Sunday Night

We had a great day today. It started with sleeping in a little, then enjoying some coffee and good fellowship (we preachers don't get too many leisurely Sunday mornings). We enjoyed worshipping with the Franklin Christian Church. Afterwards we went to Costco for lunch (they have the best lunch deal in town). It was next door the Dave Ramsey's headquarters (I cruised through the parking lot, wanting to take a picture, but I didn't want to feel like a dork -- eating at Costco was dorky enough).

Then we went to the home of some friends of our friends. Watched some March Madness and chilled out. Later there was an impromptu jam session with Rob Harris, Tonja Rose, and Fletcher. We really enjoyed that.

First Night in Nashville

Last night we went to a Nashville Predators hockey game. Afterwards we went to a post-game pizza party sponsored by Trevecca Nazarene University. Luke got an autograph from one of the Predators. Then we walked around downtown for awhile.
Going to church Sunday at Franklin Christian Church.

Nashville, Here We Come!

Tomorrow we leave for Nashville, TN. A little Spring Break getaway. We're looking forward to spending some time with our old friends Ward & Tonja Rose.

Random Thoughts

Last Sunday at The Creek was awesome. I am so blessed.

The Arby's Roastburger definitely does not live up to the hype.

Duplicity was a really weird movie.

I was enjoying my date with Tracy last night, so much that we completely forgot that it was 24 night. Hulu, here we come.

Four more days until VACATION!

March Madness Begins Today

The NCAA Tournament (also known as "March Madness") begins today. I must confess that I haven't followed college hoops through the regular season as much as I once did. However, I love to watch the tournament games. I'm involved in a couple of friendly "bracket pools" (with my staff, family, and college alumni). My final four picks are not too radical (three #1 seeds, and a #2):
North Carolina
Michigan State
Memphis
Duke
(with MSU & Carolina in the finals, with Carolina winning it all)

Let the games begin!

The Word

And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:1-21

This passage is a portion of what I taught about tonight. What an awesome Scripture about the awesomeness of Scripture!

A Curious Trend

This upcoming Sunday's Christian Standard is the annual Christian College issue. They’ve added a new stat – percentage of students from Restoration Movement background. I was stunned at how low the figure is for some schools (William Jessup U – 15%; Hope International – 16%; Northwest Christian – 7.5%; Atlanta – 30%); and the low percentage overall (it looks like the average is around 60%).

I am pleased that “our colleges” are broadening the scope of influence and inclusion (and I do have a standard rebuttal to those who complain that “half of the students at _____________ are from denominations” – I tell them, “If you want to increase the percentage of RM students, then send more from your church.”).

I’m confident that some of these students will embrace N.T. Christianity when they learn about the way of God more adequately. However, I can’t help but wonder (and yes, I’ll admit that years of campmeetings and the like have probably contributed to my thinking; but personal observation bears this out as well) how many of these students will earn a degree and then go right back to their churches that are teaching false doctrine. And everybody thinks it’s great, because they are “serving God”. Or, even worse, they will find a ministry in one of our churches and bring their denominational doctrinal baggage with them.

I hope I'm wrong.

I Am a Christian

I've blogged about this before, but it's time to re-visit the topic.

Last Wednesday night I went on a mini-rant (surprising, I know) about people using the term "Christ-follower" rather than "Christian" (we were in 1 Peter, where it says, "If any man suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed but let him glorify God in that name"), including the PC/Mac, Christian/Christ-follower parody videos. I know why they do it. I don't have a problem with "Christ-follower", but the air of superiority over those who are still old-school (and biblical) enough to prefer "Christian" is simply unnecessary and dumb.

Similarly, I have noticed people now referring to Jesus as "forgiver and leader." Nothing wrong with that except when it is an intentional attempt to avoid the terms "Savior and Lord." Really? That's going to make the difference? I don't buy it.

Have a Great Weekend Everybody!

Paul Harvey

I first heard Paul Harvey on the radio when entered college. My roomate was a big fan of "The Rest of the Story."

He passed away yesterday at the age of ninety.

From his web site:

Born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Mr. Harvey began his radio career in 1933 at KVOO-AM, Tulsa, while he was still in high school. Later, while attending the University of Tulsa, he continued working at KVOO as an announcer, then as a program director.

