The 'Burbs Get Some Lovin'

A few days ago I got word that a couple guys have started a website dedicated to churches who want to be "missional" in a suburban context. (For a great definition of "missional" see Joe Thorn's post here.) The website is called sub•text and I'm pumped it's here!

For quite some time it seemed that most of the talk about missional churches centered on urban congregations. This naturally gave birth to helpful conferences, articles and messages detailing how those churches could be positioned both theologically and practically "for the city" (an oft-repeated rally cry). While I believe it's a very important discussion, at times it may have left some suburban church leaders scrambling to figure out how to apply what they were hearing to their own environmental contexts. Not that it was an entirely huge issue (good leaders often do well at discerning and implementing what they are learning to their own contexts...that's what makes them good leaders), but I must admit it's refreshing and exciting to see ministries created like sub•text.

Now growing numbers of suburban churches have a place to dialogue about trying to reach souls and contextualize the Gospel "for the suburbs". Only time will tell if it is an effective instrument in helping suburban churches become more Gospel-centered in who they are and what they do, but I think it's a promising start.

Go get 'em sub•text!

Another Reformation, Please

For quite some time I've been an enthusiastic proponent of local churches writing, recording, producing and publishing music to be used in corporate worship. There are a lot of reasons behind my thinking. Here are some off the top of my head:

1. There is greater theological and doctrinal accountability with the leadership concerning the lyrics. We start moving away from having "free agents" leading and writing music for the local church which they, in all honesty, may have little to no accountability with. I realize there are those who do. I fear they are the exception rather than the rule. (This goes for "speakers" as well but that's another post)
2. Songs don't need to be "one size fits all" but explicitly shaped by experiences and distinctives within the specific community of faith. Thus the lyrics don't have the requirement to be vague and doctrinally bland so that multiple strands of Christians (Methodists, Baptists, etc.) can be able to sing them (a likely requirement for many Christian radio stations and industry subscribers); on the contrary, songs created by a local church's music team may be so specific that those who don't subscribe to that congregation's distinctive beliefs might just pass on that tune. For example, how many worship songs have you heard on the radio that exalt God for the grace of election, the beauty of believers' baptism or the gift of prophecy? Now while that might not make it available for airplay on KSBJ (which isn't and should never be the aim of music written for corporate worship), it is a song tailor-made for the congregation that produced it. Oh how we need more music which doesn't play to the lowest common denominator of Christendom but leverages the richness of the work of Christ in the local church!
3. It can help galvinize an important relationship between two ministries in the church - teaching and music (which is not as separate as some might think - music always teaches). Music leaders and teaching leaders can team up for an incredible "one-two" punch of helping teach through music as they work together to create songs (I'm assuming the teaching team gets to help with the creation of lyrics), which I believe with only serve to strengthen the relationship both personally and pastorally between music team and teaching team.
4. Songs aren't created with the goal of being a chart-topper but an instrument for the local congregation to better expresses musically their corporate worship to God. There's less temptation to be seduced by everything that's wrong with the moden-day "worship" movement: no one's got a table selling t-shirts and various Christianity, Inc. pieces of "flair" in the lobby as the "leader" speedily pulls up his stakes ready to move to the next "gig" as soon as possible.
   

Like I said, there's more in my grey matter on this issue but you get my drift. We need another
Reformation, one in which the church takes back that which rightly belongs to her, namely, the music that is sung when she gathers to adore her bridegroom. Why would we want it any other way?

I know not every local church has the resources or giftings to become publishing houses (my church has no excuse with all the musicial thoroughbreds God's blessed us with...just know we're working on it), but maybe one of the ways we can apply this is by looking at the church first when we're searching for good congregational music instead the Top 25 section of Lifeway Bookstore. I'm sure someone out there will find a great way to network like-minded churches in this venture (The Vineyard is the only denomination I know of that seeks to do this. I love their motto: By the church, for the church.). However until then, it will take a little more work to discover songs for your congregation but I believe it can be very much worth it...for you...and your church.

With that, I'd like to heartily recommend Sojourn Community Church's "Behold the Throne". It's the best CD I've heard this year. While you might not be able to use every song, one can't help but appreciate what the church can be and do when it comes to helping her worship our great and wonderful Savior. Thanks for leading the way Sojourn. Hopefully more of us will follow.

