Converging Heritage

Lifes A'changing

2011-03-10T18:09:00.000-07:00

It has been over 9 months since my last post. Sort of feels like a confession! God has taught us a lot during the last 9 months. We are well on our way, support wise, for our move to Ireland. We are at 70% of our monthly budget need and will be 100% of the outgoing costs by the end of April. July 1 is still our target date, but God is in control and we will be ready to go when He says go.

My goal is to share a lot more on this blog, but I won't promise since I have not been good with those promises before. But to bring you up to date, we have completed all of our training which included 5 weeks of cross-cultural training in Portland in July-August and out pre-field orientation in November. All that is left is the support and we are on our way!

Thank you for your prayers and feel free to contact me about out ministry and move to Ireland.

A New Beginning

2010-07-04T07:20:00.000-06:00

Since my last post, I have finished my time with my former employer after 19+ years of work. Life was good, but it is now time to move on. God has been good and will always be good! My family is now on the road to Portland, OR to attend cross-cultural training at the World View Center. It is training sponsored by CrossWorld, our mission agency. We are on track to move to Ireland in early 2011 to start working with small evangelical churches in Co. Kerry and Co. Cork. We will specifically work with Grace Fellowship in Killarney, Co. Kerry.

God is in Control

2010-05-07T16:25:00.000-06:00

OK, 3 months later and it is time for a new post. God has changed the direction of my life completely in the last few months. Namely, I was told 2 months ago that June 30 would be my last day of work after 19+ years on the job. This year would have been my last year anyway due to our move to Ireland, but God had other plans. We will be working with CrossWorld in the near future, helping with small churches in County Kerry, Ireland. We will be doing 5 weeks of training in Portland July 4 - August 6, then back to Colorado. We hope to sell our house before July and we will be moving into the basement of my in-laws house. I think that is enough change for one person! But, as I said, God is in control. We are in the midst of support development and hope to be at 100% by the end of the year. I know this is rambling, but a lot has happened and I am still working through all of it. I shall post more frequently (since I will have more time!) and keep all of you (two or three?) posted.

Ministry Update 9 Feb 2010

2010-02-09T11:20:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile, so I thought I would add an update of our ministry. We were appointed to serve as missionaries with CrossWorld last June and are working towards a move to Ireland in early 2011. This year will be devoted to raising support, preparing to sell the house and preparing our hearts for the ministry. There have been many praises and affirmations of this move and we give God all the glory. One praise is that our next door neighbors are planning on buying our house. Another is my in-laws are remodeling their basement so that we can live with them until we move. Also, I am still in seminary, taking the second half of two courses: Church History and an Intro to the Old Testament. God has also allowed me to be scheduled to preach one Sunday evening a month at church which I am grateful. This allows me to preach through Philippians.

We have been in contact with the mission team that is in place in Ireland and we look forward to joining them next year. Please pray for us as prepare our hearts and minds for this move. Thanks!

Hit a Lick for Jesus

2010-01-25T09:53:00.000-07:00

A dear friend and spiritual mentor went to be with the Lord very early Saturday morning. Rev. Chuck Conner was the founder and director of Christian Missions Unlimited (CMU), and through which nearly 300 churches have been constructed over the last 30 plus years. Countless lives have been changed and affected by this ministry. If Chuck was here now, he would say that all the glory belongs to God. It was not by man, but by the strength and power of God that any and all things were accomplished by CMU teams.

I can attest to that because I have had the privilege of being part of 14 teams since 1993. On every trip, God's power was evident. Where we would have failed by relying on our own strength in EVERY situation, God was there to pick us up and make sure the building was finished and the dedication service was completed. I witnessed over 2000 people give their hearts to Jesus. It was not by our might nor our preaching but by God using willing vessels to serve Him and His word that cut through demonic activity to change the lives of a lost and dying world.

Chuck's funeral is Thursday, January 28, 2010. It will be a celebration of a life given to the Lord as a servant, to do His will. That servant is now with his Savior, his Redeemer, his Friend. Chuck wanted to build churches so the Gospel will be preached and lives will be changed until Jesus comes. He wanted to "hit a lick" for Jesus.

Mark Webb and Rev. Chuck Conner

A Great Hymn

2010-01-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

I posted this a couple of years ago, but in recent months it has been tagged as a place for unwanted comments with links to nefarious sites. Cautions have been put in place and the original post is re-posted. Enjoy the lyrics to this great hymn.

This is my favorite church choir song. The words are based on Psalm 8 by King David and set to Tom Fettke's music by Linda Lee Johnson.

When I gaze into the night skies
And see the work of Your fingers;
The moon and stars suspended in space.
Oh what is man that You are mindful of him?

You have given man a crown of glory and honor,
And have made him a little lower than the angels.
You have put him in charge of all creation:
The beasts of the field,
The birds of the air,
The fish of the sea.
But what is man, oh, what is man that You are mindful of him?

O Lord, our God, the majesty and glory of Your name
Transcends the earth and fills the heavens.
O Lord, our God, little children praise You perfectly,
And so would we and so would we.

Alleluia, Alleluia, the majesty and glory of Your name.
Alleluia, Alleluia, the majesty and glory of Your name.
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia,
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

New Year and New Focus

2010-01-20T10:18:00.002-07:00

It has been months since I last posted. Mainly due to no impetus to do so. The trip to Brasil that was mentioned in the previous post went well. We built the church in 4 days and held a dedication service. I had the privilege to preach for that service. The team was humbled by the experience and worn out by the climate. Humidity along the Amazon River in the jungle is something to be experienced. Words cannot describe. But God is good none the less.

In other news, my family has been appointed as missionaries to Ireland and we will be raising our support throughout this year in hopes of moving in the first half of 2011. We would appreciate your prayers and, if God is calling you to do so, financial support. You can contact me directly at mark.webb@crossworld.org for more information.

I will try, but not promise, to post ministry updates as they happen.

Brazil 2009

2009-08-05T15:56:00.007-06:00

Mauricio has good balance!

Church members having a meal together

Dogs in the flooded area

I will be leaving for Manaus, Brasil on Saturday. The team is 10 people and we will build a church, do kid's ministry and preach. We will ferry across the river to the town of Araca. The church site is about 40 from there. This year has been the worst flooding of the Amazon River in recorded history. Here are a couple of pictures of the area we will be working. Please pray for the team as we travel and minister to the church. We return on the 15th. Please pray for the Dedication Service next Thursday, Aug 13.

The Gospel Advanced Through Suffering

2009-07-17T06:57:00.002-06:00

I had the privilege of preaching last Sunday night and spoke on Philippians 1:12-18. I plan on preaching through Philippians, but since I don't have a regular rotation, this could be a long process. I will get to preach a couple of times in Brasil next month so I may do the next section. Anyways, the message is on the church website. The link has been added to the title, so you can go there to download and listen.

Ezekiel 6 - God Cleans House

2009-07-02T07:16:00.002-06:00

Have you ever been someplace or seen something that looked and smelled so bad you wanted to throw up? I grew up in Indiana and worked on farms when I was a kid. I had to help someone clean a chicken coop. Now, I had mucked stalls and dealt with pigs, but I had never shoveled chicken droppings before. It is the most disgusting smell I have ever known! I had to wear a mask so that I would not breathe in any particles (disgusting thought!). It was horrible!

In Ezekiel 6, the words that God gave Ezekiel concerning the idols that Israel were worshiping to were very graphic words that translators soften for readers. The term for idols is translated literally as sheep s**t. God wanted Israel to realize that anything they worship other than Yahweh was sheep dung. They might as well have a pile of sheep manure and bow down to that! God, in no way, was going to allow this to happen and told them He was going to level and obliterate every idol, alter and pole that they put up to worship. And he was going to wipe out most of them.

You should read chapter 6, then look at what Daniel Block has to say about this chapter. Here are 5 good ideas that Block has that applies to the modern church:

This oracle shows the impassioned side of God's character. He is heartbroken of the infidelity of His people and His fury and anger arises due to their covenantal treachery. He will not idly stand by and watch His people follow other gods.
It is possible to be sincere in one's religious commitment, but to be sincerely in error. Israel invested a lot of time and resources to their cultic practices and locations. This is where the references to sheep poo come in to play.
The Lord is faithful to His covenant. He had already warned them of what would happen and He will not betray His character. He is Yahweh; he has spoken; he acts accordingly.
The Lord's wrath is never so hot that it cancels out his grace. He swept the mountain tops and the valleys with his sword, but he promised he would leave a remnant.
We are reminded to look at ourselves as God sees us. There is nothing about us that warrants God's love. We are created in His image, but everything about us smells of sheep droppings. It is only through the blood of Christ that a pile of manure can have a sweet aroma to God.

Any thoughts?

Making Disciples

2009-07-01T08:48:00.003-06:00

This is an excerpt of a letter from the CrossWorld president, Dale Losch, to the CrossWorld family. I have had a desire for discipleship and disciple-making to be stronger in the short-term trips I have been involved with over the last 2-3 years. When Dale was sharing this with us at the Candidate Orientation, I was ready to jump for joy myself!

This past week at our candidate orientation I again had the urge to leap for joy, although I contained myself. But my heart was bursting nonetheless. I had the opportunity this year for the first time to do the teaching on CrossWorld's third value - "We Go". In keeping with my growing conviction that we must recover the primacy of disciple-making at all levels of CrossWorld, I decided to focus the three hours of teaching on this one theme. Leading up to the day, I was really sweating it because I had just not had adequate time to prepare, and I am not the kind to fly by the seat of my pants. But that morning as the teaching time began I felt such a joy and freedom and sense of God's pleasure that it is difficult to describe. Perhaps you remember the scene from Chariots of Fire where Eric Liddell says to his sister "When I run I feel God's pleasure". It was kind of like that. To proclaim God's truth and see it strike a chord in the hearts of the listeners as it did that day with our appointees was a marvelous experience. Please pray that God would help me and all of us in CrossWorld to make disciple-making a powerful reality that is truly at the core of everything we do.