Paul Harvey reached audiences way beyond the windy city in 1951, when he began his coast-to-coast “News and Comment” on the ABC Radio Networks. On May 10, 1976, Mr. Harvey began another series of programs on the ABC Radio Networks entitled “The Rest of the Story”, which delve into the forgotten or little known facts behind stories of famous people and events.

Today, Paul Harvey “News and Comment” and “The Rest of the Story” can be heard every Monday through Saturday. Paul Harvey News is the largest one-man network in the world, consisting of over 1200 radio stations, 400 Armed Forces Network stations that broadcast around the world, and 300 newspapers.

Rest in peace Paul, we loved you.

Hockey Night in Fort Wayne

Luke and I are going to the Komets game tonight.
Some quality father/son time. And the Komets games are always alot of fun.

Sunday at The Creek

Preached from Mark 5 today (healng of the demoniac), What an awesome truth --Jesus sets us free!

CPR Class

Last night we had a CPR class at the church building. A nurse from the congregation taught the class. Many of our staff members were involved (so she had her work cut out for her). I last took a CPR course in gym class in 1981, so it was time for a refresher. A lot has changed (number of compressions given, AED device, etc.). It was all very informative, and I'm glad I have this new knowledge. I just hope I never have to use it.

Sunday Sneak-Peek

This week I will be continuing in the Encountering Jesus series, preaching about the Parable of the Sower. Most people, when they read this parable, put themselves in the role of the sower. I think the Lord gives us some important principles in that regard. But I think greater emphasis needs to be given to the soil. This parable is not primarily about sowing, it’s about growing!

Most people, when they read this parable, put themselves in the role of the sower. I think the Lord gives us some important principles in that regard (explain). But I think greater emphasis needs to be given to the soil.
This parable is not primarily about sowing, it’s about growing!

Jesus speaks of four types of soil:
1. Hardened soil
2. Shallow Soil
3. Crowded Soil
4. Prepared Soil

What kind of soil am I?

Favre Retires, Again

Story here.

The Blue Parakeet

Last night I read Scot McKnight’s book, The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible. It was very good, much like Fee & Stuart’s How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. Except for one thing -- McKnight devotes five chapters (five chapters!) to the role of women in the church today. He is an egalitarian. He rehearses the same tired arguments that have been refuted time and time again: (Pheobe, Priscilla’s name is mentioned before her husband’s, Junia, why would God give a gift and then restrict its use?, etc.). Other than that, the book was very thought-provoking.

Grammy Awards

Mrs. Soren and I watched most of the Grammy Awards show on Sunday night. I must be getting old, because each year I find myself uttering the phrase, "They call THAT music?"

I was also reminded that you can't spell "crap" without rap.

7 year old sings National Anthem

Wow!

Sunday Sneak-Peek

I'm looking forward to Sunday. Whenever I miss a Sunday in the pulpit (vacation, guest speaker, etc.), I am always anxious to return. I'm starting a new series called Encountering Jesus through the Gospel of Mark (leading up to Easter). This week's message is Encountering the Kingdom from Mark chapter 1. Main take-away: There's a King. And it's not you (or me). How 'bout this quote from Perry Noble? "Church isn't supposed to be our hobby. Jesus is supposed to be our passion." Amen!

Sunday at Cedar Creek

Today was a great day at The Creek. The buzz (excitement, enthusiasm, positive vibe, etc.) was palpable after the service. My friend David Willis can really preach! He's funny, engaging, motivating, and biblical. His message -- Jesus is coming again!

Update: Go Here for sermon audio. Click on the "Guest Speakers" tab.

Men's Retreat Update

The retreat at Lake James was great. David Willis did an awesome job bringing the Word to the guys. We had nearly 50 guys (including many first-timers) there. It was fun, challenging, encouraging, and motivating.

Last Sunday's Intro

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Luke Playing Guitar

Whatcha Talkin' 'Bout Willis?

I'm looking forward to having my old friend David Willis in town this weekend. He's going to speak at our Men's Retreat at Lake James Christian Assembly and preach at Cedar Creek on Sunday. We always have a lot of fun when we are together.

