As you may know, I have been given the incredible opportunity to preach my first sermon series here at Charter Oak Church for the adult congregation to begin in late August. It's something that I've been working very dilligently to prepare for. This week was an exciting week in my preparation because the promo video was completed for it. You can check it out below.
Also, would you commit this sermon series to prayer? Would you pray that, even now, God would be at work in my heart preparing and anointing me to share His Word with all boldness and effectiveness...that, even now, God would be at work in the hearts of all who are going to hear this series preparing their hearts for the kind of transformation that happens when people hear the Word of God and make application of it. Thanks so much for your support with this.
Grace and Peace to you.
ps - I'm so excited about this!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
I don't know about you...
...but it drives me crazy that 9 times out of 10 when you see someone performing live or on TV lately they're...well, they're just awful. They can't sing in tune. They try to sing notes that are out of their range, and they have such a processed bunch of electronic tracks running that you have no idea what kind of talent they actually have. And then you see something like the performance below, and you know that there are still some real artists out there. I give you Jason Mraz performing an accoustic version of "Remedy" on the Today Show.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Local revolutions and ordinary radicals
As I've said in a couple of previous posts, I've been captivated recently by Shane Claiborne's new book "Jesus for President". In fact, over the past month, I've read it three times...partly because I like it so much...and partly because it takes that many times through something to make it really "stick" in my brain (A.D.D. rearing its ugly head)...That being said, spending that much time in Shane's new book, made me want to re-read his first book, Irresistable Revolution. So I took the time this week over my vacation to give it another go.
Here are some quotes that stood out to me this time through Irresistable Revolution:
"Don't let this world steal your soul. Being a Christian is about choosing Jesus and deciding to do something incredibly daring with your life."
"I know there are people out there who say, 'My life was such a mess. I was drinking, partying, sleeping around...and then I met Jesus and my whole life came together.' God bless those people. But me, I had it together. I used to be cool. And then I met Jesus and He wrecked my life. The more I read the Gospel, the more it messed me up, turning everything I believed in, valued, and hoped for upside down. I'm still recovering from my conversion."
"Mother Teresa used to say, 'In the poor we meet Jesus in His most distressing disguises.'"
"We do, indeed, have a God of resurrection, a God who can create beauty from the messes that we make of our world."
"I gave up Christianity to follow Jesus." (I love this one, by the way.)
"What we are doing may seem insignificant, but it is most important that we do it."
"I'm not all that concerned with what I am doing. I am more concerned with whom I am becoming. I want to be a lover of God and people."
There are many, many more that pretty much smacked me in the face this time through...too many to note. I will say, however, that if you have not yet read this book, then I highly recommend that you put this on your "list". It is one of the truly "Christian Works" of our generation.
Grace and Peace to you.
ps - one final thought, Shane dedicates this book by saying, "This book is dedicated to all of the hypocrites, cowards, and fools...like me..." That always makes me smile.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Bach in 4 parts
The worst thing about this is that I was this guy back when I was in High School. It's funny, impressive, and awful all wrapped up in one.
Grace and Peace
Grace and Peace
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Milestones
As a follower of Jesus, I have come to appreciate the concept of "milestones". Dictionary.com defines a milestone as:
1) a stone functioning as a mile-marker
2) a significant event or stage in the life, progress, or development, or the like of a person, nation, etc.
As I was doing my quiet time this morning and reading verses of Scripture such as Philippians 1:6 and Philippians 3:12-14 I was reminded of just how important milestones are in the spiritual developmental processes. You see, like Paul, I'm certainly not perfect yet, but in Christ and by His blood I am on my way. And though I struggle daily with sin and temptation, it's always a healthy exercise for me to stop every so often and reflect on whether or not I've passed any spiritual milestones recently. I do this for the purpose of tending to my own soul and making sure that I'm taking my own walk with Christ most seriously in my ministry. In doing so, I've learned a few things about spiritual milestones.