This should be a priority of all our churches and mission agencies. Please join us in this prayer of making disciples.

Appointed

2009-06-30T08:19:00.002-06:00

Our family survived the 2 weeks of training with CrossWorld. The first week was the more nerve-wracking of the two. We endured a 90 minute assessment time with a Christian counselor and 2 one-on-one interviews. We ate, sat, ate, sat, ate, sat every day for 10 days. It was a beautiful conference center in the farmland of Pennsylvania. There was a remarkable chef who helped all of us gain about 10 pounds each.

What I got out of the experience is that CrossWorld is a very caring missions agency. They want their missionaries to succeed and CrossWorld offers a lot of support. We had extensive training on personal fund raising taught by the president of the mission. Everyone, president included, raises their own support.

And, by the way, we were appointed as missionaries to work with the CrossWorld team in southern Ireland. Pray for us as we start this journey to share the light of Jesus.

Francis M. DuBose, Urban Missions Leader, Dies

2009-06-29T16:34:00.002-06:00

I published a couple of weeks ago concerning the missions award I received from the Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr. DuBose recently passed away. I am honored to be one of the recipients of the award named for his efforts in missions.

A Two-Week Interview

2009-06-12T15:31:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow morning my family leaves for the Traber Conference Center near Spring City, PA. We will be attending a Candidate Orientation (CO) with CrossWorld, a missions agency with missionaries serving in over 30 countries around the world. At the end of the 2 weeks, we will know if CrossWorld wants to appoint us as missionaries and if we want to continue a relationship with them. Please pray for us as we travel, go through several days of interviews and training. I will be out of the loop, technology-wise, for the next 2 weeks. I will post the outcome upon our return.

Honored and Humbled

2009-06-11T09:00:00.002-06:00

Yes, that is me listed as receiving the missions award from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in my previous post. GGBTS is a wonderful seminary with a great president in Dr. Jeff Iorg and great faculty and staff. I am honored and humbled to be given this award. All the glory goes to God and I will keep plugging along, doing what He wants me to do. I am truly blessed through my association with GGBTS. Dr. Steve Veteto and Dr. Earl Waggoner have been wonderful academic mentors and professors and I look forward to more classes with them.

Golden Gate Seminary Awards

2009-06-09T11:53:00.004-06:00

Awards Conferred at Honors Chapel

Graduates from all five campuses are recognized

Eighteen students from Golden Gate Seminary were recognized at Honors Chapel at the Northern California Campus of Golden Gate Seminary on May 14, 2009.

“Today we recognize those students who are making the most of what God has given them,” said President Jeff Iorg as he addressed the students, relatives, friends and seminary staff who gathered to acknowledge those receiving awards. “These students are celebrating the talents that God has given them, and are using them not for themselves, but for the glory of the Master.”

AWARD	RECIPIENT
Baker Bookhouse Award (Theology)	Victor Chayasirisobhon (SCC)
Borchert Prize in NT (NCC only)	Katie Coddaire-Philpot
Broadman & Homan Seminarian Award	Paul Gerritson (RMC)
Buren Higdon Christian Leadership Award	Timothy Roe (NCC) Lee Hall (RMC)
Craig Skinner Award in Biblical Preaching	Rondall Leggett (NCC)
Educational Leadership Service in Ministry Award	Annie Li (NCC)
Educational Leadership Pursuit of Excellence Award	Rebecca Unrau (SCC)
Francis M. DuBose Award for Excellence in Kingdom Missions	Mark Webb (RMC)
GGBTS Church Planting Award	Travis Nichols (NCC)
Jack O'Neal Multi-Ethnic Award	Jonathan Hoyt (AZC)
Lifeway Pastoral Leadership Award	Victor Chayasirisobhon (SCC)
Zondervan Award in Biblical Greek	Paul Gerrison (RMC)
Zondervan Award in Biblical Hebrew	Amber Ayers (NCC)
James and Marjorie Swope Award	Drew Cunningham (NCC)
Orin Suffern Award for Excellence in Worship Arts	David Busch (NCC)
The Ronald Hornecker Award - DMIN	Gary Dodrill, Morgan Kerr
Will Edd & LIla Fae Langford Award - DMIN	Stewart Moody

“The Bible tells us that elders who rule well are worthy of ‘double honor’,” said Dr. Michael Martin, Academic Dean. “The spirit of this teaching reminds us to celebrate the achievements of exceptional brothers and sisters in tangible ways.” One way Golden Gate Seminary does so is through a special chapel devoted to honoring special people. “We give thanks to God that he has called such hard-working and talented workers into His service,” Dr. Martin continued, “and we look forward to seeing the great things the Father will do through them in the years to come.”

©2009 Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary
www.ggbtws.edu

Ezekiel 4: A Very Weird Passage

2009-06-03T14:57:00.001-06:00

This chapter is arguably the strangest in the whole Bible. This is even stranger than the vision from chapter 1-2. After Zeke's vision and call to ministry, what does God have him do first? He has him bound up and laying on his left side for 390 days, then on his right for 40 days. He can only eat a poor excuse for bread and 3/4 of a quart of water per day. God wanted him to cook the bread using his own dung, but after Zeke cried foul, God let him use cow dung. (my question is who brought him the dung?)

How does this apply today? Interestingly enough, the total days (430) represents the years of Egyptian captivity and will represent the years of Babylonian exile. Iain Duguid points out some interesting ideas in his NIV Commentary. The idea is that of a "sign-act" that was used on occasion in the Bible. A modern day version is a visual aid, but it is much more than a video, drama or flannel graph depiction of a Bible story. Ezekiel actually lived the visual aid. He was the visual aid. The sign act was delivered with divine authority and functioned as the divine word made visible and sure. As Duguid stated, the message took over the messenger (Ezekiel) in a life-dominating way.

What was the ultimate prophetic sign-act? The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. No drama or flannel graph but He lived in our midst for 33 years, preaching and teaching. The culmination of Jesus' ministry was the profound sing act of the cross, where God's wrath and mercy met.

We need to remember that the cross is an "in your face" message of God's love and wrath, justice and grace. We play too much to the "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life." There needs to be a balance. There is consequence for choosing NOT to follow the cross. The cross is the quintessential "fork in the road." A decision needs to be made. And, as in Ezekiel's case, God's plan was for him to suffer as an example to Israel of what will happen to them. God's plan for our life may be to suffer for Him to the point of martyrdom. As Paul said, "I count it all joy!" "To live is Christ and to die is gain."

Duguid ended this section with: "Like Jesus and Ezekiel, we are called to lives of identified purity, living in the world but not of it, loving every one of our neighbors even while living radically different lives from them."

Ministry Update

2009-06-01T13:45:00.002-06:00

It has been awhile since I have posted an update to our ministry opportunity. We will be attending the Candidate Orientation (CO) hosted by CrossWorld. CrossWorld is a missions agency with missionaries all over the world. CrossWorld has been in existence since 1931. At the end of the 2 week training, we hope to be appointed as missionaries with CrossWorld. The training is June 13-27 in Philadelphia. CrossWorld will move its HQ to Kansas City, MO by the fall of 2010. I will post the outcome of the CO. Please pray that God's will be done and we accept whatever comes.

More thoughts, Part 2, Ezekiel 3:16-21

2009-06-01T12:13:00.000-06:00

This post won't be very long. Daniel Block has written an excellent 2-volume commentary on Ezekiel due to his wonderful grasp of the original language. Much of his writing deals with the language aspect, but he always includes a "Theological Implications" section, which is really an application section. While he has a lot of good things to say, it is not new to what I have already posted from Iain Duguid's NIV Commentary. Yet, Block states a couple of things that are insightful:

1 - The responsibility of the called. It is ultimately God's evaluation of their (the wicked mentioned within the text) situation that the doomed need to hear, not the myopic opinions and panaceas of fellow human travelers. Sin and wickedness require a radical prescription: repentance and casting oneself totally on the mercy of God. That God speaks on this situation is itself an act of grace.

2 - The messenger of God is called to faithfulness, not success. Faithfulness in service is measured not by effectiveness but by fidelity to the divine charge.

That last phrase has really stuck with me " fidelity to the the divine charge." How many have strayed from the original call? Unless God tells you to do something else, you are still held by the parameters of the original call.

Any thoughts?

More thoughts on Ezekiel 3:16-27

2009-05-29T10:49:00.000-06:00

2 Corinthians 5:20 says "we are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us." As God used Ezekiel to make His appeal (and warnings) to Israel, Christians are God's ambassadors to the world. As preachers of the Gospel, we are God's ambassadors to our congregations. Duguid has a few good quotes concerning this. "Though we may be creative in the way we communicate the message, we are NOT free to be creative in the content of the message that we are to deliver." We can be as charming, witty and smooth as any polished speaker, but if God's word is compromised, twisted or diluted, then we are just a motivational speaker that make people feel good.

The Good and the Bad - God's message to the world contains good and bad news, yet we must preach both. We must present a balanced picture of God. The bad news is God's judgment on those who do not change after hearing God's Word. People need to understand the eternal consequences. Yet, the good news of the Gospel is better than the average person believes! Duguid stated that God loved the world so much that He stepped into the midst of our rebellion to bring about reconciliation. Can we ever fathom that idea! The Gospel is both good news and bad news news for the world and we are called to proclaim both clearly.

