I Preached from My iPad this Morning
I tried preaching from my iPad this morning using Keynote (ref. this post). Two thoughts:
Preaching with an iPad actually turned out better than I thought it would so I'll probably do more of it in the future provided point #1 remains unviolated.
- I'm pretty sure no one could tell. This was a huge deal for me. I don't want others to be distracted by it and I didn't want to be distracted by it. I'd rather people say, "That guy talks about Jesus and the cross a lot." rather than "My pastor uses an iPad." I liked that there were no shuffling pages and that it was easy to keep track of where I was in my notes. I think it was one of the better sermons I've preached both in content (iPad had nothing to do with that) and delivery (it aided me).
- White text on a black background was a winner. Wow. I'm actually surprised at how well my eyes could pick up text with a glance instead of a stare. If I'm not using just one Post-it note in my Bible (my normal source of notes) I usually try to keep them all on one page of paper so that I don't have to shuffle multiple pieces of paper. Since I didn't have to shuffle pages of paper I made the font bigger which made the notes easier to see, too.
Preaching with an iPad actually turned out better than I thought it would so I'll probably do more of it in the future provided point #1 remains unviolated.
Your To Do List Just Got Awesome
Here’s what you need to do today. You need to go to this web page, download those four mp3s, and listen to them. Sooner rather than later. If you’ve only got time for one today, listen to the second one.
For reasons I’m not going into here - for today at least - I nearly started hyperventilating in my truck yesterday while listening to that second talk. I believe the topic of gospel wakefulness to be a pretty significant one. We’ll talk more about that later, though.
For more information just read Jared’s blog and pick up his book which comes out this fall.
For reasons I’m not going into here - for today at least - I nearly started hyperventilating in my truck yesterday while listening to that second talk. I believe the topic of gospel wakefulness to be a pretty significant one. We’ll talk more about that later, though.
For more information just read Jared’s blog and pick up his book which comes out this fall.
The iPad and Preaching
Jonathan Dodson wrote a great post about preaching with the iPad. My preparation and use is different so I wanted to write a bit about how I do it. I have not used my iPad to preach from yet. I mostly have a Post-it note next to the passage from which I am preaching and that’s the extent of my notes. It probably shows if you watch our video, but I’m just too awkward walking back to the lectern and looking down at notes. It’s uncomfortable for me.
So, here we go:
I can’t believe I wrote that much, but it was a good exercise for me. Anyone else have a preaching workflow they use on the iPad?
So, here we go:
- Research: I don’t use my iPad for this very much. I do have both Accordance Bible and Logos on the computer and the iPad. Occasionally I will look something up in one of these two apps (primarily Accordance) and I might read one of the books from the Logos library like I would with the Kindle or iBooks apps, but that’s about it. I mostly use Accordance on the desktop. Also, I will sometimes copy and paste my Kindle clippings into Evernote, but I rarely go back to those and look again.
- Outlining I’m just using Jonathan’s designation here. I don’t outline very much. If I do use an outline for something, it’s usually a blog post, an article, or an idea for a book. But, for workflow purposes I start out with iThoughtsHD on the iPad or iThoughts on the iPhone. I always save these files in OPML format on DropBox. I do this because I can then open the map in Mind Manager or OmniOutliner. I might use Mind Manager to finish up a map and keep it saved in OPML so that I can then open it in my primary outlining tool which is OmniOutliner. I also use Outliner on both platforms but it’s file saving system is just dumb and really needs DropBox support. After my outlines are done, if it is a big writing project, I send the OPML file to Scrivener for the final draft.
- Manuscript Again, I don’t take a manuscript, but if I have to write paragraphs of stuff or copy in quotes from another source that I want to share, I only ever do it in TextMate. I am a TextMate kindergartner, but this text editor is so good. I write all my blog posts (including this one) in Markdown and nothing supports systems like Markdown the way TextMate does. My life is basically a bunch of text files (.txt) right now and I love it. No more worrying much about .docx unless someone sends something to me in Word. I. Love. TextMate.
