Free book giveaway (maybe)
I’m going to perform a little experiment in the spirit of Dan Ariely and Stickk.com. If you’re new to what Stickk.com is all about, check out this post here.
One of the things that Dan Ariely’s work focuses on is how people are predictably irrational. We undervalue things that are important for us in the long term and overvalue things that give us pleasure in the short term. This is why people get fat, don’t exercise, don’t balance their budgets, etc.
One of my pet issues has to do with when I preach. I work on my sermon half speed until about two days before I’m supposed to speak. I then go gangbusters on the sermon until it’s done, often staying up half the night before my sermon is to be preached. I used to be really bad at this. I’ve gotten better but I want to make way more progress.
So in the spirit of Dan Ariely, I’m going to offer up something that’s dear to me in an online contract.
Here’s the deal.
I have until Sunday night at 10pm to finish my sermon (I preach on Wednesday). If I don’t get it done on time, I’m going to give away five books that are very precious to me to the first person who comments below. Priority will be given to those of you in and around Toronto as we can meet somewhere and I can just give them to you. If no one from Toronto puts up a comment, I’ll mail these five books at my own expense to the first person who comments. But, if I get it done by 10pm on Sunday night, I get to keep the books.
The criteria is I have to email a nine paged double spaced manuscript to the first commenter (and a referee – Andrew and/or Dan) by Sunday at 10. So get commenting!
Here are the books:
2) Dinesh D’Souza, Letters to a Young Conservative
3) Peter Leithart, A House for My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament
4) Os Guiness, Invitation to the Classics: A Guide to Books You’ve Always Wanted to Read
5) Andrew Potter, The Authenticity Hoax: How We Got Lost Finding Ourselves
Oh and if you don’t get the books that were agreed upon, feel free to hound me in the comments section!
Include your email here so I can get back to you
I’m in.
Any consolation prizes??
Great idea for accountability though. I hope you don’t have to give up your books!
What are you preaching on?
I’m not too sure – still working on that. I’m preaching to 380 students ranging in age from grades 7-12. I was thinking of doing a riff on the gospel = Jesus is Lord a la NT Wright and the implications of that for them as students.
I’m troubled for two reasons: 1) they’re used to being entertained by glib youth pastor types; 2) it’s going to be hard to reach everyone. If I try and reach the 11s and 12s I’ve lost the 7s and 8s and vice versa.
Well, I was introduced to the concepts of exegesis and hermeneutics in grades 11 and 12 by an Assemblies of God youth pastor. It’s purely anecdotal argument but I am grateful that from grades 9-12 I was around a youth pastor who assumed teenagers could (and should) keep up with the same level of pastoral discourse he used whenpreaching to adults. Maybe some of those kids won’t pay attention but maybe some of the kids will be glad if you work on the assumption that they can keep up.
Do what I do and use South Park video clips.
I am also going to do an experiment where, if I do not complete a task on time I will give you five books from Keith’s library.
Seriously though, I like this experiment.
Yay!
I saw Dan Ariely speak last year. We actually had to film his talk for a project at work, which was convenient. Really neat guy.
That’s awesome. What project was it?
He was doing a talk for a client of ours, in conjunction with the Ivey School of Business, so they brought us in to film it.
So did you finish it?
And to answer my own question, yes, yes you did. Keith’s library survives intact!
Just barely!