Check out this Christianity Today interview with T.M. Moore concerning his new book Consider the Lilies: A Plea for Creational Theology. I've also enjoyed his books Preparing Your Church for Revival and Disciplines of Grace.
(HT: JT)
The article that was written about my day at Wrigley Field with a BP sports-writer and rabid Cardinals fan, Tim Ellsworth, was released several days ago on BP Sports and released yesterday on Baptist Press and sent out to their mailing list. Wonder if anyone will google my name and come here?
Mark Driscoll speaks at a pastor's conference at This Side of the Rock Fellowship, pastored by Scotty West. Really interesting stuff on being missionaries in our culture and he also talks about the emerging church, Emergent, and being missional. A must listen.
Also, don't miss Mark's Seattle Times article on the story of Scotty's conversion.
I had a meeting at a nearby Borders yesterday and decided to see if they carried any Sufjan Stevens CD's. His CD, Illinois, is fantastic. But no luck on finding more Sufjan.
While looking for his stuff I stumbled across a CD with a sticker on the front with a quote from John
Mayer. The CD is "Poetry and Aeroplanes" by Teitur and the quote said, "It's unbelievable...the best record I've heard in a long time." That was enough to get me to listen to some of the songs at Borders, and they were very good. So I dropped $12.99 and got the CD.
Wow! Great CD. Teitur is a Danish singer-songwriter and his music is sorta Paul Simon-ish. Great melodies, acoustic, folk, poetic. Check out a video of a live performance of "Sleeping with the Lights On." and the CD at Amazon.
Here are the lyrics to another great song.
"You're the Ocean"
There’s too much sky, not enough blue
There’s too many questions to why I love you
There’s too many clouds, not enough sun
The rain must fall on everyone
I’m fire-you’re the ocean
I’m energy-you’re the rhythm
Love is somewhere in between
What you believe and what you dream
I’m just trying to make you mine
You’re the ocean
There’s too much doubt and not enough dare
There’s too much decision everywhere
There’s too much talk and not enough time
Let’s close our eyes and not our minds
I’m fire-you’re the ocean
I’m energy-you’re the rhythm
Love is somewhere in between
What you believe and what you dream
I’m just trying to make you mind
You look for leads, I follow clues
You love to win, I dare to lose
Mostly you’re a mind game in my head
You are earth, I am water
I can give you what you’re after
You can be the word…I can be the rhyme…
There’s really nothing you can do
You’re going where I’m going too
Stay beside me, stay beside me
I want you
I’m fire-you’re the ocean
I’m energy-you’re the rhythm
Love is somewhere in between
What you believe and what you dream
I’m just trying to make you mine
You’re the ocean
Man, this is too funny. Am I the only one who thinks it's funny that Baptist Press is now publishing articles to pimp the Disney movies that may have been missed during the Southern Baptist Convention boycott?
My take...
1. Almost no one boycotted Disney if they had kids.
2. If people with kids did boycott Disney, it was probably because they had other convictions, like that TV corrupts the little cherubs and should be avoided altogether (unless it's Prayer Bear, Bible Man, or the like). So these guys wouldn't watch Disney anyway, and still won't.
3. Do we really want to taint our eyes with movies made during such a horrible time in the corporate life of Disney? I mean, if we shouldn't watch a movie by them in 1999, maybe we shouldn't watch it now out of protest for who they were then, eh? Otherwise we may be encouraging them to return to their old ways, and may result in another future boycott.
4. If I want to know about Disney movies, I'm not going to listen to someone writing for the organization who shouldn't know about all the Disney movies that were missed. Can I trust someone who crossed the boycott lines in the heat of the battle? Or should I trust someone who just watched 25 DVD's in like 6 weeks trying to catch up with what they missed? I think not.
Doug Pagitt has written a brief article for Relevant Online about the emerging church. I'm not real sure what to think about it, but I don't think it offers much in explaining the ec beyond what is already fairly common knowledge. I could be wrong.
Smoking guns, I love this post by John Armstrong "Great Movements: Control or Co-op?". Here's a blurb, but go and read the whole thing.
You can have a strong leader, who is a hugely successful visionary, without buying the old top-down model. I saw it at work this week. Mark [Driscoll] is developing an amazing vision by which he plans to build one of America's largest churches. By this means he also envisions planting 1,000 new churches in the coming years. He is doing all of this without one iota of desire to control anything or to be the president, CEO, or top dog. I know what I have seen for thirty-five years of ministry among great evangelicals. And I know what I saw this week. It was entirely different and frankly it was very fresh. I pray other strong leaders with huge vision will take the same approach and thus by this means the the old way will be dead in twenty years. I doubt that it will be, however, since so many leaders I know are terribly insecure and need to control and dominate others through a kind of piety that often covers deep insecurity and fear.
John's other posts on his exprience with Driscoll and Mars Hill: Church Planting, Strength of a Team
Can't believe it. Rex Grossman has broken his ankle and is out nearly for the season. Bears fans are in some form of shock right now.
