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Weekend Recap – Rhythm?

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My 2/17/13AM sermon, Introductory Rhythms, from Revelation 1:1-8 is now online.  It was a relief to finally be in this book and lay aside the introductory themes we have hit for a couple of weeks.  This introduction to the book helped establish some rhythms for us to consider.  Specifically, we saw that this revelation was given to encourage us, there’s a blessing found in this book and that Jesus is returning.

Hope you had a great Lord’s Day, as well.

Our men met in the evening continuing our study of 33: Authentic Manhood.  There is some good fruit developing from that, as well.

Dangerous Calling Email – Chapter 3

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My Wed AM email to leaders at Crestview is based on Paul Tripp’s book, Dangerous Calling:

“Heart Disease?  Or Theology Problem?”

There’s been a trend in reason days (maybe since the Enlightenment?) to emphasize human reason over and against everything that stands in its way.  And, this has subtly filtered into the church world.  In certain pockets, there are people who believe (even though they might not verbalize this it is very much how they live) that if you have correct, orthodox beliefs or theology, then that is what God requires of you.  Part of what Tripp is going after in Chapter 3 of Dangerous Calling, “Big Theological Brains and Heart Disease,” is this kind of thinking. 
After recalling some history as to how he’s arrived at his conclusions, Tripp asks “What are we doing with the Word?”  In this section, he says, “All creation is meant to be finger pointing us to ultimate glory, the only glory that can ever satisfy the human heart, the glory of God.”  And, then, he uses that amazing illustration from Isaiah 55:10-13 and the conclusion: “The ultimate purpose of the Word of God is not theological information but heart and life transformation.” 
After lamenting how theological institutions have become increasingly specialized, Tripp asks, “What the Danger?”  What’s the danger in losing sight of God’s heart transformation through His Word:
1) Spiritual blindness – handling Scripture that doesn’t allow people to see themselves as they are
2) Theological self-righteousness – thinking maturity is more a matter of knowing that living
3) Dysfunctional personal relationship to the Word – study is more a world of correct ideas that a world of submission to the Lord
4) Lack of personal gospel neediness – not approaching God’s Word with tender, needy hearts
5) Impatience with others – being critical, dismissive, impatient with others
6) Wrong perspective on ministry – driven more by theological correctness than by worship of and love for the Lord Jesus Christ
7) No living communion with Christ – a Christ-less Christianity that puts hope in theology and rules and somehow forgets that if theology and rules had power to transform the heart of idolaters, Jesus would never have had to come, live, die and rise again.
So, in our church, where we love truth, are we in love with the Savior or drawn to mere academic growth?  Let’s be careful to exalting reason at the expense of our hearts. 
Grateful to be in trenches with you all…

Leadership Email – Purpose

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My Monday Email to Leaders in Reno County from 2/11/13 was entitled “Peter Piper Picked A Peck of Pickled PURPOSE”:

Good Morning.  Here’s a review of where we’ve been for the past 3 weeks:
We’ve been looking at the KLC Civic Leadership Principles:
1) Leadership is an activity, not a position.
2) Anyone can lead, anytime, anywhere.
3) It starts with you and must engage others.
Today, we move to principle #4: “Your purpose must be clear.”  Purpose should loom large in our acts of leadership.  One exercise that has helped some of us get after purpose is that “Why, Why, Why” exercise.  If you’re not familiar, we form a class into groups and encourage participants to think of an issue that they care about so deeply that they would be willing to give their time to be involved in it.  Then, we have them explain their purpose by digging deeper and asking “Why?”  What emerges is typically what is driving you to do what you do and often this purpose is shared between people with different issues they care about.  This simple exercise helps, then, to inspire a collective purpose, energizing others, as well as helping each individual hold on to purpose, which might make their interventions more skillful. 
As we think in this core principle, then, about how “our purpose must be clear,” we can begin to see that our engaging in acts of leadership—mobilizing people to difficult work—is helped by a clear purpose.  A clear purpose doesn’t mean our acts of leadership will be easy, but it does remove some of the fog off of the windshield of our journey.  A clear purpose helps everyone: it reminds us why we are doing what we’re doing and helps unite us with others so that progress can be made on issues we care about deeply.  
So, today, focus.  Have a clear purpose in what you do and see if it doesn’t affect our community for the better.
Have a great week…