- Preaching I haven’t done this yet, though Jonathan’s post makes me feel better about trying it out. I didn’t want to be that guy but Jonathan’s post and this one from J.R. Vassar have convinced me that I either need to quit worrying about it or just go ahead and embrace the brokenness of being that guy. I think I would differ from both of these guys in that I’m almost 100% sure I will import my notes into Keynote instead of a document. I tried showing some Bible passages and pictures in Logos a couple of weeks ago in a class I was teaching and the iPad kept going to sleep. I don’t think I want to be distracted by having to turn on my iPad every two minutes.
I can’t believe I wrote that much, but it was a good exercise for me. Anyone else have a preaching workflow they use on the iPad?
Very Proud
My sermon this morning began with me telling about a Jehovah's Witness lady who rang the doorbell at the house and handed me a tract - nice lady and she didn't stay long which was a plus. After she left I started to read through the tract she handed me. The paragraph contained one truth and one untruth. The truth was that John the Baptist did say that Jesus came to take away the sin of the world in John 1:29. The untruth was that Jesus died to rescue "obedient mankind." There really is a logic problem in combining both statements. If humanity were obedient, we'd have no need for anyone to take away our sin. Also, we are sinners - our genus and species would be better described as homo peccator rather than homo sapiens.
I read the two sentence paragraph to those gathered in worship this morning and asked the question, "What is wrong with that statement?" Several, at the same time, called out "obedient." It didn't strike me until later this evening, but they get it! They are getting the gospel! They know that we can't rescue ourselves, that we are lost sheep (Isa. 53:6), that we are sinners (Rom. 3:23)! I am so proud of my church. I pray our the depth of our gospel understanding continues to grow.
P.S. I may have to write up our Sunday School discussion which diverted away from Ecclesiastes toward evangelism and why we are so hesitant to strike up a gospel conversation, knock on a door, or proclaim the gospel in a public place. That was awesome, too.
I read the two sentence paragraph to those gathered in worship this morning and asked the question, "What is wrong with that statement?" Several, at the same time, called out "obedient." It didn't strike me until later this evening, but they get it! They are getting the gospel! They know that we can't rescue ourselves, that we are lost sheep (Isa. 53:6), that we are sinners (Rom. 3:23)! I am so proud of my church. I pray our the depth of our gospel understanding continues to grow.
P.S. I may have to write up our Sunday School discussion which diverted away from Ecclesiastes toward evangelism and why we are so hesitant to strike up a gospel conversation, knock on a door, or proclaim the gospel in a public place. That was awesome, too.
Sunday Links 4.3.2011
Sunday links are back again. I know it’s been a few so I’ll stock this one with a lot of them!
- The Village Church’s worship team has a new album. It’s good. My daughter and I listened to it in my truck on Friday when we went out for breakfast. We liked it.
- 5 Ways to Make Your Kids Hate Church
- I have a daughter, so yes.
- A great GTD article on that which gets in the way of delegation.
- A great post on the Preaching hangover. No, it does not involve Mike Tyson or roofies.
- There’s been a lot written about hell in the last few weeks. I appreciated this take on what Jesus saw in the Valley of Ben Hinnom when he spoke about hell.
- We praise what we find worthy.
A great take on failure. - Getting to know your neighbors is one of the biggest issues I see in the church today. We want more people to come to church, but aren’t willing to get to know them.
- Granger Community Church’s New Normal Project. I’m intrigued.
- Would love for someone to build this for me. I’m too unskilled.
- Going from Suck to Nonsuck - the Pixar way.
Shot to the Gut
Sunday afternoon, after returning from church, I took out my iPad and checked my RSS feed. Not a great way to start out my afternoon recovery. I read a post about a pastor that broke my heart. I have read this guy's blog posts. I've purchased administrative documents from him that we tweaked and use at the church. I enjoyed learning from him. His evangelistic heart showed through everything that he did. He was close to my age and pretty much everything I thought of when I thought of success in ministry.