Looks like Relevant Magazine Online is finally going to get the new site up and running tonight. Very cool.
(HT: Brian Orme)
UPDATE: Yep, it's up in beta form. Looks good.
Great series of posts on "Reforming Evangelism" from Joe Thorn (The Puritan Buddha).
It is unfortunate that we have divorced the evangelist from the theologian in the Southern Baptist context. It is curious that our seminaries divide the Schools of Evangelism from the Schools of Theology. It is disturbing to see that we train our lay people to evangelize without training them in doctrine. It has not always been this way. As recently as 1943 The Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention (now Lifeway Christian Resources) published a book titled, Soul-Winning Doctrines. In this little book J. Clyde Turner lays out doctrines like the atonement, regeneration, repentance, faith, justification, sanctification, and assurance as essential to winning the lost for Christ. Though this was written after the Convention had moved away from its reformed heritage, it’s clear that theology was still valued and seen as a necessary part of proper evangelism. The stock of theology has dropped considerably since. If we are to begin rebuilding our churches through authentic conversions we have to return to a theologically driven methodology.
2. Preparation
Some (us Reformed folk) might wonder how a person can seek God, or be actively involved in spiritual things when God is sovereign in salvation, man is passive in his regeneration, and that the power of God is needed for success - not the work of man. Puritan, and of course biblical, thought is, "Man is passive in regeneration, but before and after regeneration man is active. The convert is passive in regeneration, but not about it." In fact, such "seeking" is not the result of man’s natural interest in spiritual things, but is the result of God’s activity in the individual’s life.
While some have wrongly turned the idea of being prepared for the Kingdom into a system that oppresses people, and forces them into long periods of introspection, most of the puritans rejected the idea that a uniform experience should be promoted. While some must go through a more drawn-out process under the law before they are broken, others are prepared, seek and find the kingdom more easily, or more quickly. The point is, no one enters the kingdom apart from being prepared, and this generally is a longer process than most modern evangelism tends to allow for.
4. Practice
If our evangelism needs reform, if the “seeking evangelism” I’ve attempted to explain is valid, then we should consider some practical, concrete responses....The easiest way to say it is: expresses urgency, but be willing to take your time; preach the law and gospel; know what parts of the law, or what blessing of the gospel they most need to hear; share your life with the person you are trying to reach.
5. Diagram
I then ask them to show me where they think they are on the diagram. "Put a mark where you think you are." I am sure it will happen some day, but so far no one has placed himself or herself in the "alive" section when not a Christian. No one has presumed to say/believe he is a Christian after getting the big picture. Some say they are not interested, but in my experience most say they are starting to seek God. I ask them to explain this to me. Talk about it. I always want them to use their own words. So far, I have not told anyone they are going to hell. They have all told me. Each person has shown me where they believe they are, and conclude they are separated from God. We talk about the consequences of this reality.
It looks like some conservative groups are getting all itchy now that Starbucks has started their "The Way I See It" cup quotes. Baptist Press has run a story today on it.
What's the issue? Well, it seems that Starbucks is pushing the homosexual agenda because cup #43 gives a racy quote on homosexuality. As I read this BP article, I noticed my grande skim 3 pump mocha was being carefully and providentially cradled in cup #43 which reads...
My only regret about being gay is that I repressed it for so long. I surrendered my youth to the people I feared when I could have been out there loving someone. Don't make that mistake yourself. Life's too damn short.
- Armistead Maupin, author
Of course BP inserts the word [expletive] for "damn" and blacks it out on their pic of the cup, but their larger concern is what the cup teaches. But, is the cup and quote meant to teach? Or simply open doors of conversation? From the Starbucks website on this campaign...
Starbucks has long been dedicated to creating a unique "third place" between home and work. We also draw on the centuries-old tradition of the coffeehouse as a place to gather, share ideas, and enjoy delicious beverages. We see this program as an extension of the coffeehouse culture – a way to promote open, respectful conversation among a wide variety of individuals.
And they mean wide variety. Sure this quote is racy from one perspective, but they also entertain quotes from staunch conservatives like Michael Medved and Jonah Goldberg. So if Starbucks "blatantly pushes the homosexual agenda" on cup #43, what are they pushing on the cups with flame-throwing right wingers? A conservative agenda?
Given: We will all read from cups that we disagree with. That's a sure thing. That's the point, really, to start conversations not push agendas. And conversations are best started by racy ideas, not bland ones. By the way, on the cups and on the Starbucks website it even says the quotes don't necessarily reflect the view of Starbucks.
Christians are too good at missing the point, and I'm afraid that's what's happening here.
Don't we look fearful? We look like we are afraid of the open discussion of ideas. These quotes are meant to be conversational, and coffee shops are perfect places to list racy quotes worthy of discussion. We believe that in the world of ideas the redemption Story stands supreme as the best and most beautiful explanation of reality and truth. We shouldn't fear other ideas out there.