Here's a photo from way back in the day:

Young and Old Ferris

Ferris Bueller -- 23 Years Later

Ferris Bueller's Day Off is one of my favorite movies. Many children of the 80's (like me) have seen the movie many times. I was reading Mark Oestreicher's blog today, and he had a link to a "Where Are They Now?" kind of thing. He said that Jennifer Gray had changed the most, but my vote goes to Mia Sara (aka Ferris' girlfriend Sloane Peterson).

President Obama

I watched the Inauguration coverage. I agree with what my friend Danny Dodd said: "Now President Obama will begin to find out what it is really all about. My guess is- that once he is completely immersed into all things president, he will start to see that W was not quite the arrogant idiot he was made out to be. I think he will discover that it is one thing to be on the outside calling for change and be on the inside realizing that is ain’t that easy. But I wish him well. I do hope he can be the agent to turn our economy around. A lot of hopes are riding on him."

Get Rid of Your Crap!

Last month I read a blog post by Perry Noble and I immediately knew I wanted to develop it into a lesson for the Men of the Word (a group of guys from Cedar Creek that meets each month for a prayer breakfast and Bible lesson). In Deuteronomy 23:12-14 God tells the Israelites to bury their crap outside the camp. I have been digesting Perry's thoughts, and I have come up with something to share with the guys. A good lesson to start the new year:

Five ways to get rid of your crap:

1. Dump toxic thoughts.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 4:8-9

2. Flush foul fellowship.
Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character.

1 Corinthians 15:33

3. Bury stinky attitudes.
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

4. Purge putrid behavior.
Ephesians 4:1-3; 29-32

5. Wipe out whining.
Philippians 2:14-16

What God is Teaching Our Leaders

Earlier this week, we had the privilege of hosting the Area Ministers Meeting. I put some thoughts together regarding What God is Teaching Our Leaders. I came up with five areas that I think are important to any group of church leaders.

Compatibility
Compatibility with each other AND the people. Jesus said, "I know my sheep and my sheep know me.” People won’t follow leaders they don’t like or respect.

1 Thess. 5:12-13 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work Be at peace among yourselves.

Teachability
We must sharpen the saw. Learn, grow, stretch, etc. Be challenged. What is your plan for personal growth? What are you doing to feed your soul?

Accountability
To each other. To the church. To the Lord.

Flexibility
What needs to change? How can we make it better?

Predictability
What doesn't change? Commitment to prayer, the ministry of the Word, evangelism, faithfulness, excellence, etc.

American Idol

A.I. returned tonight. The kids love it, but I'm growing tired of it. The funniest parts are the auditions during the first few epsiodes. The people are different, but the train wrecks are all-too-familiar.

Jack is Back!

What's Happening?

I’m sorry I haven’t posted in a while. What has been going on?

I’ve been on Facebook for some time now, but I haven’t been very active with it. But it seems like a lot of my friends and family have discovered it recently, so it has been fun to re-connect with people.

New Year’s resolutions are going well. I have started running regularly again. Thanks to Trey Morgan and Perry Noble for the motivation.

I’m enjoying the new sermon series that I’m preaching this month: One Month to Live (inspired by Kerry Shook’s book).

I’m looking forward to the end of the month when my old friend David Willis comes to teach at our Men’s Retreat and preach at Cedar Creek.

Happy New Year!

Weird Weather

I think we have had a little bit of everything this December. Last weekend we were experiencing sub-zero temps and frigid wind chills. Today I think we reached a high of 68 degrees. But we are also getting a lot of rain, so it's not too enjoyable.

Tomorrow is the last Sunday of the year. I'm looking forward to preaching (especially since I didn't get to preach last Sunday because of the power outage).

Have a Blessed Christmas

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"

Luke 2:1-15

Enjoy

This dude has some pipes, eh? Wow!

The Heat Is On!

Hunkered down under a bunch of blankets on Saturday night, but woke up to 48 degrees in the house. Brrr! Spent the day with some friends. Came home to check the house, then the juice came back on. Kudos to those guys working round-the-clock to restore power.

Still no power at the church building. Cancelled services (duh!). It's COLD in there. But really COLD outside (zero, with a minus 10 windchill). Worshipped at the Auburn Church of Christ today. Enjoyed hearing my friend John Scott preach.

Now I'm drinking coffee, watching football, blogging, and thanking the Lord for a warm house.

