Satan Vs. Church Leaders

Jonathan Leeman reports:

Southern Seminary professor Church Lawless imagines what he would do if he were Satan, trying to ensnare pastors and church leaders. The whole article is here, but his seven basic points are

First, I would attack those who are most gifted . . . by reminding them that they are gifted.

Second, I would encourage leaders to talk about accountability . . . but not be personally accountable to anyone.

Third, I would challenge leaders to emphasize spiritual disciplines . . . but only for others.

Fourth, I would focus the leader’s attention on tomorrow . . . rather than today.

Fifth, I would encourage ministry by e-mail . . . especially with those of the opposite gender.

Sixth, I would not hinder ministry success . . . as long as “success” results in few changed lives.

Seventh, I would stress failure . . . and then lead the church to do the same.

What Does It Mean To Me?

Parchment and Pen has a great article here dealing with how we learn to interpret the Bible.

Talk about Sex in Church?

Dan Edelen has a good post on his blog today called, "Let's Talk About Sex - Or Not".

I am all for talking about sex in church. Where else should we talk about it that would be more helpful and God-centered? Does that mean we need to do a sermon series on it? Maybe, maybe not. That depends on a whole host of factors. The point though is that that we have to be tearing down the idols of our culture with the truths of God's word and I think the church is the place to equip people to do that.

A Stepford God

If you don't trust the Bible enough to let it challenge and correct your thinking, how could you ever have a personal relationship with God? In any truly personal relationship, the other person has to be able to contradict you. For example, if a wife is not allowed to contradict her husband, they won't have an intimate relationship. Remember the (two!) movies The Stepford Wives? The husbands of Stepford, Connecticut, decide to have their wives turned into robots who never cross the wills of their husbands. A Stepford wife was wonderfully compliant and beautiful, but no one would describe such a marriage as intimate or personal. Now, what happens if you eliminate anything from the Bible that offends your sensibility and crosses your will? If you pick and choose what you want to believe and reject the rest, how will you ever have a God who can contradict you? You won't! You'll have a Stepford God! A God, essentially, of your own making, and not a God with whom you can have a relationship and genuine interaction. Only if your God can say things that outrage you and make you struggle (as in a real friendship or marriage!) will you know that you have gotten hold of a real God and not a figment of your imagination. So an authoritative Bible is not the enemy of a personal relationship with God. It is the precondition for it.

Tim Keller—The Reason for God, pages 113-114

(HT: Josh Harris)

Kimball on "Why We're Not Emergent"

Dan Kimball:

There is a new book out called "Why We're Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be". With the books or blogs so far that have been written from an anti-emerging or anti-emerging church perspective, many of them (but not all) are unfortunately somewhat extremist and highly over-the-top in what they report on. I am often amazed at the hyper-caricatures made based on a sentence or two from someone's writing and then an unfortunate very large broadbrush is applied to everyone who has anything to do with the emerging and emergent churches. However, out of all the critical books on the emerging or emergent church, this is probably the most balanced of all of them I have read with their tone being more gentle and they didn't just focusing on one or two people for all of their conclusions. They do say some pretty negative or maybe a better word is cautionary things about me in it and things I have written (which I will address sometime later).

Read the whole thing.

Loving Enemies

Jesus' commands seen in action... Check it out here.

(HT: DGM Blog)

Ben Stein Talking About The Movie "Expelled" With R.C. Sproul

This is a very interesting conversation and take careful note of many of the points that these gentlemen purport for us. These ideas and questions need to continue to be pressed forward in the public sphere. As you do this keep in mind that all of this does not get us to the gospel. Simply admitting that there is a designer does not get us to Jesus, nor does it even get us to Christianity on the whole.

Romans 1 already shows us that we all know the truth, (like the Pharisees did after Jesus rose from the grave) but the problem is that we hate it. We know just enough to see the implications and suppress it.

Remember that even if you can back someone into a logical corner and show them that the reality of God is true, it doesn't mean they will repent and seek Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. It might be a good first step, but as we interact may we need to keep further steps in mind.

The Internet Effect on News - Very Interesting

Tim Challies reports:

I say, without any hyperbole, that this article from TIME may be the most important you read today. In it Michael Scherer explains how news has become commoditized through the internet.

Here is a basic shift that has occurred in the news business: Because of the Internet, you, the reader, no longer have to buy information in pre-fabricated packages like “newspapers.” You can just go online and individually select the articles you want to read. And there are lots of websites and blogs to help you out. Every day, Matt Drudge, the Huffington Post, Yahoo, Google, Swampland, or a hundred other different bloggers, will pre-select articles for you and provide links. You choose your own adventure.

There is a corollary effect here: As the value of the package declines, the value of the individual article increases. Online, news organizations charge advertisers based on the number of hits they can get on a site. And since the hits are often coming for specific stories, and not the entire site, a blockbuster story that gets linked to, say, Drudge, is money in the bank.

This means that the competition on the level of the individual story is more intense than ever before, and there is enormous pressure to distinguish yourself from the pack. Assume, for instance, that 12 news organizations do the same story on the same day about how Hillary Clinton has a tough road ahead of her to get the nomination. Which story is going to get the most links and therefore the most readers? Is it the one that cautiously weighs the pros and cons, and presents a nuanced view of her chances? Or is it the one that says she is toast, and anyone who thinks different is living on another planet?