I'd be remiss if I didn't add a few links of guys who I think are trying to make headway into creating music for the church by the church.

Think Worship by Brad Loser of Clear Creek Community Church, Houston, TX
Doxologist by Tim Smith of Mars Hill Church, Seattle, WA
Sojourn Music by Sojourn Community Church, Louisville, KY
Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin of Covenant Life Church, Gaithersburg, MD

Let the Reformation begin.

Meet Me In Saint Louie

"The City of St. Louis has affected me more deeply than any other environment has ever done,
I consider myself fortunate to have been born here, rather than in Boston, or New York, or London."
- T.S. Eliot

I had the pleasure this past weekend to preach at a wonderful church in St. Louis known as The Journey. Not only was I able to speak but, more importantly, I was able to reconnect with friends both new and old. Making it even better was the fact that my wife was able to accompany me. It was the first time in years that we left our kids and got away just the two of us. This had all the makings of a highlight for us in 2008. It didn't disappoint.

I was able to renew my friendships with beloved college friends (Kevin & Nikki Rutz, Andy & Julie Kerckhoff) and build upon relationships that have come to me later in life, namely Darrin & Amie Patrick. Darrin is the Lead Pastor of The Journey and done a remarkable job guiding his church to accomplish the mission of Jesus in the world, and Amie is truly as genuine a person as they come! Spending time with them along with my old college roommate and his wife (another college friend as well) was completely refreshing for my soul. Most of my weekend was taken up at my roomie's lake house with boat trips, sleeping late, good food and great conversations simply being par for the course.

The end of the weekend had me preaching five times (my only regret being that I wished I would've taught better...oh, well...that's where faith comes in), catching a Cardinals game and meeting the great guys that serve at The Journey. My wife and I returned Monday afternoon worn out but deeply blessed. Here's to doing it again in the future!

Some pics of the weekend: the lakehouse group (I was a dunce and didn't get any pics with the Kerckhoffs...my apologies) and of course, baseball pics!


We stayed in my college roommate's lakehouse on Lake Perry which was a little over an hour south of St. Louis. It was relaxing, beautiful and refreshing for the spirit.

I must say, New Busch Stadium is both a beautiful and entertaining experience. St. Louis is, without a doubt, rightfully dubbed "Baseball City". While it's an added benefit that the Cards are in the pennant race, you get the feeling this town would root for them regardless of where they are in the standings.

Much blessings and thanks go to The Patricks, Rutzs and Kerckhoffs for making our stay in the Gateway City a memorable one!

The 4th of July and Two Kingdoms

“Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world.’”
– The Gospel of John 18:36

With the July 4th holiday approaching next week you can be assured of one thing – churches around the United States will have services devoted to the theme of America and liberty. Activities like reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, singing God Bless America and salutes to the armed forces will be dotted in orders of worship throughout the country. If I could get a dollar for every sermon that deals with “freedom” in our nation's pulpits a weekend from now I’d become a very wealthy man.

And I think for some churches it can be a very scary thing!

Let me preface this by saying I am grateful to God to be an American. While I don’t think our country is perfect by any stretch of the imagination, I wouldn’t choose to live anywhere else. I consider myself patriotic as well. In high school I wrote a piece on the great gift of being an American for a scholarship competition sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. It went all the way to state as a finalist. My wife and I have been to a Presidential Inauguration. My uncle fought in Vietnam. My great uncle in WWII. My father served in the Army. I even have a brother who worked in the White House in the role as Special Assistant to the President of the United States. So rest assured, I love the good ole US of A.

I just get really leery of churches that devote entire worship services to the greatness of America. It’s not that one can’t consider America great, it’s just not as great as God. In fact, it is so “not as great as God” that it (or anything else) doesn’t need to be worshipped. Remember, for most churches the Sunday service is a worship service, and that worship is reserved for no one else than Almighty God. However, I believe many churches walk a very thin line by conducting services that leave people with the impression that America is worthy to be given that which only God deserves…worship! It's won't be uncommon in many churches next weekend to have a service where people will pledge their fidelity to our nation, sing songs of praise to her and raise her colors high in a space that is supposed to be set apart as “God’s House”. Does anyone see, if not a possible contradiction, at least a sizeable tension here?