Weekend Recap – Overview

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My 2/10/13AM sermon, Overview of Revelation, which surveyed some big themes in the book of Revelation is now online.  I enjoyed this sermon and the chance it gave me to pull back so that we don’t miss the forest for the trees when it comes to the amazingly encouraging book.  I hope you’ll listen and see this big picture.  God really wants to encourage His people through this book.

Hope you had a great Lord’s Day.

Dangerous Calling Email – Chapter 2

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Here’s an email I wrote to our church leadership about Tripp’s Dangerous Calling.  I entitled this one “Losing Focus.”

I don’t know if you take many pictures, but I find myself taking pics all the time on my phone.  Just this week, I snapped one to use in a document only to find that once I transferred it, the picture ended up being blurry.  Evidently, my desire to take pics isn’t matched by a steady hand.  In chapter 2 of Dangerous Calling, entitled, “Again and Again,” Tripp helps shine light on why so many can lose their way (read focus) in ministry.  Here’s the nine points he makes:
1) Ignore clear evidence of problems.
2) Be blind to issues of his own heart.
3) Lack of devotion.
4) Not preaching the Gospel to himself.
5) Not listening to those closest to him.
6) Ministry became burdensome.
7) Begin to live in silence.
8) Begin to question calling.
9) Give away to fantasies of another life.
Here’s the concluding charge:  “No, not all of these characteristics are in the lives of each of the men I have talked with, but in all of them many of these things are operating.  And not only are they operating, but they are operating outside of the motivating, encouraging, empowering, transforming, and delivering truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I write this because I am concerned for me and I am concerned for you.  And I am concerned for the culture in our churches that allows this to happen unchecked.”
So, gentlemen, let’s take a look at our hearts today.  Let’s check them so that we can freshly apply the Gospel to them and grow in our fellowship to God and one another. 
Have a great week.

Leadership Email: You To Others, That’s The Deal

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Here’s my email to leaders in Reno County from Monday, 2/4:

Happy “Day-After-Super-Bowl”.  Hope everyone’s doing well.  We’re in a bit of a series on our Monday emails.  Here’s a quick review:
We’ve been looking at the KLC Civic Leadership Principles:
1) Leadership is an activity, not a position.
2) Anyone can lead, anytime, anywhere.
Today, I want to remind you of principle #3: “It starts with you and must engage others.”
Keeping in mind that leadership is “mobilizing people to difficult work” and authority is “providing comfort, order and direction” we can see that acts of leadership begin with us.  It starts with you, that is, acts of leadership begin with you making a conscious choice to engage.  It’s like flipping a switch.  It might be choosing to “raise the heat” over an uncomfortable issue or choosing to disengage when one of your triggers have been tripped.  But, leadership begins with you making a conscious choice. 
And, leadership engages others.  Leadership isn’t you climbing up on Pride Rock and roaring out orders for the masses (yes, another Disney film reference for those of you without small children).  Leadership involves others.  Typically, we “lead” by surrounding ourselves with people who will agree with us and proceeding accordingly.  But, leadership might mean we engage others by seeking out the unusual voices, strive to understand the factions on a dilemma or what people might lose if a direction is pursued.  Leadership engages others and this is what makes it such hard work.  It’d be easy if we just had to lead ourselves.  But throw others in the mix and things get a little complicated.
Today, then, remember that civic leadership “starts with you and must engage others.”  You can step out into acts of leadership and make a difference today.  So, what are you waiting for?

