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After a decisive vote last week, I NEED YOUR VOTE AGAIN! I need more votes than before! Go to the Said at Southern blog, scroll down a bit and vote for Reformissionary.
Please, everyone vote! It will result in a $50 gift certificate to Westminster Seminary Bookstore where I promise to use the money to buy copies of Keller's The Reason for God to give away to seekers and skeptics. A vote for me will help someone who doesn't know Jesus to know Him for the first time. Vote now!
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Music News...
The Juno Soundtrack, that I raved about here and that hit #1 on the Billboard charts, has spawned a B-sides soundtrack with 15 more tracks. Cool.
Alaska in Winter finally gets a U.S. release (thought it was already!). Love their first album, and their U.S. release includes more than what's on the album I have, so I will be picking it up.
The Black Angels album, Passover, was really good. It was my #9 album of 2006. Their follow-up, Directions to See a Ghost, is coming in May. "You on the Run" is their first available song, and it's good. Check it out.
Music I'm Checking Out...
The Nadas were recently featured as bumper music on my favorite film podcast (also the only podcast where I NEVER miss an episode), Filmspotting. For those of you who find my musical tastes not quite in line with yours, give The Nadas a try (MySpace). I like 'em.
The Nadas played the final show at a music venue in Iowa that was considered important, and some dudes made a tribute video to the bar featuring The Nadas' great song "Goodnight Girl." Beware Southern Baptists, there are people consuming Jagermeister and other alcoholic beverages. Hide your virgin eyes...
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This really is the mission of the church: to mobilize believers to engage every domain of society; to set in motion the radical transformation that the gospel brings to every person and sphere of life.
Bob Roberts in The Multiplying Church, p 123.
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I'm trying to get back on track with photography. I've just not done much lately. More of my photos are going up at my local Starbucks in June. Here's one from early this week with my dad at my mom's grave, and a building on the road home from dad's to Woodstock. Check out all my photography.
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Saw Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! with the fam today. Enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Worth watching and discussing. Jonathan Dodson weighs in.
Joe Thorn expands on "The Table, the Pulpit, and the Square." Joe also summarizes Dever on evangelism.
Tom Schreiner, my NT prof from my SBTS days, has been interviewed. Among other issues, he speaks about his new New Testament Theology. It will have a prominent place on my shelf.
Monergism interviews Tim Keller. Keller's next book is listed on Amazon: The Prodigal God.
Scott Hodge shares a bit he is learning from Made to Stick.
After reading an interview with Michael Perry in the April issue of The Writer, I'm intrigued.
NT Wright says "Heaven is Not Our Home."
Exagorazo is talking about missional communities: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.
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Ok, so I told you I don't care to be the winning blog over at the Said at Southern NCAA tournament-like thingy. Now I want to win. If my blog gets the most votes then I get a $50 gift certificate to Westminster Bookstore online. That means I NEED YOUR VOTES! I'm currently last in the Midwest division, and wasn't planning to even mention it again here. But free books takes this to another level. Please go vote for me so I can get some free books. C'mon! The Reformissionary needs you, it will only take a moment, and there's no registration or anything to vote. Go HERE now and vote for Reformissionary in the Midwest division.
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I'm off for a few days, so this will be a less involved Music Monday post. Let me start by saying that Joe Thorn has been complaining a lot about my Music Monday posts. While I always appreciate his point of view, I just can't help but to think that his suggestion of "more Milli Vanilli, please!" is not the best route. Anyway, you be the judge: Should I, as Joe suggests, post things like this?...
Stereogum provides a couple of nice Bon Iver live videos. ABC News has a couple of nice videos: an interview with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver Part 1 and Part 2. I'm still playing Bon Iver far more than anything else. It's playing on my iPod, my home stereo, my iTunes. Speaking of the iPod, don't miss Bon Iver in concert from All Songs Considered.
DeVotchKa's new one is getting great reviews, as is M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel's She and Him, Vol 1.
