Say What?

Amazon.com: A Networked Conspiracy: Books: Bill Kinnon

A quote from the book:

The book was partly written as the result of frustration with "modern" church leadership. We've become great at "delivering services" while ignoring the incredible potential that exists in the people to whom we "deliver those services." In the Cluetrain universe we now inhabit, many, if not all people want to be involved. They want to both listen and be heard - they want to engage and be engaged. The one way communication of most "churchianity" just doesn't cut it for them/us - and we not only want to be heard...we will be heard.

This is one of those books about an experience I haven't had yet. Maybe it is our church culture in the South, or the local culture here near the coast in Florida, but we do not have "many, if not all" people at New Hope wanting to be involved. Many of the activities we have now are not attended nearly as well as Sunday morning worship, and that draws 2/3 of the membership on the roll.

Many of the ideas we have had to get people more engaged in work within and without have suffered from a lack of "buy in" from our people. As a leader, I'm trying to get people outside the walls into ministry, but it's a constant struggle.

So forgive me if I don't purchase the book.

technorati tags:church, Kinnon, Books, Missional

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A War of Words

Every day, I get lots of emails. There are devotionals that really lift my thoughts to God. Then there are updates on websites I read frequently. Of course personal emails from friends are part of the mix. And then there's spam.

People I'll never meet share the details of their medical and financial condition. (Is everyone in Nigeria sick?) Others want to have me purchase the latest pharmaceuticals. (I rarely take aspirin, so fat chance.) Still more want me to refinance my home, take a trip, or meet new people. Thank you, but no.

But what about those spam emails you get with what seems like crazy prose or meaningless words put together out of any context? What are those about? Well, they have nothing to do with ethics - just the opposite. Those words are designed to overload your email programs spam filter with so many real words that it just gives up and lets anything through. It's a war of words.

Sometimes they use snippets from a dictionary. Other times they lift from fiction. But the idea is to so clog the spam filter with words that would be considered good - that the bad sneaks by.

Jesus was teaching His disciples one day when the Pharisees and some Sadducees walked up and asked for a sign from Him that he was real. By this point Jesus had done so many miracles which they had ignored that he told them no. Then He turned to His disciples and said:

6 "Watch out!" Jesus warned them. "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

Matt 16:6 (NLT)

The disciples didn't understand.

It was a war of words. The yeast is the active ingredient in bread dough. Though there's a lot of other ingredients, and the quantity of those are far greater in volume than the yeast - if the yeast is bad, no matter how much other stuff you put in the mix - the result is bad bread.

At the "yeast" level, they did not believe that God's Word could change anyone. But if they threw out enough words - enough rules - then people would have to do right.

Friends, it's not about rules.

It's about relationship - about whether you are living in relationship with God through His Son. He's sinless - completely Holy. You're not. No amount of words, no amount of forced obedience, no amount of looking good - will change that. Only a heart yielded, a will surrendered, a life offered daily to Him in obedience... matters to Him.

Ask yourself how often you think about Jesus.

Are you losing the war of words?

Make your life a prayer, a running conversation with Him.

Grace!

David

--
Visit with me at my blog:
http://davethepastor.livejournal.com/
Or visit New Hope!
http://www.newhopevalp.org/

Just Another Day?

On July 15th, 1920, on the wrong side of the tracks down on Roff Avenue near "Mr Willingham's Textile Mill", a little girl was born to Henry and Bertie Bowden. Her parents were millworkers who had moved from the farm to the city in search of a better life. Each had lost a spouse to death before they met each other, and the family was a blend of Fosters and Bowdens.

The little girl grew to adulthood in that shotgun house, becoming the first of her family to get a high school diploma. During those years, she saw a sister die in a fire, a brother killed when his car stalled on the railroad tracks that ran parallel to the road. When she was 12, her father was hit by a car and died the next day. Hurt came often to Roff Avenue. The family grew tight - they had to. Somehow the widow "Bertie" raised all their kids and another couple of girls besides. Lodie was the big sister now, and she went to school and worked in the mill too. Whatever it took to help, she did.

She met a young man who lived in the same mill village, and just as World War Two began, they married. He was sent away, and in a year or so, she enlisted herself. They saw each other once during the War, in Manila.

After the war, they had both changed. Everything had.

They divorced, and then love found them again, and they remarried.

