Pirates are cool

I am very proud of my home state of Iowa, but the fact that Iowa has a self-proclaimed pirate running for office makes me a little less proud.

I wonder who would win if the pirate ran against my former roomate Matt Reisetter?

Jesus Camp

What are we supposed to make of this? What do you think is the appropriate response? The more I watch this trailer the more disturbing it is...

Free Music Downloads?

Check out this article. It may be on the way.

Is MegaChurch all bad?

When I was in my twenties I spent alot of time going to Willow Creek Church conferences learning how to do church in a more "relevant" way. It was good times and I learned alot. As I have grown older I have, generally speaking, grown weary of the typical mega-church model with all of it's slickness. Though I would most likely differ on some major points of theology with the leadership of Willow Creek church, I think it is important to remember that Willow and many other churchs like them are doing some amazing Kingdom work. In the Reformed wing of the Christian blogsphere we often default to "what is wrong with everyone else" type posts. I know I am guilty of this. Today, Shaun Groves, in this post brings a different emphasis that served to remind me that God's grace can be found in many places where my grace is not. In it he says of Willow:

My friend helped me understand WIllow in a new way. It's imitators and I missed some key details. It's more than an event.

For instance, Willow has a membership process that is quite involved. It's not what the early church had for sure - it's not two years long. But it requires hours of study, a signed commitment making many promises and acknowledging the responsibilities and duties of being a member of the church, and a face to face meeting with one of hundreds of trained membership counselors who go over the wanna be member's "homework" and reiterate the importance and specifics of the membership commitment being entered into.

This membership is reaffirmed every year with more study and meeting and another signature. Every year.

Members promise to be involved in learning, serving and giving and more. And they deliver. That massive auditorium at Willow was built by both outside professionals and Willow members. Members donated massive amounts of time and sweat to wiring, installing, painting, plumbing and constructing the place they would one day worship in together. That was their duty, as they saw it, as members of a family called Willow Creek.

And there's more. Lots more that goes unimitated and unnoticed. An aids office with a staff of more than a hundred, unpaid staff members who are just so stinking rich they've decided to donate their fulltime work to the church, hundreds of cars given away to single mothers, houses built, orphans fed, a robust missions department, mentoring programs, bible study, justice initiatives, racial reconciliation trips, and on and on. And it's not just programs - I think. If my friend is telling the truth - and I think he is - the leadership of the church measures its success not on the number of attenders each week but on the number of "participating members" who are actively taking advantage of tools and resources and relationship in the church for knowing God and making God known.

Something's Missing

I am a huge John Mayer fan. His songwriting is some of the freshest stuff to come around in a long long time. Unfortunately, I am usually not a guy that focuses on lyrics, but pays more attentions to groove and melody. This morning on my run, for the first time I paid attention to the lyrics to John's song "Something's Missing". There is probably no better song that aptly decribes the exsistential angst of someone who has it all by society's standards but still feels empty and alone. I would like to commend John for his honesty. This song makes me very thankful for the gospel. Here are the lyrics:

I'm not alone
I wish I was
Cause then I'd know I was down because
I couldn't find a friend around
To love me like they do right now
They do right now

I'm dizzy from the shopping mall
I searched for the joy but i bought it all
It doesn't help the hunger pain
And a thirst I'd have to drown first to ever satiate

Something's missing
And I dont know how to fix it
Something's missing
And I dont know what it is
At all

When autumn comes
It doesn't ask
It just walks in where it left you last
You never know when it starts
Until there is fog inside the glass around
Your summer heart

Something's missing
And I dont know hot to fix it
Somethings missing
And I dont know what it is
At all

I cant be sure that this state of mind
Is not of my own design
I wish there was an over the counter test
for lonliness like this

Something's missing
And I dont know what it is
Something's missing
And I dont know what it is
No I dont know what it is
Somethings different
And I dont know what it is
No I dont know what it is.

Friends
(Check)
Money
(Check)
A well slept opposite sex
Guitar
(Check)
Microphone
(Check)
Messages waiting on me when
I come home

Rolling Stone on Christian Festivals

Here is a story on Christian music festivals through the eyes of secular music's main voice, Rolling Stone Magazine. Though trying to be funny , their jouralist, Stephanie Keith made this statement that I found to be quite sad:

As everything is getting more mainstream, I think the fashions are too. Some of the girls...man, when you go to Creation, you're like, 'Dang, how do these boys focus on the message?' The Christian girls are hot and they don't mind showing it either.

A Music Revolution

Wired.com has an interesting article concerning the changing face of the music industry.

