Snorting Horses

I'm a Grandpa!

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:11:00 +0000

"I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD." -- Hannah, the mother of Samuel (1 Samuel 2:27-28)

His name is Taylor Michael Wilkens. He weighed in at 4:21 a.m. on Oct. 3 at 8 lbs., 20.5 inches. His mom, my daughter Katie, is doing fine as is he. Doctors say he has a little hearing loss in one ear, but that's a good thing for a guy, I think, because it gives him plausible deniability. He has really long hair. I'm lobbying we make him a Nazirite and never cut it, ala Samson, Samuel and John the Baptist.

I Need God

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 20:42:00 +0000

He began speaking to them about the kingdom of God and curing those who had need of healing. -- Luke 9:11b

From Douglas Coupland in "Life After God," as read in "Epic: The Story God is Telling and the Role that is Yours to Play" by John Eldredge, page 58:

"Now -- here is my secret. I tell it to you with an openness of heart that I doubt I shall ever achieve again, so I pray you are in a quiet room as you hear these words. My secret is that I need God -- that I am sick and can no longer make it alone. I need God to help me give, because I no longer seem capable of giving; to help me be kind, as I no longer seem capable of kindness; to help me love, as I seem beyond being able to love."

Out of Context: The Outward Focused Life

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:39:00 +0000

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death -- even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed -- not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence -- continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. -- Philippians 2:5-13

In our current small group, we're reading "The Outward Focused Life: Becoming a Servant in a Serve-Me World" by Dave Workman. It's about looking outside ourselves and outside our church walls to follow Christ's example as laid out in Philippians 2.

Here are some excerpts from the first chapter:

Substitute the word "serve" for "love" and see what happens. I bet you'll no longer say, "I love my car." ... (One man asked) What if instead of saying he loved (his wife), he began saying he served his wife? (Page 23)
"'What is God's will for my life?' is not the best question to ask? I think the right question is simply, 'What is God's will?' Once I know God's will, then I can adjust my life to Him and His purposes." -- Henry Blackaby (Page 25)
"I have never had clarity; what I have always had is trust." -- Mother Teresa (Page 26)
The beautiful body of Christ, that powerhouse community of wounded healers through whom God chooses to fulfill his plan. (Page 28)
There are 3 stages of surrender: Surrender to survive (Matthew 11:28); Surrender to serve; Surrender to die (Matthew 16:24). ... (Re: taking up your cross, Jesus in essence said) Choose your form of execution and follow me. (Page 29)
Evangelism = touching the lives of the seekers and the clueless. (Page 31)
(Missions vs. churches) Missionaries have outposts, not fortresses. Missionaries mix with the culture, not run from it. Missionaries love the people who are different from them, not hate them and call them names. Missionaries see their mission to heal, not defend. (Page 38)
Jesus is all about comforting us, but that's different from making us comfortable. (Page 38)
If we've not found something to sacrifice for, we've not found anything to love. (Page 40)

I Can See Clearly Now

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 18:14:00 +0000

Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet. -- Psalm 119:105

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

From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. -- Psalm 61:2

God's Word is light-giving and life-affirming.

Pray for New Orleans

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 16:50:00 +0000

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. -- Luke 12:48b

Mark Lewis and his family (above) take a break from helping the people of New Orleans and advancing God's kingdom there. I think I'll have go back down there.

You can keep up to date on what's happening with the EFCA's Crisis Response and Mark Lewis by going to this blog.

1st Century Small Groups

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:16:00 +0000

They devoted themselves to the Apostles' teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. -- Acts 2:42

I shared at the 2nd service on Sunday why small groups are important and why if a person is not involved in a small group, he or she isn't getting, or giving, all he or she can out of church. These are notes contained in the small group leaders handbook and which we go through in the leaders training:

Churches (ekklesia = gatherings) met in two locations -- large venues like the temple (Acts 2:46, Acts 5:42, Acts 20:20) in Jerusalem and synagogues (Acts 17:10, Acts 18:4). The modern parallel to this would be our Sunday worship. They also met in homes (Acts 2:46, Romans 16:5, 1 Cor. 16:19, Col. 4:15). The modern application to this would be small groups.
In the Jerusalem church they did four (or five) things -- teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer -- as recorded in Acts 2:42, all of which occur in small groups.

First, they "devoted themselves" .... How can one say he devotes himself to these four activities, or to the Lord, for that matter, all of which are community-oriented, if he never shows up?
Apostles teaching: Small group members become familiar with Scripture and its correct interpretation under the auspices of our local pastors, not under some TV or radio teacher or author whom we don't know.
Fellowship: Members unite for a common purpose (fellowship = koinonia, a mutual investment by two or more people in a joint venture or relationship).
Breaking bread: While we don't celebrate communion (although there's no law against doing so) in small groups, there usually is food, representing an opportunity to come together as a community of faith where differences are overcome in Christ (Col. 3:5-14) and we celebrate and honor what unites us.
Prayer: A lifestyle of prayer is taught and modeled. People who have little experience in converesational and corporate prayer learn how and experience it in a small group. Those with needs find prayer partners in small groups.

