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Books I Read in February 2018

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Like I mentioned in January, I’m trying to do a better job this year of keeping track of books I’ve completed reading.  As usual, there are some books/things, I’m always working in like the Bible (praying through the Psalms of the Day and doing lots of reading in 1 Peter in different translations), Sonship, as well as Crestview’s Leadership Pipeline material.

In February 2018, I worked through the following:

Wisdom to Live By – Derek Kidner
Steal Away Home – Matt Carter and Aaron Ivey
Paul’s Vision for the Deacons – Alexander Strauch
(These next few were in preparation for a series on the Holy Spirit starting in March)
Bookends of the Christian Life – Jerry Bridges and Bob Bevington
Delighting In the Trinity – Michael Reeves
Forgotten God – Francis Chan
Communion With The Triune God – John Owen (I read sections on the Holy Spirit)
The Holy Spirit – Sinclair Ferguson
Jesus Continued… – J.D. Great
Practicing the Power – Sam Storms
Sufficiency: Historic Essays on The Sufficiency of Scripture – Heath Lambert, et. al.
Seeing Christ in All of Scripture — Edited by Peter Lillback

Weekend Recap – Life Together Wrap Up

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My 2/25/18AM sermon at Crestview, The Mission of Life Together, sought to wrap our life together series as well as propel us outward, engaging our world on mission.  There are ways we’re propelled outward horizontally to our world.  But, in the Bible, we’re also propelled outward and upward to bring glory to God.  I hope this sermon encourages you to this end.

Weekend Recap – Problems in Life Together

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I enjoyed an amazing Sunday getting to hear Luke preach in Crestview’s Life Together series. Specifically, he preached a sermon entitled The Problems in Life Together.  Most of the literature about church family life doesn’t take a lot of time on the problems that happen when we engage in life together, but the problems are real.  They will come your way if you dig into life together.  I hope this sermon encourages you (and it is filled with lots of Gospel hope).

Weekend Recap – Objections to Life Together

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My 2/11/18AM sermon, Overcoming Objections to Life Together, is now online.  This sermon sought to dig into some narratives that loom large in Christian circles and how we can press what the Bible says about life together into them.  I was hoping to renew minds around the truths of life together.  I hope it was encouraging and revealing.

In the evening, our Men/Boys enjoyed a night together at Crestview’s annual Men and Boys Chili Supper.  Luke shared and we had a good time together.

Weekend Preview – Objections

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Sometimes getting kids to eat their vegetables is difficult.  Trying new things (or things unfamiliar to us) can test us to our core.  And, if it’s true with food, it’s probably certainly true with habits and rhythms of life.  This Sunday, my sermon will deal with some of the objections people may have to this whole notion of life together.  My hope is that as we work through these, your resistance might be broken and you’d step into this amazing life to which God is calling you.

Recap of Bethlehem Conference for Pastors

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A few weeks ago, Luke and I went to the 2018 Bethlehem Conference for Pastors.  They finally have all the audio from this conference online.  Some I would direct your attention to:

Paul Tripp – Danger of Familiarity

John Piper’s kickoff sermon – Seeking the Holy Spirit

Sam Storm’s appeal to not quench the Holy Spirit – Don’t Quench The Spirit

Francis Chan – Praying in the Spirit

There were many other sermons that were all helpful.  We were really struck by these, though.  I hope these encourage you, too.

 

 

 

Weekend Recap – Life Together / Super Bowl

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We had a great day Sunday at Crestview Bible.  First off, we introduced a new song, O How Good It Is, which tied in very well to our Life Together emphasis for the month.  Also, Luke preached a sermon on The Picture of Life Together from Acts 2:42-47.  The upshot of this morning was a digging into the rhythms that will characterize our lives as we intentionally live together on mission.

In the evening, I enjoyed the game with some friends.  It was an entertaining game and a fun night to relax with people and enjoy this big part of our culture.  I hope you had a great day.

Weekend Preview – Picture of Life Together

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This coming Sunday at Crestview Bible, we’ll continue exploring what LifeTogether means for us.  Specifically, we’ll get to hear from Luke again as he provides a picture of what life together looks like.  Once our eyes are opened to the reality of life together as God has presented it in the Bible, we’ll see that God’s heart for us is bigger than individualistic pursuits for our own gain.  This week will, hopefully, open our eyes to this.  Join us, then, 10:15AM, as we take a picture of life together in the Bible.

Ready Conference 2018

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This past Friday and Saturday, I attended the Ready Conference at MBTS with students from Crestview.

There are so many good things to stay about this event.  The audio/video isn’t live yet, but I’d anticipate them getting it uploaded soon.  There are 4 main sessions: John Mark Yeats (Has God Spoken?), Owen Strachan (Is Jesus Lord?), Brian Key (Is Jesus Savior?), and Jared Wilson (Am I His?).  There were also many breakouts on Saturday.  Also, we got to see Tedashii (116 represent!) in concert.  It was a great event for the students who attended and I got to hang out with our students, help them enjoy this event, and connect with old friends at MBTS.

Continue to pray that God does amazing things in the lives of our students.

Here are some pics taken by Monica Warren:

Worship
Another shot of worship
Jared Wilson speaking
our crew prepping to listen
Lunch at Ted’s
Lunch at Ted’s
Tedashii
Tedashii’s concert
Group Shot

Books I Read In January 2018

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I’m trying to do a better job this year of keeping track of books I’ve completed reading.  For those who are curious about how I do this, I use Evernote and have a note called “Books I’ve Read in 2018” which I add to as I finish a book.  There are some books/things, I’m always working in like the Bible (I use ESV in daily reading and rotate translations depending on what I’m studying), Sonship (a course I’m working through with a mentor), as well as Crestview’s Leadership Pipeline material.

In January 2018, though, I was able to finish the following (some of these for the 2nd time):

Desiring the Kingdom – James K. A. Smith
Imagining The Kingdom – James K. A. Smith
Many in my theological circles are raving about these books.  I found them helpful in propelling a Christian worldview and engaging the culture
Night Driving – Chad Bird
I love Chad Bird’s honest, thought-provoking, Gospelicious devotional insights and this didn’t disappoint.
Building a Story Brand – Donald Miller
I preordered this book and finally finished it this month.  Miller helps people carrying content to the masses (be it business or any other piece of information) in ways that resonate and help them want more.
When – Daniel Pink
I heard an interview with Pink on Donald Miller’s Storybrand podcast and found this to be a helpful way of considering time.
J.I. Packer’s article “Theology and Wisdom” in The Way of Wisdom
I did some reading this month on wisdom literature in the Bible and this article by Packer was excellent.
This was a fun read on preaching and helping us say what we need to say for modern ears.  Again, I slowed down a bit and worked through the section on wisdom literature.  But overall, this book was encouraging.
The Holy Spirit is underrated in many of the theological circles I find myself at home in.  And, this book by Jared Wilson didn’t disappoint.  I preordered to get some extras from the author.   If you’re looking for a great dive into the person and work of the Holy Spirit, I’d highly recommend this.
So, it’s been a productive January (in terms of reading).  I’m looking forward to what February holds.