James MacDonald says church congregational government is from Satan. His main points are...
Go read his whole post and explanations. What do you think?
I just love the new album by Frank Turner, England Keep My Bones (I have the extended edition). It's like The Gaslight Anthem mixed with Flogging Molly mixed with David Ford. One of the songs all my Christian brothers and sisters need to hear is "Glory Hallelujah." It's an atheistic anthem (worship song) and instructive of the new atheism. Lyrics are below the video.
Brothers and sisters, have you heard the news?
The storm has lifted and there's nothing to lose,
So swap your confirmation for your dancing shoes,
Because there never was no God.
Step out of the darkness and onto the streets,
Forget about the fast, let's have a carnival feast,
Raise up your lowered head to hear the liberation beat,
Because there never was no God.
There is no God,
So clap your hands together,
There is no God,
No heaven and no hell.
There is no God,
We're all in this together,
There is no God,
So ring that victory bell.
No cowering in the dark before these overbearing priests,
Not waiting until we die until we restitute the meek,
No blaming all our failings on imaginary beasts,
Because there never was no God.
No fighting over land your distant fathers told you of,
Not spilling blood for those who have never spread a drop of blood,
No finger pointing justified by fairies up above,
Because there never was no God.
There is no God,
So clap your hands together,
There is no God,
No heaven and no hell.
There is no God,
We're all in this together,
There is no God,
So ring that victory bell.
And I know you're scared of dieing man and I am too,
But just pretending it's not happening isn't gonna see us through,
So just accept that there's an end game and we haven't got much time,
And then in the here and now we can try and do things right.
Forget about the crazy things that people have believed,
And think of wondrous things that normal people have achieved,
'Cos I've known beauty in the stillness of cathedrals in the day,
I sang Glory Hallelujah! Won't you wash my sins away?
But now I'm singing my refrain and this is what I say,
I say there never was no God.
There is no God,
So clap your hands together,
There is no God,
No heaven and no hell.
There is no God,
We're all in this together,
There is no God,
So ring that victory bell.
There is no God,
So clap your hands together,
There is no God,
No heaven and no hell.
There is no God,
We're all in this together,
There is no God,
So ring that victory bell.
Was pointed to a new podcast that I am thoroughly enjoying. It's called The Art You Missed. From the website...
The Art You Missed explores, freely and with an open mind, acts of creation that are in danger of being overlooked amidst the ever-widening stream of the world’s new art...
The Art You Missed embraces the artistic impulse and adds this premise: all art is forever new...
The Art You Missed is not merely an academic or historical exercise, but is rather an active meditation on the permanent revolutionary impulse at the core of art...
The hosts, Samuel Melden and Fritz Byers, talk music, poetry, and various other kinds of art.
If you like the podcast, and I think you will, check out their Kickstarter Campaign. Also follow and "like" them out on Twitter and Facebook.
There's a new band, Cults. Their self-titled debut is a wonderful summer album, full of catchy hooks. It also uses samples of cult leaders speaking to their followers. It blends together fun poppy summer sounds with real depth & content worth thinking about. Tough to accomplish, but fascinating & successful here. Pitchfork names "Best New Music" & 8.5/10 and Paste 7.9/10. Check out Cults.
The samples, of cult leaders speaking to their followers, could have been a distraction had they chosen to make a big deal out of them, but they're woven tightly into the album's sonic fabric and processed to varying degrees of decipherability, which turns them into an effective textural element. (via)
Ultimately, Cults is an album that can be enjoyed as either a summer soundtrack or as something with a darker, more concrete substance. How you choose to interpret it is your call, but the beauty of this notable debut is that either way works just as well as the other. (via)
Is this what we want to hear from the head of the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, Kevin Ezell? Do we really want to compete with other groups (Acts 29 specifically was mentioned)?
As a denomination we have admitted that church planting has not been a priority and we are now changing that, but that's why so many have looked for that help elsewhere.