The author explains that, as we rely more on isolated headlines and less on the total package, we become enamored with flashy headlines and stories that are fast and provocative rather than methodical and accurate. “This trend towards story-by-story competition, and away from package-by-package competition, is a blessing and a curse. It is forcing better writing, quicker responsiveness, and it is increasing the value of actual news-making and clear-eyed thinking. But it is also increasing pressure on reporters to push the boundaries of provocation. I am not sure that the Politico story crossed any boundaries, or distorted the truth. I do believe that what Allen and VandeHei did is very much the future of news.”

This is something that we, as Christians, need to consider and consider well. Of all people we are the ones who should value truth above speed or controversy. We should be people who do not allow what’s controversial and provocative to titillate us, even while many of the facts may be wrong. I’ve seen this tendency in my own heart and at times even on my own blog.

John Mayer Points To His Insecurity And To His Need For The Gospel

John Mayer has a moving, self-reflective post on his blog today. This type of thing is rare to read from a celebrity of his status. His ability to be honest about himself is probably one of the reasons why he is such a great artist. After reading it I was moved to thankfulness for the truths of the gospel that bring such security and peace. Here are some of those promises:

- Romans 8:31 - What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

- Romans 8:35-39 - Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

- Luke 12:4-7 - I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. 5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.

This Is Jacked Up

(HT: CCS)

Isaiah 53

A great example of gospel-centered creativity. Very cool.



(HT: B-Lo)

Fanatics?

"The idea of being on fire for Christ will strike some people as dangerous emotionalism. 'Surely,' they will say, 'we are not meant to go to extremes? You are not asking us to become hot-gospel fanatics?' Well, wait a minute. It depends what you mean. If by 'fanaticism' you really mean 'wholeheartedness' then Christianity is a fanatical religion and every Christian should be a fanatic. But fanaticism is not wholeheartedness, nor is wholeheartedness fanaticism. Fanaticism is an unreasoning and unintelligent wholeheartedness. It is the running away of the heart with the head. At the end of a statement prepared for a conference on science, philosophy and religion at Princeton University in 1940 came these words: 'Commitment without reflection is fanaticism in action; but reflection without commitment is the paralysis of all action.' What Jesus Christ desires and deserves is the reflection which leads to commitment and the commitment which is born of reflection. This is the meaning of wholeheartedness, of being aflame for God."

John R. W. Stott, What Christ Thinks of the Church, pages 116-117.

(HT: Ray Ortlund)

R.C.'s Top 10

Christians in Context gives a top 10 list of R.C. Sproul quotes. Here is my favorite:

2. And I say to the humanist with all cynicism, if I come from nothing, if I’m going to nothing, I am nothing, and why should I care who sits on the front of the bus or on the back of the bus? What do I care if its white germs or black germs that have rights in this world?

Read the rest here.

The Leniency of Excommunication

John Piper writes:

The worst discipline that the church is authorized to render toward it’s worst offender is excommunication.

And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. (Matthew 18:17)

This means he is not welcome to be a member of the church, nor to partake of the Lord’s supper. It means that Christians love him, not as a brother, but the way Jesus loved sinners. He lay down his life for them, but welcomed them into his band of disciples only if they took up their cross and followed him (Luke (9:23).

Whether this seems harsh depends on what you compare it with. In the Old Testament (God’s law for the earthly government he prescribed for Israel) the penalty was not excommunication but death.

If your brother . . . entices you secretly, saying, “Let us go and serve other gods,” . . . you shall kill him. Your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. (Deuteronomy 13:6-9)

So it is helpful to think of church discipline as a gigantic step of leniency. We don't kill anyone for “serving other gods.” We simply say: “If you do that, you are not part of us. But we will still lay down our lives for you."

In fact, it may be helpful to remember that in the beginning all sin was a capital crime.

In the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. (Genesis 2:17)

From that time to this, God has been lenient. It would be good to ask ourselves, “Do you not know that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance” (Romans 2:4)?

AD on iTunes

This just in from iTunes: All three seasons of Arrested Development are now avaliable. Check it out!

I've said it before, but this is probably the funniest and most creative TV show of all time.

Not A Christian After All

ChristianToday.com reports:

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev made clear this past weekend that he is an atheist after European news agencies last week claimed that he had confirmed his Christian faith during a visit to the tomb of St Francis of Assisi in Italy.

Gorbachev, the last communist leader of the Soviet Union, confronted speculations that he had been a closeted Christian during an interview with the Russian news agency Interfax.

"Over the last few days some media have been disseminating fantasies – I can't use any other word – about my secret Catholicism, citing my visit to the Sacro Convento friary, where the remains of St. Francis of Assisi lie," Gorbachev said, according to an Interfax article posted Friday.

"To sum up and avoid any misunderstandings, let me say that I have been and remain an atheist,” he stated.

(HT: Jared)

Clarus

Click here for information about an exciting new event coming up at our church May 2-4. If you are in the Albuquerque area you won't want to miss this. But even if you are not in the area, why not travel?

If You Like March Madness You'll Find This Creative Reporting Pretty Funny

(HT: Relevant)

Emmett Louis Till

John Armstrong reports on the sad story of Emmett Louis Till. Read about it here.