Jesus Junk

Do we need it? This article helps us think it through. To quote Jerry Seinfeld, "No that there's anything wrong with it", but I would lean toward an answer of "No, I don't want your cheesy "Hey, I'm a Christian and YOUR NOT" T-shirts, your Left Behind video games, or your Armor of God PJ's"

Music Monday - Jars of Clay

Very interesting article concerning the new record from Jars of Clay. Word from Nashvegas is that this may be their best record to date.

Spellbound

Last night Kim and I watched, Spellbound. It is a very interesting documentary concerning 8 young people attempting to win the national spelling bee. Seems like a very boring topic, but we both found it quite interesting.

I guess they should be barefoot and pregnant...

Joe Carter at Evangelical Outpost has an interesting piece on the downfalls of marrying a working woman. Did I just print that in a public forum? I think I did...and I hear the swift footsteps of the PC, feminist crowd coming to beat me with big sticks...

Just read the post.

Sarcasm aside...

As personal testimony, my wife and I are coming to the end of a season of about 2 years when she was the primary breadwinner and worked 30 hours a week. In light of the demands of the two little crumb snatchers that live in our house, we both would wholeheartedly agree that her being at home at least most of the week is definately the way to go. The whole of human history testifies to this, it's just up until the last 30 years or so that we have tried a new system. Doesn't seem to work... What do you think?

Maybe the Worst Church Marquee Ever

"Feeling ugly? God thinks you are to-die-for!" - I think if I actually saw this I would be forced to stop my car and go have a word with the pastor of that church.

(HT: Crummy Church Signs)

Stott on 1 Peter 4:1

From chapter 13 of, The Cross of Christ, by John Stott:

One of the most remarkable statements Peter makes in his first letter is that "He who has suffered in his body is done with sin". Physical afflication, he seems to be saying, actually has the affect of making us stop sinning. This being so, sometimes I wonder if the real test of our hunger for holiness is our willingness to experience any degree of suffering if only thereby God will make us holy.

Christianity in China

Here is an interesting article from TIME magazine.

Christian PJ's?

Bedtime used to be a challenge for my 3 and 1/2 year old and my 1 and 1/2 year old. Not anymore now that I have them outfitted in these.

Same old rock and roll story

This is sad but not surprising given the pressure on rock stars...One of the greatest singers of the last 20 years goes to rehab.

"Are you at peace in the deep end of the pool?"

CJ Mahaney says:

On the topic of theological mystery, I find this quote from J. Rodman Williams most helpful: “Because all Christian doctrines relate to God who is ultimately beyond our comprehension, there will inevitably be some element of mystery, or transcendence, that cannot be reduced to human understanding. Nonetheless, within these limits the theological effort must be carried on.”

Indeed, God has announced the following non-negotiable arrangement: “The secret things belong to the Lord and the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever” (Det 29:29).

As one who loves secrets, my pride does not respond well to such a declaration. So, partly as an aid to my humility, God has allowed me to live near Washington, DC. Here, among the members of the church I am privileged to serve, are a number of people who must be rather secretive about the details of their government-related jobs. Sometimes, when talking with one or another of them, my pride and self-importance rises up, and I begin to crave a little insider access. Why don’t they share some cool stuff with me? Can’t they trust me? Can’t they make an exception for their pastor? To their credit, they never satisfy my prideful craving. Usually they don’t even admit they know any secrets. I can behave the same way with God. I implore him to explain some theological mystery, arrogantly assuming that my brain would not be microwaved by exposure to such divine illumination. But in his goodness, wisdom, and mercy, he doesn’t tell me any secrets, either.

How comfortable are you with the secret things of God?…with the difficult to understand?…the paradox?…the apparent contradiction? Are you at peace in the deep end of the pool? –C.J. Mahaney, Perspectives on Election.

Music Monday - Leeland

Leeland just released their new record. There has not been this much hype for a new Christian band in a long long time. You can check it out here (iTunes) or here (Amazon). Something in me doesn't want to jump on the bandwagon quite yet, but I'm sure I'll give in a buy the record sooner or later. From what I have heard in the clips it's pretty amazing stuff for a bunch of guys in their late teens. We shared a flight with them on a recent flight to a festival and they all seemed really cool and down to earth. Hope they read Bob K's latest post to help keep them humble!

Dressing up for Church

I've often heard it say in support of wearing the suit and tie to church, "If you were going to have dinner with the president of the United States you would certainly dress up. Why? Because we want to show respect and reverence for his position and him as a person. How much more should we show the same reverence and respect for our God?"

