Reformissionary

Study Group for Pastors

My friend, Darryl Dash, attends a study group for pastors that I've known about for a while and is a great idea. Here's a blurb...

Every May I gather with a group of pastors from Monday to Friday. The agenda is simple: to work through a book of the Bible together as we think about preaching it. Every year we bring in a different scholar who has written a commentary on that book. We also have our former preaching professor (Haddon Robinson) help us think through how to preach that book.

We've had Bruce Waltke, George Guthrie, Douglas Moo, Daniel Block, and more. This week we've had D.A. Carson. It's hard to beat. I've been to a lot of conferences, but this by far is my favorite learning event of the year.

You should start one too.

Darryl goes on to explain how a study group can be started and run. You should check it out.

Stephen Um & City Mission

Stephen Um, coauthor with Justin Buzzard of the new book Why Cities Matter: To God, The Culture, & The Church (Amazon | WTS), writes on Resurgence about how to be on mission in the city. Here are his 5 points.

1. Get Grounded In The Gospel
2. Learn Your City's Story
3. Engage In The Life Of Your City
4. Discern Your City's Idols
5. Retell Your City's Story With The Gospel

Go read the rest of the post.

Tim Keller & Our Character Flaws

Tim Keller, through the lens of what he's learned from John Newton, thinks about how we deal with character flaws. 

The final result of all this is that people cannot see their sins because they are looking only at their virtues. ...Christians do not work on the supernatural graces of the spirit that are not natural to us, and that mitigate or eliminate the dark side—the besetting sins—of our nature. 

So how can we be shaken out of our lethargy and awakened to our need to grow? Here are some principles that I have gleaned from Newton’s letters over the years. 

1. Know that your worst character flaws are the ones you can see the least. 

2. Remember that you can’t learn about your biggest flaws just by being told—you must be shown.

3. Be willing to listen to correction and critique from others.

Go and read much more from Tim Keller on this.

Vampire Weekend: Modern Vampires of the City

Been looking forward to the new Vampire Weekend album, Modern Vampires of the City, for quite some time. It's out today and you need to check it out. It's on sale for $7.99. Pitchfork gives it a remarkably strong review of 9.3/10 and it has already achieved more than ten reviews at 9/10 or higher. 

Music Monday 5.13.13

You should be checking out Vampire Weekend's new album, Modern Vampires of the City, streaming free on iTunes. It's out tomorrow and I will be buying it.

The Handsome Family: Wilderness is an enjoyable listen. Stream it free. Soothing.

Still $5, but ending today, is Deerhunter: Monomania. I picked it up and really dig it. All Deerhunter stuff is excellent.

Do check out the $5 albums for May, including some of the best albums I own.

If you haven't heard of Colin Stetson, and most of you probably haven't, check this out. He plays for Bon Iver, but this is from his album New History Warfare Vol 3: To See More Light. Stick with it. Quite interesting. He does circular breathing, has a mic on his throat, a mic for percussion on his sax, and more. Wowzers.

The Best Wallet I've Owned | Cinch

I've been using the Cinch wallet for a few months now, and it's easily the best wallet I've owned.

There are three different options, two wood and one steel. I have the darker wood wallet. I figured I'd like the steel backbone better as it's thinner, but I think I'd rather choose a wood one because I can keep it in the same front pocket with my phone and don't have to worry about the wood scratching the screen. Love that aspect.

I keep credit cards, licence, insurance card, money, etc in my Cinch and I almost forget it's in my pocket. I highly recommend it. From the website...

Are you looking to trade in that overly stuffed and morbidly obese pain in the back wallet for an easy everyday carry? For all you minimalist lovers who believe less is more, we have the remedy! Birth out of a need (good-bye money clips, broccoli rubber bands and bulky wallets) we are proud to introduce you to CINCH; an American crafted, industrial style, minimalist wallet that simplifies your life and your pockets. Let the battle against the bulge begin! 

Deerhunter: Monomania is $5

Brand new album from one of my favorite bands, Deerhunter: Monomania, is out today and on sale for $5. It's one of the few albums I've anticipated weeks ahead of time in 2013. Pitchfork 8.3/10. It's excellent.

Joshua Elsom | Open-Air Preaching

Joshua Elsom wrote a nice piece that you need to read: "Open-Air Preaching and the Missional Church." A blurb from the beginning...

The combining of the words ‘open-air’ with the word ‘preaching’ is likely to elicit a wide range of images and opinions in the mind of the person reading them. For some they bring to mind the great evangelists of the explosive revivals of the eighteenth century — Wesley, Whitefield, Tennent, and Edwards; or the prophets of the Old and New Testaments — Jeremiah, Isaiah, Peter, and Paul. While for others, these words conjure up negative images of angry street heralds, with sandwich boards strung over their shoulders, thundering down threatenings of heaven upon all who would wander unawares into their field of preaching. Whatever one happens to think about, few typically associate the practice of preaching in the public square with the missional church movement. Because the missional church places such a high priority on practicing evangelism in the context of ongoing discipleship — on mission and in community — the thought of preaching to strangers who are dissociated from church or discipling relationships may seem at first to be counterintuitive. It should not be.

Check out all my open-air preaching posts and quotes.

Serving Without Sinking by John Hindley

The Good Book Company has a growing list of solid books coming out lately. I want to recommend you check out a recent release: Serving Without Sinking by John Hindley. A blurb from the first chapter...

...this book isn't primarily about our service. It's mainly about Jesus Christ, and about His service. He said that He "did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10 v 45). He meant it. He was taken, beaten, tried, mocked, nailed, hung, cursed, judged, killed. He served. He loved.

So Jesus does not want you to measure your life by your service of Him. He does not want your service to get in the way of your love for Him. He did not come to be served by you--He came to serve you.

If we grasp this, then we will be set free to enjoy His love. And then, oddly, we will also be free to serve Him longer, harder, braver, truer than we ever could otherwise. This is joy, and we'll only find it in Christ.

Here's the promo video from John. Go get Serving Without Sinking (Amazon).

$5 Albums | May 2013

Here are the $5 albums I recommend for May. 

• PJ Harvey: Let England Shake | Amazing. My #2 album of 2011.
• Low: The Invisible Way | One of my favorite albums of 2013 so far
• Autre Ne Veut: Anxiety | One of my favorite albums of 2013 so far
• Purity Ring: Shrines | One of my fave albums of 2012
• Radiohead: OK Computer
• Best Coast: The Only Place
• Trampled By Turtles: Stars and Satellites
• Phoenix: United
• Bruce Springsteen: Born In The U.S.A.