One day they got the news she was pregnant with twins. Nine months later they got the news the babies wouldn't survive. Delivered, they lived less than a week. But a couple who had seen so much pain and held so much heartache, just wouldn't give up hope. One year later, I was born - the young woman was my Mother - Lodie Marie Bowden Wilson.

She passed away 15 years ago. But today would have been her 86th birthday, and I remember her on it. No other person had more influence on who I became than she. Not one day in the years we shared on this earth did I not awake knowing that my Mother loved me deeply.

When you are the recipient of love, like a Mother's love, most of the time you are blind to it. Days come and go, sacrifices are made for you. Some you might realize but poorly comprehend. Others you miss completely. When your children come along, understanding does too, and then when the giver passes away, the gifts are made visible in the loss of the one who gave them.

I cannot give her anything now. All I can do is give to others as I have been given to. When I was reading Philippians the other day, I came across this. Those of you who read it, do as I have done today and think about your life, and what someone years after you are gone will write about it in review. Will it be God-honoring? Will it be praiseworthy? What will be your legacy? Will you have pointed your family to Jesus? Can you write as Paul does here?

Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:9 NIV

Remember, we love, because He first loved us.

It's called...

Grace!

David

--
Visit with me at my blog:
http://davethepastor.livejournal.com/
Or visit New Hope!
http://www.newhopevalp.org/

Barna's Revolution - Not

Amazon.com: Revolution: Books: George Barna

I've read George Barna's work since "The Frog In the Kettle". Frequently, I've made use of his groundbreaking research into the culture and the church. As a researcher, I'd give him high marks, but as a theologian and a prophet, he flunks.

The book chronicles Barna's look at an emerging force he calls "Revolutionairies". These are people who according to Barna possess an active faith and who choose to operate outside the established church as they fulfill their mission. He claims the church as we know it is on its last legs as these people leave. And he applauds it!

I've done "house church", and I've done solo Christianity. And I'd add I have yet to come across the hordes of people living out their faith and growing in Jesus outside a community of faith. I don't buy Barna's premise, and I was awfully glad I didn't buy this book.

I got it free and it was worth every penny.

technorati tags:pastor, Barna, church, revolution

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Yes! Jonny Lang Coming to Mobile - Outspoken About His Faith

Jonny Lang readies new album, adds dates

Jonny Lang Tour Dates: Jonny Lang readies new album, adds dates >> liveDaily

Lang co-wrote the 14 songs on "Turn Around" with collaborators that included Grammy winners Drew Ramsey and Shannon Sanders, as well as five-time Grammy winner Steven Curtis Chapman, who is the most awarded artist in the history of the Gospel Music Association.

"I'm very honored to have had the privilege of writing with Jonny for this record and our friendship has shown me that he's a man that's passionate about his faith as a Christian and is committed to reflecting that in his music," Chapman said in a statement.

I've admired Jonny Lang's music since I first heard him. AS a 14 year old guitar phenom, he held his own with Buddy Guy, B.B. King, and others, in fact B.B. said "if he's this good now, how good will he get?" So to hear that he's coming within easy driving distance AND to hear that this album will reflect his faith and his artistry - sweet!

Needless to say, I'll be there on Oct 27th at the Saenger Theatre.

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The B-I-B-L-E

Stanley Hauerwas, when asked in an interview (I think at “the Door”), “what do you mean when you say ‘the Bible is true.’”? Stanley replied, “I mean I would die for it.” He then reminded us that the word “witness” to the truth comes from the Greek root, martyrion, or martyr.

Maybe this is the best way to explain to people what we believe about whether the Bible is inerrant, true, or authoritative . When we say the Bible is true, we believe it sufficiently, live it so absolutely, that we’d be willing to die for it.

Daily.

1985 all over again

In 1985, my wife and I joined Mount Zion Baptist Church in Bolingbroke, Georgia. We were immediately made to feel like we had always been there by the families who really had - for generations. I'll always be grateful for that, and for them. I learned a lot there, surrendered to the call to become a pastor, and first laid my eyes on a book about the rapture called "1985 Reasons Why Christ Will Return in 1985" It turned out to be a long running sequel series, for later while rummaging around in the old Baptist Bookstore, I found "1977 reasons why..."