He is out of the ministry today because of an affair.
I was sick to my stomach when I read about it. I didn't even know the guy personally, but I took his fall personally. All I could think was, "This guy preaches like me, teaches like me, and from where I sit he looks like a better Christian than me." I was pretty angry about the whole thing, but then it turned to sadness and introspection. I've strutted around the last ten years believing I'll never do something like that - pure arrogance. We learned in Sunday school the last two weeks from Ecclesiastes 5 that we should _never_ speak rashly or promise things like that because our perspective is so very limited and, in my interpretation, we are unaware of how perilous our spiritual situations truly are. I repent of that pride and arrogance.
I woke up the next morning feeling so overwhelmingly weak. I think I'm so strong and stike out on my own, apart from God. The reality is that I'm not strong but weak and I've spent a lot of time confessing my prayerlessness and my reliance upon myself rather than Jesus. I pray that's the proper response to news of another pastor's infidelity. I pray that's the proper response because you can bet that there will be a lot of blog posts and talk about how to affair-proof your marriage. I'll tell you this - it's all a bunch of moralizing nonsense if you or me don't stick close to Jesus. I realized just how weak I am, just how much I need God's grace, and just how much of a weak lamb in need of a strong Shepherd I am.
It also brought me to realize that I need my church, my wife, and my friends - more than ever - to pray for me. Not for success. Not for thanksgiving, or anything like that - pray for my prayer time, for my time in the Bible, and most of all for my marriage. I love my wife and have been faithful to her and my intention is, barring death, to make it as long as my grandparents did, but it'll never happen without a total dependance upon Jesus.
He is out of the ministry today because of an affair.
I was sick to my stomach when I read about it. I didn't even know the guy personally, but I took his fall personally. All I could think was, "This guy preaches like me, teaches like me, and from where I sit he looks like a better Christian than me." I was pretty angry about the whole thing, but then it turned to sadness and introspection. I've strutted around the last ten years believing I'll never do something like that - pure arrogance. We learned in Sunday school the last two weeks from Ecclesiastes 5 that we should _never_ speak rashly or promise things like that because our perspective is so very limited and, in my interpretation, we are unaware of how perilous our spiritual situations truly are. I repent of that pride and arrogance.
I woke up the next morning feeling so overwhelmingly weak. I think I'm so strong and stike out on my own, apart from God. The reality is that I'm not strong but weak and I've spent a lot of time confessing my prayerlessness and my reliance upon myself rather than Jesus. I pray that's the proper response to news of another pastor's infidelity. I pray that's the proper response because you can bet that there will be a lot of blog posts and talk about how to affair-proof your marriage. I'll tell you this - it's all a bunch of moralizing nonsense if you or me don't stick close to Jesus. I realized just how weak I am, just how much I need God's grace, and just how much of a weak lamb in need of a strong Shepherd I am.
It also brought me to realize that I need my church, my wife, and my friends - more than ever - to pray for me. Not for success. Not for thanksgiving, or anything like that - pray for my prayer time, for my time in the Bible, and most of all for my marriage. I love my wife and have been faithful to her and my intention is, barring death, to make it as long as my grandparents did, but it'll never happen without a total dependance upon Jesus.
Ministry and Miscellany
I haven’t spent much time writing during the last couple of weeks. We have been working hard at church to finalize plans for a mission project during Spring Break. That project began with our group yesterday afternoon and continues on through the end of the week. I’m so very proud of them and am proud to be in ministry with them. Here’s a video I took this morning of a wall going up:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLjMG2wpSn4
I’ll update some more during the week. For now, here’s some of the links I found interesting last week:
I might write an iPad 2 review, but for now, let me just share one great moment with it (I’ve had it 9 days). Yesterday, I was in the home of a 91 year old lady who lost her husband three weeks ago. The Sunday after her husband’s funeral I baptized her great-grandson. She wasn’t present for the baptism and mentioned how much she would have liked to have been there. I took out the iPad and showed her the video I had uploaded to Vimeo and so we sat in her sitting room and watched it. At the end of the video I looked at her and saw a single tear roll down her cheek.