What do you think? Does this analogy stand up?

Talk to me...

Don't be stupid

Bob Kauflin with a great meditation on Proverbs 12:1.

1. Pray for reproof. That’s right. Ask God to bring people into your life who will point out where you’re making mistakes, sinning, or could do things better.
2. Expect reproof. Be on the lookout for it. I find that when I’m surprised by critical feedback from others, it’s usually because I'm looking for their praise.
3. Ask others for input. That’s why we hand out evaluation forms at the conferences. We read every one of them. They have been invaluable each year for making the next conference better. It’s best to ask people for input when they have time enough to think about it, and are convinced that you really want to hear it.
4. Thank people for reproof. It’s rarely easy to reprove someone else. When a friend approaches me and says they want to share something with me (and I don’t get the feeling it’s encouragement), I want to make sure I thank them for caring enough to give me input, whether I agree with them at the moment or not.
5. Ask questions about reproof. Oftentimes, people don't say everything they're thinking. Ask them to elaborate, expand upon, or fill out what they're saying. It will help you hear it more clearly and respond more humbly.
6. Thank God for reproof. Every critic is a gift from God. God is the one who enables others to overcome their fears and tell us what we need to hear. What an evidence of God’s kindness!

Kyle Lake

Internet Monk goes off... as I believe he well should in this case. From his post:

Decide for yourself if there is anything deplorable in standing over the body of a dead pastor as a way to make points about how God is killing off those who aren’t paying attention to your theological acumen.

Thoughts on Christianity and Libido

This summer my wife and I led a study of younger couples considering marriage. We talked about all different sorts of things that pertain to marriage: Children, money, conflict resolution, in-laws, romance, sex, Biblical roles, love languages, etc. Recently as I was reflecting back on our sessions from the summer I pondered how as Christians we normally present the sexual side of the marriage relationship. In terms of sex, from the Christian perspective, all the seminars I’ve been to, articles and books I’ve read, conversations I’ve had, etc, all seem to point to the fact that generally speaking, men want it more than women do in terms of raw desire. We presented it this way to the couples we were teaching this summer and it seems (from my limited perspective) that this is the message that is consistently taught and lived out in the majority of Christian marriages.

Contrast this reality with a different experience. When we moved to Nashville, I had left the financially comfortable worship leader job back in Iowa and asked my family to embrace the life of a starving artist. I soon figured out that I could starve myself but couldn’t ask my wife and two-year- old to, thus I took a job waiting tables at Applebee’s. Humbling indeed, but very good for me. I probably shared my faith more in those nine months there than I did in the previous nine years. It was a great reminder that we need to intentionally seek out contexts for building relationships with unbelievers. One of the things that I noticed after working there for a few weeks was how much these unbelieving girls that I worked with talked about sex. It certainly wasn’t a helpful thing for a married (or single) man to hear about but it was hard to miss sometimes amidst the close quarters of restaurant work. It was much akin to men’s “locker-room talk”. I’ll spare you the details, but after leading our study this summer it lead me to ask some questions.

Why the stark difference between the two different circles? For sure, the differences in talk about sex between Christians and non-Christians seem to be obvious, but is there something deeper going on? Does one group over the other truly represent God’s ideal for women’s libido? Certainly as Christians we would say that Christian women embody the ideal, but is a lower sex drive in women due to what they have been taught and caught in our Christian culture or is it simply who they are naturally and the women from the restaurant represent the perversion? Here would be some possible questions/conclusions to consider.

From the side of the unbeliever:

1. The girls at the restaurant all came from very broken families. Not one of them that I knew there had a good relationship with their father. Could it be that a lack of a real loving relationship with a father could distort a woman’s longing for genuine affection into something that is abnormal?
2. Could it be that the over-sexed culture that we breathe that presents women as objects for men to consume would be the only option for healthy sexuality that women can choose, thus they have figured out that in this cesspool of perversion it’s either sink or swim when it comes to sexual fulfillment. They either have to be what they think men want or they are left alone and longing for affirmation from men.
3. The girls at the restaurant could have been lying and it’s all just talk for the sake of impressing or fitting in with the cultural picture that they see everyday.

From the side of the Christian:

1. Could there be something in our church culture that subtly encourages women to negatively squash sexual desire? Does all the information that we provide to Christian women before they get married cause them to lean in a certain way?
2. In contrast to the unbelieving women from the restaurant, could it be that Christian women see all the filth and perversion of sexuality in our culture and have sought to swing the other way but maybe too far?
3. I think it would be safe to say that God has intended from creation to, generally speaking, give men and women different levels of sexual desires. If this were not the case we certainly would overpopulate the world.

