Reformissionary Roundup

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Time for a roundup of random stuff.

1. I've started a Bible study series at our church based on Kris Lundgaard's book, The Enemy Within (@ Monergism).  Lundgaard's book is based on two of John Owen's works on sin.  I read it a few years ago and rereading it for this series.  Very helpful book.  Justin Taylor points to some of Lundgaard's audio messages on The Enemy Within.

2. Watched the movie Click with my wife yesterday.  It was moderately funny.  Best part of the movie is what Adam Sandler does to David Hasselhoff (there's a bad word here, so don't watch if you can't handle it).

3. Speaking of video, the Smiling Addiction video is great.  It's an original piece (including original music) by Crossroads Community Church in GA.  I think Joe Thorn first pointed me to this.

4. It looks like Paradox, a music venue at Mars Hill Seattle but not run by Mars Hill, is no more.  This article doesn't really give Mars Hill's perspective in a good light, but the news was worth mentioning.

5. Have you taken a trip on Line Rider yet?  Throw on a scarf and go!

6. Alan Hirsch is blogging.

7. Tim Keller wants to help you know how to "Work."  Great sermon.  Keller provides Dorothy Sayers' definition of the biblical doctrine of work: "Work is the gracious expression of creative energy in the service of others."  Other TK Resources.

Music Monday

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A couple of CD's that are burning up my iPod over the last week or two.

The Decemberists: The Crane Wife (MySpace)Crane_1

I bought the previous album from The Decemberists, Picaresque, and liked it.  Didn't love it, but liked it.  When I heard their new CD was out I wasn't terribly interested.  But when review after positive review kept coming in I thought it might be worth a try.  When Best Buy put it out for $7.99 I couldn't resist.  I'm glad I gave in.  It offers an array of interesting sounds and quirky folksy melodies.  I really like this CD.

Pitchfork says...

Given the band's graduation from minor to major leagues, The Crane Wife may prove to be the most crucial record the Decemberists will release in their lifetime. Fortunately, their fourth album further magnifies and refines their strengths. Winsomely balancing frivolity and gravity, the Decemberists assemble an oddball menagerie of the usual rogues and rascals, soldiers and criminals, lovers and baby butchers-- but they've got a lot more tricks up their sleeves than previous albums had hinted. The Crane Wife employs an impressive variety of styles and sounds to tell Meloy's imaginative stories: There's the band's usual folk-rock, honed to an incisively sharp point, but they also deploy a smuggler's blues ("The Perfect Crime"), a creepy lullaby ("Shankill Butchers"), a Led Zep stomp ("When the War Came"), and, perhaps most divisively, a multipart prog track ("The Island") that stretches well past the 10-minute mark.

Songs From The Voice (Vol 1): Please Don't Make Us Sing This SongVoice

Someone gave me this CD and I left it sitting on the shelf for a bit.  Taking it off and putting it on my iPod was a great move.  What a wonderful CD.  It is the first volume of songs based on The Voice, "a project to rediscover the story of the Bible as retold by a gifted team of writers, poets, pastors, and storytellers."  The folks working on this retelling of Scripture includes Chris Seay, Lauren Winner and Brian McLaren.  I'm currently reading some from The Last Eyewitness.

Artists on this CD include Sandra McCracken, Sara Groves, Derek Webb, Robbie Seay Band, Don and Lori Chaffer (of Waterdeep) and others.  There are too many great songs to list here.  But a few of the best are McCracken's "Call Him Good" and Lori Chaffer's "Please Don't Make Us Sing This Song," which was featured on a video about hurricane Katrina.  Highly recommended, beautiful and artistic CD.

Read more from Christianity Today.  Infuse says...

Please Don't Make Us Sing This Song, is part of a fifteen-year brainstorm of pastor and author, Chris Seay. Seay has set forth on a quest to reignite the beauty and artistry of the Bible, through working with an integrated team of authors, scholars, artists, musicians, and the like in order to rediscover the story of the Bible. This album is part of that collaboration and stands as a testament to the creativity, heart, and faithfulness of all involved.

Denny Green Meltdown

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Watch the meltdown by Arizona Cardinals' coach Denny Green.  Go to Sportsline, watch the free video on the right side all the way to the end (just a couple of minutes long).  Man, no doubt, the Bears looked awful.  Chicago has a lot to learn, especially Grossman.  But Denny Green's meltdown comes from a coach watching his job slip through his fingers.  Pretty funny.

Public Schools & Jesus

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Cool post from Tod Bolsinger about his kid starting a Christian group at his public school...

Last year as a seventh grader, my son Brooks read an article in Ignite Your Faith Magazine (putout by Christianity Today/Campus Life) about kids starting Christian groups on their campuses.  He came to me and said, "Dad, I think I want to do this."

[...]

But the principal reiterated the policies.  No student run clubs unless they are directly affiliated with the school.  We were disappointed.  But we kept praying. Beth and I met the principal at "Back to School Night" and thanked her for meeting with Brooks. She was gracious and very complimentary of our son.  And we kept praying.

