Site Update
I've added a page called "RECOMMENDATIONS" that I hope to update regularly with books and music suggestions that have been significant to me. It's not an exhaustive list, but it is some of the best stuff I've been reading or listening to. Both of the music recommendations are awesome and hope you'll take the time to at least preview them.
A Late Follow-Up on Acts 29 Boot Camp
I guess now is as good a time as any to write up my thoughts on the Acts 29 Boot Camp I attended on March 10, 2011. I've been slightly hesitant for two reasons. One, I'm sure some of the Acts 29 Network and some of my reformed friends will react with, "Why on earth would you attend?". Two, I'm sure some of my fellow Methodists will react with, "Why on earth would you attend?". Let me answer that second. The first thing I want to say is that I absolutely did not attend with the idea that I would write an undercover story to tell anyone what really goes on. If there is a "really" I don't know what it is and I probably wouldn't tell you about it - I'd talk to the men in charge because airing laundry isn't my thing.
So, why did I go? I'm not called to church planting and I've not the skills or qualifications for church planting. I love church planters and support them whole-heartedly. I want to help and support church planters as much as I can. I watch church planters pour a lot into ministry and I hurt with them if those plants shut down. As a United Methodist, I haven't seen a lot of church plants make it to viability and I'd like to see that change. I've been talking to a seminary buddy of mine about developing a support network for our tradition and so when an opportunity arose for me to observe and learn from a network that has a viability percentage that's directly opposite of ours, I couldn't wait to attend. I emailed them about the viability of church plants and they graciously replied to me. You want to know what it is? "98.4%. I'd have to double check, but for some reason I thought it was 3 years." That's cut and pasted right out of the email I received back. Wow. If you aren't floored by that, you aren't paying attention. I wanted to learn something from them because they clearly have a lot to teach.
What did I learn?
Did they flood attendees with tips and tricks about marketing and miracles? Nope.
The entire first day (the only day I attended) was about the church planter's character. I say this with all the loving sarcasm I can muster - Gee, what a concept. (My sarcastic contempt is for every book, blog, and article I've read that skips right over that component as though it's foundational and doesn't need to be covered.)
There was some righteous anger in some of the talks. I felt like that anger was from a place of deep hurt and sorrow because of some ministry failures within the network that resulted from a lack of character focus. As Scott Thomas, Acts 29 Network President, said, "Some of you are hiding your sins right now." Sam Storms, Matt Carter, and Bruce Wesley also spoke and didn't hold anything back, either. I reflected and prayed because even though I'm not planting a church, I could as easily fail for a number of reasons - particularly self-idolatry.
For me, in spite of the time being terribly lonely for an outsider introvert, it was a fantastic time of prayer, reflection, rebuke, and repentance. At the end of the evening, right before he spoke, Matt Chandler came out and exhorted us to turn our attention away from ideas, tips, and tricks and toward listening to the Holy Spirit. This isn't a direct quote, but he said that if we showed up and missed out on the Holy Spirit, our time was wasted.
My time was not wasted.
If you'd like to listen to the content, it is available here.
So, why did I go? I'm not called to church planting and I've not the skills or qualifications for church planting. I love church planters and support them whole-heartedly. I want to help and support church planters as much as I can. I watch church planters pour a lot into ministry and I hurt with them if those plants shut down. As a United Methodist, I haven't seen a lot of church plants make it to viability and I'd like to see that change. I've been talking to a seminary buddy of mine about developing a support network for our tradition and so when an opportunity arose for me to observe and learn from a network that has a viability percentage that's directly opposite of ours, I couldn't wait to attend. I emailed them about the viability of church plants and they graciously replied to me. You want to know what it is? "98.4%. I'd have to double check, but for some reason I thought it was 3 years." That's cut and pasted right out of the email I received back. Wow. If you aren't floored by that, you aren't paying attention. I wanted to learn something from them because they clearly have a lot to teach.
What did I learn?
Did they flood attendees with tips and tricks about marketing and miracles? Nope.