We are also called to bring the news to everyone without distinction. There are "likely prospects" and "hard cases" that we place people in and we lean towards the easy ones. Let's face it. Lost is lost. Whether they are pretty or plain, rich or poor, pleasant or mean, they are lost. Duguid said, "Our calling as watchmen is not to engage in endless soil analysis so that we can deliver the gospel with pinpoint accuracy to those who we think are ready to receive it. Rather, we are to be faithful shouters of the Word, proclaiming the good news and bad news faithfully into the lives of all those around us."

Any thoughts?

Preach My Word...Or Else

2009-05-27T09:17:00.001-06:00

Paul told Timothy to "Preach the Word" (2 Tim 4:2). The world does not need to hear our thoughts but God's message of love and redemption and the result of sin. Similarly, and more drastically, God told Ezekiel to preach His words only when He gave him the words. In Ezekiel 3:16-27, God puts Ezekiel in the position as the watchman over Israel. Duguid likens the watchman to the Air Raid Warden in WWII when his responsibility was to sound the siren when bombers were approaching. Ezekiel was to warn Israel of God's vengeance for their sin if they did not turn back.

It is interesting that God names the wicked and the righteous as the 2 groups Ezekiel was to preach to, yet they have the same fate regardless of their status. If they repent, they live. If they don't, they die. but the greater responsibility was on Ezekiel. He was required to speak the Word of the Lord when it was given to him. If he did not and people died in their sin, he was accountable. Not to their sin, but accountable to NOT speaking when commanded. Ezekiel could not save them, could not make a decision for them, but only laid out the way for them to repent of their sins and turn to God.

As preachers of the Word, do we take this serious enough? I, admittedly, have not preached a lot. About 20 times, yet I am still humbled by this. When I do preach, am I taking this serious enough? I believe in a time of invitation and decision-making at the end of the service. If the whole service, music and prayer included, does not make people think about their life, then have I failed?

Any thoughts?

Ezekiel 3:4-11 A Commissioning

2009-05-22T07:55:00.001-06:00

I had started a study on Ezekiel in January, but due to seminary studies, I had to delay until the semester was over. I picked up where I left off and that is with Ezekiel 3:4-11. This is the second commissioning speech of God to Ezekiel and is very powerful to everyone that is called by God to vocational ministry and even aspects can be applied to all Christians. I use 2 commentaries when studying Ezekiel (not an easy read or easily understood). One is a 2-volume work by Daniel Block and the other is the NIV Application commentary by Iain Drugoid. In today's reading, I read through Block's commentary and he lists 6 lessons that come from the relationship between God and those He calls into service.

1 - Whoever serves as a messenger of God must recognize that the calling comes from God. No ministry need, no examples of Gifts, no other voices can authorize this calling, but God alone.

2 - God's messenger must have a clear vision of the one who sends him. God prepared Ezekiel for the audience he was to speak to. Unless the servant of God enters divine service with a sense of awe at the privilege of representing the King of kings and that God is sovereign over all things, the ministry will become a burden.

3 - God's messenger must be empowered by the Spirit of God. Ezekiel was referred to as "the prophet of the Spirit."

4 - The messenger of God must be inspired by the message of God. Merely hearing the message of God is not enough. It must be digested, internalized, incorporated, embodied and lived. "Live you faith; share your life." (from Brother Maynard) If we are not inspired by the Word of God, what will inspire us? If we are not moved with compassion because of Christ's compassion in Matthew 9, what will move us?

5 - Whoever serves as a messenger of God will be divinely equipped. The modern saying has been, "God equips the called, not call the equipped." God's call to service is not made on the basis of gifts; gifts are given on the basis of the assignment. What may seem an obvious fit in man's eyes is not so in God's. We see the gifts of the outward man. God knows the heart of man.

6 - The messenger of God must recognize that the calling is not to success but to faithfulness. Too many in ministry look at numbers. Are we involved in a ministry because we want success, big numbers? We are involved in ministry because God has called us to be in this or that particular ministry. God wants obedience and that comes from us being faithful to Him. As Block said, the privilege of being a messenger of the divine King should provide sufficient motivation for unconditional service.

Any thoughts? This was very eye-opening to me this morning and I will be chewing on this all day. I have been called to be a messenger of God. How does all this relate to me and how do I view these things?

A New Direction in Blogging (Or Not)

2009-03-03T07:26:00.003-07:00

As you have noticed, I have done little blogging these last few months. I have come to the opinion that it is not what I want to do at the moment. I will post ministry updates on this site, but for now, I will not make a regular appearance in blogging. Maybe, in the near future, I will return to keep everyone posted on our ministry opportunities, but for now, it will be sporadic at best.

Josh Wilson - Amazing Grace

2009-02-17T07:37:00.000-07:00

Gomer Pyle, the Dancer!

2009-02-06T14:47:00.002-07:00

Who needs Michael Jackson or Britney Spears when you can have Gomer!

Next Step...

2009-02-06T14:43:00.003-07:00

We have been officially invited to the Career Orientation for CrossWorld! This is the next step of our missionary journey. We will be going to Philadelphia for two weeks in June. At the end, or soon after, of the training weeks we will know if we are appointed as missionaries. WooHoo!

Interesting Week

2009-01-16T14:15:00.002-07:00

This has been an interesting week. A few lows, a couple of highs and a lot of same-oh, same-oh. Because of a misunderstanding at work, I had to pay a big hospital bill with monies set aside for seminary. That meant I had to drop a class (preaching). I will only take 1 seminary class this semester (New Testament II). We need to be debt clear by the end of the year, not counting the house mortgage, so that we are ready to go to the mission field whenever God allows.

The highs centered around our application process with CrossWorld. We had to list several references and each one was emailed or mailed a reference form this week to fill out. The process is going and we are excited. The week started with a high when I got to preach Sunday night. Not sure if that was a high for anyone else, but I enjoyed it! The week has ended with a high since I get a 3 day weekend!

I am ready for next week and to start my next, and possibly last, seminary class Monday afternoon. I say last because, if we are accepted by the missions agency after the summer training, then we do not want to do anything that will cost more money. I will endeavor to continue my studies overseas or online.

I also get to deal with a cavity on Tuesday to keep me humble. Have a great weekend!

A Misquoted Proverb

2009-01-13T09:40:00.003-07:00

The sermon is now online. Once you are at the sermons page, click on "additional sermons" and then look for the title. My name is not there yet, but should be added soon. The sermon is there, but my name is not listed with it.

Last Night's Sermon

2009-01-12T07:18:00.003-07:00

I thought last night went well. There are always things I wish I had said or could have stated better, but regardless of my mistakes God's word was heard and a lot of people said it was a good message. The next time I preach is March 22 and, since I will be taking a preaching class at seminary, I will use a sermon for both purposes.

Preaching from Ezekiel

2009-01-09T09:44:00.003-07:00

I get to preach this Sunday night. I have been intrigued with the book of Ezekiel for some time and have bought 2 more commentaries recently. I got volume 1 of Daniel Block's commentary and the NIV commentary by Iain M. Duguid. I started studying Ezekiel about a year ago, but didn't get far. My plan is to do a better job this time around. I have read alot of the background material, but am focusing on chapter 18 at the moment, then next week I will go back to the beginning.

I will attempt to add my own commentary on this blog, but please forgive me if I fail to be consistant. As far as chapter 18 goes, I will briefly give you my outline.

Israel's Complaint - The chapter starts with a proverb that had been quoted by the people for a long time. It is not a Biblical proverb. It says "The old men eat sour grapes and sets their children's teeth on edge." The meaning is that one generation sins and their children are judged based on those sins.
God's Correction - God says Israel cannot use that excuse anymore. Each man's soul is God's and God will judge each man according to his own sin or his own righteousness. Ezekiel lays this out in 3 case studies, with variations.
God's Remedy - Repent and turn away from your sins. Man can do this by reading and following God's laws, living a life of integrity and righteousness (echoes of Psalm 15, don't ya think?).
God's Compassion - God does not want any soul to die. He takes ownership of ALL souls and finds no pleasure in any death of a soul. Repent and live!

I am nervous about this sermon. I haven't preached too often, so that is part of it, but also tackling Ezekiel, even though this is an easier section of Ezekiel. Any prayers would be appreciated!

Looking Ahead to Ministry

2009-01-06T11:15:00.002-07:00

2008 ended with a new direction for my family and 2009 started with a commitment to that direction. We sent in the applications on Friday, January 2, to CrossWorld to start the process of being missionaries with this organization. Our hope is that we will be in Ireland. The "when" is up to God. If our applications are accepted, we will go to their Candidate Orientation (CO) for 2 weeks in June in Philly. If we are accepted after that two weeks, then God's timing kicks in. It actually is engaged now, but we know nothing happens between now and the end of June. Please pray for us as this is a huge step for our whole family.

Congratulations!

2009-01-06T11:13:00.002-07:00

My friend, Rolland, has been appointed as the pastor of a church in Wiggins, CO. Yeah!! While I will hate to see him go, he has been waiting for this opportunity for several years.

Ministry Update 12-19-2008

2008-12-19T13:00:00.002-07:00

Well, God definitely opens and shuts doors. While I thought I knew for sure what God wanted me to do about 6 months ago, doors have shut in my face. At least it didn't hit me in the nose! But God has opened a door wide open and said, "This is what I want you to do because this is what I gave you a heart to do."

Lona and I were invited by a mission agency (www.crossworld.org) to go to their missionary training this summer. We will spend two weeks in June in Philadelphia preparing to go on the mission field. Our hope is for Ireland. We will see what God has in store. Please keep praying for our time in Philly and I will keep you all posted.

