Tim Keller | Center Church Releases Tomorrow!

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I'm very excited to have Center Church by Dr. Timothy Keller in my library. It's nearly 400 pages and is packed full of good stuff. It's hard to describe how "packed full" it is until you see it. You can see pieces of it here...

Check out some of the praise it's receiving...

I'm not exaggerating when I say that Center Church is my favorite book Tim Keller has written thus far.
- Scotty Smith, Christ Community Church

This is not simply curriculum content; it is exactly the kind of life-giving, generative gospel theology our churches need.
- Stephen Um, CityLife Presbyterian Church, Boston

This book will help you if you are serious about seeing your city transformed by the gospel of grace.
- Darrin Patrick, Vice President of the Acts 29 Network

In Center Church, one of the great missionary statesmen of our times lays out a vision of the church vigorous enough to transform entire cities through its agency of the gospel.
- Alan Hirsch, Founding Director of Forge Mission Training Network

Watch this video. Note that Keller says, "Things that work in cities often we find work outside of cities as well." This is more than a book for city-center church planting, and as I have said several times, the best books on the church (regardless of where you are located) are urban church books. 

Buy Center Church at 35% off (or 34% off at Amazon, if you prefer).

Music Monday 9.3.12

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STREAMING FREE

CHEAP

BURNING UP MY iPOD

$5 Albums | September 2012

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As a blogger who faithfully tweets out great deals every month when Amazon lists their $5 albums, I'm afraid I have to say this month's crop is not good. Sorry, but Pink, and Katy Perry, and Asia just aren't doing it for me. I had to work hard to find the gems, and there are a few diamonds in the rough. Here's my short list of albums worth checking out, but I'd love for you to check out all 100 and let me know what I'm missing. Maybe I'm wrong! :)

Best of the Best

Worth Checking Out

Deny Evolution If You Like, But Don't Make Your Kids Do It

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Bill Nye evangelizes the US population toward evolution with this video that's received over 3 million views in just over a week. I've provided a couple of quotes from it below the video. 

"Evolution is the fundamental idea in all of life science, in all of biology. It's very much analogous to trying to do geology without believing in tectonic plates. You are just not going to get the right answer. ... Your whole world is just going to be a mystery instead of an exciting place. As my old professor Carl Sagan said, 'When you're in love you want to tell the world.'"

"I say to the grown ups: If you want to deny evolution and live in your world that's completely inconsistent with everything we observe in the universe, that's fine. But don't make your kids do it because we need them. We need scientifically literate voters and taxpayers for the future. We need engineers that can build stuff and solve problems. It's just really a hard thing. It's really a hard thing. In another couple centuries that worldview, I'm sure, just won't exist. There's no evidence for it." 

You think this might be shown in a few schools? Share your thoughts on the video, pro or con.

Tim Keller: "Losing My Religion" Open Forum

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If you want to listen to what Tim Keller does when he holds Open Forums for non-Christians, skeptics, seekers, etc...listen to "Losing My Religion: Why Christians Should Drop Their Religion." Redeemer has audio from 44 Open Forums, though I haven't checked if audio for others is offered free like this one. MP3s are typically $2.50, but this one is free.

I listened today. Instructive for us as missionaries and preachers, evangelists and apologists, disciples and strugglers with religiosity. He confronts religion, truths, psychology, philosophy, and truth-claims respectfully, yet still directly. 

How can we as pastors and ministers speak to our city, our culture, with intellect, wisdom, courage, and charity? Keller's example helps me, and I hope it will help you too.

Stream FREE | Avett Brothers: The Carpenter

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The new album from The Avett Brothers, The Carpenter, is now streaming FREE in full at NPR Music First Listen. Go listen and let me know what you think. One of the best bands in the world right now, in my opinion. Both a personal and family favorite. I own everything they've done and will buy this one when it releases on September 11th.

Also check out their recent 9+ minute interview with NPR Music: Matters of Life & Death. Check out The Avett Brothers' website for more.

Spoken Word in the Church

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Joe Thorn is having Odd Thomas do a spoken word piece during worship gathering on Sunday. Some have raised the question of whether or not it's appropriate. Joe writes...

Though we have never done so before, Redeemer’s elders are excited to include spoken word in our worship gathering this Sunday. The main reason we are happy to include it is because spoken word, in this context, is an earnest appeal to look to Christ. Thomas will bring a theologically rich, compelling, confrontational, message to God’s people based on God’s word. And the fact that it is poetic in nature is not a hit against it, but a strength. God loves poetry and has given us much of his word in that very form.

It's a very comprehensive post on what spoken word is, how it conveys truth, he gives some video examples and more. Joe also answers these questions (questions I had too) in his post...

  • Isn’t this just entertainment? 
  • Isn’t this merely trying to attract people through an act? 
  • Isn’t this worldliness?