I bring this up because today I received the latest CBD catalog. When God really got busy in my life, the CBD catalog became on of those bits of mail we looked forward to receiving. Not only did it have the latest and greatest tools to study your Bible, but it had a closeout section that contained real bargains. Like those books I was just talking about.

Today when the catalog came, I was struck by how many offerings on the DaVinci Code that there were, and wondered how long it would take until they found their way into the closeout bin, alongside "2002 reasons..."

Is it marketing prowess, or are Christians just that gullible?

Slow Down!

Our friend Allan was with us Wednesday night at supper, and he brought a new friend with him - a doll that when you squeezed his hand - talked. I never did hear what the doll said, because Allan had it glued to his ear most all the time. He was laughing at whatever it said though. Yesterday when I tried to get him to tell me what the doll said, he was speaking so quickly that my ears and brain couldn't keep up. "Slow down, Allan. Speak slower", I asked, but he just kept on.

Trying to grasp what he was saying made me think about how much we miss as we rush through our lives. You're reading this on the Internet, one of the greatest blessings we've received. But the sheer volume of information and our efforts to grasp it don't always seem to coincide. With the net, TV, radio, books, newspapers, mail, and personal interaction, we are inundated with words and images, and in as much danger of drowning as a toddler on his or her first visit to the ocean. It's a rude awakening when you step back and look at the volume we try to comprehend.

Let's take yours truly for example. Your mileage may vary, don't try this at home, slightly higher west of the Rockies, and with people capable of extreme multitasking. (Had to put that in for the lawyers)

Yesterday I (based on my laptop's history) visited 133 separate domains and on some multiple pages. Most of this was in background research on sermons in Mark, and in particular on a Jewish group in the time of Jesus called the Sadducees, on Jewish understandings of the afterlife, on rabbinical disputes of the period, and on heaven in general. Some of the sites were bible.org, walkwiththerabbi.com, scripturetext.com, Itanakh.org, biblegateway.com, ministryexchange.com. A rough estimate would be 200 pages since some I skimmed and some I read completely. I read, both for personal enjoyment, personal growth, and for research on upcoming sermons and teaching, approximately 425 pages of text in books ranging from the historical nonfiction book 1776 (highly recommended BTW), To Be A Jew, commentaries on Mark (probably 4 or 5), Zondervan's Illustrated Dictionary of the Bible, Life In Bible Times, Jesus and His Disciples, the biography of Vance Havner, one of my favorite preachers, and Mark, Philippians and Galatians in the Bible.

When I was between books and the computer yesterday, I watched about an hour of TV, ranging from ESPN Sportscenter, the reality show Rockstar Supernova (last 20 minutes), and a snippet of the news. Part of the evening saw me catching up on world events through the blogs I read each day - about 20, and checking email. Since I moderate a local yahoo group that works on keeping stuff out of landfills by giving it away, I'll sometimes have a few of those to reply to. Then there's the Great Dane emails, the emails from pastor friends, to and from church folks, and all totalled maybe a 100 go through everyday. I try to check and answer in regular intervals, but not sit and wait for the next one. I wrote about ten pages of notes, and reread 60 or so more I had made previous to yesterday.

Uh huh... like drinking from a fire hose.

Did I learn? Oh yeah - ask me anything about the Sadduccees, first century politics, Jesus' use of logic and rhetoric, Henry Knox's role in the New York campaign during 1776, or what Tommy Lee's hair looked like during last night's program.

But here's the point.

I cannot honestly say that the majority of what I read, looked at or listened to brought me more in conformity to the likeness of God's Son - Jesus.

What would I point to? This passage of Scripture that I read solely for the purpose of meeting with Jesus yesterday. No agenda, no sermon-seeking. I read Philippians because I want to be Jesus' disciple like Paul was - to be able someday to write like this.

7-9The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I'm tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I've dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn't want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God's righteousness.

10-11I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.

12-14I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back. The Message Phil. 3

"So that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by Him."

That's what thrilled me yesterday.

To think of my Lord and Savior allowing me, a sinner so easily distracted, drawn away, and so prone to failure to embrace Him in His holiness...

... and to feel His arms close tightly around me.

At that moment, just as it did again when I typed these words, everything slowed down. Just me, and Jesus.

Try it. Read His Word.