Friday Funny

2008-12-19T12:55:00.001-07:00

A Special Metal 12 Days of Christmas

My favorite line is "2 pair of spandex pants" sung(?) by the drummer. Cracks me up every time!

Make My Life a Prayer

2008-12-05T13:46:00.001-07:00

Instead of a Friday Funny, I have a remembrance to my favorite Christian artist, Keith Green. Enjoy.

"In the Beginning" Is Available!

2008-12-03T12:45:00.002-07:00

Leanne Thomas' book, In the Beginning, is available on Amazon. Get one for you and give one to someone for Christmas!

Friday Felicities - 28 November 2008

2008-11-28T07:54:00.003-07:00

Here is a list of things I am thankful for and Happy Thanksgiving thoughts:

Family
Friends
Redemption
Eating the Thanksgiving meal with friends and family
Pumpkin Pie
Setting up the Christmas decorations
Breakfast cinnamin rolls
Snow on the ground
Enjoying conversation and laughs with family and friends
Playing cribbage and other games with Chris

This is the day after Thanksgiving, but giving thanks isn't limited to one day a year. I am thankful for each of my friends that read this weird blog and for you, the unknown reader, because God placed you here for a reason. I pray that you find God and what His plan is for life.

John Daker on American Idol

2008-11-21T16:37:00.002-07:00

Go hear John's audition on American Idol and see how he fared.

My Name is John Daker

2008-11-21T16:24:00.001-07:00

Friday Funnies (yes, I have posted this before but it is so priceless!)

Take the Mic Away...PLEASE!!!!!

2008-11-14T14:58:00.001-07:00

Here is this Friday's funny!

The Kindness of God, or A Redemption Story

2008-11-14T13:53:00.002-07:00

The Sunday School literature my church uses is called "Explore the Bible" (this is actually 1 of 3 different types available for the adult classes). It is a decent overview of books of the Bible. During a typical quarter we will go through one or two books of the Bible. We actually spent 6 months going through Genesis and could have spent a couple of years. Currently we are going through 1 & 2 Samuel. We are taking huge chunks of the books to get through it in 13 weeks. This week was supposed to be 2 Samuel chapters 9-12, with the focus being chapter 11 and 12 discussing David's sin. This seems to always be the focus of the lesson from 2 Samuel. There is a great story in chapter 9 which tells of David's kindness to Jonathan's son, Mephibosheth. I am working through the outline and will also incorporate some thoughts from my friend, Rolland, who did a lesson on this several years ago. After I work through it, I will post it on line next week. Meanwhile, read the story.

Friday Felicities - 14 November 2008

2008-11-14T13:26:00.002-07:00

Oh Happy Day!

Morning Snow
Snow melted by noon!
Talking to friends about ministry
A cat doing a somersault
College basketball games

I Am Changing Over to the Spinach Party

2008-11-07T15:56:00.002-07:00

More Friday Funnies

Friday Felicities - 7 October 2008

2008-11-07T15:42:00.002-07:00

An election themed list (at least to start):

No more campaign commercials!
No more Barack Obama Economic plan channel on DISH Network
Democracy works, even when your candidate does not win
4 Years of wondering who the Republican candidate will be
Warm November days
Planning for a trip to Ireland
Visiting with long, lost friends
Listening to my daughter sing

An Irish Take on the Election

2008-11-04T08:43:00.000-07:00

An Irish view of American Politics

Over here in Ireland we can't figure out why you people are fretting about who to elect for your president there in the United States.

For a while you had a pants wearing female lawyer who was married to another lawyer who can't keep his pants on, but she lost a long, heated and very expensive primary against a lawyer who is married to yet another lawyer who doesn't like the country she thinks her husband ought to run and who goes to an anti-American church and hates your military.

Now on the other side you have a war hero whose last name starts with 'Mc' and who is married to a good looking, rich younger woman who owns a beer distributorship.

What in God's name is the matter with ye lads over there in the colonies?

New Book Update

2008-10-31T15:14:00.001-06:00

Leanne Thomas has posted a new section of her book. The book will be published by the end of the year and I will post the link to Amazon if you are interested in buying a copy.

Sgt. Carter's Nightmare Has Just Begun

2008-10-31T15:06:00.000-06:00

Friday Felicities - 31 October 2008

2008-10-31T07:39:00.002-06:00

Halloween Edition

Toasting pumpkin seed
Carving pumpkins (yes, I actually enjoy it!)
Walking around with the kids
Reading Edger Allan Poe stories
Watching Scooby-Doo
Eating Candy Corn
Eating any candy!
Sorting through the candy with Ian and figuring out which ones we want to eat first.
Watching Madeleine turn into a young woman
Enjoying a Starbucks date with Lona

Restless

2008-10-31T07:30:00.002-06:00

Well, another week and no new posts. I will post a couple of funny things later. I am restless. I am anxious to get started. But God has a plan and I must be patient. Have I told you I don't like to wait? As my friend Inago said, "I hate waiting." In the meantime, I will continue to make myself useful.

This semester is almost over. One more month, about 6 weeks. Dec 8 is my last final exam. I am actually finished with one class. I will be taking Intro to New Testament II and Preaching next semester. I am looking forward to both classes. Since I will be able to work on a few sermons next semester, I want to make myself available to preach more. I have been teaching a singles Sunday School class for the last 4 years. I will stop at the end of this year so that my Sundays are free. There are several small churches out on the plains that did not have a pastor and are always looking for someone to fill the pulpit. I would like to do that about once a month.

My wife and I are also looking at doing a mission trip to Ireland in June. This is where we believe God has called us to minister and we want to start making a connection with the people. We will probably help with a summer camp for kids and teens. We are excited about this opportunity. I also have my resume in to a couple of churches, so we will see what God has in store...even though that means waiting.

My Dentist

2008-10-24T16:12:00.002-06:00

Humor is my second theme for Fridays besides the Felicities. This is the best Conway-Corman skit!

Friday Felicities - 24 October 2008

2008-10-24T16:09:00.002-06:00

I really had good intentions to post more this week, but it didn't happen. Yet, here are my joys for the week:

Jack-O-Lanterns
Carving pumpkins with my kids (Ian is at the age where he enjoys this now)
"You killed it!" Ian said this last year when I started carving the pumpkin
Candy Corn
Carmel Apples

Ok, so it was a fall, October theme. You got problems with that? Have a nice weekend!

Is This Your Weatherman?

2008-10-17T07:34:00.000-06:00

Friday Felicities - 17 October 2008

2008-10-17T07:27:00.003-06:00

These bring a smile to my face:

Walking through a covered bridge
The smell of a large black cauldron of soup beans
The sweet smell of candy and caramel apples
sassafras tea
"Daddy, let's play checkers."

Parke County - Covered Bridge Festival

2008-10-17T07:20:00.003-06:00

I grew up in Parke County, IN and this is a huge fall festival where over 1 million people visit the county which only has a population of about 20,000 people. Check out the link and take a drive through the covered bridges or stop and get a pulled pork sandwich, a bowl of ham and beans and a slice of gooseberry pie.

Friday Felicities - 10 October 2008

2008-10-10T07:20:00.002-06:00

What makes me feel good:

The word "Redeemer"
The phrase "For God So Loved..."
He called me "friend"
A harvest moon
High School Football in October
Riding a bicycle
Andy Griffith Show
60's sitcoms
peanut butter
caterpillars

What It Was Was Football

2008-10-10T07:17:00.000-06:00

More "In the Beginning"

2008-10-07T09:23:00.001-06:00

Leanne Thomas has added a few more sections to her book on the first six chapters of Genesis. Check it out!

Friday Felicities - 3 October 2008

2008-10-03T11:01:00.002-06:00

What makes me happy:

Hearing my children pray for their friends
Smell of autumn leaves on the ground
Tim Conway and Harvey Corman on the Carol Burnett Show
Realizing that it is later in the work day than I thought
Reading Psalms
Reading sermons by Alexander MacLaren
Green Tea
A new "old" book
Watching my wife sing
Listening to Keith Green sing

Another Ministry Update

2008-09-29T11:12:00.002-06:00

I haven't given an update in a while. Last update was that out of 154 applicants for a job at my church, I was in the final 10, but did not make the cut down to 5. A person was selected and brought in over this weekend to meet and greet the focus groups that position would minister to and then he was voted on last night. He got the position. I have my own opinions and if you care to know them, you can email me. I won't share them publicly on this blog.

I am submitting my resume to church positions that have a missions/evangelism/outreach/discipleship/singles/young adult focus. Single focus or any combo of these is what I am looking for. There are 3 churches I have submitted my resume in 3 different states, but the one in SC is my number 1 objective.

I am taking two classes in seminary and plan on taking 2 more next semester.

That is it for now. If you know of any openings, point them my way. Baptist or non-denominational churches with a Baptist belief are my preference.

The Australian Green Party?

2008-09-26T13:16:00.003-06:00

Here is a Friday Funny

Friday Felicities

2008-09-26T13:10:00.003-06:00

This was created by my cousin, Natalie, who now resides in heaven. Her list today would be much better than mine. This is a list of things that make me feel good and blessings in my life.

Peeling a banana for Ian
Playing the piano
Looking at pictures of mission trips
Going to dinner with Lona
Listening to Madeleine sing
Reading my Bible

This was my first attempt. I will try to continue this each Friday.