A year ago this week I was encouraging you to watch stuff like this. Ahh, still good...
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Some of you remember when I posted about a part-time research position several weeks ago. I received MANY responses, and passed them on to my buddy, Glenn Lucke, who is helping pastors get some research help. Glenn emailed about more opportunities, and I told him I would put it out there for you. Yeah, I'll feed you baby birds. Glenn writes...
I will be at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary on Thursday, March 27, from 10:30am-3pm.
Several Baptist pastors have recently signed on as clients and I’m looking for researchers who can assist them.
Broadly I’m looking for two different categories of researchers to fit these new clients.
Category 1: Acts 29 Network church
The best candidates for these jobs are current SWBTS PhD and MDiv students who:- love Jesus
- know the Bible
- consider yourself "missional"
- are Baptist & reformed in theology
- love the lost & enjoy thinking how culture intersects with Scripture
- excellent academic ability and transcript + professor references to prove it
- seminary education a must, first year must be already completed
- swims in popular culture, loves it, knows it, yet resists and critiques aspects of itCategory 2: Ed Young Jr. style church (Fellowship Church of Grapevine)
The best candidates for these jobs are current SWBTS MDiv students who are gifted storytellers and illustrators, dialed-in to young pop culture, creative, gifted at relating Scriptural concepts to the lives of seekers and new Christians.- responsible and hardworking, and you can furnish proof of this. No slackers.
Contact Glenn at glenn@docentgroup.com. Mention that you are contacting me because you saw this at Steve McCoy’s blog.
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I'm trying to make time to blog on the changes coming in my local church, and especially focus on some evangelism stuff I'm working to begin soon. Sorry it's taking so long, but it's been a nutty last few weeks. Maybe I'll blog on the nuttiness as well. Might be therapeutic for me.
"Alcohol, Acts 29 and the Missouri Baptist Convention" is a bunch of information put out by some Missouri Baptists that has finally proven, without question, that some people will never get it because they spend all their time trying to get worked up over extra-biblical issues. It's actually a very funny read for those of us who see how ridiculous it all is.
In Timothy Keller news, the Washington Post's Michael Gerson has a review of The Reason for God. It's a good one. USA Today quotes Keller, Driscoll and others on "Has the 'Notion of Sin' Been Lost?" (via Stet)
"Parks and squares aren't a luxury, but an essential feature of the urban infrastructure."
Bob Franquiz is looking to only work 4 hours a week. I've perused the book, and it looks interesting enough.
Speaking of books, how about the 2008 Christianity Today Book Awards. I picked up the "The Church/Pastoral Leadership" category winner The Call to Joy & Pain by Ajith Fernando at last year's Desiring God Conference. I like Ajith's writings and the topic was intriguing. It got buried in a stack of books, but is back on my "to read" shelf.
This looks VERY interesting to me: The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas With Pictures.
The top 80 church websites (because 80 is a nice round number). :)
Oh that more of us would do what they are doing in Austin for city-wide church planting.
It won't be Longfellow until National Poetry Month. It's my Gioia to blog on poetry every April. Keats your eyes open for more very soon.
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Don Carson, commenting on Jesus praying in Gethsemane in Matthew 26:42-44...
In the first garden "Not your will but mine" changed Paradise to desert and brought man from Eden to Gethsemane. Now "Not my will but yours" brings anguish to the man who prays it but transforms the desert into the kingdom and brings man from Gethsemane to the gates of glory.
The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Matthew, vol 2, p 545.
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I'm getting a bunch of hits from AnnCoulter.com. She seems to be fond of Tim Keller's The Reason for God and my Tim Keller Resources page.
For all you Ann Coulter haters out there, this should finally prove how amazingly brilliant she is. Anyone who likes Keller is right all of the time. And let's be honest, anyone who likes Tim Keller AND links to my site is a borderline superhero.
If you have come here from AnnCoulter.com, welcome. And thanks to Ann (yes, we are on a first name basis now) for putting my link on the same page as the word "whoreable." My Southern Baptist brethren love that kind of thing.
