
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Comments (17)
RIM opened a new office nearby last year and asked me to interview for a job, but I don’t see them around in 3 years.
Unless they get some serious innovation kicking, they will go the way of PALM.
Tim, given the amount of time and research you’ve put into your latest book, I think it would be good for you to follow it up with one or more books applying some of the ideas you have there in more specific contexts: “loving your family in the digital age,” or “loving the Church in the digital age,” or even combining your efforts with spiritual discernment and applying it to new media, “discernment in the digital age”
I agree. Aaron’s blog is full of interesting articles. And today’s post, Speaking Mysteriously of Mysteries, is a very good one an important to read.
Thanks.
Tim,
I think you should crank out a book called “Truth Wins: Heretics, Horoscopes, and Honest Conversation.” Of course it would come on the heels of “Love Wins” but would expand the discussion to cover heretics throughout church history and their heresies, modern day “spiritual” people and the church’s attempt to reach them, and how the church should go about asking tough questions without throwing the theological “baby” out with the bath water. Just a thought!
“You may call it something different, but every pastor knows about it. It is the mental, emotional, and spiritual crash that takes place the next day (Monday) as a result of pouring your heart and soul out in the proclamation of God’s Word to God’s people the day before. ”
There is also a biochemical crisis and exhaustion going on in your brain and the solutions to help alleviate them are wise for the body’s sake.
My family has been greatly blessed by returning to a scriptural practice of keeping the Lord’s Day (4th Commandment—still applies!) of course in a New Testament context. I think the church would greatly benefit from an accessible book dealing with keeping the Lord’s Day!
Also, you could write about the homeschool/private school/public school debate that is raging in our nation and church. You have a knack for wading through statistics and figures to get at the heart of trends and issues, and you could really shed some light on the debate.
To Michael (post 4)- You called it. I bet there’s at least a half-dozen books in the works right now called, ‘Truth Wins’. First one out gets the prize.
I was glad to see Blogging Theologically mentioned. I have enjoyed reading what Aaron Armstrong has to say.
Ideas for your next book:
How about something along the lines of your job as a book reviewer?
You could even zero in on some books that have made a splash but that you didn’t love - like The Shack, 90 Minutes in Heaven, 23 Minutes in Hell, and the Burpo Heaven book.
Or some other books you have reviewed and make that into some sort of book on your reviews, etc. Like Rob Bell’s stuff. Or Donald Miller’s stuff.
Or a book on baseball in Canada.
Or a book on Canadian Christians and USA Christians.
Or a book on Canada.
Or on blogging and becoming a pastor.
Or become a ghost writer for other people, or a ‘written with’ author.
And P.S. Why another book?
I second Anonymous,
Why another book? And why the pressure?
I’m assuming that it has to do with a contract he likely signed with his publisher?
Don’t write another book until you have something you feel compelled to say, that hasn’t been said better already by someone else.
I really mean that—you will end up only watering down the “value” of your name as an author if you just crank out books. Too many authors, Christian and otherwise, have fallen into this trap! I like you too much to encourage you to write another book just because you have already written two.
For your next book I emphatically vote for Cassidy: Amish Vampires of the Tribulation.
TimHow about something along the lines of looking at How Now Shoud We Live?Topics that could be covered:1. A Christian response to the environment.2. Ditto - work.3. Ditto - recreation.4. Ditoo - money, wealth, poverty, frugileness etc5.Ditto - bioethics.6. Ditto - music, arts etc
My initial response was also the ‘why’ question.
Having a contract is a lousy reason to write a book. Having something worthwhile to say is a far better one. Don’t sign contracts with these kind of deadlines!
So, how about a damning indictment of the way the publishing industry no longer really attempts to serve the church, but just wants more moolah? (tongue in cheek, perhaps, but that’s where it fits)
I second Cassidy: Amish Vampires of the Tribulation.
Thanks very much for the shout-out today, Tim. I really appreciate it. Thanks also Becky and Jennifer—I’m more grateful than you can imagine.
Tim,It’s not up your alley and would require lots of travel and interviews but I would want to read a book about racial reconciliation (or the lack thereof) in the church, or in professional baseball. Ooh! Ooh! If you took the baseball route, you could travel to every major league city over the summer and catch a game for research.
I’m reading a pretty good book called “Crossings: A White Man’s Journey through Black America” and every chapter has an interview with a different black American to discuss racism and black (sub)culture. It doesn’t discuss the role of the Spirit in effecting reconciliation. Good hunting.