The entire first day (the only day I attended) was about the church planter's character. I say this with all the loving sarcasm I can muster - Gee, what a concept. (My sarcastic contempt is for every book, blog, and article I've read that skips right over that component as though it's foundational and doesn't need to be covered.)
There was some righteous anger in some of the talks. I felt like that anger was from a place of deep hurt and sorrow because of some ministry failures within the network that resulted from a lack of character focus. As Scott Thomas, Acts 29 Network President, said, "Some of you are hiding your sins right now." Sam Storms, Matt Carter, and Bruce Wesley also spoke and didn't hold anything back, either. I reflected and prayed because even though I'm not planting a church, I could as easily fail for a number of reasons - particularly self-idolatry.
For me, in spite of the time being terribly lonely for an outsider introvert, it was a fantastic time of prayer, reflection, rebuke, and repentance. At the end of the evening, right before he spoke, Matt Chandler came out and exhorted us to turn our attention away from ideas, tips, and tricks and toward listening to the Holy Spirit. This isn't a direct quote, but he said that if we showed up and missed out on the Holy Spirit, our time was wasted.
My time was not wasted.
If you'd like to listen to the content, it is available here.
Shall We Gather?
I'd better get this in before there's another database connection error. Grrrr.
The scene behind the church this afternoon. It started raining, oh, sometime on Saturday and finally let up a little while ago. I saw on Facebook that we got around 15" of rain. Lots of flooding going on around here.
It rained almost all day long yesterday (Easter). I was pretty bummed because last year it was just so beautiful and bright outside. This year was dark and gloomy. Not the way I wanted to celebrate Easter. But, God was working on me and teaching me.
My mood is generally affected by numbers. And by numbers I mean weekly attendance and giving. It's not just my mood but my self-worth, understanding of calling, and all that. I wasn't fired up for Easter this year. I looked at the weather forecasts and knew that it would rain which meant that there wouldn't be as many people on Sunday morning. I was not happy. But, I noticed something as we began to worship yesterday. Suddenly, that concern and burden weren't there. I'm not entirely sure what God did in me, but I knew that as I got up to preach one of my weakest sermons of all time God was stripping away the self-focused concern about numbers. I cared more about clearly presenting the gospel to those gathered than the actual number of people who showed up. What a clear sign of grace to me and how grateful I was to have experienced it!
Slowly but surely, my heart is figuring out that my identity, self-worth, reputation, and all that are actually in Jesus and not me. I wish I figured out things a little more quickly but progress is better than stalling.
Sunday Links - Easter 2011
CHRIST IS RISEN!
HE IS RISEN, INDEED!
Here’s some Easter Sunday links for you. I’m definitely taking a nap this afternoon so enjoy these while I sleep.
Ok, so it was a thin week link-wise. Holy Week was full of activity and almost all of it great. Thank you, Jesus, for dying and rising.
HE IS RISEN, INDEED!
Here’s some Easter Sunday links for you. I’m definitely taking a nap this afternoon so enjoy these while I sleep.
- This is so good I printed it out for the prayer guide I made for our church on Good Friday. The -ations of the cross.
- Sin creates discontentment. Here are some of the lies sin tells us .
- There’s lots to agree with here, but not all of it. The overall point, that we need to be careful in our social media interactions, is spot on. Pastors and Social Media.
- I really wish I had a coffee shop close by. I’d work there. Lots.
- This is mostly true. 10 things you might not know about pastors.
Ok, so it was a thin week link-wise. Holy Week was full of activity and almost all of it great. Thank you, Jesus, for dying and rising.
Bible Software
As it continues to rain and I think about tomorrow’s message, I thought I’d semi-distract myself with some videos. I’ve been meaning to dig deeper into my favorite Bible software, Accordance, so I decided to watch a few podcasts today and learn some stuff I didn’t know before. I’m very glad I did. Oooh. There’s also the entire training video library.
If you’re a Mac user and Bible nerd, Accordance is for you.
If you’re a Mac user and Bible nerd, Accordance is for you.
It's a Rainy Holy Saturday
That's what today looks like. And tomorrow isn't looking too differently. Trouble is, my mind keeps telling me the number of people who worshiped with us on Easter last year before saying, "If it rains, nowhere near that many will come."