Piper at Text and Context

I just finished listening to John Piper's message at the Resurgence Text and Context conference. This message is a must hear for pastors and church leaders. You can find it here.

Bully

The NY Times has a very sad story here called, A Boy the Bullies Love to Beat Up, Repeatedly.

Public school or not, as a parent of three little ones, I know I will have to deal with this type of thing at some point.

I pray that my kids would know and be secure in the love of God. May they not fear man, for what can man do to us? May they only fear the One who is worthy to be feared: God alone. May their confidence be in the truth of God's word concerning themselves and not what some horribly insecure kid says to them on the playground. May they have the confidence to stand up for what it right and the courage to support those who are oppressed and abused. May they defend the weak and be clothed with mercy for the marginalized. May they know that no matter what their Mom and Dad loves them and their home will always be a place of security and refuge.

Owen Strachan has a good commentary on this article here. He writes:

We should remember, perhaps, our own histories, and run our minds over our own scars. As parents, we should be prepared to stand up with great force and courage for our children. I'm thankful that my own parents were always there for me. We've got to teach our children to defend themselves, even as we teach them to, when possible, suffer reproach for the gospel. Most of all, we need simply to think--to think about our children's souls and the way they will be shaped by the childhood years in which we shepherd them. Education is important, after all, but at what price does it come?

Not Enough Hours In The Day To Be Excellent

So many aspects of ministry demand excellence, and there are not enough hours in the day to be excellent in all of them. When I was a young man, I heard D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones comment that he would not go across the street to hear himself preach. Now that I am close to the age he was when I heard him, I am beginning to understand. It is rare for me to finish a sermon without feeling somewhere between slightly discouraged and moderately depressed that I have not preached with more unction, that I have not articulated these glorious truths more powerfully and with greater insight, and so forth. But I cannot allow that to drive me to despair; rather, it must drive me to a greater grasp of the simple and profound truth that we preach and visit and serve under the gospel of grace, and God accepts us because of his Son. I must learn to accept myself not because of my putative successes but because of the merits of God’s Son. The ministry is so open-ended that one never feels that all possible work has been done, or done as well as one might like. There are always more people to visit, more studying to be done, more preparation to do. What Christians must do, what Christian leaders must do, is constantly remember that we serve our God and Maker and Redeemer under the gospel of grace.

-D.A. Carson, Memoirs Of An Ordinary Pastor, p. 92,93

(HT: Biblical Theology)

Easter Set

Here are the songs that we sang on Easter Sunday. I tried to have us sing songs that emphasized Christ's resurrection, but also our resurrection that is promised as result of his rising (Col. 2:12).

Here is the set (all links are iTunes):

1. Christ the Lord is Risen Today - Of course

2. When I Think About The Lord - It has the line "how he saved us, how he raised us"

3. Everlasting God - Jesus shows that he is everlasting first and foremost because of his resurrection

4. Jesus Paid it All - In this new version from Passion, there is an added chorus that says "Praise the one who paid my debt and raised this life up from the dead"

5. In Christ Alone - Has the powerful line, "There in the ground his body lay, light of the world by darkness slain, then bursting forth in glorious day, up from the grave he rose again."

6. Before the Throne of God Above - This new arrangement from Shane and Shane (which I love) has a new added chorus that says, "Hallelujah, hallelujah, praise the One, risen Son of God!"

Quietly

Here is a great new song that you might want to check out. Quietly, by Daniel Renstrom.

In Christ Alone - Modern Hymns of Worship

I want to officially announce the death of what Mark Driscoll calls, "Prom Songs For Jesus". You know the songs, "I love your grace and your face, in this place, as I run the race, blah, blah, blah." See I just wrote one right there. You know the ones. Like the ones that God, "laid on my heart" after I learned my first three chords on the guitar and I was overflowing with songwriting genius. Yeah, those lasted a LONG time. I don't mean to be overly cynical. Forgive me. I know this type of music in the church is not all the way dead, but it's certainly almost there.

The reason I say that these types of songs are almost dead (as most of them should be) is that record labels are beginning to put money behind more songs with theological substance as evidenced by this record.

Recently I was referred to this record from Tim Challies' blog, so I bought it. I am in the business of knowing about good music for the church so it caught my attention.

This record features Bethany Dillon and Matt Hammet (lead singer for the Christian band, Sanctus Real). They are both very solid singers that proves to be the case with this recording. It features songs that would be called "modern" hymns (having been written in the last 1o years or so) and the content is theologically rich which should stir our hearts with authentic affections for God. The musical arrangements are very inventive and interesting. Some of them I dig and some of them I don't really prefer, but it's certainly worth the listen.

I think my favorite is "On The Third Day". I'm sure I'll be using this song next year for Easter.

Give this record a shot. I'm sure you'll be encouraged as you listen.

A Clean Shot

This is exactly what we need. A cool rock song accompanied by a music video with amazing muppet-like puppets. Yes!

The Myriad - “A Clean Shot”



(HT: Brody)

A Message on Money from Proverbs

My teaching pastor, Ryan Kelly, preached a great message last week on money from the book of Proverbs. This message desperately needs to be heard for all of us who live in such a materialistic culture. You can listen by clicking here or save as by right clicking.