I don’t assume to know the answers to these questions, maybe the answers can't be known, but I believe that at least it is important to think through these issues. My differing experiences with the two seperate contexts described above has led me to wonder what really is going on. Thoughts?

A side note: Whatever the case may be, I believe that in light of the depressing lies concerning sex that is presented in the culture the church needs to NOT hide or shrink back from these issues, but present a persistent and clear vision of what God glorifying sex is all about. It needs to be taught in the church and caught in the family. Our children will learn about sex, the question is where and from whom are they going to learn it?

Here is a great resource for continued reflection on these matters.

You can click here to see Al Mohler speaking on the topic of sexuality at the New Attitude conference.

Albuquerque

It's now official. The family and I will be moving to Albuquerque, NM in mid-September. I have accepted the worship leader postition at Desert Springs Church. We are very excited about this new opportunity for us. We will miss all our friends in Nashville and we look back on our two years in Music City with much humility and thanksgiving for the opportunities that God provided for us here. We are still trying to sell our house so if you know of anyone who might be interested please let me know!

Chocolate Mary?

Mysticism at the chocolate factory.

Listening

International blogstar, Justin "Tractor Trailer" Taylor, has some great words pertaining to something I am very passionate about, but at times not very good at: Listening. I can attest to the fact that JT is a great listener. He says:

It's quite sad, really, that "listening" has taken on such wimpish connotations. We hear that word and we tend to conjure up images of Mr. Rogers leading a group therapy session while we sit cross-legged in a circle, holding hands and singing Kumbaya! But there's nothing passive or pansy or prettified about the art and task of biblically informed listening. It's serious, active, and aggressive. It's hard work. It's a battle to fight impatience and to take the time to really understand. It takes mental sweat to zero in on the author's intended meaning. It's encouraging to know that even the Apostle Peter found some of Paul's writings "hard to understand" (2 Pet. 3:16). In his great book How to Read a Book Mortimer Alder wrote that you only have a right to criticize someone's work when you restate their arguments in such a way that the author would say: "Yes, you've got it." If you don't do that, you've created a "straw man"--a flimsy representation of the real thing that you can whack away at. But if you want to win the war and not just the little battles, you have to fight against the real deal, and to do so requires a fair amount of work.

To read more of his interview from the New Attitude conference you can click here.

Cessationists vs. Charismatics

Bob Kauflin does a great job keeping the main thing the main thing in his reflection upon this issue.

John Stott on Church Growth

Here's a strategy for church growth that you don't hear about every often in our new "mega-church" church culture. From chapter 11 of John Stott's, The Cross of Christ:

His death (Jesus) reminds us that suffering is the key to church growth, since it is the seed which dies which mutiplies. (John 12:24)... In theory we know very well the paradoxical principle that suffering is the path to glory, death the way to life, and weakness the secret of power. It was for Jesus, and it still is for his followers today. But we are reluctant to apply the principle to mission the Bible does. In the shadowy image of Isaiah's suffering servant, suffering was to be the condition of his success in bringing light and justice to the nations.

When Silence Falls

If you are not singing this song (iTunes) yet at your church, you need to start.

Science and Faith

From Relevant Mag Blog:

Here's an interesting story about Dr. Francis Collins, a devout Christian and head of the federally funded National Human Genome Research. Collins is responsible for groundbreaking research in the field of DNA study and says that science complements his faith. "Science is not threatened by God; it is enhanced. God is most certainly not threatened by science; He made it all possible"

Bono at Willow Creek Church

Bono was recently broadcast to over 70,000 pastors through the efforts of Willow Creek Church's "Leadership Summit". You can read about it here.

Service and Danger from "The Cross of Christ"

I am almost finished with my reading of John Stott's, The Cross of Christ. Here are some notable quotes from my reading today from chapter 11.

As I reflect upon returning to fulltime church work this quote was huge for me today:

Leadership and lordship are two distinct concepts. The symbol of an authentically Christian leader is not the purple robe of an emperor, but the coarse apron of a slave; not a throne of ivory and gold, but a basin of water for the washing of feet.

Do our churches reflect a top-down style of leadership that reflects the world, or do we provide a counter cultural style of leadership in our churches that points to the greatness of humble service that our Savior modeled? I fear it is all too often the former.