Only the Lord is to be worshipped. Nothing, not even our wonderful nation, gets that kind of billing. In fact, there are numerous texts that show how impotent America (and any other nation for that matter) is in front of the Most High God.

• Psalm 47:7-8, “For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.”
• Daniel 2:21a, “He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings…”
• Daniel 4:34b-35, “For his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, "What have you done?"
• Psalm 33:10, “The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the people.”
• Acts 14:16-17, “In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness."
• Revelation 12:5, “She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron…”
  

Make no mistake, when it comes to an arm wrestling match between America and God for worthiness of worship, there is no competition. America's existence in this world of ours ultimately rests not on its economical or military prowess but upon the sovereign wishes of God. Therefore, now that we know everyone’s place in the grand scheme of things, it seems churches (who represent God’s Kingdom and not the nation where they happen to be located) would be wise to put together services next Sunday in such a way that there is no guessing on the part of the congregants on who/what is to be the rightful object of worship!

The great Reformers Martin Luther and John Calvin taught that Christians were citizens of two kingdoms: God’s Kingdom and man’s kingdom. As such we have responsibilities to both. For example, we obey the laws of the United States of America AND we seek to follow Jesus Christ. While these kingdoms are not equal (always God before man), when we can obey both, we should. But somehow over time many churches have tended to blur the line. Even today you can hear people talking in one sentiment or another about how America is God’s nation. Unfortunately, this is a confusion of kingdoms and becomes worsened when churches add to that confusion by hosting services which drift into more America-centric worship than Gospel-centered worship.

Can a church recognize liberty and America in a church worship service? I think it can but I’d strongly encourage it to happen within the context of a God who ultimately and unreservedly is the object of worship in that service. Let there be no confusion on Sunday! However, I’d put money on the fact that many churches likely cross the line from a biblical appreciation for the state to an idolatrous adoration of it when they gather on weekends such as the one we’re approaching. Again, I’m not saying American Christians shouldn’t celebrate their nation, I just think there are better arenas for doing that than a Christian worship service held by a those who have been given a new identity in Christ as “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9) While our natural birth has made us Americans, the Gospel has made us “sojourners and exiles” in this world (1 Peter 2:11), thus believers are to reserve their highest allegiance for the One who has given them an identity that transcends any earthly citizenship.

How does that affect us? Well, at my church every Memorial Day, July 4th and other patriotic seasons we will continue to have people angered at our leadership because we don’t fly flags in the auditorium, or sing the National Anthem or have everyone stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. But let it be known, we as Followers of Jesus Christ have pledged our allegiance ultimately to the One who rules over every nation, including the United States. I will have many Presidents over my lifetime, but only one Lord. And because that is so, it means there is only One who is rightfully to be worshiped – one Kingdom over all kingdoms. At least for my local church to that end, we want that to be perfectly clear on Sunday!

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.
- Derek Webb, A King and A Kingdom

Joy of Life

I don't know who these two adults are but I really like this kid!

NOTE: You should probably know that when a child gives his/her testimony on video he/she is reciting their story that they have already written down and brought with them to the video shoot. The stories are edited because of a child’s propensity to get distracted (an especially good strategy when it comes to the kiddo being baptized). Nevertheless, the words they use are their words. The edited video spares the congregation from having to watch for a torturous 20 minutes instead of two. ;)

This was filmed on June 4, 2008, at the worship service known as The Gathering.

What Fires Your Passion?

Today as a staff we worked through how our schedules should reflect our desire for self-leadership. In essence, what things do I need to do on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly basis in order for me to be the very best I can be as one who vocationally serves God through the local church? Most of us had similar thoughts - eating well, exercise, retreats, and the like filled up the conversation. But in thinking about what activities I would add into my life, bigger questions rose to the surface of mind, not the least of which was: What keeps me passionate in life?

In other words, what things do I do that fire me up to live the life I live? For me, I can't think of very many personal evils worse than living a dispassionate life. It's not how I'm wired at all. I love living with an intensity, an edge...and being fired up about it all is simply par for the course. Call it hyper or being too revved up, it doesn't matter to me. I'd much rather be faulted for being too amped up than coming in day after day with barely a pulse. For me, living passionately is a vital cog in the machine of my self-leadership.

So I began to write down things that throw fuel on the fire of my passion for life. I'll give you a couple that I wrote down...

