OK, we have to make a decision on this. Is there a weekend in August or September that works for you guys? Also, do you have any places in mind? Asheville has been mentioned, as has a barrier island in SC.
Let's make a decision on this. That's what men do. (Or so I'm told.)
Monday, April 20, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
I hope you find this as funny as i do...
The point he's getting across although theologically should be worded differently is still pretty awesome.
- the first place is the Trinity Broadcasting Network.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Top 7
I've been leading a small group of students this year on tues nights. As the year ends up I thought we'd look biographically at people who have inspired other followers of Jesus. Those who God has used, outside the ones listed in scripture, to advance the kingdom. So as we compile the list it seems to be a good question for the council. Who would you include in the list?
Mine
1. Luther
2. Calvin
3. Edwards
4. Augustine
5. Lewis
6. Spurgeon
7. May be Bunyan
Mine
1. Luther
2. Calvin
3. Edwards
4. Augustine
5. Lewis
6. Spurgeon
7. May be Bunyan
Thursday, April 9, 2009
The Internet: It Isn't All Bad
I read Metafilter, a content aggregater site, quite a bit. There are usually posts to interesting sites that really range across the board, and if you're one of those people who know that I regularly tell people about off-the-wall websites, I find many of them (but not all!) originally on Metafilter.
Mefi (as it is called) is popular for it's heavily invested community, and the lengthy comment-conversations that can occur after each post. To call them 'liberal' would be disrespectful to what counts as Liberal in real life. It can get... pretty bad. Like rubber room bad.
But! Every once in a while, you get lucky, like today. I would like to offer up this quote from a gentlemen who spoke at a minister's conference a few years ago, because I agree with him: the faster Christianity loses it's power as a force that acts on culture rather than throughout it, the better.
The story of the temptations of Christ is a familiar one. After forty days and nights of fasting, the devil came to Jesus with three temptations. The first was to turn stones into bread, the second, to throw himself off the peak of the temple and have the angels catch him, the third, to have all the kingdoms of the world. We could summarize these as temptations be comfortable, to be impressive, and to be powerful. I am inclined to believe that those are also the three most common temptations of the church.
Until recent years, the American church was offered each of those and gladly accepted them. Christianity was the default religion for the world’s greatest superpower—a position that should have made us tremble with concern that we were in danger of sliding off the path of self-denial that leads to the cross—but it seemed to occur to very few people that having such a position could be spiritually problematic. We built impressive structures, including dining facilities, recreation and entertainment centers. We turned praise and worship into a profit and star-making industry, and we gladly took our place in the halls of power. It seems that Satan offered us the same things he offered Christ, but we responded “Yes! Yes! Yes!” I doubt that the contemporary trends that are stripping away the power and prestige of the church are the work of the evil one—more likely it is the work of the Holy One, who is leading us step by step back to the paths of righteousness.
I get excited by the thought that Christians might have to learn how to be Christians again, you know?
Mefi (as it is called) is popular for it's heavily invested community, and the lengthy comment-conversations that can occur after each post. To call them 'liberal' would be disrespectful to what counts as Liberal in real life. It can get... pretty bad. Like rubber room bad.
But! Every once in a while, you get lucky, like today. I would like to offer up this quote from a gentlemen who spoke at a minister's conference a few years ago, because I agree with him: the faster Christianity loses it's power as a force that acts on culture rather than throughout it, the better.
The story of the temptations of Christ is a familiar one. After forty days and nights of fasting, the devil came to Jesus with three temptations. The first was to turn stones into bread, the second, to throw himself off the peak of the temple and have the angels catch him, the third, to have all the kingdoms of the world. We could summarize these as temptations be comfortable, to be impressive, and to be powerful. I am inclined to believe that those are also the three most common temptations of the church.
Until recent years, the American church was offered each of those and gladly accepted them. Christianity was the default religion for the world’s greatest superpower—a position that should have made us tremble with concern that we were in danger of sliding off the path of self-denial that leads to the cross—but it seemed to occur to very few people that having such a position could be spiritually problematic. We built impressive structures, including dining facilities, recreation and entertainment centers. We turned praise and worship into a profit and star-making industry, and we gladly took our place in the halls of power. It seems that Satan offered us the same things he offered Christ, but we responded “Yes! Yes! Yes!” I doubt that the contemporary trends that are stripping away the power and prestige of the church are the work of the evil one—more likely it is the work of the Holy One, who is leading us step by step back to the paths of righteousness.
I get excited by the thought that Christians might have to learn how to be Christians again, you know?
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Update: Sewell
Today is April 8, 2009 and this is an update on the AL Sewell's. First update is that it's about to be the SC Sewell's again! If all goes as planned we will be moving back near the end of June. You ask why? Let me tell you. Let me start the answer out with telling you of the "journey we've been on the past couple years (a journey of rethinking/examining everything, life, values, church, Bible, relationships...everything:
Shorter Catechism
It was so the will of God for us to move here. 1. it got us out of a place where we were being used and abused. 2. it put us in a place where we were able to start to truly grieve the loss of our daughter. 3. it confirmed that the direction we have been going in our journey is the right direction. (this is where you stop reading if you don't have time)
Larger Catechism
1. even though i knew that taking the job at CCC was not the wises choice I still did it. Put lets not focus on the bad things that happen, lets focus on the good things. I learned....ummm.... i was paid well... that's it.