Here was another crushing one:

The spirit of James and John lingers on, especially in us who have been cushioned by affluence. It is true that inflation and unemployment have brought to many a new experience of insecurity. Yet we still regard security as our birthright and 'safety first' as a prudent motto. Where is the spirit of adventrue, the sense of the uncalculating solidarity with the underprivileged? Where are the Christians who are prepared to put service before security, compassion before comfort, hardship before ease? Thousands of pioneer Christian tasks are waiting to be done, which challenge our complacency, and which call for risk. Insistence on security is imcompatible with the way of the cross. What daring adventures the incarnation and the atonement were! What a breach of convention and decorum that Almighty God should renouce his privileges in order to take human flesh and bear human sin! Jesus had no security except in his Father. so to follow Jesus is always to accept at least a measure of uncertainity, danger and rejection for his sake.

Iran's President is Straight Nuts

Would it be safe to say that people who think the Holocaust never happened could be put in the same category as those who still think the world is flat? I would say so...

From Wikipedia:

In a December 2005 speech, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that the Holocaust was a "fairy tale" that had been promoted to protect Israel, ramping up his rhetoric and triggering a fresh wave of international denunciation. "They have fabricated a legend under the name 'Massacre of the Jews', and they hold it higher than God himself, religion itself and the prophets themselves," he said. He also called for Israel to be relocated to Germany, or Austria, arguing it was these nations that persecuted the Jews, so they ought to bear the responsibility, not Palestinians forsaking their land to form a nation of Israel. He also suggested relocating Israeli Jews to the United States.

World Trade Center

Christianity Today reviews Oliver Stone's latest film. Everything that I have heard thus far says it's amazing. Here are is a reviews page from Rotten Tomatoes.

"Can't you see you're not making Christianity better, you're just making rock n' roll worse"

Tim Challies gives astute commentary on one of my favorite episodes of King of the Hill.

Quote of the Day

...if I am not confessing sin I am confessing sinlessness. And we know that does not happen.

- Mark Lauterbach

Experiencing Life at the Margins

Here is a very interesting interview with Dr. David Zac Niringiye of Uganda. He is a protégé of evangelical leader John Stott and bishop of Kampala in the Church of Uganda. From the interview:

One of the gravest threats to the North American church is the deception of power—the deception of being at the center. Those at the center tend to think, "The future belongs to us. We are the shapers of tomorrow. The process of gospel transmission, the process of mission—all of it is on our terms, because we are powerful, because we are established. We have a track record of success, after all.

God very often is working most powerfully far from the center. Jesus is crucified outside Jerusalem—outside—with the very cynical sign over his head, "The King of the Jews." Surprise—he is the King of the Jews. "We had hoped … " say the disappointed disciples on the road to Emmaus, but he did not fulfill our criteria. In Acts, we read that the cross-cultural missionary thrust did not begin in Jerusalem. It began in Antioch, on the periphery, the margins. But Jerusalem is not ready for Antioch! In fact, even when they go to Antioch, it's just to check on what's happening.

I have come to the conclusion that the powerful, those at the center, must begin to realize that the future shape of things does not belong to them. The future shape of things is on the periphery. The future shape of things is not in Jerusalem, but outside. It is Nazareth. It is Antioch. If you really want to understand the future of Christianity, go and see what is happening in Asia, Africa, Latin America. It's the periphery—but that's where the action is.

Technology in Worship

Author Quentin Schultze, speaks to this important issue in the online version of By Faith magazine. In it he says:

Young people witness some of the cheesy video and computer "art" in worship and they see it for what it is: kitsch. Stock clip art. Old-fashioned, 19th-century background images under song text: the sun shining on the Cross, running streams, baby faces -- all of the stereotypical images that say, "Christians are crummy artists and naive sentimentalists." To them, such kitsch is like handing out illustrated kids' Bibles to high school students and telling them that these images represent the depth of insight and excellence of the Christian faith.

MuteMath lawsuit officially settled

You can read about it here. Good news for those guys.

A Word from Shaun Groves

I wonder whether words we use in churches like "traditional" and "relevant" and "contemporary" and "emergent" and "accessible" and "upbeat" are really any different in purpose and power from words used on Madison Avenue like "hand-crafted" and "imported" and "value" and "new" and "limited-edition." I wonder if they tell the whole truth about us and whether they attract the kind of "customers" the whole truth would.

Pastors lament the lack of volunteerism and tithing in their church. They don't understand why their people fight about silly things like music preferences or the color of carpet being installed in the new childrens building. And then I go to their web sites and see the story they told to sell their church (and their God) to people. Someone in their marketing department or behind the pulpit is telling the consumer (the member) that the church is a place to be comfortable, have fun and be served, to be cool (relevant) and trendy (cutting edge) and hear music (passionate worship). The consumer believes this story, grabs a seat and enjoys the show while the preschool department pays workers to watch kids since the church member/consumer won't.