The next week, the principal wrote me back to tell me that when she went over the policies again, she found out that while the kids couldn't use a classroom, they could use the library.  And she suggested that they use a section of the library that is often NOT used during lunch--the research area.

Brooks wrote her on email and secured permission. He started a weblog to tell other kids about it.

So today, at lunch, The Lighthouse will have their first meeting.  A bunch of middle school kids all meeting for the purpose of learning about Jesus, "the light of the world" (John 8:12) and how they, as followers of Jesus can  "let their good deeds shine out for all to see" (Matthew 6:16) and make their school a better place.

Give praise to the God who answers our prayers and ask him to bless these young leaders as they seek to live out their faith for him. 

Update after school on Friday:  I met my beaming son after school. 15 kids showed up, the librarian had even reserved the tables for them...he shared a scripture, they talked about the group and he led them in prayer to close.  It was a good day. 

We have homeschooled our kids until this year.  They are now in our local public schools.  So this really resonates with us.  (HT: Internet Monk Radio)

Bear-ly

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Urlacher_1I'm not one of those "season of destiny" guys.  But I am a Calvinist, so can you say "predestination?"  The Bears come from down 23-3 near the end of the 3rd quarter to score two defensive touchdowns and a punt return for a touchdown to defeat Arizona 24-23.  The Arizona kicker missed a 40-some yard fieldgoal with under a minute to play.  Unbelievable. 

When you can win after an ugly game (defense gave up two touchdowns in the first quarter and Grossman had 6 turnovers!!!), it says something about a team.  Go Bears!  Read about the game at Sportsline.  Picture from Sportsline.

Catching Up

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I want to update you on a few things concerning the blog and life.

One of my main goals with the blog over the last few months has been to only blog when I want to, and to keep from encouraging comment threads that end up wasting my time.  For the most part I've stuck with that idea and it's made the blog an extension of my life rather than a power over my life.  I haven't been writing much of my own thought lately, not much in terms of original content.  But I'm okay with that right now.  I hope that will change soon, but it has to mesh with what I'm doing in my local church.

Dsc_0014 We went to visit my parents after church on Sunday.  I've mentioned before that my Mom has cancer.  Last week they found out the chemo is working and shrinking the cancer.  It's hard to say what that will mean for the next few weeks or months, but it's the first piece of good news we've had since she was diagnosed.  Thanks to all who are praying.  The picture is of my mom and sister.  My sister colored her hair, my mom (who is losing her hair) is wearing a Halloween wig.

I'm halfway through preaching Colossians and loving it.  It's just what I need, and I'm thankful to God for what I'm learning.  I hope our church is getting the same thing.  The one thing I haven't done much of lately is listen to sermons.  My wife and I used to listen to a sermon together on Monday mornings.  I would be in my office and she would be working on the house.  But I moved my home office to our basement so we are disconnected.  I miss those mornings listening together to guys like Matt Chandler, Mark Driscoll or Tim Keller.

My sons and I are really enjoying the football season so far.  The Bears are exceeding all expectations and look like they are equipped to go the distance.  The Monsters of the Midway are monsters again.  Beware!

Have you enjoyed a good cigar lately?  Why not?  I've been learning a lot about cigars lately and have enjoyed one or two.  Delightful.  Pick up this one, or maybe this one.

Last let me mention some things I've been enjoying lately.  Richard Lovelace's book, Renewal as a Way of Life, has been a great encouragement so far.  A very thought provoking book.  Ray LaMontagne's new CD, Till the Sun Turns Black, is good.  iMonk's podcast has been a nice diversion.  So has Writers on Writing. 

By the way, the iTunes 7 upgrade sucks for Windows users.  Then they put up a fix (7.0.1) which merely sucks less.  Distortion.  If you haven't upgraded, stay where you are for now.

McKinley @ Catalyst

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One of the many conferences I wanted to attend this year was Catalyst.  Rick McKinley, pastor of Imago Dei in Portland, is one of the speakers I wanted to see.  Out of Ur has some thoughts on the "lab" McKinley led at Catalyst...

"As pastors, we are tempted to build the church," [McKinley] said. "So wesend out postcards to targeted Zip codes and we promote church programs." But that misses the point, he argued. "Our job isn’t to build the church. We’re supposed to BE the church, and build the kingdom." He emphasized that the kingdom is to be experienced NOW, on earth, as Christians exemplify godly living, but he also pointed out, as the recent school shootings demonstrate, that the kingdom is also "not yet." God’s kingdom won’t be realized in its fullness as long as such sin characterizes our world.

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"The best expression of the church is NOT what happens on Sunday morning. It’s what happens in the world during the week. And that’s not something you can market."

His most provocative statements focused on the Christian’s calling to love their neighbors, even if those neighbors don’t respond to Christ or clean up their act. He told of his church’s messy efforts to love those with addictions, mental illnesses, and other conditions that aren’t easily cleaned up.

"We’re not called to change people’s behavior; we’re called to love them whether they change or not. It’s up to God to change them."