Spiritual milestones come in all different shapes and sizes. Some spiritual milestones can come and go so quickly that you didn't even notice them when they passed (a random act of kindness, a decision to not participate in a certain conversation, a silent victory over temptation, or the development of a new habit that is slowly improving your outlook). And yet some spiritual milestones are so immensely big that you couldn't miss them even if you tried to (righting a wrong, choosing to deny yourself out of obedience when it doesn't feel natural to do so, the practice of genuinely loving your enemy, or simply choosing Christ for the first time). I've also learned that spiritual milestones are sometimes public events in the way that God can call you to set an example or take a stand...and I've learned that spiritual milestones are sometimes private as God beckons us to simply be behind closed doors what we claim to be in the public arena. Yet the most important thing that I've learned about spiritual milestones is that, regardless of their size, and regardless of their notoriety, they are meant to be celebrated for what they are...undeniable proof that God is working in our lives.
What milestones have you passed lately? It is my prayer that you and I would begin to see everyone of our milestones as bringing us one step closer to our finished product, one step closer to truly resembling Jesus, Himself.
Grace and Peace
ps - my son, Blues, had a milestone of a different sort this weekend...he, for the first time ever, jumped off of the diving board and swam to the ladder without the help of a floatation device. WAY TO GO, BLUES!!!
1) a stone functioning as a mile-marker
2) a significant event or stage in the life, progress, or development, or the like of a person, nation, etc.
As I was doing my quiet time this morning and reading verses of Scripture such as Philippians 1:6 and Philippians 3:12-14 I was reminded of just how important milestones are in the spiritual developmental processes. You see, like Paul, I'm certainly not perfect yet, but in Christ and by His blood I am on my way. And though I struggle daily with sin and temptation, it's always a healthy exercise for me to stop every so often and reflect on whether or not I've passed any spiritual milestones recently. I do this for the purpose of tending to my own soul and making sure that I'm taking my own walk with Christ most seriously in my ministry. In doing so, I've learned a few things about spiritual milestones.
Spiritual milestones come in all different shapes and sizes. Some spiritual milestones can come and go so quickly that you didn't even notice them when they passed (a random act of kindness, a decision to not participate in a certain conversation, a silent victory over temptation, or the development of a new habit that is slowly improving your outlook). And yet some spiritual milestones are so immensely big that you couldn't miss them even if you tried to (righting a wrong, choosing to deny yourself out of obedience when it doesn't feel natural to do so, the practice of genuinely loving your enemy, or simply choosing Christ for the first time). I've also learned that spiritual milestones are sometimes public events in the way that God can call you to set an example or take a stand...and I've learned that spiritual milestones are sometimes private as God beckons us to simply be behind closed doors what we claim to be in the public arena. Yet the most important thing that I've learned about spiritual milestones is that, regardless of their size, and regardless of their notoriety, they are meant to be celebrated for what they are...undeniable proof that God is working in our lives.
What milestones have you passed lately? It is my prayer that you and I would begin to see everyone of our milestones as bringing us one step closer to our finished product, one step closer to truly resembling Jesus, Himself.
Grace and Peace
ps - my son, Blues, had a milestone of a different sort this weekend...he, for the first time ever, jumped off of the diving board and swam to the ladder without the help of a floatation device. WAY TO GO, BLUES!!!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Pics from last night's water war at CHILL
Such good times!
Click on the picture to view the entire album.
Click on the picture to view the entire album.
I'm not the only one...
...who thinks you should read a copy of Shane Claiborne's new book Jesus for President. Check out this review:
First, I keep hearing people say this (and I think I honestly agree), that this may be one of the top five Christian works of the past century. It’s concise (only a 350 page read), provocative, heavy on history and back-story, and compelling. The book offers probably the most in-depth back-story to the Scriptures that I’ve ever seen offered in a non-academic work.
Read more reviews of the book here.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
ASP photos
In the spirit of my last post, here are some pictures from our Student Ministry's mission trip with the Appalachia Service Project from earlier this Summer. Click on the picture to view my album.
Grace and Peace
Grace and Peace
King's Fest
The Student Ministry just returned from taking a trip with 36 people down to Doswell, VA, for King's Fest. It was an AWESOME trip! We saw Casting Crowns, Newsboys, Toby Mac, David Crowder Band, Hawk Nelson, Family Force 5, Kutless, Skillet, and several others. Click on the picture below to view my photo album from the trip.
Grace and Peace
Grace and Peace
Monday, July 7, 2008
Political misfits and social refugees
I just finished reading Shane Claiborne's new book "Jesus for President". And let me just say that this is a must read for Christ followers. In the same sense as his previous book "Irresistible Revolution", Shane challenges the theology of his reader to more completely embrace the modest life and hard teachings of Jesus of Nazareth pertaining to the church's obligation to care for the poor and opressed. However, in this new book, Shane speaks up regarding the modern day political expressions of people who are otherwise recognized as Christians and then compares those political expressions to those of Jesus, Himself.