Happy Easter!

Dealing With Hurtful Words

Carl Trueman writes well here on the power of people's words vs. God's word:

In other words, others might tell me I am a failure, an idiot, a clown, evil, incompetent, vicious, dangerous, pathetic etc., and these words are not just descriptive: they have a certain power to make me these things, in the eyes of others and even in my own eyes, as self-doubt creeps in and the Devil whispers in my ear. But the greatness of Luther’s Protestantism lies in this: God’s speaks louder, and his word is more powerful. You may call me a liar, and you speak truth, for I have lied; but if God declares me righteous, then my lies and your insult are not the final word, nor the most powerful word. I have peace in my soul because God’s word is real reality. That’s why I need to read the Bible each day, to hear the word preached each week, to come to God in prayer, and to hear words of grace from other brothers and sisters as I seek to speak the same to them. Only as God speaks his word to me, and as I hear that word in faith, is my reality transformed and do the insults of others, of my own sinful nature, and of the evil one himself, cease to constitute my reality. The words of my enemies, external and internal, might be powerful for a moment, like a firework exploding against the night sky; but the Word of the Lord is stronger, brighter, and lasts forever.

Read the whole article.

Easter Resurrection

(HT: Pastor JD)

I Just Wanted To Impress My Girlfriend

And today's award for the dumbest idea in the world goes to these guys.

It's Friday, but Sunday's Comin'

A Good Friday Meditation

John Piper's Good Friday meditation:

Why did God create the universe and why is he governing it the way he is? What is God achieving? Is Jesus Christ a means to this achievement or the end of the achievement?

Jesus Christ is the supreme revelation of God. He is God in human form. As such he is the end not a means. The manifestation of the glory of God is the meaning of the universe. This is what God is achieving. The heavens and the history of the world are "telling the glory of God."

But Jesus Christ was sent to accomplish something that needed doing. He came to remedy the fall. He came to rescue sinners from inevitable destruction because of their sin. These rescued ones will see and savor and display the glory of God with everlasting joy. Others will continue to heap scorn on the glory of God. So Jesus Christ is the means to what God meant to achieve in the manifestation of his glory for the enjoyment of his people.

But in that accomplishment on the cross, as he died for sinners, Christ revealed the love and righteousness of the Father supremely. This was the apex of the revelation of the glory of God—the glory of his grace. Therefore, in the very moment of his perfect act as the means of God's purpose, Jesus became the end of that purpose. He became, in his dying in the place of sinners and his resurrection for their life, the central and supreme revelation of the glory of God.

Christ crucified is therefore both the means and the end of God's purpose in the universe. Without his work, that end to reveal the fullness of the glory of God for the enjoyment of God's people would not have happened. And in that very means-work he became the end—the one who forever and ever will be the focus of our worship as we spend eternity seeing and savoring more and more of what he revealed of God when he became a curse for us. Jesus is the end for which the universe was made, and the means that makes that end possible to enjoy.

I Miss the 80's

The more you watch this video the better it gets. I could write a 10 page essay breaking it down, but for your sake, I won't. It doesn't get much better than this.

Not My Will

In the first garden "Not your will but mine" changed Paradise to desert and brought man from Eden to Gethsemane. Now "Not my will but yours" brings anguish to the man who prays it but transforms the desert into the kingdom and brings man from Gethsemane to the gates of glory.

D.A. Carson - The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Matthew, vol 2, p 545.

(HT: Steve)

Communist Christian

Mikhail Gorbachev admits he is a Christian. Read about it here.

Ben Witherington comments:

"I'll believe Jesus rose from the dead," said the angry Communist, " when the atheist leader of the Soviet Union becomes a Christian." These remarks, of course were typical during the years of the Soviet Empire and the Iron Curtain. Teenagers in America today hardly realize what a remarkable change has happened in Russia since the early 90s. Indeed it is nothing short of miraculous, and I have had the privilege of observing this first hand while teaching from time to time in Moscow.

And now comes this story about which I can only rejoice. Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Premier of the Soviet Union and the man whom President Ronald Reagan implored "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall" when he was in Berlin is now openly testifying that he is a Christian.

Food Court Musical

(HT: Brody)

Unlimited Music

Exciting music news on the horizon from iTunes.

(HT: Relevant) - I got to ask: Relevant to who? Just curious...

Tim Keller at Google

(HT: Steve)

New Church Music

Tim Challies points to some new music that looks really promising for use in the church.

Obama's Race Speech

There is a lot of hype going on right now about this. If you have not seen it, here it is:

Most Embarrassing

Bob Kauflin shares some most embarrassing worship leader moments.


Here is mine:

About 7 or 8 years ago I was on stage leading worship with my guitar and wearing my killer Garth Brooks headset mic (that is embarrassing enough). Usually these mics are wireless, but this one was not. I was hardwired to the microphone input in the floor, but I had enough slack to move. After we finished the last song, our pastor came up to pray before his message. I set my guitar to the side and went to sit down by my wife in the 3rd row. Unfortunately, I forgot to unplug my mic. Before I could reach my wife I was violently jerked back and about landed in the lap of Steve Alford (who was at the time the basketball coach for the University of Iowa) who was seating near the front. In the process the cord that was still attached knocked over a music stand with a loud crash and then our pastor proceeded to make fun of me as I attempted to loosen myself from the clutches of that stupid headset mic. I guess that's what I get for wearing that cheesy thing.