Dangerous Calling Email #1

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Last week, we had an Elders/Deacons Meeting and began to take some time looking at Paul Tripp’s Dangerous Calling book.  Here’s the first of weekly emails I’ll be sending our leaders from last Wed entitled Suspect Yourself:

As we jump into thinking about Dangerous Calling this year, I was reminded of a Sherlock Holmes case in which the inspector asked Holmes if he had any suspects yet and Holmes replied, “I suspect myself—for jumping to conclusions too rapidly.”  Really the Introduction and Chapter 1 of this book highlight the importance of tender hearts before God.  In the Intro, for instance, Tripp clearly lays out his aim: “This is a diagnostic book.  It is written to help you take an honest look at yourself in the heart-and-life-exposing mirror of the Word of God—to see things that are wrong and need correcting and to help you place yourself once again under the healing and transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ” (p.11). 

In Chapter 1, Tripp recounts “three underlying themes that operated in [his] life…”
1) I Let Ministry Define My Identity.
2) I Let Biblical Literacy and Theological Knowledge Define My Maturity.
3) I Confused Ministry Success With God’s Endorsement of My Lifestyle.
Here’s some good diagnostic questions for this first chapter:
“What about you?  How do you view yourself?  What are the things you regularly say to you about you?  Are there subtle signs in your life that you see yourself as being different from those to whom you minister?  Do you see yourself as a minister of grace in need of the same grace?  Have you become comfortable with discontinuities between the gospel that you preach and the way that you live?  Are there disharmonies between your public ministry persona and the details of your private life?  Do you encourage a level of community in your church that you give yourself to?  Do you fall into believing that no one has a more accurate view of you than you do?  Do you use your knowledge or experience to keep confrontation at bay?”
There’s great hope for us because of the Gospel, so, let’s remember that God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble and bow our knees (and lives) in awe before this God we serve.  

Weekend Recap – Introducing Revelation

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We kicked off our series on Revelation yesterday with a sermon entitled Introducing Revelation.  My simple aim in this sermon was to help orient everyone in the room to way I intend to handle the book and some guardrails we must have in place in studying it.

I’m really hoping that this book proves helpful for us as a people.

Here’s a pic of some was we tricked out our worship room to go along with the study:

Crestview Bible Church Worship Room

Gospel Identity – Current Small Groups @ Crestview

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Our Small Groups just began this curriculum earlier this month.  I’ve enjoyed it so far and would recommend it for your study and attention.  I believe, like the authors contend, that our default is not to hold firm to the Gospel, but to drift from it.  Therefore, we need this reminder of what the Gospel has done in our lives consistently.  This is just the type of thing I love discussing in small group, since it lends itself to great application.

Here’s the publisher’s description for Gospel Identity:

Gospel Identity focuses on the transformation of Christians by the power of the gospel. This ten-session small group study guides participants (and leaders) to discover their need for Jesus, examine the blessings of their new identity in Christ, and explain how those gifts move us outward so others can also experience new life in Jesus. With user-friendly small group activities and questions rooted in Scripture, this small group study (adapted from sections of Gospel Transformation) includes a leader’s guide and is suitable for small groups and individual mentoring.

If you have further questions about this resource, drop me an email. You can read a sample chapter here.

CrestviewKids Recap – January 2013

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As January comes to an end, at CrestviewKids, we have a Parent’s Night, which highlights the amazing truths we’ve seen in a given month.

Our Memory Verse for January was 1 Peter 5:5.

Our song was The Gospel Song.  Here’s a video of it:

For the teaching, our three lessons looked at the final days and hours of Jesus’ life.

When Jesus was betrayed and abandoned by His disciples in the Garden, we reminded children that He endured all of this for us.

When Peter denied Jesus, we helped children see that we are desperate sinners in need of grace from God.

When Jesus offered salvation to the thief on the cross, we helped children see that forgiveness is available to anywhere, anywhere at anytime.  It’s been a rich month.