Mar 29, 2010 | Culture
Watch this video to the end: HT: Denny... read more
Mar 26, 2010 | Preaching, The Gospel
How significant is the cross of Christ in my regular preaching? The following quote brings a great conviction and I pray an even greater intentionality and change: This distinction between an “objective” and subjective” understanding of the atonement needs to be made clear in every generation. According to Dr. Douglas Johnson, the first general secretary of the IVF, this discovery was the turning point in the ministry of Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones, who occupied an unrivaled position of evangelical leadership in the decades following the Second World War. He confided in several friends that “a fundamental change took place in his outlook and preaching in the year 1929.” he had, of course, emphasized from the beginning of his ministry the indispensable necessity of hte new birth. But after preaching one night in Bridgend, South Wales, the minister challenged him that “the cross and the work of Christ” appeared to have little place in his preaching. He went “at once to his favourite secondhand bookshop and asked the proprietor for the two standard books on the Atonement. The bookselller produced R. W. Dales’ The Atonement (1875) and James Denney’s The Death of Christ (1903). On his return home he gave himself to study, declining both lunch and tea, and causing his wife such anxiety that she telephoned her brother to see whether a doctor should be called. But when he later emerged, he claimed to have found “the real heart of the gospel and the key to the inner meaning of the Christian faith.” So the content of his preaching changed, and with this its impact. As he himself put it, the basic question was not Anselm’s “why did God become man?” but... read more
Mar 25, 2010 | Featured Articles, Ordinary Pastor, Pastoral Ministry, Preaching
Here the rest of the mess I started on Tuesday – how do I determine what I will preach? 4. Topical Periods. I do recognize that the summer months and holiday seasons in American ministry bring great challenges to successive exposition. I do generally plan to preach through shorter series during these periods, addressing a number of topics that I feel are critical for the congregation’s understanding – issues of which we believe exhortation and action are needed. I generally preach a message on the importance of preaching at the beginning of every year. I try to address the subject of the Lord’s Supper (what, why, how, etc.) every year. I make it my aim every year to preach a message on how to listen to a sermon. This summer I plan to preach through some of the distinctive convictions we have as Baptists. There is a waning understanding and commitment to these convictions blowing in the wind, and I want to show from God’s word why they are significant. Sometimes, a passage will lend itself to a break from the exposition so we can focus on a subject. For example, I paused the series in Revelation after preaching chapters 4 and 5 to take 4 weeks and preach a series on corporate worship. 5. Preach the Paragraph. As a general rule, a paragraph tends to reveal a significant thought, or comprise a single argument, press an important emphases. I don’t stress peaching one verse at a time as much as I want to stress showing the main idea revealed in a pericope. So, I tend to want to... read more
Mar 24, 2010 | Featured Articles, Southern Baptist Issues, The Gospel
I am preparing my mind and hopefully my heart as well for what God is doing in the Southern Baptist Convention through the Great Commission Resurgence. I am hopeful, but still wanting to know more. So, this post will be a parking lot for compiling what I think are significant resources across the web that address this subject. I’m interested in reading all the angles and sides on this issue, so my linking here does not mean my own endorsement of any particular persuasion. I am favorable to the GCR’s work and am trying to be diligent in digesting its implications and thinking (even discussing) through them. If you know of significant resources, please leave them in the comments or e-mail me. I’m happy to take a look. Background: Timmy Brister, “The Backstory to the Great Commission Resurgence“ Information: The Official Great Commission Resurgence Website Commentary: Baptist Messenger Video Interviews (some interesting GCR interviews you will find here) Baptist Press Articles on “Great Commission Task Force” Tom Ascol, “My Take on the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force Report“ Tom Ascol, “Why Southern Baptists Need a Great Commission Resurgence“ Bart Barber, “How to Resurge“ Todd Benkert,”Thoughts on GCR Component # 2 – NAMB Refocus“ David Dockery Podcast on GCR Nathan Finn, “The Spiritual and the Structural Coincide: Some Thoughts on the GCR.” Nathan Finn,... read more
Mar 23, 2010 | Ordinary Pastor, Pastoral Ministry