This Is Very Interesting

Test your awareness:



(HT: Brad)

Spiderman Lives At My House

Some of you might think I am an abusive father to let my kid do this, but oh well... I thought it was pretty funny so I captured it on tape.

Gone Baby Gone

On a recent recommendation, my wife and I watched the movie, Gone Baby Gone.

This is probably one of the best (and disturbing) movies I have seen in a long time. Here is the plot summary:

When 4 year old Amanda McCready disappears from her home and the police make little headway in solving the case, the girl's aunt Beatrice McCready hires two private detectives Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro. The detective freely admit that they have little experience with this type of case, but the family wants them for two reasons - they're not cops and they know the tough neighborhood in which they all live. As the case progresses, Kenzie and Gennaro face drug dealers, gangs and pedophiles. When they finally solve the case, they are faced with a moral dilemma that tears them apart.

My first thought was, "How do we make sense of this movie from a Christian perspective?" I would encourage you to watch it and see what you think. This would be a great movie to watch with an unbeliever and then talk about ethics, morals and what is the meaning of justice afterward the viewing. This movie will force you to deal with extremely hard questions, but they desperately need to be thought through.

There are tons of F bombs in this movie and extremely dark subject matter, so be forewarned. This being the case, I think we have to confront these issues and think through them from the perspective of a Christian worldview if we are to have meaningful interaction with a world that actually deals with this issues.

If you have seen it, let me know what you thought of it.

Staggering Evil in Judas

John Piper writing today for the DGM blog:

Judas left the fellowship of the twelve apostles after the anointing in Bethany and arranged to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14-15). But when they met again at the last supper, there he was! Near enough to dip in the Savior's cup.

When our family read this for devotions last night I was angry at the absolute wickedness of Judas coming back to eat Passover with the one he had just sold. I said to my daughter, evidently with more emotion than she was used to, "That is utterly wicked!" She said, "What is so wicked?" I said: "What if I went out tonight and arranged for a cruel man to kill you on the way to school tomorrow morning? That would be horrible. But then would it not wicked to high heaven if I came home, after arranging for your murder, and had devotions with you and prayed with you?" She was shaken.

Small wonder that Jesus said, "It would have been better for that man if he had not been born" (Matthew 26:24). Let us be shaken this week, again and again.

Don't Replace The Substitute

T-Wax with a great post on how to share the gospel, called "Don't Replace the Substitute".

10 Ideas

Here is an interesting piece from Time.com called, "10 Ideas That Are Changing The World".

The Real St. Patrick

Ted Olsen:

'Tis the season for parades, green beer, shamrocks, and articles talking about why St. Patrick's day isn't all about parades, green beer, and shamrocks.

First, a few misconceptions about Patrick:

Patrick isn't really a Saint with a capital S, having never been officially canonized by Rome. And Patrick couldn't have driven the snakes out of Ireland because there were never any snakes there to begin with. He wasn't even the first evangelist to Ireland (Palladius had been sent in 431, about five years before Patrick went). Patrick isn't even Irish. He's from what's now Dumbarton, Scotland (just northwest of Glasgow).

Patrick was 16 years old in about the year 405, when he was captured in a raid and became a slave in what was still radically pagan Ireland. Far from home, he clung to the religion he had ignored as a teenager. Even though his grandfather had been a priest, and his father a town councilor, Patrick "knew not the true God." But forced to tend his master's sheep in Ireland, he spent his six years of bondage mainly in prayer. He escaped at the suggestion of a dream and returned home.

Patrick was in his mid-40s when he returned to Ireland. Palladius had not been very successful in his mission, and the returning former slave replaced him. Intimately familiar with the Irish clan system (his former master, Milchu, had been a chieftain), Patrick's strategy was to convert chiefs first, who would then convert their clans through their influence. Reportedly, Milchu was one of his earliest converts.

Though he was not solely responsible for converting the island, Patrick was quite successful. He made missionary journeys all over Ireland, and it soon became known as one of Europe's Christian centers. This, of course, was very important to fifth-century Christians, for whom Ireland was one of the "ends of the earth."

In Honor Of Today - March 17th

In honor of St. Patrick's day, go buy this book. I heard it's amazing. My Dad says so.

Oil Money Feeds Muslim Missions

Dan Edelen reports:

Today in church, we had a visiting evangelist from Ghana in Africa. He regularly comes to our church because we help his missions organization minister in the countries of Liberia, Ghana, and Togo. He’s a gentle, self-effacing, native-born African who always has a powerful word to speak to us Americans, especially how we must bring Jesus to Africans and also address their extreme poverty.

As I listened to him speak, he drove home a truth that can’t be ignored. And while I already knew of the situation he detailed, I never saw how critical it was until yesterday morning.

Islam continues to swallow the northern half of Africa, with more and more countries becoming majority/exclusively Muslim each year. Part of the reason for Islam’s growth in Africa is that “evangelists” for Islam have learned what Christian missionaries knew for years: people are more willing to embrace your message if you help meet their physical needs.