I have produced a screen capture so as to never forget... 
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As a couple trying to relate to neighbors and unchurched friends, we have found that even our home is not the first place to begin a relationship. If we invite new people over, it is usually for a cookout in the back yard, not for a dinner inside our home. The initial place is often a local restaurant that is neutral ground. Our church is not neutral ground for the unchurched. Planning evangelistic activities on campus creates and unnecessary barrier for many we are trying to reach. Our strategy needs to include locations that are neutral, common, and natural to the unchurched. We need to ask, "Where would the unchurched feel comfortable?" Rather than our own comfort being primary, we need to apply the attitude of a servant and missionary and remove unnecessary barriers to sharing the message.
Ron Bennett, "Authentic Church-Based Evangelism in a Relational Age" in Telling the Truth, Ed. Don Carson.
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I recently received an email (edited for content below) from a Southern Baptist pastor in downtown Chicago about some very cool opportunities to be a strategic leader in SBC work in downtown Chicago...
Last year we basically wiped the slate clean with staff [at the Chicago Metro Baptist Association] and designed three new full-time roles that we think will help our churches BRING GOOD NEWS to Chicago.
Director of Missional Leadership and Mobilization: This position will help to “develop ministers of the gospel” by equipping current and future pastors.
Director of Evangelism and Church Growth: This position will help to “strengthen local churches” by assisting them in bringing the Good News.
Director of Church Planting: This position will help to “expand the Kingdom of God” by planting new churches.
We advertised and tried to spread the word and got around 150 applications, but none of them have turned out. We really believe that these positions are so strategic that we want to make sure we get the right people here and have no false starts.
Chicago is an alpha class, major global city. Yet as far as a real movement of the gospel goes it’s pretty pathetic here. I really think these positions could potentially play a huge role in reaching our strategic city. Exciting stuff is happening in New York and Seattle and other major cities around the world. Why not Chicago?
I was wondering if you knew anyone for any of these positions that would be good for Chicago and getting a movement started here. They’re full time positions, partly funded by NAMB. But we want to take more initiative in going out and finding the right people. We’re praying like crazy and super excited about the potential.
I know I have some readers out there who would be well equipped for this sort of work. Chicago is a great city with far too few good churches. If you are interested and feel you fit as SBC/missional, email apply@chicagobaptist.com. If you feel your blog readers might be interested, please point them to this post. Thanks.
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Said at Southern blog has an NCAA style (sorta) tournament where you go vote for your favorite student or alumni blogger. They put me up in the Midwest Division. [sarcasm]As my readers probably know already, these sorts of things are very important to me.[/sarcasm] Here's what I want you to do. Don't go here, don't find the midwest division, and don't vote for me. Thanks.
Though I never saw it before, Love, Chicago: Welcome to the Indie City is back online. We locals hope for good things, which should be easy in such a great city.
Drew Goodmanson keeps putting out things I can't ignore like "Multiplying Missional Communities" and
Bill Walsh at the Desiring God Blog on the 9 reasons he is a photographer.
The mortgage crisis is creating a new "slumburbs." (Thanks JB)
Ben Witherington briefly reviews Bart Ehrman's God's Problem.
The Guardian: "The Atheist Delusion."
Scroll down and listen to Sproul on "Who is the Comforter?" I needed it last week.
Gary Rohrmayer on "The Principle of Sowing and Reaping."
Guy Kawasaki on "The Myth of A Listers and Influencers."
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Modest Mouse has a new video out for "Fly Trapped in a Jar." It's just weird...
My current favorite CD right now is Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago. The always helpful Stereogum has an interview with Justin Vernon, who is Bon Iver. Nice. I finally found For Emma at Kiss the Sky in Batavia, IL, my favorite, almost local indie music store. Well actually I didn't find it. After I couldn't find it I asked the owner if they heard of it. They said they had a copy, but we couldn't find it under the "B's." It was under the "I's" listed under "Bob Iver." Satan tried to keep this beautiful music from me, but he was defeated! You need this CD. Trust me. Or at least trust the many great reviews it's getting.