As if it were all on me.
So, I'm going to spend some time praying and reading about prayer:
- E.M. Bounds - The Complete Works on Prayer. Specifically, Power Through Prayer.
- David McIntyre - The Hidden Life of Prayer.
- Thomas Brooks - The Secret Key to Heaven.
I won't read them all today, but clearly I need to get my mind on Jesus and I need to talk to him. I think these resources will be a big help.
Maundy Thursday
Here's what I've been thinking about today.
Jesus feeds his disciples. His disciples are Judas, who betrayed him, and everyone else who abandoned him. I've been thinking about how Jesus must have felt in the presence of people who weren't really for him, at least for about four more days. Gethsemane was clearly a difficult experience for Jesus. Knowing what Judas was up to and what he himself was facing that night and the following day was hard.
I know the last thing I want to do when facing a difficult experience is eat. My hunger pangs are barely distinguishable from the knot of anxiety. Yet, Jesus fed his disciples. He fed them in the tradition of the Passover, reinterpreting it's meaning for them the night before he altered it completely and forever on the cross.
For some reason, my mind has been drifting to Psalm 23. I read it aloud at a funeral I officiated on Saturday and the phrase, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies" jumped out in my mind as I read it. Why on earth does that sentence get in Psalm 23? It seems out of place. I mean, I'm not going to eat with or in front of my enemies. But this afternoon, all I could think of was Jesus, serving a meal to his disciples, one betrayer and 11 abandoners. Not friends, but enemies. The lamb that was slain at Passover was eaten by those who slew it. Those gathered around that table, in need of the true Paschal lamb, devoured what he provided.
And so we'll eat that meal tonight. We will devour the body and blood of the lamb who was slain. Enemies no more, by virtue of the death he will die on Good Friday but initiated at this table before his beloved enemies.
Jesus feeds his disciples. His disciples are Judas, who betrayed him, and everyone else who abandoned him. I've been thinking about how Jesus must have felt in the presence of people who weren't really for him, at least for about four more days. Gethsemane was clearly a difficult experience for Jesus. Knowing what Judas was up to and what he himself was facing that night and the following day was hard.
I know the last thing I want to do when facing a difficult experience is eat. My hunger pangs are barely distinguishable from the knot of anxiety. Yet, Jesus fed his disciples. He fed them in the tradition of the Passover, reinterpreting it's meaning for them the night before he altered it completely and forever on the cross.
For some reason, my mind has been drifting to Psalm 23. I read it aloud at a funeral I officiated on Saturday and the phrase, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies" jumped out in my mind as I read it. Why on earth does that sentence get in Psalm 23? It seems out of place. I mean, I'm not going to eat with or in front of my enemies. But this afternoon, all I could think of was Jesus, serving a meal to his disciples, one betrayer and 11 abandoners. Not friends, but enemies. The lamb that was slain at Passover was eaten by those who slew it. Those gathered around that table, in need of the true Paschal lamb, devoured what he provided.
And so we'll eat that meal tonight. We will devour the body and blood of the lamb who was slain. Enemies no more, by virtue of the death he will die on Good Friday but initiated at this table before his beloved enemies.
New Book
I haven't written a review of a book yet, but I'd like to go ahead and promote a book I just started yesterday because it's good and because the content is important.
One of the great things about studying at Asbury Theological Seminary was the Bible classes. (I would say it was the best thing, but I met my wife there so that was the best thing about ATS.) They were all modeled on the inductive method and I learned a ton from those classes. Sadly, I never learned the method as thoroughly as I would have liked but I believe that was due to my own brain and attention and not the professors or the method. I had some great teachers and some great classes. In fact, Exegesis of Jeremiah is still probably one of my favorite classes of all time both because of the content and the teacher.