1. Hanging out with "Soul Friends".
The irony of ministry is that for very good reasons, while a pastor is around tons of people he can still be very lonely (I'll leave that for a potential post). Often, he will need to find close friendships outside the circle of his congregation. Now I should sayI feel that I am very, very good friends with many on my staff. In fact, I would consider a handful of them "soul friends" - friends who no matter where you are or what you're doing, almost always energize you. However, with that being said, I believe most of those friendships will come from the outside than inside of a pastor's congregation. That's been the case for me. But no matter how those relationships come about I've seen one truth demonstrably projected over the course of my life, when I hang out with "soul friends" I find myself more rejuvenated and impassioned for life. They are not optional. When I have time with them spaced too far out in the rhythm of my life, things go south for me.

2. Being a part of a "Learning Community".
I love to learn. My day is filled with learning. I can't stop it. I just do it. I can't escape the fact that I'm an eternal student. In fact, I really like that about me. The world feels much more alive to me knowing that there's so much out there to know. When it comes to God and his Church you can multiply that feeling a bazillion times! And what I've learned over the course of my life is that I like learning with others. I like journeying through issues and ideas with fellow pilgrims. It's stimulating to me. It fires me up and gets my passion engine running hot. I can't explain necessarily why, I just know it does. In fact, one of the reasons I love the leadership team I work with is that they are learners too! So if I know we're going to go into a room to discuss how this idea or that issue is going to affect, for example, how we make disciples at our church, I'm good to go for the long haul! Frankly, it's hard for me to let those things go when our time together has concluded. I like learning with others!

As I look over how I can better lead myself I know one thing - I need to have these types of experiences dotted throughout my year. That's probably a better indicator on how well I'll "perform" than how much sleep I get or how well I eat (not that those are unimportant). I want to live life passionately!

What feeds the fire of your passion for life?

"Wordling" a Message from 1 Corinthians 15:12-34

First off, this is my 100th post. I was thinking about doing something special but then that thought passed. Oh well...

I stumbled upon a web program called Wordle that provides a "word cloud" out of text you supply with greater prominence given to words that appear more frequently. You will be messing with thing for hours if you're not careful. I've only done one so far and I think it's absolutely, totally cool! Here is the wordle from my sermon outline on 1 Corinthians 15:12-34. The title of my message was "The Importance of Resurrection".

Now, try not to waste half your day doing some wordles of your own!

HT: Justin Taylor's Between Two Worlds

Home Sweet Hill Country

"Don't ask a man where he is from.
If he is from Texas he will tell you so.
If he isn't...well, don't embarrass him."
- Anonymous

Man, can I tell you how much I love getting away to my little ranch house in Kerrville?!?!! On Monday I texted my wife asking her if she wanted to take off for a brief respite with the kiddos at the place I have spent most of the summers of my childhood - the Texas Hill Country. She didn't miss a beat and by Wednesday we were on the road (leaving at 4AM) with a Suburban full of kids and Willie Nelson's "Red Headed Stranger". Kerrville didn't disappoint!

Most people don't know my background when it comes to Kerrville with story upon story of time spent riding horses, dancing at Crider's, playing "pitch" with my cousins, swimming and fishing in the Guadalupe River and making memories with my relatives (aunts, uncles, cousins and all). I might've grown up in the groomed plains of West Texas but my summers were all Texas Hill Country. And now I get to pass on that heritage to my boys.

Our place is actually not in Kerrville or anywhere else to be exact. The closest town (if you can call it that) is Hunt, Texas, but Kerrville is the closest "large" city. It's like saying you live in Houston when you really live in League City. However, our place is right in the middle of camps where families spend literally thousands of dollars to send their children (in fact, our neighbors will send their girls to a camp this summer not even five miles from our ranch house), and I'm blessed to get to do it all for free!

The last four days were chock-full of long hours in the waters of the 'Lupe, searching through the rough terrain of Big Bluff looking for who-knows-what and even had a little bit of Crider's thrown in. We missed the dance and rodeo (had to leave a little too soon) but did hit Crider's catfish cookout with the locals. Fortunately, all of my aunts and uncles happened to be around to invest in my kids over the week with old stories, swimming buddies and rides on the tractor. Standing around in the midst of it all, seeing the smiles and wonder ignite on the faces and in the hearts of my boys was pretty special for me. I knew the feeling.