To this end, Muslims are building schools, hospitals, wells, orphanages, electrical generators, and mosques at record pace. And they’re doing so backed by the money we pay for oil. With a barrel of oil over $100, it doesn’t take a genius to see where this is heading. The Saudis funnel massive amounts of money to Islamic “missions” programs, and the leaders of those programs go into villages loaded full of cash they lavishly spend to help poor people out of crippling poverty.

This evangelist told us that this is a very difficult issue to overcome, especially when Christians cannot muster the same outpouring of largess. Worse, he told us that many projects by a number of Christian ministries in his area have stalled due to a lack of funds.

Read the rest here.

Narrow Gospel vs. Kingdom Gospel

The "fundamentalist" may conceive of the significance of Christianity more narrowly in terms of the salvation of the "soul". Too often he may fail to consider adequately the effect of redemption on the total life-style of man in the context of an all-embracive covenant. That view results frequently in a by-passing of the responsibility of redeemed man to carry forward the implications of his salvation into the world of economics, politics, business, and culture.

The total life-involvement of the covenant relationship provides the framework for considering the connection between the "great commission" and the "cultural mandate". Entrance into God's kingdom may occur only by repentance and faith, which requires the preaching of the gospel. This "gospel", however, must not be conceived of in the narrowest possible terms. It is the gospel of the "kingdom." It involves discipling men to Jesus Christ. Integral to that discipling process is the awakening of an awareness of the obligations of man to the totality of God's creation. Redeemed man, remade in the God's image, must fulfill - even spurass - the role originally determinded for the first man. In such a manner, the mandate to preach the gospel and the mandate to form a culture glorifying to God merge with one another.

-O. Palmer Robertson, The Christ of the Covenants, p. 82, 83

Matt Nathanson - Car Crash

Great song. Great Singer. Cool video.

Thanks Brody.

Lost - A Theme Song?

I thought this was pretty funny. Only a child of the 80's like me would get it.

...if you’re a fan you no doubt have noticed that Lost has no credit sequence or theme song. We wanted the song to be in the mold of a cheesy late 80’s action series and decided that the lyrics should not be about the specific plot points but rather about the general themes of the show: mystery, love, friendship, etc.

(HT: Relevant Mag)

Horton Hears A Who - Reviews

Horton Hears A Who (watch trailer here) is getting great reviews. Here is one from Christianity Today. The review concludes with:

Horton Hears a Who! is sure to be a zany and delightful romp for children. But it has the added benefit, thanks to Dr. Seuss' deceptive simplicity, of being a conversation starter about deeper topics like the innate value in each and every one of us, the need for persistence in doing the right thing no matter the odds, and, for the Christian parent, a metaphor for faith itself.

Here is another page of reviews from Rotten Tomatoes.

I can't wait to see this with my family.

Shai Linne - The Atonement

I like Hip-Hop. Kanye West, Common, etc. I am not huge into it, but have always liked groove oriented music. Ever since I was a kid I have had these leanings (it makes sense since I grew up on the hard streets of Cedar Falls, IA... duh).

Christian music has never really had much of a significant presence with Hip-Hop. The Christian market just can't sustain it. Unless it sounds like Casting Crowns it's just not going to sell. Sad, but true when it comes to mainstream Christian music.

With that in mind you probably will never hear about this CD unless I tell you about or you read about it on other blogs, or grassroots forms. Shai Linne's - The Atonement (iTunes) is really good. I am no Hip-Hop connoisseur, but I know that I like it a lot. This guy has a great voice, creative rhymes, funky samples, cool beats and good production. Throw in a few John Piper and C.J. Mahaney sermon samples. What more do you need?

This is actually Reformed theology in the coolest package you could ever imagine. Ever heard a Hip-Hop song on Limited Atonement? Yeah, I didn't think so. This recording has it. It's really good.

One of the coolest songs is called, Atonement Q & A. It's basically a Reformed catechism in Hip-Hop form. My kids will listen to this and probably memorize it and not even know it. If anything, buy this song and listen to it over and over to let the truth soak into your soul.

This is great stuff. I am very impressed. I hope you check it out.

Here is more info on Shai Linne.

Here is a review by Tony Reinke.

The Lightlings

Here is a review of R.C. Sproul's children's book called, The Lightlings. The reviewer writes:

I think the biggest fret of every [concerned Christian] parent is how to impart the truth to our kids. Well I can say that R.C. Sproul and Reformation Trust have given us an excellent tool in helping us achieve this very goal.

The Lightlings, by R.C. Sproul (illustrated by Justin Gerard)

Read the whole review here.

Humility

Here is a great post from John Piper called, 6 Aspects of Humility.  

Overcoming The Fear Of Man

I just finished listening to a GREAT message by C.J. Mahaney entitled, "Overcoming the Fear of Man". I would recommend it highly. You can download it for free here.

Adoption as Ministry

J.D. Greear reports:

I've included below a letter that one of our college pastors, Trevor Atwood, sent back from Ethiopia. He and Keva are adopting their second son from there, and his letters have been so moving to me I wanted to share them with you. Adoption is a fantastic ministry, where you really (as you'll see) can make an unbelievable difference in the life of someone. And it's one of the clearest displays of the Gospel that I can think of. Talk about doing international missions right in your own home! Enjoy...