Ice Storm

We got a nasty ice storm this morning. When the weatherman predicted a half-inch of ice, I thought he was exaggerating, but it turns out he was right. Ice everywhere. The tree limbs are groaning with the weight. We lost some very big branches. Limbs and power lines are down all over town. We lost power about 9am and the house is getting COLD. They say power might not be restored until Sunday. Wow. We are getting warm at Starbucks now.

A Liberal's Christmas Nightmare

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Beware of the Doghouse

Guys, a reminder as you choose your Christmas gifts this year.

Larry Russell

Tracy and I just got back from a trip to Virginia for the funeral of Larry Russell. Larry and his wife Betty became dear friends when we ministered at Northampton. He was diagnosed with cancer just three weeks ago. He went to be with theLord on Sunday night. His funeral service was a celebration of his life and the fact that he knew the Lord. He will be missed.

Christmas Pics

After yesterday's service, a friend took some family photos for us to use for Christmas cards. Here's a sneak preview.

Rush Limbaugh and Barbara Walters

I got home from a meeting last night and the Barbara Walters “Most Interesting People of 2008″ special was on t.v. Tina Fey and Rush Limbaugh made the list. Surely I’m not the only one who noticed this: Babs was very chummy with Tina, joining in the mocking of Sarah Palin, laughing when Tina called George Bush an idiot, celebrating Tina’s success, etc. The Rush interview came next. She was hostile & accusatory, chastizing Rush for his big salary and essentially calling him an intolerant bigot. The double-standard was obvious.

Ouch!

This post from Craig Groeschel kicked my butt:

In ministry, I’ve had seasons of full blown passion for Christ and His Kingdom. At other times, my passion leaked and I was spiritually empty. Here are a few signs you might be a lukewarm pastor from my own life and experiences helping other pastors.

A lukewarm pastor:
Prays as much, or more, publicly than privately.
Is almost exclusively dependent on others’ sermons to preach than directly hearing from God.
Cares more about his church than The Church.
Preaches about evangelism but doesn’t practice evangelism privately.
Tolerates and rationalizes unconfessed sin.
Preaches for the approval of people rather than the approval of God.
Is overly sensitive to criticism.
Harbors bitterness and unforgiveness.
Reads the Bible to prepare sermons but not for personal devotion to God.
Is jealous or critical of someone else that God is blessing.

Wintry Sunday

I had a rare Sunday off today. It's really weird to be on "vacation" but still at home. I enjoyed sleeping in and waking up to enjoy some coffee and the morning paper. We worshipped at Christ's Church at Georgetown today. I enjoyed hearing my friend Chris Steele preach.

I wonder if other preachers struggle with being able to concentrate on the service when they are visiting another church. While worshipping, I find myself thinking things like, "I wonder where I can get that cool PowerPoint background" or "How can we get our lights to do that?" or "A fiddle would sound great in our praise band" or "we need to copy this thing that they have in their bulletin." Anyone?

Weekend Off

I have the weekend off. We aren't doing anything particularly special. Just hanging out together. Probably will get some of the Christmas decorations out. Spent some time today raking leaves. I hope to finish the job tomorrow. Have a great weekend everybody!

24: Redemption Trailer

Jack is back!

Holiday Mania

Hey Christians, how 'bout we do something different this year and not freak out about merchants saying "Happy Holidays" instead "Merry Christmas"? I started thinking about it while preparing to teach a Bible School class tomorrow. We've been talking about issues over which Christians disagree (alcohol, role of women in the church, tattoos and other cultural things, etc). My topic is holidays. You know, that whole pagan origins thing. A couple of key Scriptures that I will use are Romans 14:1-8 and Colossians 2:16-3:4.

One of the problems with the line of thinking that says, "You can't celebrate or participate in anything which has evil origins" (even if nobody but fanatical Christians remember what those origins are) is that it is impossible to be consistent. Are we going to start calling the days of the week by alternate names (they are based on pagan gods)? And the same guy who would never go to a Maundy Thursday service (too Catholic or denominational) has no problem celebrating the Christ-Mass.

But I digress... For the past few years, some Christians have freaked out because retailers are using the phrase "Happy Holidays" (there's no mention of Christ you know). Let's think about this:

1. They are trying to sell merchandise.

2. "Happy Holidays" includes several holidays for a diverse shopping crowd, including Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year's Day.