Not to make it through the Bible in a year, not to finish your Bible Study, but just to find, through His incredible Holy Spirit - A Glimpse of New Hope - in Jesus.

Grace!

David

--
Visit with me at my blog:
http://davethepastor.livejournal.com/
Or visit New Hope!
http://www.newhopevalp.org/

Slow Down!

Our friend Allan was with us Wednesday night at supper, and he brought a new friend with him - a doll that when you squeezed his hand - talked. I never did hear what the doll said, because Allan had it glued to his ear most all the time. He was laughing at whatever it said though. Yesterday when I tried to get him to tell me what the doll said, he was speaking so quickly that my ears and brain couldn't keep up. "Slow down, Allan. Speak slower", I asked, but he just kept on.

Trying to grasp what he was saying made me think about how much we miss as we rush through our lives. You're reading this on the Internet, one of the greatest blessings we've received. But the sheer volume of information and our efforts to grasp it don't always seem to coincide. With the net, TV, radio, books, newspapers, mail, and personal interaction, we are inundated with words and images, and in as much danger of drowning as a toddler on his or her first visit to the ocean. It's a rude awakening when you step back and look at the volume we try to comprehend.

Let's take yours truly for example. Your mileage may vary, don't try this at home, slightly higher west of the Rockies, and with people capable of extreme multitasking. (Had to put that in for the lawyers)

Yesterday I (based on my laptop's history) visited 133 separate domains and on some multiple pages. Most of this was in background research on sermons in Mark, and in particular on a Jewish group in the time of Jesus called the Sadducees, on Jewish understandings of the afterlife, on rabbinical disputes of the period, and on heaven in general. Some of the sites were bible.org, walkwiththerabbi.com, scripturetext.com, Itanakh.org, biblegateway.com, ministryexchange.com. A rough estimate would be 200 pages since some I skimmed and some I read completely. I read, both for personal enjoyment, personal growth, and for research on upcoming sermons and teaching, approximately 425 pages of text in books ranging from the historical nonfiction book 1776 (highly recommended BTW), To Be A Jew, commentaries on Mark (probably 4 or 5), Zondervan's Illustrated Dictionary of the Bible, Life In Bible Times, Jesus and His Disciples, the biography of Vance Havner, one of my favorite preachers, and Mark, Philippians and Galatians in the Bible.

When I was between books and the computer yesterday, I watched about an hour of TV, ranging from ESPN Sportscenter, the reality show Rockstar Supernova (last 20 minutes), and a snippet of the news. Part of the evening saw me catching up on world events through the blogs I read each day - about 20, and checking email. Since I moderate a local yahoo group that works on keeping stuff out of landfills by giving it away, I'll sometimes have a few of those to reply to. Then there's the Great Dane emails, the emails from pastor friends, to and from church folks, and all totalled maybe a 100 go through everyday. I try to check and answer in regular intervals, but not sit and wait for the next one. I wrote about ten pages of notes, and reread 60 or so more I had made previous to yesterday.

Uh huh... like drinking from a fire hose.

Did I learn? Oh yeah - ask me anything about the Sadduccees, first century politics, Jesus' use of logic and rhetoric, Henry Knox's role in the New York campaign during 1776, or what Tommy Lee's hair looked like during last night's program.

But here's the point.

I cannot honestly say that the majority of what I read, looked at or listened to brought me more in conformity to the likeness of God's Son - Jesus. It helped me get ready to help other people, and it provided me with information, education, and some enjoyment. But it didn't give me a sense of intimacy with Christ that had the potential of changing my actions. But something did.

What would I point to? This passage of Scripture that I read solely for the purpose of meeting with Jesus yesterday. No agenda, no sermon-seeking. I read Philippians because I want to be Jesus' disciple like Paul was.

7-9The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I'm tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I've dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn't want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God's righteousness.

10-11I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.

12-14I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back. The Message Phil. 3

"So that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by Him."

That's what thrilled me yesterday.

To think of my Lord and Savior allowing me, a sinner so easily distracted, drawn away, and so prone to failure to embrace Him in His holiness...

... and to feel His arms close tightly around me.

At that moment, just as it did again when I typed these words, everything slowed down. Just me, and Jesus.

Try it. Read His Word.

Not to make it through the Bible in a year, not to finish your Bible Study, but just to find, through His incredible Holy Spirit - A Glimpse of New Hope - in Jesus.