The Heart of the Matter

2008-09-26T10:53:00.002-06:00

I have been reading about Augustine and the Augustinian tradition. To Augustine, the heart represents our whole self before God. Thomas Martin, who wrote and compiled this book, Our Restless Heart, had these words to say:

From the heart I come to Christian faith, become a member of the church, the Body of Christ, and begin to recognize Christ in my brothers and sisters, with a particular openness of heart to the poor. Heart is that touch point where true integration of the interior and exterior, the spiritual and the incarnational, takes place. Heart is never the final goal, yet what does not start from the heart goes nowhere. Equally true is Augustine's insistence that if something is claimed to be in the heart but never manifests itself outwardly in love and community, it is nothing less than self-deception. His insistence upon the heart is thus not a self-serving escape from responsibility into interior religion and privatised faith. To come to the heart is simply to discover that we are God's work, that God does dwell within us, that at our deepest and truest level of self we are never alone - and certainly never unloved.

A Memory Stone

2008-09-26T10:37:00.003-06:00

The Old Testament has several examples of when an altar was built or a stone was placed in memory of an event. I have a few of them myself. One such stone is actually a church made of brick in the small town of Santerem, Brasil. Santerem is on the Amazon River halfway between Manaus and Belem. Christian Missions Unlimited (CMU) built another church nearby and some team members were able to visit the one I built in 1993. Ray Welch was on both trips, 1993 and 2008. I wish I could have been there. Here are a couple of pictures.

Hurricane Ike Pictures

2008-09-17T09:05:00.001-06:00

These are some incredible pictures of the power of a hurricane.

"In The Beginning"

2008-08-25T13:34:00.002-06:00

I have a new addition to the blog roll. It is the new writer, Leanne Thomas, and she has written a great new book about the first 6 chapters of Genesis. She is putting some sections of the book online. Take a look!

Expect God and Nothing Else

2008-08-12T15:17:00.002-06:00

Looking back at the two mission trips of this summer and there is one theme in common: God's plans are the best plans. Let me elaborate.

For the Croatia trip, we were expecting to play music at the coffee shops as a way to engage the locals in conversation. Part of the team was to teach ESL, but the rest was going to be at the coffee shops. We had our Youth Pastor, David, and 3 high school boys (Jacob, Kyle and Alex) who were the guitarists in the group and they had practiced several times leading up to the trip. Once we got there and visited the first coffee shop, we realized they were also bars, which made the 3 of the 4 musicians ineligible to enter the coffee shops. One half of the ministry team was cut out the first night!

The next afternoon, we went out to the park to play basketball and soccer. We started meeting some kids there and the coffee shop ministry became a park/sports ministry and we met several of the kids on a daily basis. These were kids that the church had no contacts with and were introduced to the church pastor whenever they came by. These kids started hanging out at the church each evening.

Then we realized that some of the kids attending the English classes were from a children's home about 3 blocks away. We started taking them to the park and playing with them and some of the older ones started hanging out at the church each evening, as well. Here were many contacts the church had never realized existed. This was God's plan to get these musicians (who also were athletes) to meet a lot of kids in the park.

The music ministry did exist but not the way we expected. David and the Boys played music every evening before the English classes started and they played one evening in the park. Next year they want to play more evenings in the park.

Down in Brasil, we went to build a church, we did a 3 day VBS program in 2 different locations and had planned to do some discipleship training. David and I were going to teach the sessions during the first week and some other men on the team were going to teach the next week. Through translation problems and misunderstandings, the Brasilians expected a church service every evening. The 2 hour training sessions ended up being 30 minute sermons (60 minutes when translated). David and I split the first 4 nights. Pastor Greg and Richard preached Sunday morning and evening. Two other men preached the next Monday and Tuesday and I preached for a third time on the last night. We preached 9 times in 8 days at 3 churches. Every pastor had great things to say.

Pastor Antonio Carlos from the church in Pedros II said that he had not felt this excited since he graduated seminary. The pastor of the church in Teresina said he greatly appreciated that every sermon was scripture proving scripture. Florencio, Executive Director of the Piaui Baptist Convention, commented that he wished every team would be as ministry minded as our team was.

In each instance, we had plans for ministry (and thought out, good plans, too) but God's plans were better. He wanted us to go and be prepared to do ministry, then He showed us what and how to do it. From now on, when I get involved with a ministry or go on a mission trip, I will expect God and nothing else!

An Awesome Summer

2008-08-11T15:01:00.002-06:00

This has been a great summer. It started with a week in late May to visit my family in Indiana. After two weeks at home, Lona and I took 9 others from church to Croatia. We did a lot of ministry and I got to preach a couple of times. We were back home for 3 weeks, in which I got to preach on consecutive Sunday evenings. Then I was off to Brasil with 15 others from my church. We built a small church, did 6 days of VBS and preached 9 services in 8 days. I had the privilege of preaching 3 of those services. The greatest part of the summer was the chance to preach 7 times in 2 months. I am feeling somewhat of a let down now that I don't have a preaching opportunity scheduled. I am ready for the next chance!

This summer re-affirmed in my heart and mind that God has called me to full-time ministry. Whether it is in a church or on the mission field, preaching and leading people to Jesus is all I want to do. Seeing people come forward to accept Jesus as their savior during an invitation is an experience like no other. I find it so amazing that God could use a lump of clay like me to share His message and that people are able to respond to that message. That is proof that it is all God. I am not a slick commercial pitch man or TV evangelist. It is the Holy Spirit speaking to the heart of the individual despite my lack of eloquence.

When I was a kid and played outside everyday, I never wanted the summer to end. After all the ministry opportunities and preaching this summer, I don't want it to end either!

Glimpses of Croatia

2008-08-06T14:04:00.005-06:00

There were 11 people from my church that went to Karlovac, Croatia to teach ESL at the Baptist church and other ministries. We planned on playing music at the cafes, but most of the coffee shops are also bars, and with 3 musicians being 15-16 years of age, this was not a viable option. But we did do a lot of sports ministry in the park with local kids and kids from the orphanage. These were connections that the church never had. We go with one idea in mind and God shows us what He really wants!

Preaching in the village church of Duga Resa
I was able to preach twice.

The Advanced ESL class
There were also classes for beginners and intermediates
We averaged about 35 students a night.

Pastor David playing with the kids
We played a lot of basketball, soccer and just hanging out with the kids

Croatia Update

2008-07-15T15:02:00.002-06:00

I am way behind with posts and won't post much of anything until I get back from Brasil. July is basically a wasted month as blogging goes. Here is a blog concerning the trip to Croatia that my friend, Larry, created. This will more than cover for my lack of postings!

Back in Town

2008-06-30T15:00:00.001-06:00

I am back. The trip was awesome! I will explain more in a later post as well as post some pics next week.

Croatia, ESL and the Gospel

2008-06-12T07:07:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow afternoon, a team of 11 from my church will leave for a 2 week mission to Croatia. We will be working with the local Southern Baptist missionaries and the local Baptist church. The mission has two main objectives: to teach ESL and to do friendship evangelism in the small local cafe's.

The main reasons for the ESL classes is to help strengthen the English they have learned in school by practicing in a classroom setting at the church and to introduce them to the Baptist church and the pastor, Ladislov. Croatia is 99.9 % Catholic. They will tell you, "I am Croatian so I am Catholic." Catholicism has been the religion for about 1500 years. It is part of their culture. Anything else is considered a cult. Any sort of Protestantism is lumped with Mormons, Muslims and Buddhists. We will share Bible stories during the English lessons using the same Bible they use in their Catholic church. We have had some great discussions and some people have realized that they can have a personal relationship with Jesus.

The other ministry will be a first attempt to reach out to the young adults in their regular evening gathering place, the cafe. We will split up into groups and visit several cafes during the day, visiting with the cafe staff and the locals. In the evenings we will be playing music in the plaza and the park. There are many cafe's that face these two locations and we pray that God will bring people to listen to the music and engage in conversation.

I will also have several chances to preach. Please pray for me that God's words and not mine will be heard.

Please pray for our efforts, that we follow God's will and are faithful to the task. Also pray for travel safety and that we make all the connections. I look forward to posting the results of the trip in a couple of weeks.

A Better Day

2008-06-09T12:06:00.003-06:00

Today is a better than any over the last week. Something I had hoped and prayed for is not available, yet my hope is still in the Lord. He knows my heart, my wants, my fears, my joys and my disappointments. Where I am lacking, He fulfills. Where I fail, He teaches. When I fall down, He lifts me up. When I fall behind, He encourages. My Redeemer is faithful and true. He has a ministry position for me and is still molding me and shaping me to His will. Father, I am sorry for doubting You. I am ready and willing to be used.

Hope in the Lord

2008-06-09T07:02:00.002-06:00

Psalm 31:20-25

How great is Your goodness, Lord, stored up for those who fear You.
You display it for those who trust You, in the sight of all the people.

You hide them in the shelter of Your presence, safe from scheming enemies.
You keep them in Your abode, safe from plotting tongues.

Blessed be the Lord who has shown me wondrous love,
and been for me a city most secure.

Once I said in my anguish, "I am shut out from Your sight."
Yet You heard my plea when I cried out to You.

Love the Lord all you faithful.
The Lord protects the loyal but repays the arrogant in full.

Be strong and take heart all you who hope in the Lord.

Where Do I Place My Trust?

2008-06-04T11:29:00.002-06:00

Psalm 31:10-19

Be gracious to me, Lord, for I am in distress;
with grief my eyes are wasted, my soul and body spent.

My life is worn out by sorrow, my years by sighing.
My strength fails in affliction; my bones are consumed.

To all my foes I am a thing of scorn,
to my neighbors, a dreaded sight, a horror to my friends.
When they see me in the street, they quickly shy away.

I am forgotten, out of mind like the dead;
I am like a shattered dish.

I hear the whispers of the crowd; terrors are all around me.
They conspire against me; they plot to take my life.

