Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Light it up

Take a look at this video about how light can change a life.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Elephant Room

Pastor James MacDonald of Harvest Bible Chapel hosted Elephant Room imagelast spring. Featured pastors were Mark Driscoll, Greg Laurie, Perry Noble, Matt Chandler, David Platt, and others. The session I'm sharing with you here is, in general, about culture and the church's relationship to it. But MacDonald had a very specific bone to pick with Perry Noble's interaction to the church vs. culture relationship. Last Easter, Noble opened up the worship service with AC/DC's Highway to Hell.

Listen to the culture in the church rap session below...

Download
Time: 47:12

Wired: MacDonald assembled quite a crew of solid pastors for this event. The conversation had was healthy and the men treated each other with respect and honor. I was proud, as a Calvary Chapel guy, to hear the balanced and mature responses to issues by Greg Laurie. Every time Laurie is at one of these interdenominational gatherings or conferences, he brings balance and wisdom.

Tired: The cast, particularly Driscoll and MacDonald, took pot-shots at camps that weren't represented "for the greater good". It was semi-entertaining and the topics deserved top-shelf attention. While they were respectful to the guys in the room, they weren't necessarily respectful to the guys not in the room.

Expired: MacDonald advertises his events as unplanned and uncanned, but it is clear in his responses to Noble that he has points he intends to make, an agenda he will make public, and makes sure to give his opinion the last and loudest airing. But he is the host.


source: Mars Hill Podcast

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

The Rise, Fall and Rise again of Michael Vick

After being convicted, losing his NFL contract and serving time for his involvement in dog-fighting, Michael Vick signed a 6-year, $100 million contract with the Philly Eagles.

Talk about second chances.


HT: ActiveWord Blog

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

While riding with Allie

Here are some photos I snapped of Allie over the weekend.

She's the happiest kid in the world.

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Asian Churches Serve Oakland

# World Impact Bay Area... Here's a group that finds a way to do meaningful sacrifice.

Asian Churches Serve Oakland from Enoch Magazine on Vimeo.

Great job on the video, Carter!

HT: EnochMagazine.com

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Book Review: Love Wins

imageThis book won't get the same thorough treatment most of the book reviews I write get. With Rob Bell, it's pointless. He's a polarizing figure and most people make up their minds about Rob Bell the man before they even read him. Most people make up their minds about Rob Bell's conclusions from the conclusions of bloggers, tweeters, and YouTube theologians.

Rob Bell's writing style is not readable to me. I bought Love Wins the week it was released and tried to read it, but couldn't. It opens with rapid fire questions and extra-biblical concepts I already wrestle with and don't have the answers to and Bell never stops to let me catch my breath and he doesn't explore any of the controversial concepts enough for me to stop and think about what I actually think about what he's writing. His writing annoyed me the way the previous sentence probably annoyed you.

He writes like he speaks and that rarely works for most orators, speakers and preachers. So when I found that Bell reads the audio version of this book, I downloaded it and that worked better for me because, like him or not, Bell is a very engaging speaker.

Now I sound like a fan.

If your theology is based on Covenant Theology, Reformed Theology, or the extra-biblical but logical conclusions of TULIP, you won't be a fan.

If you've given yourself permission to name by name those who inhabits hell even though the Bible never reveals these things, then you won't be a fan either because Bell takes you on and he's not very nice about it.

Here are this blogger's conclusions about Love Wins:

  • Bell rips into a little bit of everybody's extra-biblical dogma like a pitbull rips into a cat.
  • When Bell exposits scripture in this book, he doesn't stray from orthodox treatment of the verses he explores.
  • He's controversial.
  • He's not a heretic.
  • If you're a believer and you read Bell's book, there isn't anything in it that will cause you to stray from the truth of the gospel as presented in God's Word.
  • If you're an atheist and you read the book, there's a serious chance you'll embrace Christ unless you've made up your mind to continue as a skeptic.
  • If you're a serious theological reader, you'll recognize concepts introduced by Don Richardson in Eternity in their Hearts, C.S. Lewis in the Great Divorce, Timothy Keller in Prodigal God, and N.T. Wright in Surprised by Hope.

If you've read the book, I'd love to hear your comments.

Wednesday, September 07, 2011

A Dialogue on the Devil, Demons and Satan

This is the most lucid and balanced message on spiritual warfare image I've ever heard.

Britt Merrick is part of the crop of young American church planters planting churches, developing disciples, and making new converts in a time when Christianity in the northern and western hemispheres is losing ground to a groundswell of aggressive atheism.

Britt pastors Reality Santa Barbara and is a mentor to the men who pastor these Reality daughter churches.

Length: 1:06:17

download (right click and choose "save as")

Tuesday, September 06, 2011