September 2011
2 posts
1 tag
Why Your Church Doesn't Feel Like Family
This is old, but I’m constantly reminded of how true this message is.
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Striving for the Faith of the Gospel
Philippians 1:27-30
Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from...
May 2011
23 posts
That's Great, It's Starts with an Earthquake ...
“”Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an...”
2 tags
Francis Chan Announces New Book: Erasing Hell
Read more about it here.
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Francis Chan: We Can't Afford to Get Hell Wrong
No One Knows That Day or Hour
“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” - Mark 13:32
Calvinist Pick Up Lines
HT: Matthew Smith via Mark Scheve
Youth Ministry ... Please Share Your Thoughts
Hello Everyone,
I’m a youth pastor who recently left a church after serving there for four years and I’m looking to hear from as many teens as possible about what they like, dislike, wish for, what would you have changed, what helped you grow, what made you say, “I’m never going back there again,” what made you tell your friends, “Hey, you’ve got to come...
The Greatest Marriage Proposal Ever
3 tags
10 Things Submission is Not
1. Simply or singularly a marriage issue
Submission is God’s design. It is a reflection of the interaction within the Trinity. Whether single or married, submission is a core heart issue revealing one’s dependence upon God. For a wife, it demonstrates her willingness to yield to her husband’s lead in obedience and belief of God’s covenant to her.
2. Degrading
Women have been lured into...
Nasty Ad Against Drinking Soda - I Mean Nasty
HT: twentytwowords
2 tags
Sitting is Killing You (It's Killing the Church...
Living As Dead People
Our reality as believers will be always a kind of mystery. We live in this world experiencing a real tension. We are here, but we are not from there. We are called to see what is unseen and to seek what can’t be found in this world. And as a reasonable explanation for this, the …
Read More Here.
HT: Fighter Verses
Be a Trader
“Popular is almost never a measure of impact, or genius, or art. It rarely...”
Winner of Desiring God
I let my daughter Elliette pick the winner out of a hat for the Desiring God give-a-way. The picture is kind of grainy, so the winner is … Briana at strengthlikelions!!
1 tag
Some Old, Old School DC Talk
That some serious 80’s hair on @therealtobymac! Check the lyrics, there’s some serious truth in there. Christ is King! Allelujah!
What's Your Story?
I am a youth pastor who is seeking to better understand the faith stories of teenagers. If you’re Christian teenager (age 13 to 18), I’d like to interview you about your personal faith story. I’m about to start a research project focused on teen faith stories and, if you’re willing, I would like to arrange a time to have a Skype interview with you about your personal...
6 tags
Francis Chan Responds to the Death of OBL
HT: Life Through His Love
2 tags
The Rescuing Hug
What a great picture of Galatians 6:2 (ESV): “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Even for a dude, this is one moving story:
Twin girls, Brielle and Kyrie, were born 12 weeks ahead of their due date. Needing intensive care, they were placed in separate incubators.
Kyrie began to gain weight and her health stabilized. But Brielle, born only 2...
2 tags
4 tags
The Cross Tells Us What’s Wrong With Us
The cross tells us that our biggest, deepest, and most abiding problem is to be found inside of us, not outside of us. Yes, the people in our lives have had a significant impact on us, the experiences of our lives have helped shape the way we see our world, and the locations of our lives have been formative as well. People, locations, and the situations of life all influence what we think and...
2 tags
“I know of no other way to triumph over sin long-term than to gain a distaste for...”
April 2011
16 posts
2 tags
Father of Thirteen Gives His Life for His Children...
As tornado storm winds approached the his family’s home in Alabama, Tom Lee gathered his wife and thirteen children in the den. They huddled and they prayed. Two minutes later the tornado descended upon them. The house was instantly destroyed as beams and cinder blocks rained down upon them.
But in his last great act of fatherhood, Tom Lee had the presence of mind to throw himself on top...
2 tags
I Love Jesus
I admire Jesus Christ more than any other human or angelic being. I enjoy his ways and his words more than I enjoy the ways and words of anyone else. I want his approval more than I want the approval of anyone else. Read more here.
HT: John Piper
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Francis Chan on the Weirdness of Our Generation
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A Missional Manifesto
Really great stuff here. Below is a portion of the Preamble of the Missional Manifesto created by some of the leading missional thinkers (and doers) in the Church today:
God is a sending God, a missionary God, who has called His people, the church, to be missionary agents of His love and glory. The concept missional epitomizes this idea. This manifesto seeks to serve the church by...