Brian Croft, a good friend and very faithful pastor in Louisville, KY, has started blogging. Another good friend, Stephen Jones, pointed out Brian’s latest foray into the blogosphere. Those of us ordinary pastors will be wonderfully helped and our souls ministered to through this faithful under-shepherd of Christ. Check out Practical Shepherding and read Brian’s books: Visiting the Sick Test, Train, Affirm and Send: Recovering the local church’s responsibility to the external... read more
Mar 23, 2010 | Featured Articles, Ordinary Pastor, Pastoral Ministry, Preaching
In a recent conversation with a group of pastors, we were listening to each other discuss how we determine what we will preach. Here’s a few of the ideas that govern my sermon selection: 1. Annual Planning. In late fall each year, Kelly, the kids and I get away for about a half week. We each take turns watching the kids for half of a day to allow the other to spend some time alone to pray, think, and plan. This is the time that I normally plan out my preaching schedule for the following year. The details of this would comprise another blog post. Suffice it to say that after listing each week of the year, I think through how I plan to preach the major book I am expositing. I then plan out a number of topical messages, and think through calendar items such as vacation, holidays, and major church events that would effect my preaching schedule. Obviously, this annual calendar is interrupted by the unplanned issues like sickness, or events in church and family life that necessitate a change. But it is a helpful tool throughout the year that helps me provide some guidance to the Scriptural diet I provide the flock. 2. Every Genre. I heard from another pastor how he made it his aim to try and preach through each major genre of Scripture each year. I love the idea and have tried to follow it for a few years. So, I will plan a short series or one message here and there through the year from which I will cover an Old Testament... read more
Mar 22, 2010 | Charismatics, Preaching, The Gospel
What can I say – this is fascinating, disturbing, and confusing to... read more
Mar 9, 2010 | Humor
Love... read more
Mar 8, 2010 | Technology
Here’s one coming out for sure: Will you be sporting a new iPad on April 3? Here’s one for the future. Now that’s pretty... read more
Mar 6, 2010 | Personal
That’s the moral of the story. Last weekend my cousin won the Texas State Wrestling championship (148 lbs.), dominating 13-4. Wow. Impressive season – impressive career. Congratulations Julie! Wrestling Videos on... read more
Mar 3, 2010 | Featured Articles, Ordinary Pastor, The Gospel
Last June, the Southern Baptist Convention authorized the President of the Convention to appoint a task force that would essentially re-imagine how we operate and function. Thus was born the Great Commission Task Force. Last week, the Task Force’s first report was given. Kelly and I watched it together just after it was released. I have yet to form significant opinions (significant as an ordinary pastor can have) worth public comment about it, and will be giving more time to reading the report and talking to some involved. I am excited for possible changes that will enhance our focus as a Convention, and concerned about how the implications of the Task Force will be applied. The Task force will present its final report in a few months and it will be considered at the June annual meeting in Orlando. Below is the video report of the Task force. GCR Progress Report from GCR on Vimeo. Here is the written report. Albert Mohler posted some thoughts on it today. Any thoughts from any of you as of... read more
Mar 2, 2010 | The Gospel
John Stott suggests our approach to worship, and thus the cross, may be filled with too much levity. What do you think of his comments: Unhappily, even in the church we seem to have lost the vision of the majesty of God. There is much shallowness and levity among us. Prophets and psalmists would probably say of us that “there is no fear of God before their eyes.” In public worship our habit is to slouch or squat; we do not kneel nowadays, let alone prostrate ourselves in humility before God. It is more characteristic of us to clap our hands with joy than to blush with shame or tears. We saunter up to God to claim his patronage and friendship; it does not occur to us that he might send us away. It must be said that our evangelical emphasis on the atonement is dangerous if we come to it too quickly. We learn to appreciate the access to God that Christ has won for us only after we have first seen God’s inaccessibility to sinners. We can cry “Hallelujah” with authenticity only after we have first cried “Woe is me, for I am lost.” As Brunner put it, “where the idea of the wrath of God is ignored, there also will there be no understanding of the central conception of the Gospel: the uniqueness of the revelation in the Mediator.” Similarly, “only he who knows the greatness of wrath will be mastered by the greatness of mercy.” If we bring God down to our level and raise ourselves to his then of course we see no need... read more
Jan 28, 2010 | Featured Articles, Ordinary Pastor, Pastoral Ministry, Technology