The New Pornographers have a live album out that I don't own yet. One of the songs is a cover of ELO's "Don't Bring Me Down." They have performed it live on French TV. When you get there click on "videos" and then click the correct video on the right. Well worth your time. These guys rock and this song is very well done.
Pitchfork reports that Blitzen Trapper, a band I have mentioned a couple of times before, has a new iTunes exclusive live EP out. I got it.
The Twilight Sad: "And She Would Darken the Memory"...
New Spoon: "You Got Yr Cherry Bomb"...
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Thanks to a couple of emailers I have found this 1 1/2 hour video of Keller at Berkeley. (Audio here.)
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Joe Thorn wants to help you set up your Moleskine. It's essentially the same thing I do.
J.I. Packer has been sent to the principal's office.
Really enjoyed (and needed) Darrin Patrick's "Courage in Leadership" sermon.
Ben Arment flaunts a little "whiteboard motion." Pretty cool.
Jonathan Dodson has collected a few metaphors for missional communty.
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It's Music Monday and I'm here to take you to Better Music Land. So put away your Ray Boltz CD's and cut your poodle mullet...
Ahh, this is better. New Shearwater. Go download their new song "Rooks."
New Bon Iver video for "The Wolves (Act I and II)." What a beautiful and haunting song...
I'm listening to American Music Club's The Golden Age lately and really enjoying it. It's getting good reviews. From Pitchfork...
AMC's The Golden Age is appropriately obsessed with the hemorrhaging of time; many songs here find Eitzel grasping at the stuff even as it spurts through his fingers. "It's hard to love when you only see the dust," he mopes amid the wistful acoustic arpeggios of "All My Love". Eitzel's view of life as something one snatches from death's clutches, bit by bit, is the motif that drives the album. "Time is a current that only flows from warm hands to warm heart," he asserts on the darkly rushing "Decibels and Little Pills", after observing that "names are only good for grave stones."
Patrick Park has a new video out, "Here We Are". I hope you can get past the incredible technological breakthroughs in this video and just enjoy the music...
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Can't wait for Music Monday because today is the day YouTube is featuring all Sigur Ros on their front page (HT). At the heart of 24 hours of Sigur Ros is the entire Sigur Ros film Heima available for free. Awesome. Here it is...
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As Tim Keller continues his book tour and college campus talks (in Chicago last night and tonight), Veritas has put up his Columbia University talk, "Exclusive Religion in a Pluralistic Society: What are the Tensions and How Do We Move Forward?"
I'm sure many of you have seen that Keller spoke at Google. How awesome is that? Justin Buzzard was there and gave us plenty to chew on. Thanks Justin.
I did not make it to Keller's talk last night because I was at the Doctor trying to figure out what is wrong with me. He thinks I may have a touch of pneumonia. Exciting. I'm not going tonight either, unfortunately. If anyone makes it to a Chicago event, I'd love to hear/read how things go.
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A real quick post tonight to update on some blogging plans and church plans.
I'm pastoring a church that is nearly 50 years old. Some original members are still here. And I just spent two months preaching about some really big changes that are going to start happening very soon. I'm going to share those changes with you in a future post. They are very significant and exciting.
One of the new things I'm working on is an evangelism strategy to reach out to our whole county. It's something that I'm looking forward to explaining here when I get the chance.
Because of those changes I have called our church to fast and pray on Wednesdays for the next 6 weeks. We are fasting from dinner Tuesday to dinner Wednesday. We are having a prayer meeting on Wednesday nights at 6:30pm and then breaking our fast together with a quick meal. We are pumped to see what God does as we seek Him together. Because I've been so sick I'm not going to fast from food tomorrow. I'm fasting from my laptop/internet instead, starting after this post goes up.