2 tags
Before I die I want to _______________.
How would you fill in the blank?
HT: Candy Chang via Brainchild
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"Be taken up (tornado) and thrown in the sea ... "
“And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying,...
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Does Rob Bell Believe in Eternal Punishment?
You can watch the whole of this interview here.
“And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal...”
3 tags
Is Your Church an Orphanage for Christian Babies?
“A lot of churches have just become orphanages. They know how to have babies and they have a couple of dads and moms for all of the babies - but not near enough to care for them well; and they don’t send them out to start new families, so it’s a perpetual orphanage.” - Jeff Vanderstelt
That’s tough to hear, but spot on. Most “churches” are interested...
2 tags
Jesus is My Homeboy?
This is an old post, but it’s received several new comments on my former blog. I definitely think it’s still relevant. Here’s my original post:
Jesus is my homeboy is a new art exhibit from David LaChapelle. The art places Jesus in a modern setting, with a very urban feel. How do you see this? Does it offend you, and if so why? Do you see this as mocking Christ, or...
4 tags
Terry Virgo & Mark Driscoll: Spirit-Filled...
Interview with Mark Driscoll: Spirit filled leading from Terry Virgo on Vimeo.
HT: The Resurgence
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Strive to Enter Through the Narrow Door
“Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” - Luke 13:24 ESV
HT: The Resurgence
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“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ....”
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How Can I Not Love Him?
This is so cool …
You say: It’s impossible
God says: All things are possible (Luke 18:27)
You say: I’m too tired
God says: I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28-30)
You say: Nobody really loves me
God says: I love you (John 3:16 & John 13:34)
You say: I can’t go on
God says: My grace is sufficient (II Corinthians...
3 tags
Much Love For Lecrae From TobyMac
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Why Are Pastors (and Their Children) So Unhappy?
A really interesting blog post by Mark Clement highlights a disturbing problem in the Church: psychologically unhealthy pastors. He highlights the following statistics, including a shockingly high percentage (95%) of pastor who do not pray with their wives and the very low percentage (30%) that spend personal time reading God’s Word, that paint a sad portrait of the health of...
March 2011
4 posts
3 tags
Do We Act Like Universalists?
David Platt, pastor at The Church at Brook Hills, steps into the recent debate concerning Rob Bell and universalism, by offering some thoughts here from India. His challenge? ”Yes, let’s fight universalism with our words. But let’s also fight universalism with our lives.”
HT: David Platt
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Band of Bloggers 2011
I’m excited to attend the Band of Bloggers gathering this year in conjunction with The Gospel Coalition National Conference on Tuesday night, April 12, 2011.
The theme for this year’s gathering is The Gospel Procession. Tim Brister explains:
A procession entails a concerted effort by a community to catalyze a movement, and in our case a gospel movement. A lot of talk is talking place on the...
3 tags
Pastor Loses Job After Supporting Rob Bell
Pastor Chad Holtz lost his job at Marrow’s Chapel United Methodist Church in North Carolina when he wrote a note on his Facebook page supporting a new book by Rob Bell and his, shall we say, non-traditional view of Hell. Two days later, after members of his church complained about Holtz’s views on Hell, he was dismissed from his position as senior pastor.
To the media, Holtz has...
3 tags
Why Preach on Hell?
Some great words here from John Piper on why pastors should preach about Hell. This is from a sermon entitled Final Judgment: Eternal Life Vs. Wrath and Fury (Romans 1:28-2:11), preached on August 31, 1980 at Bethlehem Baptist Church. Piper said this:
But some would ask another question first, namely, why talk about judgment? What good does it do? Doesn’t it just make life dismal and cast...
February 2011
21 posts
Watch
1 tag
“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you...”
8 Tips for Talking to Kids About the Sermon
Remember the outline. It doesn’t matter if you keep written notes or not. Remember the gist of what is being taught. If your pastor preaches for 40 minutes, then try to make a mental note of what you’ve covered at the 20 minute point. Don’t be discouraged if you can’t get every point. Get as many of the big ones as you can.
Know the one, main point. Every passage and every sermon—no...
1 tag
Jesus Died For Me
HT: Tim Challies
“You are either a Christian or you are not a Christian; you cannot be partly a...”