In fact, I still feel it today.

Memorable Moment

Tonight my church took about 15 minutes to celebrate my ten years of being on staff as the Teaching Pastor. It was funny, touching and memorable. My wife and I were dearly blessed! They even rigged up our website for a season in honor of my anniversary. I love my church!

Here's to many more years...

Hairathon

One thing I've been consistent in...is that my hairstyles have never been consistent. Some guys have had the same cut since 5th grade. I've had five different types of cuts in one grade. I dunno. I guess I get easily bored.

I remember growing my hair out a couple years back and someone asked our Lead Pastor if he minded my long hair. He replied, "It really doesn't matter what I think, he'll get tired of it and change before you know it." I must say he knows me well.

Tonight I was running through a file (mind you, one small computer folder file) with random photos and amusingly noticed how many different hairstyles I've had within a short period of time. Feel free to laugh...

*Click to enlarge photo

C'mon Dad, It's Mendelssohn!

Tonight I was laying in bed next to my son Thatcher before he went to sleep for the evening. With the lights off, we spent time talking about our days and ended our time together humming classical music tunes seeing if we could guess the other's song. Now I must add that my son has been studying different composers at school (his mother is his fabulous teacher). We traded songs for a few minutes.

"Thatcher, that's Mozart's 40th?"
"That's right Dad."

"Dad, you're doing Beethoven, right?"
"You got it, son!"

Then he starts humming through a song for which I had no clue. He turns to me afterward. Silence.

I tell him I didn't know the song and he says, "Dad, it's from the Romantic period." like that was going to be the hint which would easily get me over the top.

After a few more moments of silence he exasperatingly says, "C'mon Dad, it's Mendelssohn!"

"Oh yeah," I reply not letting him see me silently laughing, bemused at the fact my kid thinks everyone (including his dad) should know Mendelssohn, and correspondingly, the Romantic period of the mid-19th Century by memory.

I'm giving his mother a raise.

Penal Substitutionary Atonement....7 Year Old-Style

This week my middle child Haddon got in trouble for saying something he shouldn't have. The punishment was vinegar in the mouth (a result of his third "infraction" for the same bad behavior for the day). My eldest son Thatcher, seeing that his younger brother was about to suffer, piped up and said, "Mommy may I please take Haddon's punishment?"

"Why would you want to do that?" Jennefer inquired.

"Because it makes me sad to see my brother punished," he replied.

So she went ahead and gave Thatcher the cap full of vinegar on the tongue.

I don't know if Jen or I have had an easier "pitch" to hit in pointing out the beauty of the Gospel to my kids than that moment.

Oh and by the way, I'm baptizing Thatcher this Wednesday.

Twelve (and Ten) Years and Counting....

Today marks my 12th wedding anniversary. I am truly blessed by God to have been given Jennefer as my spouse! This also happens to be the day (10 years ago) that she and I loaded up our cars and moved to Houston to be the Teaching Pastor at the church I currently serve. Can I also say I've been blessed to have been given the church I'm privileged to pastor? God's grace has truly been rich to me!

Summer Reading and Community

I'm not a book club guy. I don't sit down with a group of like-minded bibliophiles and discuss the plotlines, themes and denouement of various pieces of literature. Not that it's a bad thing. I just don't do it.

However, I do believe that when reading books which deal with things like leadership philosophy, Christian issues or theology in general, doing it in community is hard to beat. This summer I'll be walking through Bob Kauflin's Worship Matters (my last post) with a group of people. Additionally I'm planning on reading Jonathan Edwards' The Religious Affections with guy home from college for the summer. It was a book I'd heard he wanted to read and thought, "Here's my chance to walk through Edwards' classic with somebody!"

Here are some benefits to reading books in community:

1. You see what they might miss, they see what you might miss. That's the power of more "eyes" on the same pages.
2. You've also added more brains to further dissect, ruminate and assimilate the ideas of the text. Some people think creatively, others linearly and still others may think in a way that defies definition - but the more "different thinkers" you have - the better potential there is for really breaking down a book's contents.
   
3. You multiply the potential applications that get put on the table to think through. Instead of one life pressed up against the matrix of a book, you have multiple situations that are intersecting with what you're reading.
   
