Thursday, April 30, 2009

Just for Fun

Preaching about the Holy Spirit this week. He's a wonderful gift. But some have sorta gone off the deep end. One of my friends wondered about a Foxworthy-esque list about it. Here's what I came up with:

You might be a Spirit-filled believer if...

You TiVo TBN.

You own the complete unabridged works of Benny Hinn.

You named your dog "Glossolalia."

You ask your barber to give you the Rod Parsley look.

Your church services are BYOS. Bring Your Own Snake.

You have a bumper sticker that reads, "My kids and my money go to ORU."

Your Facebook profile lists you as President of the "Special Anointing,
Double-Portion, Fire-Baptized, Extreme Unction Holy Ghost Fan Club."

You don't find the YouTube "farting preacher" clips the least bit funny.

You once tried to pray the "prayer of resurrection." At the funeral
home. During the funeral.

Your favorite movie is Robert Duvall's "The Apostle."

You once owned all of Jimmy Swaggart's albums...(wait for it),
but you had to return them because the holes in the middle kept healing up.

Happy 76th Birthday, Willie Nelson

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Post Conference Thoughts

I'm home from the Gospel Coalition. Wow, what a conference! I felt like I was drinking from a fire hydrant. I learned so much. It was very enjoyable. And I wasn't the only Arminian in attendance. Some observations:
Worship: I was struck by the depth of the worship songs (many were Puritan hymns, but some were new songs). They were theologically rich and full of biblical imagery. And the people seemed to understand what they were singing. sincerely worshipping the Lord.
Preaching: There was a strong commitment to expository preaching. In fact that was the bulk of the conference -- preaching through the book of 2 Timothy. The main speakers did an outstanding job.
Scripture: In three days I heard more about inerrancy and the inspiration of the Bible, as well as the affirmation of its power to change lives than I have in many years among my own tribe.
Doctrine: While I am not a Reformed type (i.e. a Calvinist), I honestly did not hear anything taught with which I disagreed. All the messages I heard could have been preached at any CofC campmeeting with no problem.

I can't wait 'til Sunday. I'm fired up to break the Bread of Life to God's people at The Creek.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Tuesday in Chicago

The Gospel Coalition conference began today. It was great. Over 3000 people were in attendance Tim Keller started things off, followed by John Piper (notes here). And Mark Driscoll preached an excellent message (notes here). I received a few free books, including an ESV Study Bible. Cool, eh?

Monday, April 20, 2009

The Gospel Coalition

I'm heading to Chicago tommorrow to attend The Gospel Coalition conference. No, I haven't turned Calvinist. But I think it will be an interesting three days.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Monday, April 13, 2009

Navy Seals 3, Pirates 0

Some countries give in to the pirates' demands and pay the ransom. We send the Navy Seals.

American sea Captain Richard Phillips was safely rescued from four Somali pirates Sunday, a U.S. intelligence official said. Three of the pirates were killed and one was in custody after what appeared to be a swift firefight off the Somali coast, the official said. Initial reports indicate Phillips jumped overboard for a second time and the military was able to take advantage of the situation. More here.

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Today's Devotional Thought


One night I had a wondrous dream,
One set of footprints there was seen,
The footprints of my precious Lord,
But mine were not along the shore.

But then some strange prints appeared,
And I asked the Lord, "What have we here?"
Those prints are large and round and neat,
"But Lord, they are too big for feet."

"My child," He said in somber tones,
"For miles I carried you along.
I challenged you to walk in faith,
But you refused and made me wait."

"You disobeyed, you would not grow,
The walk of faith, you would not know,
So I got tired, I got fed up,
And there I dropped you on your butt."

"Because in life, there comes a time,
When one must fight, and one must climb,
When one must rise and take a stand,
Or leave their butt prints in the sand."

Sunday, April 05, 2009

Sunday at The Creek

It was great to be back home today at Cedar Creek. The worship team did an outstanding job (as usual). There was a great spirit of enthusiasm among the people. I concluded my "Encountering Jesus" series, preaching about the crucifixion from Mark 15. He really does love us!