Grace!

David

--
Visit with me at my blog:
http://davethepastor.livejournal.com/
Or visit New Hope!
http://www.newhopevalp.org/

What and When?

Last night, in the class I teach in which participants are coming with me through the entire OT, we approached the end of Exodus 20 with a bang.

18 All the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain [surrounded by] smoke. When the people saw [it] they trembled and stood at a distance. 19 "You speak to us, and we will listen," they said to Moses, "but don't let God speak to us, or we will die."

20 Moses responded to the people, "Don't be afraid, for God has come to test you, so that you will fear Him and will not sin." 21 And the people remained standing at a distance as Moses approached the thick darkness where God was. ^{Exodus 20 HCSB}

^{Since we had finished the ten commandments, I handed out a quiz which gave them 15 choices for the ten, including "you should not smoke", "be kind to the poor", "you should obey God instead of man" and a couple others. Several found 11. Others got very quiet which always means they know they don't have it. BTW, this was a KIDS SUNDAY SCHOOL TEST.}

^{The question I'm asking myself this morning is "What should a follower of Jesus know about what His Word says, and when should they know it?" If we are genuinely "studying to show ourselves approved", then we have a majority that flunked the JCAT. (Jesus Comprehensive Achievement Test)}

^{I know from painful experience that orthodoxy (knowing what is right) doesn't always lead to orthopraxy (doing right). Some of the most hateful people I've ever met have been church members who had Masterlife'd, Navigated, and experienced God their hearts out... err off. However, how can you follow God increasingly closer if you do not gain understanding of His will through His Word?}

^{We're SBC. That means there's a legion of programs that Lifeway will tell me I should be doing that like Clearasil for the soul will clear this right up. I'm not buying it, simply because it goes deeper than that. There has to be a constant, desperate desire to know Jesus more. In my example, I had just gone through the ten commandments - not new information to anyone in the room. I had spent several weeks there. And yet...}

^{When we let someone become a citizen of the United States, the applicant has to study, even memorize some of the basic documents of our nation. They have to learn, and they do, because they want to be an American. So why aren't we who aspire to make an eternal difference in this life not serious about doing the same?}

^{Church culture.}

^{In the immigration example, there are clearly defined facts that must be committed to memory in order to assume basic competency and understanding of what it means to be an American. Baptist have none. Sure we have the Baptist Faith and Message, but I defy anyone to tell me even the article's headings without looking. We need a Baptist catechism. Something to unite us in a shared understanding of what we believe. Right now we could easier be identified by what we are against. We need "We believe that God created the universe and all that is in it" type doctrine with verses that back it up - memorized.}

^{We need accountability. Once the average Baptist joins the church, that's the end of their pursuit of God. Discipleship - that working out your faith with fear and trembling - never takes place. They might be faithful attenders of SS, but all that means is that they can hold a quarterly (if they can find it) and can endure 30 minutes of lecture after the Braves and the weather are discussed ad nauseum. We need people on people discipleship. Paul and Timothy type. The stronger and the weaker meeting to share lives and growth stories and struggles.}

^{We need to decide on a discipleship path for children on up and for adult converts. A child should progressively understand and know the doctrines of our faith and when presented at adulthood, we should test then recognize them as a member of the community of believers that is ready to mentor others as he or she was mentored. For adult converts, we need an accelerated version of the same thing, lasting perhaps two years or until the mentor felt comfortable.}

^{Bottom line? We need help - fast.}

^{We need help.}

Jesus The Radical Pastor: JESUS' ISRAEL: MORE BLOODY THAN BLESSED

Jesus The Radical Pastor: JESUS' ISRAEL: MORE BLOODY THAN BLESSED

Every time you think you have a clear handle on the cultural context of Palestine in Jesus' day, someone comes along and shatters your illusions.

John Frye, in looking at a book by Robert Horsley, paints a word picture very different from that most followers of Jesus understand.

Yet it is that context not only in the area treated by Horsley, but of the setting, cultures, idioms and well... life of the everyday person of OT and NT times that opens the text up in a way far more illuminating than even the NIV Study BIble or Life Application notes ever did. (tongue firmly in cheek)

I'll add this to the list of "stuff I wasn't taght in seminary" and to the list of stuff I'll make sure the people I teach know.

Shalom,

David