Daniel Im

Pastor + Author

learner

No Silver Bullets Audiobook

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I’m constantly listening to podcasts and audiobooks.

While driving, working out, mowing the lawn, vacuuming the house, or shoveling snow, my earbuds are always in and I’m constantly learning.

Why? This is because the moment you stop learning is the moment you’ll stop growing (Click here to read more about this).

The moment you stop learning is the moment you’ll stop growing.

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A month before my book, No Silver Bullets, was released, I got a call from Christianaudio.com saying that they wanted to produce an audiobook version of my book! I was stoked, absolutely thrilled. While I’m a co-host on two podcasts (New Churches Q&A Podcast and the 5LQ Podcast), recording an audiobook is a completely different experience.

In fact, I spent 15 hours in the Warner Music Studio in Nashville recording my 8.6 hours long audiobook! It was long, but I loved the experience.

In fact, on the audiobook, I actually elaborate on a few more ideas and share stories that didn’t make it into the book. [Read more…] about No Silver Bullets Audiobook

I LOVE Learning

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There’s a funny commercial that I recently saw on Hulu. It was a video of Oprah essentially repeating the same thing over and over again. Here’s her script,

This is the joy for me. I LOVE bread. I LOVE bread. I now just manage it. So I don’t deny myself bread. I have bread everyday. I have bread everyday. That’s the genius of this program. I have lost 26 pounds and I have eaten bread every single day!

No, Oprah didn’t pay half a million dollars for these commercial spots just so that she could rant about her love for bread. This was a commercial for…you guessed it, Weight Watchers.

As cheesy as that commercial might be, I get it. When you love something, you just want to tell others about it. You want to proclaim it on the rooftops. And yes, while I do love bread, this post isn’t about ciabatta, focaccia, baguettes, or pretzel buns. This post is about learning.

I LOVE learning.

In the midst of loving and serving my wife and three children, a full-time job leading and running NewChurches.com, preaching at least twice a month at my church, hosting a twice-a-week podcast, writing my new book with B&H (No Silver Bullets), speaking about the book I just co-wrote with Ed Stetzer (Planting Missional Churches) and writing curriculum for Bible Studies for Life and The Gospel Project, I still carve time away to learn.

This is because I know that…

The moment you stop learning is the moment you’ll stop growing

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I love and hate this quote from Contemplative Prayer by Thomas Merton,

We do not want to be beginners. But let us be convinced of the fact that we will never be anything else but beginners, all our life!

I hate that! I don’t want to be a beginner, I want to be an expert. But when I chew on the truth of those words, I realize the genius of it.

The moment we see ourselves as experts is the moment we allow pride to subtly seep into our lives.

[Read more…] about I LOVE Learning

Life in Korea: Priorities

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Upon arriving to Korea a few months ago, life has been hectic, and it’s been quite the struggle to find an opportunity to blog.  I love blogging, but life has just been overwhelming.

One of the blessings of being here and serving at Onnuri Community Church is that I get to learn from Pastor Eddie Byun.  I first met Eddie when he was my youth pastor at the Philadelphia Church of Vancouver (he was in seminary at the time).  I never thought that I would ever see or partner with him again, so it’s amazing to be here in Korea and have the opportunity to learn from him.

About a month ago, I asked him what sort of disciplines I should develop in my life if I want to grow as a Pastor.  He told me that one thing he does is to focus on a different subject each day, and to focus on learning about that subject on that given day.  Now this exercise isn’t reserved for pastors alone, but it’s useful for all people.

Here is how I’m organizing my week, and the books that I have chosen to read on the subject.

Monday: Prayer/Fasting
– Too Busy Not to Pray: Bill Hybels
– A Hunger for God: John Piper

Tuesday: Leadership
– Axiom: Bill Hybels
– Reformed Pastor: Richard Baxter
– Leading from the Second Chair: Bonem and Patterson
– An Unstoppable Force: Erwin McManus
– Envisioning an Apostolic Church: Yong-Jo Ha (The Senior Pastor of Onnuri Community Church)

Wednesday: Preaching
– Speaking to Teenagers: Fields and Robbins
– The Supremacy of God in Preaching: John Piper
– Biblical Preaching: Haddon Robinson
– The Art and Craft of Biblical Preaching: Edited by Robinson and Larson

Thursday: Spiritual Warfare
– Spiritual Warfare for Every Christian: Dean Sherman
– Screwtape Letters: C.S. Lewis
– Powers of Darkness

Friday: Culture
– Third Culture Kids: Pollock and Van Reken
– Korea Unmasked: Rhie
– American/Korean Contrasts: Susan Oak

Saturday: Marriage
– Marriage Spirituality: R. Paul Stevens
– Sacred Marriage: Gary Thomas
– Every Man’s Marriage: Arterburn and Stoeker (This one I’m going to reread because I’m married now…I read the book while I was dating)

Let’s see how this goes. I’ve already done a week, I missed a few days, but on the days I did stick with the schedule, it’s been great.

I can’t wait to finish all the books on my list and add new ones.

Until next time…