Thursday, February 02, 2012

Does Your Church Transcend The Divisions of Your City?

The Vine, (the church where I serve), was planted in one of the most politically charged cities I have ever known. It's pretty wild. The Governor, Scott Walker, in case you have not heard, has made some very aggressive moves to get Wisconsin's financial books in order. Madison, an extremely left leaning town, as you can imagine, has not been very pleased with him. Here is the picture on the wall directly hanging over my head as I type this in a local coffee shop.  It's from the protests that took place last summer here in Madison.  



In the word of Ron Burgundy, "You stay classy, Madison."

This picture is not the worst of it. As you can imagine, the posters are more aggressive than the one here and the rhetoric (Hitler comparison, etc) is far from civil.

In light of this tension that we endure here in Madison I found this quote from Tim Keller to be quite helpful and meaningful for our church and for churches in general.  He writes:
"Secular people have a strong belief that religion is really just about social power. There is a need to place every church somewhere on the ideological spectrum, from liberal left-wing to conservative right wing. But the gospel makes the true church impossible to categorize. Justification by faith brings deep, powerful psychological changes: 'Though I am sinful, I am accepted based on the good of Another.' This truth converts people. On the other hand, the gospel of the Cross and Kingdom brings deep, powerful social changes. It defies the values of the world: power, status, recognition and wealth. The gospel is triumph through weakness, wealth through poverty, power through service. This changes our attitude toward the poor and toward our own status, wealth and careers. A gospel-centered church should combine zeals that are ordinarily never seen together in the same church. This is one of the main ways we make people look twice and take our message seriously."
- Redeemer Church Planting Handbook, p. 225

(HT: Trinity Church Blog)

Portlandia: The Dream of the 1890's

A hilarious history lesson. It's funnier if you watch this one first and even funnier if you have spent any time in Portland (or mini-Portland, Madison, WI)

(RSS click through to view.)



(HT: Robb)

The Larger Your Commitment the Louder Your Voice

Don't be a whiner on the sidelines.  Quit being the guy/gal with a quick view to all the things that are wrong but slow to offer helpful suggestions towards a solution.  Doing the former denigrates true Gospel community.  Doing the opposite brings needed life to our churches.

Ryan Huguley with some good thoughts along these lines in this short post.

How Do You Know when Your Child Has Genuine Belief?

Greg Koukl gives a good response.

This article by Doug Wolter is also quite helpful.

The Terminators Have Already Won

This is just the beginning friends...  Where is John Connor when we need him?

Cheap eBook Alerts

All these are a serious WIN at these prices.

  • When the Darkness Will Not Lift - John Piper - $4.61
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  • Sex and the Supremacy of Christ - John Piper/Justin Taylor eds. - $2.99
  • Crazy Love - Francis Chan - $4.49

Soft Hearts, Solid Spines

Joe Holland is an Acts29 pastor in Virginia. He writes well here for Ligonier:
The Internet allows unprecedented opportunity for communication between Christians from different theological traditions. The results have not been pretty. Comment threads are the Devil’s playground and blogs his amusement park. And even if we exclude online media, theological bickering between Christians is and has been pervasive. Regrettably, Christians who hold to the Reformed confessions are often viewed by other Christians outside our tradition as some of the least winsome members of what we call the communion of the saints.

The command to love has been lost by us, if not lost on us. But how can the theologically astute love their equally theologically astute brothers and sisters across contentious theological and denominational lines? The solution is in the life, death, and love-commanding witness of Jesus.
Read the rest.

Seinfeld Super Bowl Commercial is Funny

Sex-Trafficking at The Super Bowl


Justin Holocomb has a good post over at the Resurgence blog about this issue.  Often I have no clue how in the world anyone could ever get involved to put an end to this horror.  Justin lists some good practical ways.  
  1. Get informed and inform others. A recommended reading list can be found here.
  2. Read Rid of My Disgrace to earn about the effects of sexual assault and sex trafficking and the hope and healing for victims found in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
  3. Support organizations fighting trafficking:
  4. Get involved
  5. Be an informed consumer
  6. Join a local or state anti-trafficking group
If you live in Wisconsin like me, check out 5 Stones.  It's a great ministry seeking to raise awareness for sex trafficking in WI.  

Read the rest of Justin's post.  

White America Coming Apart?

Collin Hansen reflects on the new book, Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010.  It is an interesting study and might not reflect what you think.

