One of the highest traffic days in the history of any website of mine was when I posted a critical bit on the Catalyst conference bringing in speakers who I thought were not the best choices in light of their controversial theology.
My piercing insights notwithstanding, the real reason that post got such traffic is that Carlos Whittaker tweeted a link to it:
Trying 2 figure out a way 2 respond 2 ths. http://thelinkisnolongerrelevant.com Evrytime I type, My fingers become possessed by Satan.
— Carlos Whittaker (@loswhit) October 12, 2009
Me and Los go way digitally back, see.
I’ve always watched with curiosity the rise of this particular Christian “celebrity” as he really does seem like the kind of guy I would love to hang out with. He wears a wonderful array of emotions on his sleeve for all to see.
If he had written a book about how to lead music, or about production management (two things he is very good at) there’s no way I would have purchased it. I lead the music at a small, theologically conservative church that would have me out in five minutes after adding flashing lights and synth-pop rhythm to our all-acoustic band. I have no use for the likes of a loswhit set design or even set list.
But that’s not the book he wrote.
What Carlos Whittaker is a leading expert on is not theology, not corporate worship, and not even church culture in general: Carlos is at the top of the game in making moments.
I get frustrated with his forays into theological debates and other things about which brothers can disagree. But I’ve never grown tired of how this man can tear into life and squeeze out every last drop of fun and meaning, and then generously share those moments with the world on his blog.
So when he announced that his book Moment Maker was coming out, I almost immediately pre-ordered, not just because I want to support Carlos and his family, but because I know in this area I can afford to sit at his feet and learn from the master.
This book had me laughing on the first few pages, and crying not long after.
It’s a great look at what it means to live intentionally, and he does a really good job of writing it in that voice you know, if you’ve followed his blog for any amount of time.
The best part is that you can finish it in a long afternoon (though it took me about a week). His informal tone and style (to the border of too informal for some, I’m sure) make the book best read out loud. If you know him from his videos, you can hear his voice reading it.
Do yourself a favor, go grab a copy today. (not an affiliate link)