4. There is better accountability to keep plugging through the text when it gets dry or dense, knowing you've got to meet with someone in a few days to talk about what you don't want to read at the present. That 7AM meeting tomorrow morning at the local coffee shop with your reading buddies may be the only thing that keeps your nose in the book at times...and that's a good thing.
   
5. Now you get the added blessing of how the Holy Spirit chooses to use the truth of what you're reading to affect more than just you. For example, maybe the conviction someone in your group begins to work through will be something you need to ponder in your own heart. Community can be a great instrument for the grace of sanctification.
   

Summer usually means hot days, swimming pools and for many, reading books. Consider the benefits of reading a solid Christian book with a group this summer, then make the commitment by grabbing a friend or two (or seven) and read! Surely you have some names of people that pop into your head who would be excited to do it?!?! I believe reading in community will not only enhance your reading but also your relationships...both with God and your friends.

Worship Matters: A Brief Review

One of the reasons I like to read books on matters concerning the faith is that periodically I find an author who has so well articulated what I believe about said topic (but I haven't articulated well) that I not only find myself overjoyed and grateful for coming across his work but keep it in my staple of books I eagerly recommend when the appropriate time arises. Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin is one of those books.

For quite some time I've lamented the current day worship scene (see my posts "Flying A Little Lower" and "'Christian' Music"). I cringe at music leaders who have a propensity to focus on "catchiness" of congregational music at the expense of both theological accuracy and Gospel clarity. I also can't stand when someone walks to the mic after the music is over and says to the effect, "Now that worship is over our pastor is going to come and teach." When did worship become confined to only singing songs? Likely the music leader doesn't realize what he is saying, but that's half the problem. I've always thought, outside the teaching team, those who lead music need to be as theologically astute as anyone else who leads the church. Why? Songs teach. They always have and always will. And if you are at a church where the music minister/leader/pastor selects the songs, having someone who can discern the best music that is good both musically and lyrically is critical. Oh to have a reformation in corporate worship where both artistry and doctrine aren't on different sides of the spectrum.

Okay, I can see this is turning into more of a rant than a post...sorry for the digression...back to Kauflin's book.

I don't know if I've read a book of recent that excited me with every page turned as Worship Matters did. Kauflin, the director for worship development for Sovereign Grace Ministries, breaks down his book into three sections: the leader, the task and healthy tensions - each of them chock-full of insightful, gracious and most importantly, biblical teaching about worship. From explaining why the Cross is crucial to worship to how to choose the right songs, Kauflin excels both theologically and practically (can those really be separate anyhow?) when it comes to leading corporate worship. After each section I found myself saying how grateful I was for Worship Matters. Unlike many books, I don't believe there was one wasted chapter. No filler or fluff. One will likely get the feeling that this book has been years in the making for Kauflin and the Western, contemporary church (of which I'm a part) will be richer for it.

I don't know what excites me more, knowing there is a book which so well addresses the issues involved with corporate worship or that each of those on our music team have a copy and will be reading it as a team over the summer (some have already finished it and gratefully felt reaffirmed by it). If you're a pastor (like me), get this book not only for your music team, get it for yourself. Believe me, it's at the same time encouraging and convicting. You may not agree with every conclusion he comes to (e.g., use of prophetic gifts in congregational worship) but I think most of your disagreements will lie on the periphery. If you're planting a church use it as both a touchstone and educational piece for those you might consider adding to your music staff.

Years ago I was asked by Good News Publishers if I would publicly endorse a Bible translation which I and our elders had chosen to use for all adult church services. I didn't hesitate because I think the English Standard Version is the best translation around. No question. (I'll leave exactly why for another future post) For what it's worth (which admittedly isn't much), I feel the same way about Bob Kauflin's Worship Matters. It's simply the best book I've ever read which so aptly addresses the current state of church worship with biblical fidelity, theological clarity and pastoral insight. I warmly and highly endorse it! Thanks Bob for a great and needful contribution to today's Church! May God continue to bless you and the ministry he is working through you.

Need I say more? Get this book.

Every sin?

Last week I briefly skimmed through a book I had read (at least part of it I'd read) about a year ago just to see if I could grab a nugget of wisdom or two. Within a few moments of turning the pages I was brought face to face with a sentence that put an exclamation point on something I believe the Holy Spirit has been nudging me about for months.