His conclusion
:
Consider your own church. Is it a place where the classes mix? Have you considered planting a church or even starting a small group somewhere where the lower classes predominate? Especially for those of us who may not encounter them in our regular routines, the poor must not be neglected in our prayers or our evangelistic efforts. That process starts with overcoming the misconceptions about the spiritual needs and practices of our neighbors. Don't be fooled by the political rhetoric. They might vote Republican, but they need Jesus.
Read the rest.

Wednesday, February 01, 2012

This is Going To Give Me Nightmares

Street Performer WIN

I would give this guy 5 bucks.

Cheap eBook Alert

This Momentary Marriage
John Piper
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What Wives Wish their Husbands Knew about Sex
Ryan Howes, Richard Rupp & Stephen W. Simpson
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More Reflections on #TheElephantRoom

Justin Taylor has a very thoughtful post here and Kevin DeYoung has one here.

The Power of "Why"

We talk about this a lot as a leadership team at The Vine.  I really believe in the power of asking "Why?".

Jake Johnson:
Over the years, I’ve learned from my kids that one of the most powerful words is, “Why”

When you believe in something strongly, ask why.

When someone disagrees with you, ask why.

When you buck against authority, ask why.

When people exercise authority over you, ask why.

When you disagree with someone, ask why.

When things are going well, ask why.

When things are going poorly, ask why.

When you succeed, ask why.

When you fail, ask why.

In all things, ask why.

Why? It will save you a lot of pain and teach you a lot of lessons.

Don’t agree? Why?

(HT: T-Wax)

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)


I have had two different people in the last three days tell me that we need to sing this song by Matt Redman at The Vine.

I bought it and I agree.  We will be singing this at The Vine.

You can get the song here.  The whole album here.

Lyrics:
Bless the lord oh my soul
Oh my soul
Worship his holy name
Sing like never before
Oh my soul
I worship you holy name


The sun comes up
Its a new day dawning
Its time to sing your song again
What ever may pass and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes


Bless the lord oh my soul
Oh my soul
Worship his holy name
Sing like never before
Oh my soul
I worship your holy name


You're rich in love and you're slow to anger
Your name is great and your heart is kind
For all your goodness I will keep on singing
10,000 reasons for my heart to find


Bless the lord oh my soul
Oh my soul


Worship his holy name
Sing like never before
Oh my soul
I worship your holy name


And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Soon my soul will sing your praise un-ending
10,000 years and there forever more


Bless the lord oh my soul
Oh my soul
Worship his holy name
Sing like never before
Oh my soul
I worship your holy name


Bless the lord oh my soul
Oh my soul
Worship his holy name
Sing like never before
Oh my soul
I worship your holy name (repeat 3x)


Sing like never before
Oh my soul
I worship your holy name (repeat 3x)

One:27 Stories

Amazing video here.

We Can't Avoid Theological Rigor

Eric McKiddie:
Pastors and congregants alike often use the “we will never fully know” excuse to marginalize the practical value of certain theological topics. This trump card brings to a screeching halt conversations about eschatology or the relationship between divine sovereignty and human freedom.

But just because we can’t fully know something, does that mean we shouldn’t learn as much as we can about it?

Speaking of how the divine Son was able to be incarnated into fallen flesh, T.F. Torrence says, “Here we are faced with something we can never fully understand, but it is something that we must seek to understand as far as we can” (Incarnation, 62).

We must seek to understand it as far as we can.

Even though some theological topics contain more mystery than others, there is always more that we can understand about them.

So let’s bring our theological A game even to the most mysterious doctrines.
Well said. Eric has a great blog that I would encourage you to check out.

A Picture of Jesus - Joe Louis on a Bus

This story is from John Dickson' book, Humilitas, which I have heard is quite strong.
Three young men hopped on a bus in Detroit in the 1930s and tried to pick a fight with a lone man sitting at the back of the vehicle. They insulted him. He didn't respond. They turned up the heat of the insults. He said nothing. Eventually, the stranger stood up.

He was bigger than they had estimated from his seated position — much bigger. He reached into his pocket, handed them his business card and walked off the bus and then on his way. As the bus drove on the young men gathered around the card to read the words: Joe Louis. Boxer. They had just tried to pick a fight with the man who would be Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World from 1937 to 1949, the number one boxer of all time, according to the International Boxing Research Organization (second on the list is Muhammad Ali).

Here is a man of immense power and skill, capable of defending his honour with a single, devastating blow. Yet, he chooses to forgo his status and hold his power for others — in this case, for some very fortunate young men...
Read more here.

(via)

Irony Here? Pastor Loses Temper While Reading Scripture About God's Love

Yet another reminder to turn your cell phone off in church.



(HT: Ed Stetzer)