My very first Bible class was in the Gospel of Matthew and was taught by David Bauer, one of the authors of a new book I'm reading on the inductive method. What I love about this book so far is that it has clarified some things for me that I didn't pick up 12 years ago when I took that class. Dr. Bauer is a 3rd degree inductive black belt and I was just happy to be wearing the uniform. This new book is helping me tremendously and I believe will aid me in becoming the Bible student I want to be and in becoming a better preacher. I'll do a full review when I've completed the book, but until then I recommend you go and buy it.
One of the great things about studying at Asbury Theological Seminary was the Bible classes. (I would say it was the best thing, but I met my wife there so that was the best thing about ATS.) They were all modeled on the inductive method and I learned a ton from those classes. Sadly, I never learned the method as thoroughly as I would have liked but I believe that was due to my own brain and attention and not the professors or the method. I had some great teachers and some great classes. In fact, Exegesis of Jeremiah is still probably one of my favorite classes of all time both because of the content and the teacher.
My very first Bible class was in the Gospel of Matthew and was taught by David Bauer, one of the authors of a new book I'm reading on the inductive method. What I love about this book so far is that it has clarified some things for me that I didn't pick up 12 years ago when I took that class. Dr. Bauer is a 3rd degree inductive black belt and I was just happy to be wearing the uniform. This new book is helping me tremendously and I believe will aid me in becoming the Bible student I want to be and in becoming a better preacher. I'll do a full review when I've completed the book, but until then I recommend you go and buy it.
What is a Good Christian?
This could probably be a much better post but I've never met a first draft I didn't love. No, wait. I've never met a first draft that I didn't submit. Maybe that'll change.
You don't care about that, though. Here's the question of the day: What is a good Christian? Is it someone who prays a lot? Someone who knows their Bible forward and backward? Is it someone who is at the church every time the doors are open? Is it someone who serves the poor? Someone who goes overseas to preach the gospel to unreached people?
I bet if you took some time to think about it and wrote some characteristics down on a piece of paper, you'd come up with some pretty standard attributes. Devotionally consistent, compassionate, servant-hearted, evangelistic, and ministry-committed. That would about sum up Sam the Super Christian who is our good ole American, Good Christian poster child.
Comedian Ricky Gervais shares the same perspective. By that I mean he thinks what makes someone a Good Christian is their ability to live up to something whether the Ten Commandments or our gold standard of Christian goodness. Mr Gervais shares his thoughts on how he considers himself to be a good Christian in this link I found by way of my friend Sam.
Here's the thing - and I know I'm on a Gospel Coalition high - Ricky starting point is just flat out wrong. So is ours when we start with the deeds of a good Christian. We're all wrong for two reasons.
First, we are not good. At all. Psalm 14 and 53 (quoted in Romans 3:10) remind us that we are not good. No one is. In reading a passage about prevenient grace recently it was asserted by the writer of the book that John Wesley almost went so far to say that in our depravity we bear the image of Satan. While Ricky is trying to be funny, he's clearly not obeying the ten commandments all the time. "You shall have no other gods before me." Ricky, you are your own god. Your point for that one is deducted. That's just the first commandment without going through and finding the holes in the rest.
Second, here's what makes me a good Christian - Jesus. Not my inability to keep the commandments, love my neighbor, or love God, but Jesus. This is imputed righteousness. It is Christ's goodness, not ours, that declares us good in our sinfulness. It is Christ's goodness, not ours, that is our basis for hope as we stand in judgment. If I do anything good in this world it is the work of the Holy Spirit for God's glory and not my own.
I'm not a good Christian the way Gervais defines it, but I have a good Christ and that is all I need.
You don't care about that, though. Here's the question of the day: What is a good Christian? Is it someone who prays a lot? Someone who knows their Bible forward and backward? Is it someone who is at the church every time the doors are open? Is it someone who serves the poor? Someone who goes overseas to preach the gospel to unreached people?
I bet if you took some time to think about it and wrote some characteristics down on a piece of paper, you'd come up with some pretty standard attributes. Devotionally consistent, compassionate, servant-hearted, evangelistic, and ministry-committed. That would about sum up Sam the Super Christian who is our good ole American, Good Christian poster child.