Sometimes I really hate that I’m so drawn to technology and gadgets, but that moment made me happy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLjMG2wpSn4
I’ll update some more during the week. For now, here’s some of the links I found interesting last week:
- Should the pastor preach or clean toilets. Fantastic post.
- My friend and IWU professor Lenny Luchetti on sermon planning retreats.
- I did get an iPad 2. Here’s one of Rick’s remarkably thorough examinations of it..
- Ouch.
- Double ouch.
- Great post about places and ministry.
I might write an iPad 2 review, but for now, let me just share one great moment with it (I’ve had it 9 days). Yesterday, I was in the home of a 91 year old lady who lost her husband three weeks ago. The Sunday after her husband’s funeral I baptized her great-grandson. She wasn’t present for the baptism and mentioned how much she would have liked to have been there. I took out the iPad and showed her the video I had uploaded to Vimeo and so we sat in her sitting room and watched it. At the end of the video I looked at her and saw a single tear roll down her cheek.
Sometimes I really hate that I’m so drawn to technology and gadgets, but that moment made me happy.
Triumphant Return
Well, not so much. We were in Dallas for a few days and transitioned into Daylight Savings so I didn't have much in the way of posting these last few days. I didn't even open my computer on Thursday. No Sunday links, either, but I might try to get some of the good ones from last week in the middle of this week. I promise, they will be Rob Bell-free.
If you are curious, I was in Dallas to attend the first day of the Acts 29 Boot Camp. If you're wondering, 1) I haven't become a Calvinist and 2) I'm not intending to plant a church because God has not (to my knowledge) called me to that. I've got a lot of reasons for wanting to attend this event and I am writing about it for a longer blog post. If you're looking for an exposé or anything like folks who infiltrate churches, colleges, or groups pretending to be one of them, you're not going to get it. I went with a clear purpose and it had nothing to do with uncovering anything. In fact, if anything was uncovered in those 8 hours it was my wicked heart and I'm grateful for the teaching, the conviction, and the opportunity to pray and repent. More on that later.
Here's last Sunday's sermon if you're interested.
http://vimeo.com/21026849
The Cross is Your Salvation from FUMC Prairie Grove on Vimeo.
If you are curious, I was in Dallas to attend the first day of the Acts 29 Boot Camp. If you're wondering, 1) I haven't become a Calvinist and 2) I'm not intending to plant a church because God has not (to my knowledge) called me to that. I've got a lot of reasons for wanting to attend this event and I am writing about it for a longer blog post. If you're looking for an exposé or anything like folks who infiltrate churches, colleges, or groups pretending to be one of them, you're not going to get it. I went with a clear purpose and it had nothing to do with uncovering anything. In fact, if anything was uncovered in those 8 hours it was my wicked heart and I'm grateful for the teaching, the conviction, and the opportunity to pray and repent. More on that later.
Here's last Sunday's sermon if you're interested.
http://vimeo.com/21026849
The Cross is Your Salvation from FUMC Prairie Grove on Vimeo.
Ash Wednesday 2011
We had a great turnout for Ash Wednesday tonight. This is the third one we have done. I preached my first sermon here 3 years ago today and the following year was the first Ash Wednesday service that anyone could remember. It's such a privilege to lead these people in worship. I love them a lot.As a part of our worship tonight, I imposed ashes on the foreheads of those who came forward. It's such a sobering thing to smear ashes on the forehead and say, "You are dust and to dust you shall return." to a man who just had a brain tumor removed.
Or to a man whose health is failing.
Or to my 6 year-old daughter.