For some time I've struggled with (or rebelled against to be more accurate) the sinfulness of owning music that really isn't mine. Yes, that's right, I'm talking about having copied mp3's. You probably know what legal issue I'm talking about. It's that funny little emblem on all CD's which informs you that unauthorized duplication is breaking the law.

Like most sins I struggle with, I've tried to rationalize having them a thousand different ways. In fact, I know some music groups have no problem with their fans having copied mp3's. However, I didn't really seem to care about any band's convictions when it came to listening to a certain track - I just knew I wanted that mp3 now. Somehow the illegal and stealing aspects of my actions got minimized in the process. Go figure.

Yet for a long season my conscience has been pricked on this issue. For reasons I can't finger, the burden has been heavier on me of late. The proverbial straw that broke the camel's back arrived with the words of a man who lived roughly 400 years before the iPod was ever invented. His name was John Owen, a English Puritan pastor who wrote a little diddy entitled On the Mortification of Sin. I read it a year or two ago in The Works of John Owen, Vol. 6.

For some reason (again, go figure) I decided to reread some of my initial highlights just to catch up with what Owens was saying in dealing with sin and temptation. Almost immediately I read this sentence marked in green highlighter:

Without sincerity and diligence in a universality of obedience,
there is no mortification of any one perplexing lust to be obtained. (Owen, 40)

In essence, if I'm to really see sin killed (mortified) in my life to any degree I need to have my heart set with "sincerity and diligence in a universality of obedience" - I must desire to obey Christ in every aspect of my life. That did it for me! It was inescapable for the next steps I needed to take. Jerry Bridges writes about "respectable sins" concerning those areas of disobedience that we tolerate. I haven't read the book, but on my list is stealing music. It had to go.

So I'm trying to repent of it. I spent well over an hour trying to clean up my computer, iPhone and iTunes from all the illegal stuff I've kept. Yup, it was a lot...Gigs of music. And yet now I sense a clearer conscience and greater peace, one that I'd like to think the Holy Spirit is using in this all-too-grey area of my life. I'm not putting this on anyone else. I just know for me, most of the music I copied played a different tune in my heart than the one in my ears. It was anything but a melody for my soul.

Maybe this will be a harbinger of things to come. Maybe I'll have the courage to repent of other "respectable sins" I tolerate. For now, my music (which now is really mine) has come under the desire for universality of obedience. May other areas in my life follow for there is no question there is more of them. I guess I'm not as universal as I thought.

Just a question: Do you read this and feel any conviction? Yeah, me too.

What a Wonderful...

“The reason men worship God in a slight way is because they do not see God in His glory.”
- Jeremiah Burroughs, 17th Century Puritan pastor

This past week one of the worship leaders at our church recommended a message by C.J. Mahaney given at the 1999 conference on worship for what is now Sovereign Grace Ministries. It was a wonderful message on Cross-centered worship and the need for church leadership and worship ministries to reject cultural models and methods that obscure the Cross and for that leadership to resolve to build exclusively on the Cross.

Mahaney closed with a wonderful story about the well-known English pastor Charles Haddon Spurgeon to highlight the truth that in a world given to churches which prop up methodology over theology (and the Cross at its center), we should devote ourselves to having services preoccupied with preaching Christ and him crucified (cf., 1 Cor. 2):

During the 1880s a group of American ministers visited England, prompted especially by a desire to hear some of the celebrated preachers of that land. On a Sunday morning they attended the City Temple where Dr. Joseph Parker was the pastor. Some 2000 people filled the building, and Parker's forceful personality dominated the service. His voice was commanding, his language descriptive, his imagination lively, and his manner animated. The sermon was Scriptural, the congregation hung upon his words, and the Americans came away saying, "What a wonderful preacher is Joseph Parker.

In the evening they went to hear Spurgeon at the Metropolitan Tabernacle. The building was much larger than the City Temple, and the congregation was more that twice it's size. Spurgeon's voice was much more expressive and moving and his oratory noticably superior. But they soon forgot all about the great building, the immense congregation, and the magnificent voice. They even overlooked their intention to compare the various features of the two preachers, and when the service was over they found themselves saying, "What a wonderful Savior is Jesus Christ." (Arnold Dallimore, Spurgeon: A New Biography)

May our churches and those who lead them through preaching, singing and others elements of the service work hard to clearly reveal Christ and his glory without reservation so that people find themselves saying as they exit, "What a wonderful Savior is Jesus Christ."