One person quoted in the BP article says,
It's not enough not to go to Starbucks anymore. You really need to visit your neighborhood Starbucks and ask to see the manager and just say, 'You know, I've gone here a lot and I would love to go here but I have to tell you your company's promotion of something that is against my values prevents me from having coffee here anymore, and I've found alternatives ... You make a great product, but you deserve to know why people aren't buying your product anymore.'
How about instead we enter the conversations of our culture knowing that our Story makes sense of the world like no one else's story or quote. I think Starbucks has a great idea, and Christians should be thankful for the opportunity to join more discussions on huge and even ultimate issues.
Here's Tim Ellsworth's Baptist Press article about our shared baseball experience: "A Day at Wrigley." He almost says something nice about the Cubs...almost. It's a very well written article. I hope you enjoy it.
Keep up with Tim at his blog. Always good.
"Not in my house!"
Tim Ellsworth thought it would be fun to bring a Cubs fan to the Cubs-Cardinals game to see if I would inflict wounds on my person following a shaming by the Cardinals. Little did he know that he was about to experience a beat-down by a team on an 8 game losing streak.
The day started with more concerns than plans. I woke up to rain and drove
2 hours through rain on my way to Wrigley. Before leaving the house Tim called telling me his cell phone was dead and he was taking the subway to get it replaced. Since he had my ticket and the cell was the means to connecting at the park, I was beginning to wonder if the game was being sabotaged by a sovereign God.
Though the cell phone situation got fixed, the concerns kept coming. First, I can't find a place to park for less than $30 bucks. Then I get a call from my Dad telling me he
and my Mom are at the game. Now, that's great news because I love my parents. But he is a die-hard Cubs fan who is a known jinx. This couldn't be a good omen.
I arrived at Wrigley. Then, just a bit before game time, the rain starts coming down again and the game is delayed 1 1/2 hours. What else could go wrong? Well, Tim got a free bag of Swedish Fish at the gate, and I didn't. What a disastrous beginning of the Cubs-Cardinals game.
Finally the clouds pushed on and the game got underway. Could things be looking up? Nope. It only took a few pitches from Greg Maddux to allow Albert Pujols to launch a two run homer to start the game. The Cubs are
well-known for getting behind early and staying behind, so I was less than optimistic. I figured I wasn't even going to get one inning of fun before I felt like the game was over.
But the Cubs then proceeded to score in nearly every inning of the game, 
including two dingers by Derrek Lee (whose number and name were on the back of my Cubs T-shirt). Both of his hr's left the park onto Waveland Ave. Also, after a couple of innings my parents called and said they had some open seats near them which were in a great location down past third base.
It was a sound 11-4 stomping of the first place Cardinals by the Cubs, and I
was glad to be a part of it. I made sure I announced to whoever would listen that Tim was a Cards fan, and he didn't get much sympathy. He did get his hair rubbed by a drunk beautician though, and experienced some good music.
As it turned out, the weather was great, the Cubs won, the company was perfect (I got to watch a huge Cards fan get smoked by his sworn enemy), and I loved every minute of it, including the horrible traffic home. Tim, you can take me out to the ballgame anytime.
I don't have time to write my whole post tonight, but here's a teaser of the Cubs-Cardinals experience.
Yep, headed to the Cubs-Cardinals game today (or as I like to call it, Cardinals batting practice) with Tim Ellsworth. The good news is the Cubs have only lost 8 in a row, and considering it's the Cubs that's not so bad. They have soundly backpedaled away from the wild-card race and are now squarely hopeless, which is right on schedule.
I wanted to thank the Cubs for deciding to play the worst baseball of the year in the week leading up to me attending my first game at Wrigley Field since I was a kid. At least they found out how to lose this year with they guy who is arguably the best player in baseball, who also, by the way, is in the worst slump of the year and couldn't hit the ball off a tee. At least we should be thankful that they haven't chosen to stay in the race long enough to find a fan to blame for why they lost.
If that isn't enough, I also want to thank the weatherman for breaking our 80 year drought today with guaranteed rain this morning, and very likely severe storms in the afternoon for our afternoon frolic with the Cubbies. Bravo.
Other than that, I expect a fit of extreme public gloating to follow a win by the Cubs today, because as bad as they are and as surely as they should lose, I can't help but think that something good has to happen by accident someday. And I think today is that day.
I've mentioned the great stuff in the Acts29 boot camp audio before here and here. I've been focusing on the final talk by Driscoll on perseverance in ministry, which is basically about organizing life, marriage and family in a biblical way. Fantastic. I'm going to listen to it again today.
Should you be a church planter in a city? Take Tim Keller/Redeemer Presbyterian's short assessment.
Even if you aren't thinking of church planting, this should be helpful in evaluating your Christian life.
(HT: KC)
Gary Lamb, over at Mad Babble from a Church Planter, is thinking of slowing down enough to focus on the right things. Something we all need to do, eh?
There are a couple of blogs I've been reading a lot lately, and I want to encourage others to read them. Really good stuff.
A nice list of Scot McKnight's top 10 books posts, covering a variety of topics.