But I trust in You, Lord;
I say, "You are my God."

My times are in Your hands;
rescue me from my enemies, from the hands of my pursuers.

Let Your face shine on Your servant;
Save me in Your kindness.

Do not let me be put to shame, for I have called to You, Lord.
Put the wicked to shame; reduce them to silence in Sheol.

Strike dumb their lying lips,
proud lips that attack the just in contempt and scorn.

What Now?

2008-06-03T07:04:00.003-06:00

The ministry position I have prayed about for over 8 years is gone. I know that God was preparing me for this situation and I was told I am not one of the 5 finalists. They cut their "short list" in half (10 is a big short list). To be honest, I am stunned. I have been awake since 1:30am. I am disappointed that I didn't even get a chance to interview.

I need a break to think this through. I do not want to continue working where I am. I need a day or two to pray.

Holiness and Faithfulness

2008-05-23T10:21:00.001-06:00

Colin Adams has some great book ideas concerning holy living. Check out the rest of his site as well.

Snakes and Doves

2008-05-23T07:13:00.003-06:00

Here are a couple of things to think about concerning Jesus' quote in Matthew 10:16

First off, Jesus was instructing the disciples in verses 5-15 concerning their short-term mission in Galilee. They were to go to the Jews, preach the kingdom of God is here, travel lightly and bless those who help them along the way. All the verbs are in present tense in this section.

Now Jesus is instructing them about their (and our) future ministry. All the verbs through the end of the chapter are in the future tense. He is preparing them (and us) for the adversity they will face. That is the "sheep and wolves" bit. What are serpents depicted as in the Bible and Jewish culture? A picture of Satan, to be sure, but also depicting shrewdness, cunning and deviousness. The dove is seen as innocent and pure. For the disciples to last against the established religion and to face the adversity, they needed to be smart and non-aggressive. They needed the cunning of the serpent without the venom. A serpent without the traits of a dove is just devious. A dove without the traits of a serpent is naive and gullible.

We need to use the brain, the gray matter God gave us. We are only to preach the Gospel and share our lives with people. We are not to beat them over the head with a ten pound Scofield Bible. We are to love them, not argue with them. If we are rejected, it is Christ they are rejecting. Shake off your sandals and keep going.

Why You Should NOT Swallow Your Gum

2008-05-23T07:11:00.002-06:00

School, Ministry and Missions Updates

2008-05-21T14:28:00.002-06:00

Here are a few updates:

Seminary - I got a C+ in Intermediate Greek and an 82% on my Greek commentary of Philippians 4:2-9. I am VERY happy with this and to be done with the academic side of Greek. Now I can do it at my own pace. I am pretty sure I got an A in the Classics of Christian Devotions class. I will be taking Intro to New Testament Part 1 and Foundations for Ministry this next semester.

Ministry - As I stated previously, I am on the "short list" for a ministry position. Hopefully I will know more later in the summer. That is as much details as I care to share at this point in time.

Missions - The trip to Croatia is June 13-28. We have 11 people going and we will be teaching ESL and engaging in a coffee shop ministry. There are little cafes everywhere and we will be playing music and visiting with the people in the coffee shops. I should have a few chances to preach while we are there.

The Brasil team (July 21-Aug 1) is made up of 16 people and we will be building a church, doing children's ministry in two locations and teaching leadership seminars in tow locations. I will get a chance to preach a couple of times.

I am scheduled to preach twice at home this summer. I am looking forward to the extra chances to preach.

All in all, I am looking forward to this summer, though it will fly by quickly. But first, I will be taking the family to Indiana this weekend and spend a few days with my dad and my brother's family.

What A Week!

2008-05-16T16:08:00.002-06:00

This has been a crazy week. We were doing inventory, which takes up a lot of time and I was training the guys how to do it in my absence. I also had 5 airport runs which take up a lot of time. It is an hour round trip in normal traffic, not counting waiting for a plane to show up. I had hoped to post several times, but that did not happen.

I did get a notice that I am on the "short list" for the ministry position I am applying for. This would be a huge transition in life, but I am very much looking forward to this change. This is a ministry position I have been praying about for over 8 years.

My grades for the last semester have not been posted yet. Aarrggghhhhhh!!!!!!

We are going to see Prince Caspian tomorrow. Not the real (or fictional) Prince Caspian, but the movie.

The Reds have a big interleague series against the Indians at home this weekend and won 3 straight from the Eastern Division leading Florida Marlins.

I could care less about the NBA playoffs and my only concern is that the Lakers lose.

Pittsburgh Penguins are 1 win away from the Stanley Cup finals.

Portsmouth plays Cardiff in the FA Cup. Go Pompey!

Other than that, have a great weekend!

Shake the Dust Off Your Sandals

2008-05-09T12:39:00.002-06:00

Matthew 8:28-34

This is the story of Jesus healing the two demon possessed men living in the tombs. The region is part of the Decapolis and was considered Gentile territory which is one reason why there was a herd of pigs nearby. In the previous verses (23-27) Jesus displayed His power over creation by calming the winds and the waves. Here His power of the spiritual world is displayed. The demons recognized Jesus right away. They felt a disturbance in the Force! With one word Jesus cast them into the herd of pigs. R.T. France (NICNT-Matthew) mentioned that most Biblical references to demons show that they prefer a host. Apparently pigs worked but I doubt they expected Jesus to send the unclean herd over the cliff!

What is interesting is the two men are not mentioned again, but the pig herdsmen went to town to mention what happened and town representatives came out to Jesus and asked Him to leave. He must have cost them a few drachma by drowning the pigs. They begged Him to leave. Jesus was not a Messianic symbol to these Gentiles, but a Jewish mystical, holy man that they wanted nothing to do with. The Jews, as we know from the scriptures, will turn against him as well. This experience helps us understand what Jesus will instruct His disciples in 10:14 when He tells them "to shake the dust from your feet as you leave a home or city that will not receive you or hear your words."

As preachers of the Gospel, we can not make people listen or make a decision. We are not there to win a popularity contest but to preach the Gospel with accuracy, clarity and in love. If we are rejected or unwanted, it is not us but the Word of God and Jesus Christ they are rejecting. We have done our job and we need to move on. I pray that I never have to shake the dust off my sandals, but I have been given my traveling orders.

Of grinches, goblins, gremlins and ghosts

2008-05-09T07:26:00.003-06:00

This is a rather lengthy post, but it is very timely. I hope you have a chance to read or skim through it.

FIRST-PERSON: Of grinches, goblins, gremlins and ghosts

By: Paige Patterson

Original article can be found here, http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?Id=27996.

FORT WORTH, Texas (BP)--There are a good many things about which most of us maintain a healthy skepticism. Some of those are listed in the title of this essay. However skeptical you may be, there are two categories of humans for whom at least one of the above is very real -- the terrified and those who love to tell ghost stories to keep the fearful tied in a knot. While statistics and their interpretation are not unimportant (3,000 saved on the Day of Pentecost), they often function in Southern Baptist life to remind me of a search for goblins that have no reality.

LifeWay recently released statistics gathered from reports of the churches. Doomsayers and analysts immediately began to explain to readers what the numbers "meant" and why such catastrophic shrinkage had occurred in Southern Baptist churches. So, to paraphrase Luke, "since many have taken in hand" this assessment, maybe one more will do no harm. In fact, another perspective might even be helpful.

At the outset one can only say that the picture does not look the way those of us who played a role in the Conservative Renaissance had imagined and hoped. We did not embark upon that massive effort merely for the sake of truth, even though such would surely have been noble. Neither were we convinced that full confidence in the truth of Scripture would result in more evangelism and missions because we knew of historical cases of orthodoxy that apparently produced spiritual pride, atrophy and sometimes detestable legalism. But we could discover no place in history where any movement based on questioning the authority and accuracy of God's Word ever produced evangelistic fervor, missionary zeal or healthy churches. This latter truth, which vitally affected the eternal destiny of millions, drove us to risk the movement thus spawned. We prayed and hoped that revival would follow, and we have not yet abandoned that hope. So while I am mortified by the picture of dropping baptisms, I fear that some proposed interpretations and solutions have little more to commend them than do the "gremlins." Consider these observations:

-- Thumbing through the recently arrived 2007 Annual of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, I counted about 500 churches (or 25 percent) that did not respond with an annual report. The national average may be lower, but I know that fewer churches are responding. I also suspect that a major reason for no response is embarrassment about those statistics. Nevertheless, if 98 percent had responded, how would baptisms look? No one knows.

-- The small membership loss is actually not such a tragedy. I want to grow, but I want to do so legitimately. There is a need to purge our rolls of two to four million more who never attend and are not involved in any way. Let's be honest: We lie to ourselves and to the world to count people as "members" who no longer have anything to do with our churches. If we cleansed our rolls, we would take a giant step toward integrity and the blessings of God -- and our ratio for baptisms in relation to membership would fall considerably. It would not be "good" until it is at least one to one, but it would be much improved.

-- Thrashing the Conservative Renaissance as though it were somehow responsible for this decline is irresponsible. One need only ask for the evangelistic and missionary statistics for the moderate churches whose leaders provided the opposition to conservatives in order to debunk this allegation. The present state cannot please our Lord, but it is a safe bet that He is more pleased about what we are attempting globally than about the social and environmentally based programs of moderate and liberal churches. If the Conservative Renaissance had not happened, our evangelism would look exactly like moderate churches, which are in decline.

-- "Mean spiritedness" is certainly never pleasing to God. But I am less than certain which Baptists are guilty of the charge of "mean spiritedness" and, therefore, share in the cause of the decline. Without doubt an abuse of congregationalism has occurred in Southern Baptist life. The turning of opportunities to seek the leadership of the Holy Spirit and determine strategies to get the Gospel to all into monthly town meeting debates and expressions of personal opinion has driven many from the churches and still more from congregationalism. This is tragic.

