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Here it is, my first book! I hope that it is as beneficial to other worship leaders as it has been for me. You can read the book's description below. If you click through the pages on the ad above you can read the preface which gives you some of the purpose and background.
Book's Description:
The highest calling of a minister of the gospel is leading the people of God in the sacred worship of the Almighty Lord. Sometimes though, pastors are crunched for time. Unexpected pastoral calls, secular work, family crisis or ministerial inexperience can hinder a minister from spending the adequate amount of time needed to prepare for this holy work. A Handbook for Leading Divine Worship is a compilation of Scripture and common elements of worship to help pastors build edifying services in such instances. A Handbook enables the time tight minister to walk into the pulpit with Calls to Worship, Assurances of Pardon, Benedictions and aids for Communion services in hand so that a congregations' edification may not be hindered.
13 comments:
This book should be titled, "Ego: How it is a newbie pastor finds it in his heart to think he's qualified to offer deep insight into pastoral work."
What's next? "God through my eyes"??
***I'll bet top dollar this comment never gets approved.***
You owe me top dollar.
Money driven...no surprise there. Typical pastor.
When you were "called" by our Lord Jesus Christ, do you think he meant to write a book for personal financial gain?
What falls under "For the Lord" and "For Matt"??? Especially when it's HIS word your selling.
Might as well sell indulgences for personal gain. It's no different.
If I asked you to give me one of your books because I thought God would want me to benefit from your guidance...would you give me one?
Don't change the subject. You owe me top dollar.
or are you so aflame for money that you cannot bear to part with a single cent? Are you so enamored with your wallet that you cannot back your word?
Please continue to post comments and show the world how foolish you are.
Wouldn't surprise me if you sold bibles too. Typical.
Get a real job Matt. You have one of the smallest churches in four counties, yet you write books as though you're some sort of authority?
I earn my money by providing a service for which I am not called by our creator to do pro bono. Expecting money for your calling is s slap in God's face. It's no wonder organized church is fallen.
You never answered any of my questions because you know very well there isn't one verse in the bible that supports your greed in spreading God's word.
Ha! So funny! You will do anything to weasel out of owning up to your bet! Good thing that I'm not a gambling man and don't expect someone like yourself to keep their word!
What's even funnier is that you condemn me for mooching off God's people, then when I do attemt to "earn" money by producing a book you go off on me!
The laughs continue to mount up as you readily know that I'm a pastor of a small congregation. If you would put two and two together you'd understand that I don't earn much from my labors there. I also work outside the church in order to scrap together a living wage.
It is hilarious how you don't see the connection: I came to Ashland to preach the gospel, not make a buck.
I like it too that you are trying to get all Biblical on me. What verses support a minister getting a wage from his labor in the gospel? Well, there is the passage in 1 Timothy that says that a worker is worth his wages and it cites the old testament's "don't muzzle the ox as it treads out the grain." Paul also talks about times when he could have demanded wages, but chose not to so not to impinge upon those who didn't have a lot of money. In other words, he was supposed to get it, but chose not to.
Do I need to go on?
Based on your level of thinking one could assume you aim NOT to be more like Paul and Jesus?
Since, unlike many pastors who GET A JOB and preach, you choose to milk the earnings of those who do CHOOSE to WORK. Is Paul not the model for pastoring? What was that wage that Jesus himself took for spreading his love again?
Please inform us with all of your extensive experience and knowledge (ha!),was Paul (or Jesus) less of a man because he turned down your allegorical justifications for greed?
Another question you will likely not answer: Since your congregants, albeit small in number, enable you through tithing to spend time on your scholarly masterpiece (ha!), will you ask them to pay for it? Or will you rightfully give it away in appreciation of their donation to your livelihood?
Do I need to go on?
Jesus was supported by the free will offerings of his followers.
"and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means."
Luke 8:2-3
I guess Jesus was a charlatan too, just like me.
by the way, I wanted to ask, have you sent my check yet?
I'll send that check to your congregation. They're the ones who deserve it. After all, they've been supporting your deadbeat lifestyle since you had the bright idea of selling God's word for financial gain anyway.
That is your intent. You may be failing miserably at it, but it is your intent nonetheless.
If you could change places with all of the high-roller pastors who drive around in fancy cars and exploit their "followers," you'd do it in a heartbeat. Problem is, it will never happen because you have the charisma of a gnat. You're good with words, but lack the necessary oratory skills to pack the pews. So, in an act of desperation, you're trying to make money off of the only thing you're good at -- writing. This wouldn't be such a bad idea if not for your obvious lack of experience in trying to come off as some authority on the subject matter. But who's going to listen to an inexperienced thirty-something pastor of 20 who thinks he knows everything? Might as well fake the funk, right?
Good luck with those book sales. I'll be regularly checking the New York Time's Best Seller list.
Meanwhile, I'll pray God lifts the fog from your congregations eyes (all 20). Hopefully they get a copy of your "treatise" before the exodus (ha!).
Couldn't deal with the Bible stuff, so you jump back on your soap box. Good move.
Before you go, could you answer me one question? If I'm so inexperienced and inept, have such an insignificant (and, according to you, obviously stupid)congregation, and have written an outrageously worthless book, why have you spent such an amazing amount of time here? Typically such meaningless things don't attract a lot of attention, let alone a great deal of comment.
Perhaps it is because it is not as insignificant as you try to posit.
(P.S. If you look through the book you'll immediately recognize that I don't really write anything except the preface. It's simply a compilation of various Scriptures that can be used during worship. So, no, I don't try to pose as an authority on the issue. And may I add a word of advice: Before you bleed your ignorance next time--be it on my life or my writings, you may wish to do a little checking around.)
tootles :)
Even worse! You're selling a book for $12 to which you add nothing but the preface? Hahaha!!! Hopefully you illustrated a few biblical stick figures for good measure?
Talk about milking Jesus for some funds! Why not just reprint the Bible and call it King Matt's Version? Pathetic.
I can't imagine the amount of laughter circling in the religious community among seasoned pastors.
"Get a load of this chump!"
I'll be sure to check out one of your sermons when my insomnia kicks in for a few days straight.
tootles!
Measuring a man's ego comes easy when he makes a statement like this:
"I guess Jesus was a charlatan too, just like me."
Wow. Bringing down the Son of God to justify your own greed. You live NOTHING like Christ did. He asked for nothing in return for the Word of God. You on the other hand plagiarize the bible and attempt (the operative word here) to sell it for personal gain.
Truly sad.
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