Why would she, liar? Her actions are in line with the story you told her. Don't get angry now.

Read the whole thing here.

Bono on NBC

You can click here if you are an iTunes user and download a 1/2 hour video of Brian Williams interviewing Bono. Here is a description:

Bono is world-famous as the frontman for U2. But the rock star is also a tireless campaigner for the poor -- raising money and rallying political support to help the developing countries of Africa battle poverty, disease and crushing debt. On his latest trip to Africa, Bono brought NBC's Brian Williams along for an extraordinary inside look. They travelled together to Nigeria, Mali and Ghana to see firsthand the results of Bono's work, and report back for NBC Nightly News. This exclusive scrapbook of the trip includes extended, previously unreleased interviews conducted by Brian with Bono during their tour of Africa.

Piper on Gossip

Great word from JP concerning this ever present sin in and out of the church. In it he says:

My longing for our church is that we be free from gossip. Let’s be forthright and honest and courageous and humble. Jesus was amazingly blunt at times. Love sometimes sounds like that. He could have easily been accused of callousness or lovelessness. But we know he was the most loving person who ever lived. So let’s follow him in this matter. He died for us so that all the logs and specks in our eyes may be forgiven. That should give us both courage and care in dealing with others. Especially when we realize that the faults of our brothers and sisters have also been forgiven by Jesus.

Driscoll on Style in Ministry

Great video from Mark Driscoll. I really resonate with what he is saying here. Along with my sentiments concerning Mark’s very inspiring words here I believe there are some huge dangers that church leaders need to be aware of and ask themselves if they are succumbing to them.

When I hear a rock star pastor/leader like Mark speak about what God has done through him and his church in Seattle it is very motivating and I find myself quickly saying to myself as an average church leader, “How long until I can get that going at my church?” – I’m sure I’m not alone in this feeling in response to his words.

But here is the kicker: We need to ask ourselves, why is it that Mark has been successful (if you would allow me to use that word in reference to church)? Most people will hear Mark’s words in this video and say it’s due to all the things that he listed: they have super cool music that fits the cultural preferences, the building is all black like the dominate club scene of Seattle, they have art showings that attract the “arty” people of Seattle, etc, etc and the list goes on.

Thus, the logic goes, if I can just figure out what those attractive things are to the majority of the non-Christian culture in my community and then implement those things in my ministry then I can have a great opportunity to win them to Christ. I would say this would be a major mistake.

The problem is that we have not gotten to the root cause for all this success that Mark has seen in his years at Mars Hill church. The root cause is NOT the forms and style of ministry that he has implemented. They certainly play a role, but the dominate issue is God-given gifting and calling and not the forms that they embrace as a church.

Ask yourself this…Why is it that a dorky pastor (term of endearment) like John Piper who doesn’t have a clue about hipster music, (I love these things about him) on Sunday’s wears the one of two different suits that he owns to preach in, couldn’t decorate his church with a cool vibe to save his life, and probably doesn’t even know that there is a professional football team that plays right down the street from his church, has probably over a thousand college students at his church every Sunday? It’s because of his gifting and his personal, Holy Spirit calling and NOT due to his seeking to adapt to the dominant culture that surrounds his church.

For sure understanding the surrounding culture and seeking to adapt to it has a place when thinking about the shape ministries should take, but I feel that in our current church culture the majority of our time is spent on this, as opposed to getting on your knees and asking God what he has gifted YOU to do instead of looking around and seeing “what works” by others who probably have totally different gifts than you. Let gifting dictate your forms instead of trying to force your gifts to make set forms work. Don’t try and be Mark Driscoll!!! Ask God who he wants YOU to be and what style he wants your ministry to take. Do what YOU do best and just because Mark did something based on his giftedness does not mean that you should too.

When I was younger I spent a lot of time going to Willow Creek Church conferences. They were inspiring and gave pastors much to think about for their ministries but there was a downside.
I would be willing to bet that for every wannabe Willow Creek church where the pastor’s went off to one of their conferences and came home and successfully changed everything about their church, there are 10 that failed at it and 10 years later are wondering why Bill Hybels method didn’t seem to work the same for them. Answer: It’s because you are not Bill Hybels and you probably don’t have the God-given gifts that he has.

For sure we all need to be learning and listening to each other, but at the end of the day we need to ask God what he has gifted each of us personally to do that will bring him glory in his church and do that. Don’t think that merely changing all your externals will effect any lasting change. Believe me it won’t.