3. If we are not sharing the name of Christ during the other 11 months of the year, let's not gripe about other people (MOST OF WHOM ARE NOT EVEN CHRISTIAN) who don't do it.

Chill out folks. And Happy Holidays to you!

P.S. I started to post this when I suddenly realized that it sounded familiar. I checked the archives and found that I did a similar rant a couple of years ago. Oh well.

Catalyst One Day

The Catalyst event at Granger was awesome. I was so thrilled to have most of my staff and several elders with me today. Andy Stanley and Craig Groeschel are excellent communicators.We were challenged and convicted, and we left excited about ministry.

Some take-aways:

If you don't know what is causing your momentum, you are only one
stupid decision away from killing it.
I said, "God, do something in our church. And God, 'that's why you're there.' I mean, who built the ark?" (God worked through a person).
Do anything short of sin to connect people to Christ.

Mark Waltz put some great notes on his blog (scroll down past his anniversary post).

Snowy Message

Roger Cook leads our grounds ministry at The Creek. He has mowed a message into a little ridge on the edge of our property. The message really stood out this morning after a little dusting of snow.

Real Men of Jesus - Mr. Really Really Really Long Prayer

A Little Cheesiness

Jon over at Stuff Christians Like had a post about re-claiming 80's songs for Christ. It reminded me of some stuff we did at church camp. We re-worked some songs that were popular at the time (it seems so cheesy now, but back then we were amazed at our own awesomeness):

Born (Again) in the USA
Born again in the USA
(I was) Born again in the USA
When Jesus Christ washed my sins away
(I was) Born again in the USA

Karma Chameleon (I am not making this up)
Become a (come a come a come a) come a Christ-ian (in the Church of Christ or the Christian Church)
Your sins will be forgiven when you become a Christian
So come, let's go, c'mon let's go

WHAT were we thinking?

Catalyst One Day Promo

Steve Fee - All Because Of Jesus

Going to the One Day Catalyst at Granger on Thursday. Andy Stanley and Craig Groeschel, with Steve Fee leading worship. It's going to be great.

Sunday Preview

I'm excited about the message I'm going to preach on Sunday. I'm in a series called Down to the Core (based on Acts 2:42). I'll be preaching about fellowship this week. I learned some new things about this important topic. I can't wait to share it at The Creek.

Fellowship -- Why is It Important?
Because of the danger of isolation
Because of the joy of celebration
Because of the power of consecration
Because of the impact of inspiration

Veteran's Day

Thank you for your service to our country. God bless you!

Preach the Word

Currently I'm preaching a sermon series called "Down to the Core" based on Acts 2:42. Tomorrow I will be talking about the apostles' doctrine. My friend Dave Willis posted this reminder on his blog. Thanks bro!

Phil Johnson wrote: "That’s why preachers ought to preach the Word instead of telling stories and doing comedy. That’s where the power for ministry resides: in the Word. It’s not in our cleverness or our oratorical skills. The power is in the Word of God. And our task is simple: all we have to do is make the Bible’s meaning plain, proclaim it with accuracy and clarity. And the Spirit of God uses His Word to transform lives. The power is in the Word, not in any technique or program."

Sometimes I'm tempted to trust my own cleverness, wit or skill and I need to be reminded to keep the Word central. I sure I'm not alone in this regard. Maybe you need this reminder too.

What if Starbucks Marketed Like a Church?

Funny, sad, and true all at the same time.

The Day After

This morning I prayed for President-elect Obama and for our country. I was disappointed in the outcome of the election, but I am encouraged that these things are still true:
1. God is sovereign and still on His throne.
2. The local church is the hope of the world.

Sunday at Cedar Creek

God showed up in an amazing way at The Creek this morning. We had Dean Trune as our guest for a Going Deeper with God weekend. Last night Dean taught about developing spiritual roots, and journaling. Today he taught during Bible School about spiritual warfare. During the worship service he preached about prayer. At the end he offered an invitation for anyone who would purpose in their hearts to become more committed to prayer. Dozens of people came forward in the first service! It was incredible. Then God did it again in the second service! Clearly, the Holy Spirit was at work. I was so excited to see so many people expressing a desire to get more serious about their faith and their walk with the Lord. 95 people made a public commitment. Wow! I can’t wait to see what God is going to do in the lives of His people and His church.