Go check out "Spoken Word in the Church" from Joe Thorn. Comment there with your thoughts and questions. Interesting topic.

$2 Tuesdays 8.28.12

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2 dollar Tues

Five $2 Tuesdays deals at The Good Book Company...

Michael Frost | Romancing Your City

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It sounded like a cheesy title, but Michael Frost (Exiles, The Shaping of Things to Come, ReJesus, The Road to Missional) delivered a simple, thought-provoking breakout at Exponential 2012 that I listened to by podcast last night. He compares a good marriage to how we say "I do" and "To death do us part" and the ongoing romance with our spouse with how a church loves her neighborhood (or city). I'd have some minor quibbles, but it was quite helpful for me.

Here are some of his thoughts and points from my sketchy notes, which you can see are comparable to marriage. Should we commit to our neighborhoods (cities) to a lifelong romance, till death do we part? Good thoughts here...

  • Move in to the neighborhood God has sent you to
  • Listen to your neighborhood
  • Talk to your mayor, police chief, fire chief, school principals
  • Eat in local restaurants, get in local cafes, walk the neighborhood
  • Ask people what they want, long for, desire
  • NOTE: Interesting section on midnight-5am "street pastors" 16:45 mark
  • "Listen to your neighborhood, it is telling you--if you listen hard enough--how to evangelize them, how to serve them, how to unleash an awareness of the reign of God in that place."
  • Partner with your neighborhood
  • Stay for a long time in your neighborhood (sickness or health, rich or poor, till death do we part)
  • You will move culture to a tipping point by transforming hundreds of thousands of villages across the nation.
  • If this place goes down, we will go down with you.

Make Jesus Non-Ignorable

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From Ray Ortlund's sermon on mission from August 12th at Immanuel Church (emphasis his).

...we live in a city and in a world that ignores [Jesus]. Sometimes we ignore him. ... We are not happy that the real Jesus is still ignorable in our city and far beyond. We don’t accept that. We’re making it our church mission, and I am asking you today to make it your life mission, to make the real Jesus non-ignorable in our city and far beyond.

[...]

Every one of us can be involved, because this is not for spiritual high-achievers; this is for broken sinners. God’s power comes down on weak people. So, you’re the one he wants to use. What are you going to do for Jesus that just can’t be ignored? What are we going to do together that can’t be ignored? That purpose is going to take us beyond routine church life. Routine church can be ignored. And it is our mission to change that, which we means we need to change first. The more repentance the world sees in us, the more repentance we’ll see in the world.

Music Monday 8.27.12

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STREAMING

CHEAP

BURNING UP MY iPOD

Speak Dramatically...Because It's Real

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John Piper on George Whitefield and his dramatic preaching...

But the question is: Why was Whitefield “acting”? Why was he so full of action and drama? Was he, as Stout claims, “plying a religious trade”? Pursuing “spiritual fame”? Craving “respect and power”? Driven by “egotism”? Putting on “performances” and “integrating religious discourse into the emerging language of consumption”?

I think the most penetrating answer comes from something Whitefield himself said about acting in a sermon in London. In fact, I think it’s a key to understand the power of his preaching—and all preaching. James Lockington was present at this sermon and recorded this verbatim. Whitefield is speaking.

“I’ll tell you a story. The Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 1675 was acquainted with Mr. Butterton the [actor]. One day the Archbishop . . . said to Butterton . . . ‘pray inform me Mr. Butterton, what is the reason you actors on stage can affect your congregations with speaking of things imaginary, as if they were real, while we in church speak of things real, which our congregations only receive as if they were imaginary?’ ‘Why my Lord,’ says Butterton, ‘the reason is very plain. We actors on stage speak of things imaginary, as if they were real and you in the pulpit speak of things real as if they were imaginary.’”

“Therefore,” added Whitefield, ‘I will bawl [shout loudly], I will not be a velvet-mouthed preacher.”

This means that there are three ways to speak. First, you can speak of an unreal, imaginary world as if it were real—that is what actors do in a play. Second, you can speak about a real world as if it were unreal—that is what half-hearted pastors do when they preach about glorious things in a way that says they are not as terrifying and wonderful as they are. And third is: You can speak about a real spiritual world as if it were wonderfully, terrifyingly, magnificently real (because it is).

Read or hear John Piper's entire bio of George Whitefield from the 2009 Desiring God Pastors' Conference.

Phriday is for Photos 8.24.12

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Elijah Desserts

I enjoy catching moments in which the mundane becomes interesting. This was a touristy spot in a touristy city with my touristy kid with a touristy dad with a touristy camera. But a mild post-processing filter plays with the light and makes it interesting to me.

Check all of my photography. If my photography is new to you, check out the 10 photos people have favorited most on my Flickr stream.