Today was good day.

Giant breakthrough.

Isaac began to live up to his name "He Laughs". his middle (ethiopian) name means "he has seen many things". We had definitely seen this side of him. But today, his new name came shining through.

We canceled all of our plans today to just stay here at the house with Isaac. This morning, Isaac screamed for an hour. We are trying not to 'give in' very much, because a lot of his demeanor has to do with the fact that he was spoiled with so many caregivers at the foster home. We also don't want him to keep pushing me away, so we are trying to show him that you don't get Momma without Daddy, we are a package deal. anyway, he screamed for an hour before lunch, and before coming downstairs for dinner.

BUT, things changed...drastically. Of course, he really straightens up at lunch. This boy LOVES to eat (and his fat rolls testify to the fact). He also loves animals (so he is pretty much the bizarro Micah). SO lunchtime he is smiling and eating an adult size plate of spaghetti, then wanting more. He can drink straight out of man-size glass (going to have to tudor Micah in that area). Anyway, I left right after lunch to make some of our return travel arrangements, and when I got back, Keva told me he had been walking, playing with a ball, and sitting and playing by himself (most of the time if he is not glued to Keva, he is crying). SO, I missed that one.

Then, back to screaming later. For an hour. And believe you me, this dude has some serious pipes. It is quite the shriek. He finally settles down, we come downstairs and the REAL Isaac comes out to play. He played with me, he actually played with me. We played with some toys, he loved peek-a-boo, and throwing paper in the floor for me to pick up. He would also bonk me on the head and watch me fall over. Then he wanted to climb the stairs, on his own feet. We held his hands and walked him up and down 3 flights of stairs. Then we had dinner and he did more playing and chattering than eating (which is big for him). He went to bed with a short objection but fell immediately asleep.

So, end of the day...we made serious progress today, got some smiles on camera, and verified that his chubby legs actually work for standing and walking.

Tomorrow, we visit some of the older kids orphanages. Keep praying for us. God is working. Here is an excerpt from an email I sent earlier. some of the info is repeat, but I didn't want to rewrite, just cut and pasted.

I am learning a lot about how i treat God. with Isaac crying, screaming, pushing me away, not understaning my love...it is hard. I told him today the joy he is missing in playing with me while he screams and tries to get rid of me because he thinks something else will satisfy him, take care of him, calm him. Then this afternoon...BREAKTHROUGH. He began to play with me, laugh with me, enjoy me. I was overwhelmed with joy. WHY? Because my son was enjoying me. As I kicked a soccer ball against a wall watching him walk around, I began to tear up thinking about how pleasing it is to God when I enjoy him. Yet i resist so many times looking for my joy in someone or something else. I asked God today to remind me of these moments with Isaac when I chase after idols. Praise be to God for speaking as through a bullhorn through our new son. And for giant breakthroughs!!!

"You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry"

Just from the looks of the previews it looks like this movie will be the usual Hollywood cheese, but I love Ed Norton, so I'll probably see it.

Thinking of the Hulk brought back some funny memories...

When I was very little in the early 80's they still had the Hulk TV show on TV. It was always on Friday nights (at least in Iowa where I grew up) right after the Dukes of Hazzard. Dukes at 7 and the Hulk at 8. Even though Friday night was not a school night my parents never wanted to let me watch the Hulk because when I did the usual consequence was me spazing out (with my Hulk underoos on, of course) and breaking stuff around the house. I still managed to watch it at times. My parents didn't like me when I was angry. There was always a path of destruction in the wake of my 5-year-old, underoos wearing, hyperactive, fury.

Funny Postscript: My grandma did ask my Dad at one point if he thought I needed to be medicated.

Worship and Fellowship

Has it ever occured to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshippers meeting together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be were they to become ‘unity’ conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.

A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

Rick Warren and Mark Driscoll

Mark Driscoll reports:

...I got a call from Pastor Rick Warren last week. He called simply to see if there was anything he could do to help. His kindness was humbling and helpful. I asked him how he handled his critics and he had a great insight that in our day criticism has changed. He explained that there was a day when a critic would have to sit down and write a letter and then mail it into a newspaper. With limited space, the paper would then be able to only print a fraction of the letters they received. The printed letters were often not read and quickly became dated. However, Warren said, in our day criticism is marked by the following four factors:

1. Instant
2. Constant
3. Global
4. Permanent

Warren then went on to explain that, as Jesus experienced, the strongest criticism for any Christian leader comes from rigid religious people. When I asked him what someone should do when facing criticism, he gave the following insightful points:

1. Turn your critics into coaches by hearing what they are saying and humbly considering if there is any truth in their criticisms to learn from.
2. Never engage the critics on their terms because it only escalates the conflict and is not productive.
3. Be very careful with firing off emails or leaving voicemails and responding out of anger in a way that you will later regret.
4. Shout louder than your critics to define yourself and do not allow them to define you.

I want to publicly thank Warren for giving me some good advice and taking time out of his busy schedule to speak into my life and ministry. I also pass his wisdom along to other Christian leaders.

So You Don't Like The "Institutional" Church?

What other church is there besides institutional? There's nobody who doesn't have problems with the church, because there's sin in the church. But there's no other place to be a Christian except the church. There's sin in the local bank. There's sin in the grocery stores. I really don't understand this naive criticism of the institution. I really don't get it.

