Church Plant Vision Night & Dessert

Running to Rest :: sermon download

If you are so inclined to have a listen...sermon I preached at CrossPointe this past Sunday on the topic of Sabbath.

Download 052808_running_to_rest.mp3

Here are the corresponding slides that were used on Sunday morning...

The Gospel in All its Forms

I believe the article below is a timely, needed article for us evangelicals...and I'm not just saying that because it's written by Tim Keller...though that never hurts.  I really hope the next generation of church leaders will be known for this type of full-orbed Gospel and not the reductionistic views that are so prevalent on either end of the spectrum.  This article is both a great articulation of a better way and an accurate assessment of the challenge.  Check it out.

The Gospel in All its Forms | LeadershipJournal.net.

Dwell Conference

Really looking forward to listening to these sessions...though it may have to wait if I get selected for jury duty.  Been here all day.  

Acts 29 > Series > 2008 New York City Dwell Conference.

Where I'm spending my day

What I'll be preaching on tomorrow

Dad date

This is what allowed the parents to talk

Some favorite quotes | "A Journey Worth Taking"

To the neglect of some other books, I kind of plowed through A Journey Worth Taking.  I would highly recommend this book.  I have pulled a few of the quotes I really liked...

“The most effective way to pursue self-discovery (secondary calling) is to serve (tertiary calling).  In other words, if I set out to discover myself, my search will be frustrating.  If, on the other hand, I set out to serve, I will begin to discover things about myself along the way.” --36

“This task of showcasing God is so fundamental to what I have been made for that I will not figure myself out very well unless I make it a priority.  I find myself, in other words (and ironically), only as I make ‘finding myself’ less important than finding and showcasing God.” --79

“And we especially need the church.  The simple fact of the matter is that we draw each other out.  Our gifts are not for hoarding.  If we do not have occasion to share them with people, they remain dormant, and we never discover what they are.” --98

“People who understand that their creativity is a gift of God, rather than putting it in the place of God himself, discover a paradoxical freedom.  They are both free to work and free from work.  Motivated by love and gratitude (powerful motivators) they are free to work very hard, giving their best back to God.  At the same time, because they know that neither they nor their work is God, they are free from the burden of taking themselves or their work too seriously--as if their giftedness mandated perfection.” --145

Knee update, cold sweat and doctor recommendations

Well I got in to an earlier appointment yesterday afternoon with the orthopedic surgeon/knee specialist.  He confirmed that I did in fact tear my ACL.  I also have some sprains in other parts of the knee.  Surgery is really the only way to correct an ACL.  So now we are trying to figure out the timing...when should I get this done?  Suppose there never really is a good time for surgery.  I'll keep you posted.

For those of you who are looking to feel better about yourself by laughing at someone else...let me share...I've always been a bit skittish when it comes to talking about or touching ligaments/tendons.  Reach for my achillies tendon and I'll scream like a little girl.  Not sure why that is.  So there I am, in the little room at the doctor's, wearing my very manly hospital gown, and the surgeon simply starts drawing out my injury and talking about tendons, grafting, screws, etc.  I completely broke into a cold sweat.  Like serious sweat.  Not just an inner feeling, but an all out, sweat running down my face.  The surgeon continued to talk. I continued to ask questions.  When he finally left, I got up and looked in the mirror, suspecting that I was sweating a bit--a bit was an understatement, my entire face was flushed and wet.  The best part...looking at the little paper covering on the patient bed where I had just been sitting...completely wet with my sweat.  Lovely. 

So here's hoping the surgery is better than the consultation.  You can stop laughing now. 

New book | A Journey Worth Taking

Was really excited when this book arrived Saturday from Amazon.  I have not been disappointed.  Check it out here.  The book focuses on calling but does so through the grid/framework of ...

CREATION :: FALL :: REDEMPTION :: CONSUMMATION (restoration)

I will post some favorite quotes later.  In the meantime, if you are looking for a book to buy (and read), I'd check this out.  As a church planter, who wants people to see the connection between their story and God's ultimate story, I believe this book will serve as a great resource. 

The Law of Thirds

I listened to the latest Catalyst podcast today while driving out to a meeting. It featured Pat Lencioni, who has written a number of very helpful books. I've read three of them and they were great. Quick, but insightful reads. Anyway, he mentioned this short little article on his website, that was worth linking. Check it out below. Good insight for anyone leading people.

Link: The Table Group - Simple Wisdom for Organizations: Patrick Lencioni - Pat's Point of View.

This is bound to be a sermon illustration

Good to be Home

Heather and I returned late Wednesday from a church planting conference down in Boca Raton, FL. Though the trip was good, it was great to get home.  We definitely missed our kids.  I'm thankful I don't have to travel much. 

Though the content of conferences is always good,  I think the time spent relationally with other planters is always the biggest benefit.  Some pretty amazing people doing some pretty amazing things in various cities throughout the world.  Pretty humbling to be playing a small part.  God is definitely at work through church planting.  Heather and I are increasingly excited about the vision God has given us.  We are looking forward to having our first VISION MEETING in a few weeks.  We believe God has been doing some great things and opening some great doors.  Excited to share more of the details with you.  The blog will have all of the meeting details here in the very near future.  Stay tuned.

Leaving you with a picture of what my backyard does not look like...