Conference Thoughts

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I'm in the second day of The Gospel Coalition. It’s been great. If you are thinking it’s weird that a Methodist would attend this primarily Reformed event, you'd be right: it is weird. (I did hang out with a seminary classmate and fellow UM pastor and one other UM pastor here so I'm not alone.) If you're wondering why I would come to worship and learn with this bunch, I've been trying to articulate why I'm drawn to this crowd and it comes down to this – when I hear or read these people I almost always am drawn to both worship Jesus and desire Jesus. My heart cannot say that about 97% of what I read in my own tradition. I experience this when I read Wesley but very few others after him have inspired such devotion to Jesus. That leaves me with two items to develop and write about for the future 1. How to encourage theology inspired doxology in our tribe and 2. How to encourage people to write in such a way as to inspire these potential authors.

I have received so much at this conference, including free books(!!!), but the very best thing has been meeting some people I've only previously known on-line. This post by Steve McCoy sums up most of what I've been thinking. I have spent time with two pastors from my area who I have met before. I got to tell Jared Wilson that God is using his Gospel Wakefulness talks in a powerful way in my heart and meet his lovely wife who is genuinely sweet, a rare quality. I also got to overhear Jared’s friend, Ray Ortlund, tell a man “You really need to get to know Jared Wilson if you're interested in this.” and then give the blog address to this dude which I know was a beautiful compliment that Jared didn’t get to hear but I did and teared up. I got to meet the aforementioned Steve McCoy and Joe Thorn who are going to be the Matthau and Lemon of the church one day. Oh, and I got to eat dinner at the same table as my favorite productivity blogger, Matt Perman.

I'll have more to write when I return, but that’s what I find spinning around in my head and heart and I'm grateful to God for the opportunity to be here.

Sunday Links 4.3.2011

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Sunday links are back again. I know it’s been a few so I’ll stock this one with a lot of them!

Ministry and Miscellany

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I haven’t spent much time writing during the last couple of weeks. We have been working hard at church to finalize plans for a mission project during Spring Break. That project began with our group yesterday afternoon and continues on through the end of the week. I’m so very proud of them and am proud to be in ministry with them. Here’s a video I took this morning of a wall going up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLjMG2wpSn4

I’ll update some more during the week. For now, here’s some of the links I found interesting last week:

I might write an iPad 2 review, but for now, let me just share one great moment with it (I’ve had it 9 days). Yesterday, I was in the home of a 91 year old lady who lost her husband three weeks ago. The Sunday after her husband’s funeral I baptized her great-grandson. She wasn’t present for the baptism and mentioned how much she would have liked to have been there. I took out the iPad and showed her the video I had uploaded to Vimeo and so we sat in her sitting room and watched it. At the end of the video I looked at her and saw a single tear roll down her cheek.

Sometimes I really hate that I’m so drawn to technology and gadgets, but that moment made me happy.

Triumphant Return

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Well, not so much. We were in Dallas for a few days and transitioned into Daylight Savings so I didn't have much in the way of posting these last few days. I didn't even open my computer on Thursday. No Sunday links, either, but I might try to get some of the good ones from last week in the middle of this week. I promise, they will be Rob Bell-free.

If you are curious, I was in Dallas to attend the first day of the Acts 29 Boot Camp. If you're wondering, 1) I haven't become a Calvinist and 2) I'm not intending to plant a church because God has not (to my knowledge) called me to that. I've got a lot of reasons for wanting to attend this event and I am writing about it for a longer blog post. If you're looking for an exposé or anything like folks who infiltrate churches, colleges, or groups pretending to be one of them, you're not going to get it. I went with a clear purpose and it had nothing to do with uncovering anything. In fact, if anything was uncovered in those 8 hours it was my wicked heart and I'm grateful for the teaching, the conviction, and the opportunity to pray and repent. More on that later.

Here's last Sunday's sermon if you're interested.

http://vimeo.com/21026849

The Cross is Your Salvation from FUMC Prairie Grove on Vimeo.

Ash Wednesday 2011

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We had a great turnout for Ash Wednesday tonight. This is the third one we have done. I preached my first sermon here 3 years ago today and the following year was the first Ash Wednesday service that anyone could remember. It's such a privilege to lead these people in worship. I love them a lot.

As a part of our worship tonight, I imposed ashes on the foreheads of those who came forward. It's such a sobering thing to smear ashes on the forehead and say, "You are dust and to dust you shall return." to a man who just had a brain tumor removed.

Or to a man whose health is failing.

Or to my 6 year-old daughter.

Thanks be to Jesus, who makes all things new.

Sunday Links 2.27.2011

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Not as many links this week, but it was one crammed full including a funeral and a couple of days away with the family. Check back next Sunday! Well, and the other days, too :-)

A Little R&R

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Weeks with funerals always turn out to be emotionally exhausting which somehow translates into physical exhaustion. I really loved and respected the man we remembered yesterday and was so glad I could share his forgiveness by Jesus and the joy of his hope in Jesus. It was a great witness and testimony.

A few months ago we received a deal for two free nights in a hotel, so we are taking some family time. I'm looking forward to resting, spending time with my girls, and to get back into the Bible and prayer. It's been a bit of a dry season.

What do you do to reconnect with God and those closest to you?


Dancing in the Minefields

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtTa81LyuQM

“I do” are the two most famous last words

The beginning of the end
But to lose your life for another
I’ve heard Is a good place to begin

‘Cause the only way to find your life
Is to lay your own life down
And I believe it’s an easy price
For the life that we have found
If there is one thing young engaged couples need to hear, it’s that a good marriage is not something you find, it’s something you work for. It takes struggle. You must crucify your selfishness. You must at times confront, and at other times confess. The practice of forgiveness is essential. This is undeniably hard work! But eventually it pays off. Eventually, it creates a relationship of beauty, trust, and mutual support. - Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas

I love my wife. I love her very imperfectly, but I love her.

This is my favorite piece of writing from my late-friend Michael Spencer: Running Wounded. It's about the frailties of marriage and the incredible mercies of God.