Thanks be to Jesus, who makes all things new.
Ash Wednesday Repost
In honor of Ash Wednesday, here's a link to a blog post I wrote last year on the Wordpress.com blog I was using. I've had an interesting history with Ash Wednesday. Can't wait to see what tonight brings!
Sunday Links 3.6.2011
Can't wait for tonight. We are heading down to Heritage UMC in Van Buren to worship with and hear from one of my seminary and professors and mentors, Dr. Bob Tuttle. I'll report on these times of worship this week!
See you soon!
- iPad 2 out on Friday. We'll see whether I can snag one while in Dallas or if I'll have to order on-line.
- Check out this post from my group blog about a group from my last church who made their Grand Ole Opry debut last night. They are awesome.
- Mark Roberts writes about loneliness in ministry and shares the sad story of a recent pastor suicide.
- There's been lots circulating about God's wrath and hell recently. This is a good post by Jared Wilson on the subject.
- 10 Things that Make a Pastor Remarkable.
- I totally cried when I saw this video the first time. And the second. O! that my joy for God's word were as great as a people receiving it in their language for the first time!
- I'm attending a conference in Dallas at the end of the week as well at The Gospel Coalition in Chicago next month. This is a great and timely post for conference-goers. Unfortunately, it is needed.
- Finally, I thought this was interesting, how Thomas Jefferson prepared for meetings.
See you soon!
In Our Place
The cross had to be carried and endured before it could be preached. Jesus came to become the sacrifice, not clarify the concept of sacrifice.
He did not come to teach about the cross, but to be nailed to it. He came that there might be a gospel to preach.
- Thomas Oden, The Word of Life
Three Things I'm Excited About
First, Eugene Peterson's memoir The Pastor. I'm excited about this because I think Peterson's clear thinking on what a pastor should do has been extremely helpful to me in the eight years I've been in ministry. I read a lot on pastoral work and leadership and sometimes the sheer volume of tasks I think I should be doing according to some experts is something beyond overwhelming. When I read Working the Angles and Five Smooth Stones For Pastoral Work I'm able to breathe a little easier and know what my calling and my value is and isn't.
I can't help it, I'm excited about the iPad 2 announcement tomorrow. I didn't get one last year and spent most of the last 13 months telling myself, "You don't need one." That may still be true, but I sold my three year old iMac anyway and am going to get an iPad for one reason: OmniFocus for the iPad. As good as OmniFocus is for the Mac and iPhone, it is flat out sick on the iPad. It's my brain and I'd much prefer to carry it around every day instead of my MacBook Pro. I'm still at the point where I need a computer for Adobe CS5 and video editing, but I don't do that every single day. I do use OmniFocus and when you couple that with the text editing apps I use, OPML, DropBox, and GoogleDocs...well, it'll be much easier on my shoulder and back only having to lug that around. (That's not even mentioning the greatness that is Accordance for iOS).
It's not going to get as big of a paragraph, but I'm most excited about Lent. I'm working on a last minute devotional guide for the church that I think will be a help to my flock. The Lenten preaching focus is going to be on the cross so I'm reading and writing a lot. I'm praying for a lot of fruit. I'm also going to attend two conferences during Lent, one in Dallas and one in Chicago, that I'll be writing up at the end of both. Can't wait to share those.
I can't help it, I'm excited about the iPad 2 announcement tomorrow. I didn't get one last year and spent most of the last 13 months telling myself, "You don't need one." That may still be true, but I sold my three year old iMac anyway and am going to get an iPad for one reason: OmniFocus for the iPad. As good as OmniFocus is for the Mac and iPhone, it is flat out sick on the iPad. It's my brain and I'd much prefer to carry it around every day instead of my MacBook Pro. I'm still at the point where I need a computer for Adobe CS5 and video editing, but I don't do that every single day. I do use OmniFocus and when you couple that with the text editing apps I use, OPML, DropBox, and GoogleDocs...well, it'll be much easier on my shoulder and back only having to lug that around. (That's not even mentioning the greatness that is Accordance for iOS).