We are in the early stages of building a network, a support group, that will be the first choice of church planters everywhere, not just Southern Baptist. We will and can compete with other groups. (via)
My take: Partnerships, not competition. Playing a role. Being a part. Locking arms. I don't like this quote. It seems to me to be the same old SBC approach where we are the one-stop shop.
Are you reading this the same way as me? Seriously, would love your thoughts.
Great interview of Joe Thorn by Justin Taylor about Joe's new book, Note to Self. If you haven't picked up a copy, you must. It's outstanding.
A number of Kindle books are really cheap right now. I don't necessarily recommend every book on this list, but I put the ones I felt you would be most interested in, even if you disagree with the authors. I will *star ones I recommend most.
$2.99...
$1.99...
$0.99...
FREE...
Thom and Jess Rainer's book, The Millennials: Connecting to America's Largest Generation, is FREE on Kindle right now.
J.I. Packer's book, Affirming the Apostles' Creed, is $0.99 for Kindle.
Registration is now open for the 2011 Together for Adoption Conference. Come to Phoenix on October 21-22 and join me and Joe Thorn and our wives and a bunch of other good folks for what is sure to be informative, insightful, fun and, uh, hot. From the website...
Join us October 21-22 in Phoenix for Together for Adoption Conference 2011. Over 1,200 people will gather together at Redemption Church (Gilbert Campus) to explore the theme Missional Living, the Gospel and Orphan Care. One of our primary objectives for this year’s conference is to create a forum to consider the good news of the Gospel, explore its implications for how we think about and implement orphan care strategies, and discuss how we can move toward greater collaboration as the people of God for the sake of orphans worldwide.
General session speakers include: Darrin Patrick, Tullian Tchividjian, Tim Chester (coming to us from England), Bryan Loritts, Juan Sanchez, and Jeff Vanderstelt.
Registration:
- Early Bird: $109 Per Person (good through August 31st)
- Regular: $149 Per Person (price from September 1 until October 21)
*Registration price includes two onsite lunches and afternoon snacks.
Worship Leaders: Shaun Groves, Aaron Ivey, and Jimmy McNeal
General Session Hosts: Shaun Groves and Johnny Carr (National Director of Church Partnerships at Bethany Christian Services)
Note: Childcare is available.
Pre-Conference Event (Thursday, October 20):
Missional Church, Missional God, Missional Story
Tim Chester and Dan CruverMissional church is not simply the latest fad. It’s rooted in the trinitarian character of God and the story of the Bible. Explore the foundations for shaping life around gospel, community and mission along with practical application for church life and the implications for orphan care.
Registration: $75 Per Person
Current list of our Featured Bloggers: MegMiller, Lindsey Nobles, Reformissionary (Steve McCoy), JoeThorn.net, Julie Gumm, Zach Nielsen, Missional Thoughts (Josh Reich), and Michael Robinson. More will be added.
There will be 60+ breakouts to equip you and provide you with opportunities to meet others who share your same passion for orphaned and vulnerable children. Over 60 organizations involved in orphan care, adoption, and foster care will also be there to serve you as you seek to live out James 1:27.
Notice on the list of featured bloggers, my real name is secondary to my blog name. That can't be good! ;)
I hope many of you will join us. So go register for the conference. Also check out and "Like" the Together for Adoption page.
Some great $5 albums this month. Here are my recommendations...
Darrin Patrick's excellent, beloved book, Church Planter, is $2.99 on Kindle.
For $2.99 you can get the new album from Explosions in the Sky: Take Care, Take Care, Take Care.
New album from My Morning Jacket, Circuital, is the kind of return to form I have hoped to see from them for a long time. Really, ever since I heard "One Big Holiday" I've wanted to see them focus on being THAT band. Long live the rock band. And it's only $5!
The Civil Wars widely beloved album, Barton Hollow, is only $3.99 today. Go get it.