I’ve been waiting for something like this – a handheld device that I could consume information very easily and most comfortably. Apple may have done it and I think it will have a number of benefits for those in pastoral ministry. If you missed it, here’s the video of the new Apple iPad: Will/Should ordinary pastors and people use the newly unveiled Apple iPad? This pastor probably will, and I think many, many will also. The Kindle has been a big draw among many in ministry and I can’t help but think that the iPad will be another Apple technological game-changer. Here’s a few reasons why I think so: 1. Magazines/Newspapers can now survive. The only reason I subscribe to a print newspaper right now, is because my wife wants the coupons from the Sunday paper. I NEVER read the print paper. But I do subscribe to a number of newspaper and magazine RSS feeds. In fact, I can subscribe to the sections of the paper I want and skip the rest. I noticed that my wife was already starting to clip coupons from the internet. Outisde of my wife’s coupon newspaper, I no longer have any subscriptions to any print publications – and I don’t miss the mess. However, I would be interested in reading papers and magazines on an electronic device that I could hold in my hand and was bigger than my iPhone. Especially if I could cut and paste quotes and sections into Evernote and tag them. That would help me in quickly clipping, filing, and finding quotes and illustrations for sermons and doing so... read more
Dec 22, 2009 | Featured Articles, Personal
While in the process of making our annual family DVD to give to family & close friends, I put together this little pictorial review of all the goings on in our family. It has been quite an emotional year as a family. Major high points and some deep moments of trial. When 2009 began, we could never have imagined what the Lord had in store. We end 2009 with unbelievably grateful hearts. [YouTube Video] The professional photos were done by the incomparable... read more
Dec 15, 2009 | General Theology, Humor
Thanks to Walter Price for pointing this out: [YouTube Video] Won’t Brie, Emi, and David be so excited to learn... read more
Dec 14, 2009 | Pastoral Ministry
This is an excellent Question/Answer discussion on the issue of scholarship and the pastorate. It’s worth the 25 minutes to watch or listen to it. How important is it for a local church pastor in a small town/city to pursue theological depth and... read more
Dec 10, 2009 | Culture, Featured Articles
This evening, I had the privilege to pray at our city Council meeting. This was the second occasion I have enjoyed this honor. I was asked to deliver the invocation just before it was publicly revealed that 4 of our 5 Councilmen have been indicted for political corruption. Tonight was the Council’s first meeting since the indictments were handed down. I saw it as my task to simply bring our collective conscience before God – and plead for His grace to oversee the proceedings with mercy, and for all involved to conduct themselves with honor and integrity. Below is the text of my prayer: Our God and our Father, How grateful we are that this meeting can begin with an appeal for you to be uniquely present in this meeting of our city council. These particular days and this particular meeting reflects numerous and distinct challenges for our city and its leadership. These challenges remind us that we are in need of someone greater than ourselves to navigate our way. Your knowledge is complete, ours is not. Your wisdom is perfect, ours is far from it. Your answers are without error, while ours are full of human limitation. That”™s why we invoke your specific and unique presence in this meeting. Grant us a consciousness that we stand before our creator first and foremost in what we do and what we say. We ask for your grace to be full in its display among our city leaders this evening. May their minds be guided by principles that would reflect your righteousness. May their speech be reflective of the humility of... read more
Dec 2, 2009 | Culture
This is too much: Jesus Christ dumped from jury pool for disruption BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ““ Court officials say a Birmingham woman who changed her name to Jesus Christ didn’t live up to it when she reported for jury duty this week. The woman, previously named Dorothy Lola Killingworth, was sent to Judge Clyde Jones’s courtroom for a criminal case Monday. Court officials told The Birmingham News Tuesday that the 59-year-old was excused because she was disruptive and kept asking questions instead of answering them. Efforts to reach Christ for comment were unsuccessful. Court administrator Sandra Turner said people there were shocked when the woman insisted her name was Jesus Christ and some potential jurors laughed out loud when her name was called. But Turner said unlike some Jefferson County residents, Christ didn’t try to get out of jury duty and was “perfectly happy to serve.” ___ Information from: The Birmingham News, http://www.al.com/birminghamnews Yahoo... read more