It's not going to get as big of a paragraph, but I'm most excited about Lent. I'm working on a last minute devotional guide for the church that I think will be a help to my flock. The Lenten preaching focus is going to be on the cross so I'm reading and writing a lot. I'm praying for a lot of fruit. I'm also going to attend two conferences during Lent, one in Dallas and one in Chicago, that I'll be writing up at the end of both. Can't wait to share those.
What I'm Learning in Ecclesiastes - Part Four
This is probably the last post I'm going to make on Ecclesiastes in this series unless something really jumps out at me in the next few weeks. We just wrapped up chapter 2 and got into chapter 3 and, of course, had to mention the Byrds and Turn! Turn! Turn! There is a time for x contrasted with a time for y. That seems to be the formula for the first several verses of Ecclesiastes 3. This is what I learned from it:
4) God will often use one season to prepare you for the next.
This isn't implicit in the text, but it's something I'm confident of as I grow in age and in faith. For example, there is a time for mourning and God will teach you and comfort you so that the time for rejoicing will be incredibly sweet.
For instance, in filling in the details for the statement that there is a season and a time for everything, Ecclesiastes 3:2 says that there is "a time to be born and a time to die". Last week, I officiated a funeral for a man that I respected a great deal. This season of death and mourning for the family and the community has been, I believe, tempered by the season of preparation given to him through birth. He was an amazing fellow who not only lived fully but also experienced the new birth (John 3:3). The psalmist writes "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints." (Psalm 116:15). It's precious to us as well, no matter how hard it is to say good-bye, because of the life well-lived through a deep belief and faithfulness to Christ Jesus.
I don't want to go all crazy hermeneutical guy, but I've also been thinking about v. 5b which says, "a time to seek and a time to lose." Two of my Scripture memory verses are Matthew 6:33, "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." and Luke 9:23 "And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." Going one verse further in Luke gets you, "For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it." I've been reflecting on what it means to seek God's kingdom and his righteousness and how that leads me into losing my life for Jesus' sake. One has been leading me to the other and there is not only a time for both, but also a time in which they exist together in my heart.
I'm still waiting for that season by the grace of God.
4) God will often use one season to prepare you for the next.
This isn't implicit in the text, but it's something I'm confident of as I grow in age and in faith. For example, there is a time for mourning and God will teach you and comfort you so that the time for rejoicing will be incredibly sweet.
For instance, in filling in the details for the statement that there is a season and a time for everything, Ecclesiastes 3:2 says that there is "a time to be born and a time to die". Last week, I officiated a funeral for a man that I respected a great deal. This season of death and mourning for the family and the community has been, I believe, tempered by the season of preparation given to him through birth. He was an amazing fellow who not only lived fully but also experienced the new birth (John 3:3). The psalmist writes "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints." (Psalm 116:15). It's precious to us as well, no matter how hard it is to say good-bye, because of the life well-lived through a deep belief and faithfulness to Christ Jesus.
I don't want to go all crazy hermeneutical guy, but I've also been thinking about v. 5b which says, "a time to seek and a time to lose." Two of my Scripture memory verses are Matthew 6:33, "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." and Luke 9:23 "And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." Going one verse further in Luke gets you, "For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it." I've been reflecting on what it means to seek God's kingdom and his righteousness and how that leads me into losing my life for Jesus' sake. One has been leading me to the other and there is not only a time for both, but also a time in which they exist together in my heart.
I'm still waiting for that season by the grace of God.
Sunday Links 2.27.2011
Not as many links this week, but it was one crammed full including a funeral and a couple of days away with the family. Check back next Sunday! Well, and the other days, too :-)
- Our children are little mirrors of our own sin. Truth hurts.
- What to do when you preach a "dud". I needed this, at least to be reminded of my own weakness and dependance upon Christ.
