Pastor Todd's Book of the Year Award

Recently I was asked to write about my favorite book of 2011. So, I decided to make it an award. The winner gets...well....nothing. Anyway, here is what I wrote:

"Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs tops my list. He was a man who literally changed six and possibly seven industries and merged technology and the humanities in a way that is (I don't think this is too much to say) culture-altering. He is also such a fascinating character - full of raging flaws and yet capable of incredible generosity. As the product of a closed adoption myself, I found his own adoption's impact on his adult psyche to be fascinating.

The book is also interesting for its spiritual dimensions. When a kid, Jobs took a picture of starving kids in Africa to his Lutheran Sunday School teacher and asked "If God knows everything, why can't he stop this?" or something to that effect. The teacher had no good answer (or even a good non-answer, which is probably best in this instance) and Jobs abandoned the Christian faith from that moment.

What is sad is that when he talks about Christianity, his objections are easy ones, ones that can be handled with easy by a reasonably well-informed Christian. The point is that because a seeking kid got a bad non-answer at an early age he gave up the search and a brilliant mind settled for secular banalities. The book reminded me what a responsibility I have as a pastor (and all Christ-followers have because they are Christ-followers!) to articulate both the truth and the beauty of the Gospel in a way that warms hearts and draws people to follow the Designer of the ultimate app - Creation."