The implication is that we must know what it is that we do well and maybe more importantly also have the knowledge of what we don’t do well and be humble enough to have people around us that will help us figure it out.

One other thing…

In the video Mark seems to imply that they have found the preferred style of the majority of people in Seattle. Is this really true? Isn’t this a gross over simplification of the preferences of people that live there? Are people there really that homogeneous? I think the answer is “no”. When we assume that our people are homogeneous in this way I think it leads us to form focus and not gift focus in our ministries. Mark would probably say that they have identified a target audience and it’s easier to find the preferences of a certain target group.

Thoughts?

Relating to Sinners - Mark Driscoll

Again, I would say all church leaders needs to consider what Mark has to say here...

Ok Go--"Here It Goes Again"

One of the coolest, funniest and most creative music videos I have ever seen. Not to mention a killer song as well.

Tommy Nelson Health Concerns

Many of your will be familiar with the now famous Song of Solomon teaching series by Tommy Nelson of Denton Bible Church. My wife and I have gained great encouragement personally from his preaching through this book of the Bible and have used this material quite extensively in our training of younger couples.

Sadly, Tommy has recently been afflicted with numerous health problems. Here you can read a letter he wrote to his church updating them on his status. I found his letter very honest and insightful. I would commend it to you.

No Huge Surprise Here

"But Mom, I just listen to the beat!!"

From Relevant Magazine Blog:

Although it isn't all that shocking, recent research has found a direct link in sexually promiscuous behavior and music that contains sexual overtones. The new study found that teens who regularly listen to pop music with sexual content are far more likely to become sexually active.

Church guys, take off the skirt

Anyone who is in any form of church leadership would do well to consider this video clip from Mark Driscoll as a promo for the DGM National Conference. He touches on church planting, leadership in the church and the feminization of our church culture. There is some stuff here in this short clip that I have not considered before and is really making me think about a potential new emphasis in church leadership for the future. Let me know your thoughts.

To my faithful few...

Sorry blogging has been weak as of late. My wife and I have been in Albuquerque, NM all weekend and today checking out a church worship leader job. It looks strong and we are looking forward to hearing what they decide about me on Wednesday after their elders meeting. More on this later...

Blogging will commence tomorrow.

Me Church

If you haven't seen this yet you need to. Funny yet convicting all at the same time.

This is one of the best ones yet...

(HT : Gospel Driven Life)

Evangelicals and The Culture War

Internet Monk, Michael Spencer has an interesting post concerning the increased heat of cultural issues that in some places is often raging into a bon fire. His post is long, and I'm not sure about everything he is saying, but I definately think it is worth the read to help us think through these issues. Here is a excerpt:

The Culture War makes sense to Christians who have little or no idea how to be Christians in this culture except to oppose liberals and fight for a conservative political and social agenda- an agenda often less than completely examined in the light of scripture, reason, tradition and experience. Those evangelicals- like Greg Boyd- who have challenged or broken the identification with the political right can testify to how they are immediately viewed. Dissenting evangelicals are labeled as pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage and pro- Democrat instantly.

Mel Gibson and our essential nature

By now I’m sure that most of you have heard about Mel Gibson’s drunken, anti-Semitic tirade. For certain his apology is necessary and should be noted by those around him who were offended. He has a serious up hill battle on his hands in terms of repairing his public image. In light of this story I would like to ask a few questions and would welcome your response.

Who among us if we were drunk enough would not say some pretty crazy things? If we were chemically enabled would any of us think that some pretty wild stuff would not come out of our mouths?

If we all were honest with ourselves wouldn’t we have to admit that we all probably embrace some sort of racial biases? Not that this is right, but at least can we confess that they are there and need to be battled and corrected?

Who among us has not said things that we don’t mean? Or do we mean it? How do you know the difference?

Married people, I ask you, haven’t all of us said things in anger or frustration to our spouse that later have to be recanted by saying “Honey, I didn’t mean that.” Do our spouses believe us?

Should things that are said in a state that is emotionally heightened or chemically altered define our essential nature as a human? Is this who we “really” are?

Mel Gibson is human like all of us. Does he have issues like all of us that need to be repented of and forgiven? Certainly. Before we turn to all our friends and say, “Can you believe what Mel Gibson did?” maybe we could think though some of these questions and perhaps it would guide us to a more informed Christian response.

Thoughts?