- Man shall not live by Facebook alone. Oh, the trappings of the Bermuda Triangle of Productivity.
- It's that time of the year for United Methodist pastors: the appointive season. Bishop Will Willimon posted a guest post about pastor transitions.
- I'm attending two conferences this year since I haven't been to one in quite some time and these are 1 and 2 days a piece instead of a week, and here's some questions I'm going to think through before and after.
Field Preaching
Since I was a kid, I've been fascinated by John Wesley and the early Methodist circuit riders. They seemed to be risk taking adventurists. I read two comic books when I was about 9 years old, one about Wesley and the other about circuit riders that captured my imagination - and I still have the one on Wesley! One of the things that has always impressed me about Wesley was his open air preaching, or, field preaching. It was a radical concept introduced to him by George Whitefield. The physically short Wesley must have had some great big pipes to reach the thousands who heard him. Sometimes he would preach in town squares and people would crowd around to hear him preach.
Though fascinated, I've long been a chicken about field preaching. One reason has to do with the weirdos who came onto the campuses of both schools I attended, the University of Arkansas and Asbury Theological Seminary. I've been called names by these preachers. I had a guy get up in my face on Beale St. in Memphis one evening. I've generally been turned off by these guys. I always thought, too, that there's no place for this kind of preaching today. I have lots and lots of objections.
But, Steve McCoy has made me think a lot about what real open air preaching is all about. He's also gotten me to consider an idea so crazy that it might actually work.
Wesley rode 250,000 miles on horseback and preached 23,000 sermons. Man, whatever was burning in him, God, set on fire in me.
Though fascinated, I've long been a chicken about field preaching. One reason has to do with the weirdos who came onto the campuses of both schools I attended, the University of Arkansas and Asbury Theological Seminary. I've been called names by these preachers. I had a guy get up in my face on Beale St. in Memphis one evening. I've generally been turned off by these guys. I always thought, too, that there's no place for this kind of preaching today. I have lots and lots of objections.
But, Steve McCoy has made me think a lot about what real open air preaching is all about. He's also gotten me to consider an idea so crazy that it might actually work.
Wesley rode 250,000 miles on horseback and preached 23,000 sermons. Man, whatever was burning in him, God, set on fire in me.
A Little R&R
Weeks with funerals always turn out to be emotionally exhausting which somehow translates into physical exhaustion. I really loved and respected the man we remembered yesterday and was so glad I could share his forgiveness by Jesus and the joy of his hope in Jesus. It was a great witness and testimony.
A few months ago we received a deal for two free nights in a hotel, so we are taking some family time. I'm looking forward to resting, spending time with my girls, and to get back into the Bible and prayer. It's been a bit of a dry season.
What do you do to reconnect with God and those closest to you?
A few months ago we received a deal for two free nights in a hotel, so we are taking some family time. I'm looking forward to resting, spending time with my girls, and to get back into the Bible and prayer. It's been a bit of a dry season.
What do you do to reconnect with God and those closest to you?
It's the End of the World as We Know it - So Go Make a Disciple
I jokingly wrote on Twitter earlier that if I were a lying opportunist with no conscience, this would be a good week to write an end-times e-book for $50 a pop. In the last week we've seen a huge earthquake in New Zealand, continued protests, unrest, and revolution in the Middle East, one of the weirdest political stories of my lifetime unfolding in Wisconsin, and oil prices shooting up 9% in one day. I'd almost bet Tim LaHaye was busy working on a new bestseller as I write.
Someone loaned me some of the end-times novels that were popular in the late 90's when I was in college and seminary. It didn't take me long to grow in my disdain for both the quality of writing and the theology behind the book series. One of the first questions I had was a practical one: "Could I look in the eyes of a brother in Christ from a persecuted part of the world and tell him, 'It's okay. Before persecution comes, Jesus will vacuum you up and let everyone else suffer.'"? This kind of thinking could only appeal to comfortable, middle-class white people who can't tell the difference between persecution and having their feelings hurt.