But I cannot help but suspect that an incipient post-modern influence is the womb from which part of this criticism arises. The world and much of "Christianity" is irritated that Southern Baptists on one hand continue to oppose abortion, the practicing of homosexuality, gender confusion, the alcoholic beverage industry that annually kills, harms, and creates so much sorrow in the social order, and on the other hand support biblical role assignments in the home and church. We can always improve the graciousness with which we articulate our positions, but we have no choice about what we endorse and what we reject if we follow Christ and the Bible. Jesus Himself warned, "If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you" (John 15:19).

The same is true for doctrine. To be unapologetically Baptist, embracing the exclusivism of Christ in salvation, the inerrancy of God's Word, and the concept of a regenerate church witnessed by baptism and disciplined to live for Christ is to the minds of some, "mean-spirited." Again, sensitivity of expression will help, but doctrinal clarity is not popular nor has it ever been.

Who are these "mean-spirited" among us? Is it also "mean-spirited" to make broad imprecise allegations of "mean-spiritedness"? Are some who make these charges guilty themselves?

-- The allegation that the "young leaders" are leaving Southern Baptists, and we will never reach our world if we do not change and adopt methods that appeal to the culture is to me the strangest of all. Who are these young leaders? How many left? How are they doing now? Did they leave "because they were never really a part of us" (1 John 2:19)? I have spent the last 33 years of my life working with young people destined to become leaders. People in Florida like Anthony George; in North Carolina like J.D. Greear; in Texas like Nathan Lino, Byron McWilliams, Brad Jurkovich, Michael Lewis and Mark Howell to name just the first ones that come to my mind today. They would never refer to themselves as "young leaders." They know too well that they were called to be servants and pastors and that "leadership" is something arising out of what my father liked to call "moral ascendancy."

In the church, genuine leaders are not simply proclaimed to be leaders. In Baptist life, both young and old leaders have been recognized as such either because they were great preachers/teachers of biblical revelation or because they were wonderful, consistent soul-winners or because they built great churches or because their spirits and attitudes were the sources of great encouragement to others. They did not yield to those who were "despising their youth" but were "examples to the flock" (1 Timothy 4:12). This is precisely what most, like the ones mentioned above, have done. But some self-proclaimed "young leaders" appear to be more concerned about embracing the culture, rejecting the past and demanding personal liberty rather than following the biblical road to leadership.

-- The suggestion that sensitivity to the culture and the incorporation of that culture into the church and its worship is the change, which if implemented, would start us on the road to evangelistic effectiveness is misguided. I am the first to admit that dullness and "Baptist tradition" were too often the rule in our churches. There is no excuse for being boring or settling into numbing sameness. For years I inveighed against high church music, not because I did not like it but because it communicated with less than 10 percent of the people. But has somebody missed the obvious here? The more attune to culture Southern Baptists have become and the more we have incorporated the world into our worship, the more our baptisms have dropped! Although I am not certain that there is a connection, as will become evident in what follows, I admit that I am suspicious.

Well, the time has come to identify the real problems -- not ghosts and goblins. The first failure is the busyness of the age, which has robbed churches of serious prayer. Once Southern Baptist people were almost entirely from the working class and not highly valued in the social order. When we were not respectable, we sought the intervention of God. And He responded powerfully. We will continue to have downward trends until we recognize that it is "not by might nor by power but by my Spirit says the Lord Almighty" (Zechariah 4:6). Prayerlessness is foe number one.

The second culprit is our failure to witness. We are so adept at "marketing" and "programming" that we have failed to share Christ individually on a consistent basis. In fact, because meaningful church membership has been traded for numerical addition, most of our people hardly witness at all.

Third, the shallow state of preaching has exacerbated the lethargy of the church and left the lost with no real Word from God. The pastor ought to be the major source of theological understanding and the most able teacher of the Bible. Anemic pulpits create anemic churches and denominations.

Finally, our churches, in their hot pursuit of cultural adaptability look more and more like the culture and the world. Even at its best, the church is not good at being the world. In looking like a faint imitation of the world, the holiness of God and a thirst to be like Him have apparently been lost. And with the loss of holiness has come the corresponding loss of power and appeal!

Well do I recognize that these four culprits offer nothing new, nothing glitzy, nothing mysterious, nothing cool. But for all their antiquity, their simplicity, their lack of creativity, they are just as true today as ever. Style, culture, dress, drink, etc. have almost nothing to do with how churches perform. The need today is not for self-appointed analysts manipulating statistics and pontificating about their meaning, but who are usually less than stellar soul-winners, Bible teachers or pastors. The great need is for us to sense our spiritual poverty, seek God's face, and do his bidding. Folks, it is really that simple.

Maybe we need to remember this admonition from Jeremiah. It has little to do with culture, styles or attire but everything to do with what is really of consequence: "Thus says the Lord: 'Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls.'"(Jeremiah 6:16).

Paige Patterson is president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.

Copyright (c) 2008 Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist Press. Visit www.bpnews.net. BP News -- witness the difference! Covering the critical issues that shape your life, work and ministry. BP News is a ministry of Baptist Press, the daily news service of Southern Baptists.

Mr. Red Decapitated

2008-05-08T10:20:00.002-06:00

School is out!

2008-05-02T14:09:00.003-06:00

Actually Monday, May 5, is the last night of class, but for various and sundry reasons we do not have class that night. I have a paper to turn in but I can email it in. I have been ready for the semester to be over since I turned in my Greek paper two weeks ago. I have an "A" in the other class and pretty happy over all with the semester.

Next semester I will be taking two classes: "Foundations for Ministry" and "Intro to the New Testament." I like the schedule for these classes. The Foundations class only meets on two weekends, a Friday night and all day Saturday. There is no homework, no tests and no writing. There will be some writing to be done in class, but no papers. The NT class is taught by an excellent young, newly doctored professor, Dr. Matt Aernie. He got his doctoral degree from the University of Wales. Matt is very animated in his teaching and is fun to talk to. Its great when a NT prof is teaching from the Greek text.

I have said it a couple of times and I will repeat it now, I have not written much because of school, but I hope to write more starting next week.

Too Enthusiastic for Ministry

2008-04-28T11:00:00.002-06:00

Ok, get this. I was told today that I was too enthusiastic for missions and ministry. Yes, you read it correctly, too enthusiastic. I work for a Christian non-profit and my boss called me in to talk about my vacation requests for the summer. We worked through that without too much difficulty, but he then mentioned that several people have come to him with concerns about how much I talk about my ministry opportunities and not about my job. I don't get it. My boss backed me up by saying church missions and ministry is my passion and my heart and why wouldn't I talk about it!

Weird...

Done!!!

2008-04-23T15:16:00.002-06:00

My forced academic Greek studies are over (barring a complete failure of the paper). I am much relieved. I had hoped to give a week by week commentary on this blog of my journey through Philippians, but it became too intense for me to want to do that and then, when I started writing the exegesis paper, I didn't have time for anything. I turned the paper in two weeks early (because my daughter is singing at school next Monday and the prof is out the next week). But the last two weeks of class were what I would have liked the others to have been. We discussed the passages we were to translate and how we could preach that passage. It was great! I felt we wasted a lot of time in the earlier classes since we did not do this.

Oh well, now I can work on Greek studies at my own pace and presently I am working through some chapters in Matthew. Since I have mentioned I will be preaching a series out of chapter 10, I want to work on the section between the end of the Sermon on the Mount through chapter 12.

Right now, I can breathe a little easier!

Preaching and Teaching Projects

2008-04-18T10:10:00.002-06:00

I haven't written anything this week because of a lot of things but I have thought a lot about what to post and reading other blogs. I have read more in Matthew, but nothing has pressed me to write. The earthquake in Illinois is newsworthy. The Reds beating the Cubs last night (stopping a 5 game losing streak) is not unless you are a fan of the team. Lona and I ate dinner with some friends at a German place last night. I could eat another helping of the red cabbage.

Here are some thoughts for preaching and teaching I have running through my head:

Philippians - I have been working on this all semester in Greek 2
Matthew - This is such an important book because of all the prophecies connecting Jesus to the OT, the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord's Prayer, etc.
Life of Jacob - this would be more of a Bible study than a series of sermons
Ezekiel - same thing: Bible study rather than preaching through the book
James - a sermon series

These ideas are running through my mind because of the ministry opportunity that I have applied for. I guess I will wait for the Lord's leading.

Tasty or Tasteless?

2008-04-10T07:31:00.003-06:00

In my continued reading of Matthew, I read 5:13-20 yesterday and verse 13 has stuck with me (again, in a convicting way).

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men."

This a message to the disciples and how they are different from the world. We are to follow Christ's example. We are to be gentle, hunger and thirst for righteousness, merciful, peacemakers, pure in heart and expect to be persecuted. If we are none of these, if we have become so complacent, then we are of no use. As disciples of Christ, we are the light of the world and we are to share that light with others, but if we are tasteless, how can we do that? We can't! God cannot use us if we are scared, timid, trying to hide our light so others cannot see.

I haven't done a full exegesis of this text or even looked at the Greek yet, but I don't think I am too far off. Feel free to chime in with your own thoughts on this passage.

I Want To Be Satisfied

2008-04-08T07:10:00.002-06:00

As I am preparing several sermons from Matthew 10, I started reading the whole book of Matthew to keep the context of what Jesus said in 10 with the rest of the book. This morning I read the first 12 verses of chapter 5. I don't want to skim through the sermon on the mount, so I am taking smaller sections at a time. I was convicted by verse 6, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied."