2. after Rhema passed I dove into the "work" of the ministry. I tried to stay busy so I didn't have to focus on my emotions. Though i was honest with people about how i was feeling, i was able to hide behind my honesty. Usually cause people were blown away with my blunt statments they didn't stick around to hear the rest. which was the goal. Moving here we had nothing to do. all we had was time. so those suppressed emotions started to rise up and needed to be delt with. We both decieded we have to walk through this and not supress them again.
3. for the past 3 years Val and I have been on this journey of reexamining everything. It started with "Man Night" moved to walking through the book of Act with who became some of our closet friends and now here in AL as we plant this congergation. Through this our valuse have come pretty clear to us and "planting" a church is not at the top of the list. Knowing God, His Word, my family, and relationships (ministry will come out of relationship with people) with people are some at the top of the list. not oposed to planting a church just not the way its being done here.
so back to moving back. because of where we are at and the lack of like values being played out here we have decided to move back and see where God may take us next.
this obviousely doesnt give it justice so if you have any questions call me of just ask here.
Shorter Catechism
It was so the will of God for us to move here. 1. it got us out of a place where we were being used and abused. 2. it put us in a place where we were able to start to truly grieve the loss of our daughter. 3. it confirmed that the direction we have been going in our journey is the right direction. (this is where you stop reading if you don't have time)
Larger Catechism
1. even though i knew that taking the job at CCC was not the wises choice I still did it. Put lets not focus on the bad things that happen, lets focus on the good things. I learned....ummm.... i was paid well... that's it.
2. after Rhema passed I dove into the "work" of the ministry. I tried to stay busy so I didn't have to focus on my emotions. Though i was honest with people about how i was feeling, i was able to hide behind my honesty. Usually cause people were blown away with my blunt statments they didn't stick around to hear the rest. which was the goal. Moving here we had nothing to do. all we had was time. so those suppressed emotions started to rise up and needed to be delt with. We both decieded we have to walk through this and not supress them again.
3. for the past 3 years Val and I have been on this journey of reexamining everything. It started with "Man Night" moved to walking through the book of Act with who became some of our closet friends and now here in AL as we plant this congergation. Through this our valuse have come pretty clear to us and "planting" a church is not at the top of the list. Knowing God, His Word, my family, and relationships (ministry will come out of relationship with people) with people are some at the top of the list. not oposed to planting a church just not the way its being done here.
so back to moving back. because of where we are at and the lack of like values being played out here we have decided to move back and see where God may take us next.
this obviousely doesnt give it justice so if you have any questions call me of just ask here.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Update: Team Libbon
So here's the update ...
Fatherhood continues to be one of the hardest things i've ever ventured to do. Right when I thought I had the whole husband thing figured out all the rules change. How I love lisa, how i love abbie. That being said it's also the most blessed i've ever felt in my life. A blessing through exhaustion (We are up at 3 AM and 6:30 Am most every day. ) Abbie has taught me more about Jesus then I would ever have imagined someone so little to be capeable of.
Ministry is a roller coaster this time of year. Spring is always a strange time in the lives of families so that gets translated into the times we minister to them. A great victory is that we've seen this years confirmation class really own the transformational nature of Jesus. Not only for themselves but for their friends and families as well. To get students to turn the corner form consumer to minister is big and rarely happens. So in short things are good and the gospel is being preached.
Personally I'm in a weird place. The rest of life seems to be settling down as I adjust to the newest member of team libbon but spiritually things are hard. I've found that areas i once had nailed down seem to have vanished in the last 8 weeks. My prayer life has become difficult, probably a direct link to my dwindling and groping time with the lord. I had a discipline that 6:30-7:30 was time i devoted to scripture now it's devoted to diapers. So the restructuring of my disciplines is going to be seminal in, as John Piper puts it, my "fight for joy" these days. Again it's Jesus letting me know through Abbie that it's his hand that sustains me not my ability hold all the proper actions.
That's me, who's next on the update?
Fatherhood continues to be one of the hardest things i've ever ventured to do. Right when I thought I had the whole husband thing figured out all the rules change. How I love lisa, how i love abbie. That being said it's also the most blessed i've ever felt in my life. A blessing through exhaustion (We are up at 3 AM and 6:30 Am most every day. ) Abbie has taught me more about Jesus then I would ever have imagined someone so little to be capeable of.
Ministry is a roller coaster this time of year. Spring is always a strange time in the lives of families so that gets translated into the times we minister to them. A great victory is that we've seen this years confirmation class really own the transformational nature of Jesus. Not only for themselves but for their friends and families as well. To get students to turn the corner form consumer to minister is big and rarely happens. So in short things are good and the gospel is being preached.
Personally I'm in a weird place. The rest of life seems to be settling down as I adjust to the newest member of team libbon but spiritually things are hard. I've found that areas i once had nailed down seem to have vanished in the last 8 weeks. My prayer life has become difficult, probably a direct link to my dwindling and groping time with the lord. I had a discipline that 6:30-7:30 was time i devoted to scripture now it's devoted to diapers. So the restructuring of my disciplines is going to be seminal in, as John Piper puts it, my "fight for joy" these days. Again it's Jesus letting me know through Abbie that it's his hand that sustains me not my ability hold all the proper actions.
That's me, who's next on the update?
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