Comedian Ricky Gervais shares the same perspective. By that I mean he thinks what makes someone a Good Christian is their ability to live up to something whether the Ten Commandments or our gold standard of Christian goodness. Mr Gervais shares his thoughts on how he considers himself to be a good Christian in this link I found by way of my friend Sam.
Here's the thing - and I know I'm on a Gospel Coalition high - Ricky starting point is just flat out wrong. So is ours when we start with the deeds of a good Christian. We're all wrong for two reasons.
First, we are not good. At all. Psalm 14 and 53 (quoted in Romans 3:10) remind us that we are not good. No one is. In reading a passage about prevenient grace recently it was asserted by the writer of the book that John Wesley almost went so far to say that in our depravity we bear the image of Satan. While Ricky is trying to be funny, he's clearly not obeying the ten commandments all the time. "You shall have no other gods before me." Ricky, you are your own god. Your point for that one is deducted. That's just the first commandment without going through and finding the holes in the rest.
Second, here's what makes me a good Christian - Jesus. Not my inability to keep the commandments, love my neighbor, or love God, but Jesus. This is imputed righteousness. It is Christ's goodness, not ours, that declares us good in our sinfulness. It is Christ's goodness, not ours, that is our basis for hope as we stand in judgment. If I do anything good in this world it is the work of the Holy Spirit for God's glory and not my own.
I'm not a good Christian the way Gervais defines it, but I have a good Christ and that is all I need.
Conference Thoughts
I'm in the second day of The Gospel Coalition. It’s been great. If you are thinking it’s weird that a Methodist would attend this primarily Reformed event, you'd be right: it is weird. (I did hang out with a seminary classmate and fellow UM pastor and one other UM pastor here so I'm not alone.) If you're wondering why I would come to worship and learn with this bunch, I've been trying to articulate why I'm drawn to this crowd and it comes down to this – when I hear or read these people I almost always am drawn to both worship Jesus and desire Jesus. My heart cannot say that about 97% of what I read in my own tradition. I experience this when I read Wesley but very few others after him have inspired such devotion to Jesus. That leaves me with two items to develop and write about for the future 1. How to encourage theology inspired doxology in our tribe and 2. How to encourage people to write in such a way as to inspire these potential authors.
I have received so much at this conference, including free books(!!!), but the very best thing has been meeting some people I've only previously known on-line. This post by Steve McCoy sums up most of what I've been thinking. I have spent time with two pastors from my area who I have met before. I got to tell Jared Wilson that God is using his Gospel Wakefulness talks in a powerful way in my heart and meet his lovely wife who is genuinely sweet, a rare quality. I also got to overhear Jared’s friend, Ray Ortlund, tell a man “You really need to get to know Jared Wilson if you're interested in this.” and then give the blog address to this dude which I know was a beautiful compliment that Jared didn’t get to hear but I did and teared up. I got to meet the aforementioned Steve McCoy and Joe Thorn who are going to be the Matthau and Lemon of the church one day. Oh, and I got to eat dinner at the same table as my favorite productivity blogger, Matt Perman.
I'll have more to write when I return, but that’s what I find spinning around in my head and heart and I'm grateful to God for the opportunity to be here.
I have received so much at this conference, including free books(!!!), but the very best thing has been meeting some people I've only previously known on-line. This post by Steve McCoy sums up most of what I've been thinking. I have spent time with two pastors from my area who I have met before. I got to tell Jared Wilson that God is using his Gospel Wakefulness talks in a powerful way in my heart and meet his lovely wife who is genuinely sweet, a rare quality. I also got to overhear Jared’s friend, Ray Ortlund, tell a man “You really need to get to know Jared Wilson if you're interested in this.” and then give the blog address to this dude which I know was a beautiful compliment that Jared didn’t get to hear but I did and teared up. I got to meet the aforementioned Steve McCoy and Joe Thorn who are going to be the Matthau and Lemon of the church one day. Oh, and I got to eat dinner at the same table as my favorite productivity blogger, Matt Perman.
I'll have more to write when I return, but that’s what I find spinning around in my head and heart and I'm grateful to God for the opportunity to be here.
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.