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This is a must see. Remember the 1991 song by Sophie B. Hawkins, "Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover?" Go refresh yourself if you need to. I remember the cool beat, and I remember thinking "Are you allowed to say 'damn' on the radio?" I guess so.
Do you ever wish people could just leave those memories alone? Well, Sophie B. Hawkins had to go and jack it all up by putting together this tragic remake for Hillary's campaign, "Damn, I Wish You Were President." True story. Honestly, if I were Hillary and this is the kind of things people did to support me, I would cry after every primary too. Don't miss the chance to buy your "Damn, I Wish You Were President" T-shirt. Ugh.
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I've been listening a lot lately to Daniel Renstrom's (MySpace) Adore and Tremble EP. He emailed me a couple of weeks ago and asked if I might review it. I almost said no, because I knew it would be Christian music. Then I figured I would just tell him that I really don't listen to much Christian music and he wouldn't send it. So I told him. He sent it anyway. What a great surprise this worship EP is!
This 6 song EP includes four original songs by Renstrom and two updated hymns, "Adore and Tremble" by Isaac Watts and "Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder" by John Newton. All good. And all lyrics and chords are online for all. I should also add that the production quality is top notch, not what you always get from early recordings. I highly recommend this EP for your own devotions or to find some new worship stuff for your church. I had it playing last Sunday before and after worship. Get it at iTunes or on CD.
Spoon (well, Britt) in a Black Cab singing the great song, "I Summon You"...
Justice, "DVNO". Geez, this stuff is cool...
I want me some Bon Iver (MySpace ). Some of it sounds like a gentler, acoustic TV on the Radio. I will pick up For Emma, Forever Ago as soon as I can find it. "Flume"...
"Lump Sum"...
If you are anything like me you occasionally go back and find a song you used to like and find out it's still a great song. Here's one I searched out recently. Who doesn't want to be in a band and play a song like this live?
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Quick God Story: My family is still sick, sick, sick. Unbelievable virus we are dealing with. We were all feeling better and now most of us are getting symptoms back. Our youngest now has 103+ temp again. Ugh. But all praise to God for this story. Saturday afternoon my debilitating fever and aches stopped and I had tons of energy Saturday night and plenty for the task this morning. I mean I went from the worst day so far on Saturday morning, and then full of energy and vigor Saturday evening. Then soon after gathered worship today my fever came back as did my aches and terrible cough (I didn't cough once during the sermon). There may be some medical explanation for why I had such a dramatic health hiccup, but I know WHO is getting the credit. I was truly singing this morning, "How Great is Our God."
Speaking of how sick I am, it would really help me turn this frown upside-down if someone would present me something this awesome with Joe Thorn's likeness on it. It would make my year! (HT)
When was the last time you wondered how Michael Foster would approach church planting differently? Exactly. And he promises to elaborate. I'm demanding he gets on it asap.
You need to make your way to the Vintage Jesus Newsroom, where Steve Camp goes for his devotional time.
Poythress, The Shadow of Christ in the Law of Moses, online free.
PastorHacks is into Jott (and Pinger). I've been using Jott for a while now with great success and productivity. I think Joe Thorn told me about Jott (I had to say that because he will speak harshly to me this week if I don't mention it. I don't like it when Hobbits get mean, especially when I'm sick.).
I may have mentioned this before, but Piper/Bethlehem's accountability stuff is worth checking out.
You should check out Abraham Piper's crazy little experiment of a blog. Alas, he is his father's son. (Only four more words.)
Speaking of numbers, Baptist Reformed types will probably not like Scot McKnight's new article, "The 8 Marks of a Robust Gospel." Why? It's one short. I actually haven't read it yet, but McKnight is always worth reading (even when tragically wrong!). No heckling me please. I'm sick.
Here's Eugene Peterson at the 2007 Writer's Symposium by the Sea (isn't that where George McFly first kissed that chick from Howard the Duck?). The story he tells about Bono is worth the whole thing. (HT)
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STEVE McCOY