Form and Function

Ever get to be a part of a group that has the ability to see beyond the form as they seek to grasp the function? I do and am very, very grateful for it.

Let me explain.

The past couple of months for me has been full of weighty thoughts and deep conversations about the way we do what we do as a church. It's been completely refreshing because they've happened at the highest levels of leadership. Now, before we get too far ahead of ourselves you must know that we are simply dialogging about what is and what should be. The future could range from radically different to no difference at all. The point is: we are talking about how we best maximize our redemptive potential. I think that's a critical question to repeatedly ask over time as people lead a local church.

Unfortunately, many churches get all too enamored with some model (of church) they saw operate with great effectiveness and adopted it, never to look back. At first, maybe even for decades it worked well for them and the context they lived in...but then something changed. Maybe it was the leadership, maybe it was the context, maybe it was everything in between but something changed that made their current model less effective for reaching and discipling people in their neck of the woods. But they don't change. They like the form (the model). It gives them comfort because of its familiarity, its easier because all your systems revolve around it and most of all it takes less courage to change (I mean, think of all the people you might lose if you shifted gears now).

The only problem is the function of the church has left them with little more than a crowd who comes to be either entertained or feel better about checking the "I went to church" box for the month. Disciples...real ones...are hard to find. That scenario necessitates the need to discover a better way to function - and that takes courage to ask the tough questions about form because it just very well may be the major player in the inability to "produce" better disciples for Jesus. It might not, but it might be.

In some churches the form/model is sacrosanct. Not in mine. I didn't say it was easily exchangeable, just that it wasn't created out of granite. One of the most invigorating aspects of my ministry at the church I serve is the fact that we're asking the questions about form and function. Will things change? Maybe, maybe not. But the fact that we're asking the question brings me much hope for today...and the days to come.

Church leader, look in the mirror and ask yourself,
"Is the way we do church maximizing our redemptive potential in the area God has placed us?"

What's the answer?
What do you need to do about it?
Who do you need to dialogue with?

A Very Brief Review: Tim Keller's "The Reason for God"

I like books on apologetics because not only do they serve me in evangelism but also build up my faith on a personal level. It's nice to read the fruit of someone's labor when that labor is given to sharing compelling reasons why a person should give their life to Jesus Christ. Toward that endeavor, there are fewer books I've read that are as good as Tim Keller's The Reason for God. In fact, I would say only C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity would prevail in a apologetics arm-wrestling contest...and TK would most assuredly give Clive Staples a run for his money with 21st Century audiences. Thankfully they're both on the same team (incidentally, Keller rightfully quotes Lewis often).

In The Reason for God Keller is characteristically disarming, intellectually engaging and easily accessible. It deals with the "big" issues like suffering, eternal torment and science like other apologetical works but it's done in such a fresh contemporary fashion that the Christian reader may feel he's never heard this stuff before. Yes (all you who've read people like Ravi Zacharias, Hank Hanegraaff, etc.), it's that good!

While reading the book leaves one with the impression that Keller is incredibly well-read if not brilliant it more so highlights the truth that, outside of Jesus the Christ, there is no name under heaven by which men may be saved.

[Okay, I just finished the book and wanted to post something quickly before I teach tonight. Sorry this isn't very in depth or thorough. I'll leave that to the big boys.]

Today is World Autism Day

10 years ago: 1 in 10,000

5 years ago: 1 in 1,000
Today: 1 in 150
Got your attention?

Many people have a "cause" which is close to their hearts for obvious reasons. I'm no exception. I have a son with an Autism Spectrum Disorder called Asperger's Syndrome. I've blogged about it before and simply wanted to throw my hat in the national ring on World Autism Day reminding people this is a real issue for many families (1.5 million Americans have some form of autism). In fact, the entire month of April is given to Autism awareness. For example, among other businesses and corporations joining the emphasis, CNN will be highlight stories about autism on both television and internet the entire week.

For more info on this condition and the issues surrounding it click here or watch this brief video.

Can't vouch for HBO's part in this with their showing of "Autism: The Musical" (because I haven't seen it) but it looks like it might be worth watching...