For some reason, our little bubble of Christendom is caught up in second-coming fever - when is Jesus coming back? I get asked this a lot. How do I answer? Easy. It's in the Bible. Jesus says in Acts 1:7 "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority." I know this isn't a satisfactory answer for folks who turn on the television and see the events I've already mentioned. "Surely the time is near!" they say. Back in the Bible, however, I make it a point to look at Matthew 24:3-14
Here are some of the questions I ask folks who are so ready to turn the events in the news into Jesus' coming:
Since, as best as I can tell, the answer to those questions is "no", I like to point to the end of that passage. If you are so intent on knowing when Jesus might come back, then do something to address the fact that there are 2,000 people groups in this world that do not have a witness of Jesus Christ among them. Since the risen Jesus gave a command to make disciples, maybe we should do what he said and make sure we spend ourselves in that and leave his return to the appointed time of which we do not know.
Someone loaned me some of the end-times novels that were popular in the late 90's when I was in college and seminary. It didn't take me long to grow in my disdain for both the quality of writing and the theology behind the book series. One of the first questions I had was a practical one: "Could I look in the eyes of a brother in Christ from a persecuted part of the world and tell him, 'It's okay. Before persecution comes, Jesus will vacuum you up and let everyone else suffer.'"? This kind of thinking could only appeal to comfortable, middle-class white people who can't tell the difference between persecution and having their feelings hurt.
For some reason, our little bubble of Christendom is caught up in second-coming fever - when is Jesus coming back? I get asked this a lot. How do I answer? Easy. It's in the Bible. Jesus says in Acts 1:7 "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority." I know this isn't a satisfactory answer for folks who turn on the television and see the events I've already mentioned. "Surely the time is near!" they say. Back in the Bible, however, I make it a point to look at Matthew 24:3-14
As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Here are some of the questions I ask folks who are so ready to turn the events in the news into Jesus' coming:
- Has there ever been a time in which there wasn't a war of some sort, or at least the possibility that one was coming?
- Has there ever been a time in which one nation or kingdom didn't rise against another?
- Has there ever been a time in which there were no famines?
- Has there ever been a time devoid of earthquakes in various places?
Since, as best as I can tell, the answer to those questions is "no", I like to point to the end of that passage. If you are so intent on knowing when Jesus might come back, then do something to address the fact that there are 2,000 people groups in this world that do not have a witness of Jesus Christ among them. Since the risen Jesus gave a command to make disciples, maybe we should do what he said and make sure we spend ourselves in that and leave his return to the appointed time of which we do not know.
Dancing in the Minefields
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtTa81LyuQM
“I do” are the two most famous last words
The beginning of the end
But to lose your life for another
I’ve heard Is a good place to begin
‘Cause the only way to find your life
Is to lay your own life down
And I believe it’s an easy price
For the life that we have found
I love my wife. I love her very imperfectly, but I love her.
This is my favorite piece of writing from my late-friend Michael Spencer: Running Wounded. It's about the frailties of marriage and the incredible mercies of God.
“I do” are the two most famous last words
The beginning of the end
But to lose your life for another
I’ve heard Is a good place to begin
‘Cause the only way to find your life
Is to lay your own life down
And I believe it’s an easy price
For the life that we have found
If there is one thing young engaged couples need to hear, it’s that a good marriage is not something you find, it’s something you work for. It takes struggle. You must crucify your selfishness. You must at times confront, and at other times confess. The practice of forgiveness is essential. This is undeniably hard work! But eventually it pays off. Eventually, it creates a relationship of beauty, trust, and mutual support. - Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas
I love my wife. I love her very imperfectly, but I love her.
This is my favorite piece of writing from my late-friend Michael Spencer: Running Wounded. It's about the frailties of marriage and the incredible mercies of God.