**Here is an interesting update to this post.**

Piper on TV watching

Taken from his interview on FamilyLifeToday, John Piper says:

We haven’t had a television in our house in America for thirty years. And I used to think, “O dear, I’m going to raise these boys and they’re going to be "out of it" and yet I was choosing to take that risk because of mainly time and banality. I wasn’t worried about sex and violence. I mean, who cares about sex and violence? The bible is full of it. I care about the silliness of it all, and dragging the soul down into such small empty insignificant junk that fills that screen everyday. How can anybody have a capacity for glory and greatness and magnificence and chivalry and beauty?

75 percent of obese people say they eat healthy

Piggybacking (pun definately intended) on my recent post on over-eating, here is a story that has some stats on what obese people think about their eating habits.

Why am I dealing with this issue as of late? Probably because I find it interesting, but also because I think it points to larger issues in our American culture of 1) laziness and ease, 2) technological changes making people more sedentary and, 3) the hypocrisy of most of us who would quote "the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit" to those who smoke and drink too much, but would never say that to a to a person who regularly overeats and never exercises.

For sure this issue needs to be dealt with kindness and compassion, but needs to be dealt with none the less. To be fair, there are probably the same amount of people out there who are skinny who eat really bad and never excercise and probably will die of heart failure just as fast as an over-weight person. Genetics play a role certainly play a role as well. Fighting to change your "natural" state usually requires an unbelievable amount of discipline, hard work and perseverance over a long period of time. This is no small task. Those to attempt it need to be commended.

Any thoughts as to why we don't hear about this issue more in the church?

Square Peg Alliance

For more signs of life in CCM... I guess I should not say CCM since most of these guys would shun the label or have been shuned by the industry, anway...

Check out the artists at The Square Peg Alliance for something different musically than what you would usually hear from Christian musicians on the radio. I think you will dig it.

Here is how they describe themselves:

The Square Peg Alliance is a group of singer/songwriters who really like each other. We have all been doing music on our own but have decided to join forces like the wonder twins - except there are 13 of us instead of 2. There is no guy in a suit putting all of us together. We really just believe in each other's art and want to support it.

We don't write music so we can be the next big thing (or if we do, it hasn't worked for us). We believe that there are folks out there who like music even if it isn't played every three minutes on the radio, even if it isn't on a big label, even if it isn't accompanied by a music video, even if the shows aren't flashy or even if the records don't go platinum (or gold, or silver, or aluminum foil, etc.).

That is why we are the Square Peg Alliance. Thirteen artists who might not fit perfectly into the traditional mold of the music business, but have found a home with each other.

Was Jesus Republican?

Looks like everyone's favorites open theist, Greg Boyd, is rustling some feathers in an area other than the realm of God's foreknowledge. Theological issues aside, I would have say that I probably lean towards his side on this one.

I really don't pay much attention to politics. You can read why here. I should probably pay more attention to it, but in light of our current state in America is seems rather pointless. If you disagree I would welcome your insights as to why.

Speaking on behalf of the vacationing JT on Between Two Worlds, Greg Gilbert says:

I tried to find one choice excerpt which could substitute for the whole, but there really isn’t one. So you should go read the whole article. Honestly, I think Boyd makes some important points, and ones that aren’t straw-men. For instance, I know first-hand of churches which have had Fourth of July services complete with pictures of F-14s and Jesus looking up adoringly at the American flag. That stuff really happens, and I think Boyd is right to point out the foolishness and error of all that.

But I also don’t think that’s what the New York Times finds so endearing about him, either. What makes him newsworthy is that Boyd and others (like Brian McLaren, who’s also quoted in the article) are taking issues like abortion and marriage, slapping the label “Republican” on them, and then saying that Christians shouldn’t speak to those things because Christians shouldn’t talk about politics.

Let me say as clearly as I can that the pulpit should never, ever be turned into a rostrum for political stump speeches. That’s shameful. The pulpit is meant for the exposition of Scripture, plain and simple. But if I’m expositing, for instance, Psalm 139, it’s not “conservative politics” for me to preach about the evil of abortion. If I’m expositing Genesis 1 and 2, it’s not “Republican” for me to preach about the institution of marriage. It’s simply faithful exposition.

Life and Marriage have been swept up into our national politics in the last thirty years. Both of them are undeniably “political issues” now. But long before they became that, they were issues about which God spoke to us in Scripture, and that doesn’t change just because the nation has developed an interest in them. It’s true that the church should never become just a wing of any political party. But the church has to speak where Scripture speaks, and Scripture most definitely speaks about abortion and marriage. Whether one political party or another decides to agree with us is beside the point.