This book could not have come at a better time for me having just been introduced to Rick Warren's P.E.A.C.E. plan and feeling a great call to become more deliberate in the ways that my faith is expressed in my ministry and actions towards those less fortunate than me. Here are some defining quotes from the book:
"This book is a project in renewing the imagination of the church in the United States and those who would seek to know Jesus. We are seeing more and more that the church has fallen in love with the state and that this love affair is killing the church's imagination. The powerful benefits and temptations of running the world's largest superpower have bent the church's identity. Having power at its fingertips, the church often finds "guiding the course of history" a more alluring goal than following the crucified Christ. Too often the patriotic values of pride and strength triumph over the spiritual virtues of humility, gentleness, and sacrificial love."
"My first allegiance is not to a flag, a country, or a man. My first allegiance is not to democracy or blood. It's to a King and a Kingdom."
"You my church told me it was wrong to kill...except in war. You my teachers told me it was wrong to kill...except in war. You my father and mother told me it was wrong to kill...except in war. You my friends told me it was wrong to kill...except in war. You my government told me it was wrong to kill...except in war. But now I know, you were wrong, and now I will tell you my church, my teachers, my father and mother, my friends, and my government it is not wrong to kill except in war...It's simply wrong to kill. The executioner's blade is always dulled by grace. Friends, since the establishment of the new covenant there is not one single mention in New Testament Scripture in which God calls His people to kill others."
Grace and Peace to you.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Useless fires
Last night my A.B.S. group studied Malachi chapter one, and it has inspired some serious introspection for me. In this text, God speaks through Malachi warning the priests of Israel to make only the best offerings unto Him. He speaks about how Israel and its priests had become accustomed to bring "crippled, diseased, and blind animals" to sacrifice unto God. God refers to this action as "defiling Him", and in what I think is the climax of this passage God says:
"Oh that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar."
Malachi 1:10 (NIV)
followed by...
"Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord."
Malachi 1:14 (NIV)
Let that verse sink in for a moment. Cursed...is the cheat...Keep in mind that this is God speaking here. That's some of the strongest language that He uses in all of Scripture. In fact, it's caused me to wonder, "Do I cheat God out of my best? Do I light useless fires upon His altar?" And sadly...the answer is "yes".
I get up some days intending to spend quality time with God in prayer and study, but I end up only giving Him my leftovers. There are days when I only pray about the things that are "comfortable" to pray about instead of having a fruitful dialogue with my Abba. There are days when I pass on the opportunity to share the love of Christ with someone who may desperately need to hear it. There are days when I give into temptation and let my flesh get the best of me. I need to face it...somedays I just light useless fires on the altar of my God...
OUCH!
So I've decided to focus on this for a while. I've decided that I'm going to really scrutinize my time and behaviors to make sure that I am bringing the purest most acceptable sacrifice to my King. How about you? Do you light useless fires? Do you make less than acceptable offerings unto God? If so, will you join me in doing the hard work of correcting that? I hope you will. Grace and Peace to you today.
"Oh that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar."
Malachi 1:10 (NIV)
followed by...
"Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord."
Malachi 1:14 (NIV)
Let that verse sink in for a moment. Cursed...is the cheat...Keep in mind that this is God speaking here. That's some of the strongest language that He uses in all of Scripture. In fact, it's caused me to wonder, "Do I cheat God out of my best? Do I light useless fires upon His altar?" And sadly...the answer is "yes".
I get up some days intending to spend quality time with God in prayer and study, but I end up only giving Him my leftovers. There are days when I only pray about the things that are "comfortable" to pray about instead of having a fruitful dialogue with my Abba. There are days when I pass on the opportunity to share the love of Christ with someone who may desperately need to hear it. There are days when I give into temptation and let my flesh get the best of me. I need to face it...somedays I just light useless fires on the altar of my God...
OUCH!
So I've decided to focus on this for a while. I've decided that I'm going to really scrutinize my time and behaviors to make sure that I am bringing the purest most acceptable sacrifice to my King. How about you? Do you light useless fires? Do you make less than acceptable offerings unto God? If so, will you join me in doing the hard work of correcting that? I hope you will. Grace and Peace to you today.
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