I realized I am not satisfied and it is my own fault. I am not hungering and thirsting for God's righteousness. This is not man's righteousness (that would be an oxymoron), but ONLY the righteousness that can come from God. Sometimes my spiritual stomach growls or I feel a little parched and so I nibble at God's word or sip from His promises, but mainly, I serve myself. Eat from my own plate. Prepare my own meal...and then wonder why I am still hungry.

I need to be hungry and thirsty for the righteousness of God. I need to long for His righteousness as someone who is starving longs for a morsel of bread; as someone who hasn't drank in days longs for a sip of cool water. I need to crave the things of God, not on a monthly weekly or daily basis, but moment by moment, as if the hunger pangs will never go away. Yet if I do this, the pangs will go away. I will be satisfied with the righteousness of God. And then the next day, when I am tempted by the morsels on other tables and the hunger returns, I will run back to His table of righteousness and fulfill my cravings. Hopefully the satisfaction will linger and I won't be tempted by the other offerings. Anything else turns to worms. Only God can satisfy completely.

Father, I am hungry. I am thirsty. I have fed too long at the table of emptiness. I only crave Your righteousness. I will only be satisfied at Your table. Father forgive me. I am satisfied.

School Update

2008-04-04T07:09:00.002-06:00

Until I posted the Getty/Townend hymn yesterday, I hadn't posted in 2 weeks. I have been preoccupied with the exegetical paper that is due for my Intermediate Greek class. It is a commentary on Philippians 4:2-9. Apparently, if I do it right, the paper should be between 30-50 pages. I will be happy with 30. I still have another paper due in my other class, so the object is to finish the Greek paper in the next 2-3 weeks so I have time to read and write a 7 page paper on Eugene Peterson's "Eat This Book."

Today, I need to go through my SS lesson that I am teaching. We have been in Genesis for 4 months now and the last two months are on the life of Joseph. Joseph tends to be one of the Bible favorites of many people. Yet, I found the life of Jacob fascinating (and his story is still woven in the life of Joseph). I think I have gained a greater appreciation for him. While I might not say Jacob if asked who my favorite Biblical character was, I would probably name him in my top 5 now. His whole life was a series of stressful episodes. But he built an altar to God "who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone."

Can I truly say that with confidence? I guess it depends on the day and the stress level, but I should ALWAYS be ready to say that God answered me in my distress and is with me at all times AND I need to take comfort in that fact.

Another Irish Hymn

2008-04-03T13:07:00.003-06:00

Here is another great song by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend. It is difficult to sing without shedding a tear.

Oh, to see the dawn of the darkest day;
Christ on the road to Calvary;
Tried by sinful men, torn and beaten, then
Nailed to a cross of wood.

This the power of the cross;
Christ became sin for us,
Took the blame, bore the wrath.
We stand forgiven at the cross.

Oh, to see the pain written on Your face,
bearing the awesome weight of sin;
Every bitter thought, every evil deed,
Crowning Your bloodstained brow.

This the power of the cross;
Christ became sin for us,
Took the blame, bore the wrath.
We stand forgiven at the cross.

Now the daylight flees, now the ground beneath
Quakes as its Maker bows His head.
Curtain torn in two, dead are raised to life,
"Finished!" the victory cry.

This the power of the cross;
Christ became sin for us,
Took the blame, bore the wrath.
We stand forgiven at the cross.

Oh, to see my name written in the wounds,
For through Your suffering I am free.
Death is crushed to death; life is mine to live,
Won through Your selfless love.

This the power of the cross;
Christ became sin for us,
Took the blame, bore the wrath.
We stand forgiven at the cross.

A New Irish Hymn

2008-03-20T07:09:00.002-06:00

I love the music written by Keith Getty. It is new and has an Irish feel to most of his music. There is a lot of good music coming out of Ireland and England and, along with Robin Mark, Keith Getty is one of these gifted writers. Here is a song by Keith Getty and Margaret Becker.

"Jesus, Draw Me Ever Nearer"

Jesus, Draw me ever nearer as I labor thro' the storm.
You have called me to this passage and I'll follow tho' I'm worn.
May this journey bring a blessing, may I rise on wings of faith;
And at the end of my heart's resting, with Your likeness let me wake.

Jesus, guide me thro' the tempest, keep my spirit staid and sure.
When the midnight meets the morning, let me love You even more.
May this journey bring a blessing, may I rise on wings of faith;
And at the end of my heart's resting, with Your likeness let me wake.

Let the treasures of the trial form within me as I go.
And at the end of this long passage let me leave them at Your throne.
May this journey bring a blessing, may I rise on wings of faith;
And at the end of my heart's resting, with Your likeness let me wake.

Jesus, draw me ever nearer as I labor thro' the storm.
You have called me to this passage and I'll follow tho' I'm worn.
May this journey bring a blessing, may I rise on wings of faith;
And at the end of my heart's resting, with Your likeness let me wake.

Jesus, draw me ever nearer;
Jesus, draw me ever nearer;
Jesus, draw me ever nearer to You, to You.

What DID Jesus Do?

2008-03-17T15:36:00.004-06:00

I really can't stand that phrase "What Would Jesus Do?" The obvious is that He would do what is fair and just and, in most cases, that would not be what we expect. The better question for me is "What DID Jesus Do?" Throw away the speculative and look at the scripture.

As I have started looking at Matthew 10, I am struck by four things that Christ did. He summoned the disciples, He gave them authority over demonic forces, disease and sickness, He instructed them and then He sent them out.

He summoned the disciple - Jesus calls each of us to join Him in His work. He calls us to Him and wants us to join Him in His work. Think about it! He calls us! He doesn't need us at all, yet He calls us. We are allowed to work with and for the King of Kings. What an amazing and humbling thought.

He gave authority - Jesus equipped each disciple with the tools for ministry. I personally believe that the miracle gifts were only for the apostles, but that does not mean that miracles do not occur. Miracles are from God. But the idea is that the disciples were given what was needed to spread the gospel and reach people for Christ. Eventually, Jesus would have a huge following of people who were waiting to see more miracles and probably were healed by Jesus. Jesus was not going to send these guys into ministry without giving them the abilities, power and confidence needed.

He instructed them - The rest of chapter 10 is the instructions given to the disciples. What to do, what to expect, how to behave, who to rely on and the encouragement needed for the journey. Again, Jesus was not sending these guys out until they were equipped to face the battle. That doesn't mean that they had a lot to learn. Of course it did! Nobody goes into ministry without receiving some battle wounds along the way.

He sent them out - He had the confidence to send these rough fishermen out to preach the gospel of Love.

These are four points that will probably make up the foundation for the sermons from this chapter. Any thoughts?

Patrick and the Revival in Ireland

2008-03-17T11:33:00.000-06:00

Dustin, at Pastor and People, has a nice summation of Patrick's life.

Can You See It?

2008-03-17T11:27:00.001-06:00

“If you are in some valley from which you can’t see the cross, you need to work a little bit more [on sermon preparation]; because from every text you should be able to see the cross.”
-Mark Dever

Wearin' o' the Green

2008-03-17T11:10:00.003-06:00

I am wearing my Ireland Gaelic Football shirt today. I have always had an affinity towards St. Patrick's Day. Mainly, because my birthday is the day before (44 years and counting) but more so after all the Irish history books and Irish church history that I have read.

I have my own opinions and ideas of who St. Patrick was (he was adopted as a saint by the Catholic Church, but you will not find any documentation that he was Catholic). I have been to 3 church sites where he founded the first church. One church is still holding services today, nearly 1600 years after the founding!

If you are wearing green today, then I salute you and wish you a great day. If you are wearing orange, I will pray for you and question your loyalties! If you don't understand the difference, then you need to read some history books.

Authority Given

2008-03-06T07:04:00.002-07:00

It has been a slow couple of weeks for me, posting wise. I had a Greek mid-term on Monday plus I had 11 verses to translate and diagram as homework. Needless to say, my mind was on other things!

Even so, God has been dealing with me concerning the cost of discipleship. Plus the fact that a' Kempis' "The Imitation of Christ" is about being a disciple of Christ (I wrote a paper on this recently) means that I have been thinking on this topic for the last 6 weeks or so. In January, I preached on Matthew 9:35-38 which is about the compassion of Christ. This was the point in Jesus' ministry where He transitioned from doing all the work Himself to telling the disciples to pray for the Lord of the harvest to send more workers. Then, chapter 10 begins with Jesus giving them authority over demons, to cast them out and to heal sickness plus telling them to preach the Gospel.

Here is a quick outline of chapter 10:

Verses 1-4 Jesus calls His disciples
Verses 5-15 Instructions for Service
Verses 16-23 Expect Adversity Along the Way
Verses 24-39 The Meaning and Cost of Discipleship
Verses 40-42 The Reward of Being a Disciple

I will be preparing a series of sermons concerning this chapter. I feel that these words of Christ are important in the life of my church, especially the singles ministry and to be shared during the different mission opportunities I will have this summer. I anticipate at least 6 sermons out of this chapter. I am looking forward to digging into the text and context and application of this important chapter of Matthew.

Conservative

2008-02-29T09:02:00.002-07:00

46

How do you score? Take The Hermeneutics Quiz provided by Scot McKnight.

Thanks Randy!

Greek Struggles

2008-02-28T11:34:00.002-07:00

I am really struggling with my Greek classes, particularly trying to diagram. I can parse like nobodies business and I can see the translation (in most cases), but trying to diagram Greek grammar is driving me batty! Any suggestions?

The Outlaw

2008-02-25T07:42:00.001-07:00

My favorite song.