Frederick von Hugel said the institution of the church is like the bark on the tree. There's no life in the bark. It's dead wood. But it protects the life of the tree within. And the tree grows and grows and grows and grows. If you take the bark off, it's prone to disease, dehydration, death.

So, yes, the church is dead but it protects something alive. And when you try to have a church without bark, it doesn't last long. It disappears, gets sick, and it's prone to all kinds of disease, heresy, and narcissism.

-Eugene Peterson

From this interview.

(HT: Jared)

Tomb Raider

I am hoping our elders approve my suggestion to use this marquee slogan to promote Easter at our church.

Hospitalized and Homeless - Part 2

Paul called the church yesterday and said that he was going to be released from the hospital later and didn't know what he was going to do. He had no place to go. He also said he needed some clothes.

Paul is a very skinny man. Kind of like me. I thought, "I've got some clothes I could give him that would probably fit". This was not hard for me in the least. I don't report this to pat myself on the back, but to show what it revealed to me: I have an abundance of things that I don't use.

What good does this do? A guy like Paul could use a clean pair of socks. He only has one. I have a whole sock drawer with probably 15 pairs that I never wear. I gave him a ton of socks. I gave him a couple pairs of pants (that I never wear) a bunch of shirts (that I never wear), some books (that I never read, and I knew he likes to read) and some other miscellaneous items that I thought he could use. I gave him $50 and told him not to spend it all on smokes. He said he wouldn't.

Except for the occasional mission trip, I guess the problem probably is that most us are like me and don't hang out with people who have real tangible needs. Thus we just don’t know anyone who could use all the stuff that we have lying around the house just taking up space.

The church paid for two nights in a hotel for him until he hears from the hospital the results of his biopsy, which won't be until Friday.

Paul was very thankful. I was thankful for the experience of being able to see Jesus in Paul and to question the abundance of my possessions.

The Pistol

Unreal basketball skillz:



Owen has a great review of a more recent biography on Pistol Pete. You can read his review here.

Called To Be A Jerk

This is great. I couldn't agree more with this. Just because one guy is called to do something one way, doesn't mean that you should. Figure out YOUR OWN calling. Don't be a copycat Christian minister.

At the Resurgence conference, Matt Chandler discussed how Mark Driscoll is called to be a jerk but that doesn’t mean everyone is. Listen to it here. So good.

(HT: A. Piper)

Text and Context Audio

All the sermon audio files for the recent Resurgence - Text and Context conference at Mars Hill in Seattle are now available for free. You can find them here.

(HT: Nate)

Hospitalized and Homeless

Yesterday my friend Parker and I went to see Paul in the hospital.

Paul is a homeless guy.

They had to take him at the hospital when he complained of having chest pains. He called our church and said he was scared. He was scared that if he died no one would ever know. I can't relate to this crushing loneliness.

Paul has a Masters degree in Art.

We stopped by to check on Paul, listen to him and pray with him. Paul talked almost non-stop for almost an hour. His loneliness and neediness was evident. I was reminded of what my wife and I often teach in pre-marital counseling and marriage class, "listening equals loving". So we just listened to Paul talk about everything from guitar playing, to art history, to Jamaicans that smoke lots of weed. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't awkward.

Does not the Biblical call of love teach us to do the "awkward" thing sometimes?

Luke 14:12-14 - He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

Sounds pretty awkward to me, but don't miss the blessing that comes as well.

Yeah, yeah, we need to have a careful conversation about what is the best way to minister to these types of people. I get that. That is another post for another day. But may it not be an excuse for our lack of action and compassion in this area.

Call me a mystic if you want, but I could see Jesus in Paul. Remember, we worship a homeless guy. Did not Jesus say that we minister to HIM as we serve the poor, the outcast and oppressed (Matt 25)? I want more of Jesus in my life. Perhaps doing this type of thing more often is a way to get more of Him. I just wonder...

Paul did not have a heart attack, but he might have lung cancer. He is having a biopsy today. I told him to call and let us know the results. I hope he does.

A Short Theology of Listening

Dr. Doug Groothuis with a great post today called, A Short Theology of Listening:

Listen . . . with all your might; hear the living and active word. The teaching and preaching of God’s imperishable word is truly a sacred event whereby the Truth penetrates hearts and minds, consciences are quickened, sin is disclosed, salvation is offered, wisdom is imparted . . . if we listen, if we actively engage ourselves in hearing, if we participate as the Holy Spirit works in our midst.

We are all too accustomed to being entertained and passively amused. Television often hypnotizes or anesthetizes us; it demands little response and by its very nature stimulates stagnation, not spiritual encounter. Video games, cell phones, and Internet access offers an endless source of possible distraction. But when we come together as the Body of Christ we come as participants not as spectators, we come to hear and obey the Truth not to be entertained. Neither Moses nor Paul captured their audience through eloquence or style. They were not entertainers but Truth-tellers: they spoke God’s word with a power that provoked response. Our Lord, when teaching by parable, alerted his hearers: “Therefore, consider carefully how you listen” (Luke 8:18). We are to be engaged in listening, intent on hearing.

Read the whole thing.