'Suburban Church' Out of Context -- Preachers

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:37:00 +0000

I love the Lord because he hears my voice and my supplications. -- Psalm 116:1

More from "The Suburban Church: Practical Advice for Authentic Ministry" by Arthur DeKruyter. This time on preachers:

Hybrid coach-therapists (as a style of preacher) excitedly introduce one new church program -- fasting, prayer, evangelism -- after another, rarely taking the time to stop, liten, learn and assess what has already occurred among members. Not surprisingly, the latest church-program fads, pumped by celebrity authors and promoted by publishing houses, usually enter the church scene through affluent suburban congregations that are looking for quick, prepackaged fixes for nearly any personal or spiritual problem. ... Instead, the preacher has to grow in faith along with the congregation so that preaching becomes part of the shared spiritual journey of the church. ... Sincerity has to be transparent. (page 55)
Suburbanites are not inclined to follow a preacher who is constantly complaining and whining about the church or some of its members. (page 57)
Suburban congregations tend to want preaching that reaches the heart as well as the head. (page 58)
Every time I prepare a message, I ask myself how it will help the hearer and worshiper experience the presence of God as well as better grasp the relevance of biblical truth. (page 61)
Predictability (in preaching) is not very stimulating, exciting, or comprehensive. It can squelch the psiritual connections among Word, preacher and listener. ... (Suburban congregants appreciate) new experiences and creative endeavors. (page 62)

Sometimes it feels this way, don't it

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:11:00 +0000

I sometimes wish my computer came with a "smite" button.

TGIF: Aug. 22, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 20:03:00 +0000

I learned today that I won't lose my job. Well, eventually I will lose my job, but not just yet. God's in charge.

This is Friday so this must be time to tour the Internet:

6 million African muslims convert to Christianity, this story says. That has some muslim leaders worried.
Mobil-ize your church and its website. How mobile is your website, anyway? If not so much, this site can help.
Speaking of, there's an I-Phone Bible.
Al Hsu, an editor at Intervarsity and author of "The Suburban Christian: Finding Spiritual Vitality in the Land of Plenty" gets interviewed and recently appeared in Philly-land at Todd Heistand's church. Todd's church, by the way, did a suburban mission trip.
I posted links HERE to the first four parts of a Mark Steffey's series on "Pints and Saints," an argument for using alcohol to connect with those who are lost. Here are links to Part V, Part VI, Part VII and Part VIII. I offer these article not to necessarily say I agree with the author, but I think it's important for us to understand why we hold certain values, not all of which are biblical. Stuart Briscoe once commented that he found it interesting that German believers (Martin Luther) drink, English believers (C.S. Lewis) smoke, and American believers do neither. I think the discussion here is thought-provoking in light of our call to reach our generation with the Gospel.
Joshua Harris' "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" is being used as a text book at Boston University, this article says.

'Epic' -- Out of Context

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 01:25:00 +0000

"We can be heroes, just for one day." -- David Bowie, "Heroes"

I'm reading three books right now, which is my ideal, although I don't always do it.

The plan is that I read one book for entertainment and relaxation, usually a novel or history, that helps me wind down at the end of the day. Currently, that book is "People of the Book," by Geraldine Brooks, a novel about a restorer of an ancient Bible.

The second book is one that's about the church or how to do church -- evangelism, outreach, ministry, etc. I usually read this book during my lunch or in the middle of the day. Currently that book is "The Suburban Church" by Arthur DeKruyter, excerpts of which I have published on this blog.

The third book is one that helps me in my spiritual walk with God. A devotional, for instance. I usually read this in the morning after my quiet time. That book currently is "Epic: The Story God is Telling and the Role that is Yours to Play" by John Eldredge. The thesis is that God is writing a story and he's its hero, and he wants us to play a part in the story. "For most of us, life feels like a movie we've arrived to 40 minutes late" and we spend most of our life trying to figure out what the story's about. So I thought I'd share a couple gleanings from "Epic":

"We go to movies (or read novels, etc.) to live in a fictional reaity that illuminates our daily reality." (page 5, quote from Robert McKee)
"But in order to make you understand (me), to give you my life, I must tell you a story." -- (page 6, quote from Virginia Woolf
"Science does not provide the answers most of us require. Its story of our origins and our end is, to say the least, unsatisfactory. To the question, 'How did it all begin?,' science answers, 'Probably by an accident.' To the question, 'How till it all end?', science answers, 'Probably by an accident.' And to many people, the accidental life is not worth living." -- (page 9, quote from Neil Postman, "Science and the Story We Need")

While we're on the topic of epics and heroes, which Bible here are you? I'm a Peter. Take the quiz.

Happy 32nd Anniversary

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 22:50:00 +0000

Let me tell ya 'bout my baby
Ya know she comes around
She's about 5-feet-4
From her head to the ground
-- Van Morrison, Gloria

I forgot to mention that last week was the 32nd anniversary of being married to the same woman, that being my wife, Vicki. That's her in the picture, a few years ago. On a recent trip back to our home town, my daughter, Torrey (the one on Vicki's lap), and I went to the public library. A beautiful Carnegie library built about 100 years ago. I had work to do in the geneaology department while Torrey used the computer. Right above her, on a mezzanine, I told Torrey, was the table where I fell in love with her mother back when we were in high school, about 35 years ago. Vicki and I talked that night for a long time, I remember. I got home late and my parents were upset. I told them I was talking with Vicki, surprising myself by my candor. That night I asked Vicki to go to a St. Patrick's Day party with me at Mary Leavy's house that weekend. She said yes. The rest is history.

And she really is 5-feet-4, from her head to the ground.

More Church in Suburbia

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:10:00 +0000

With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the Lord; and in the midst of many I will praise Him. For He stands at the right hand of the needy, to save him from those who judge his soul. -- Psalm 109:30-31

Some gleanings (with my comments in parentheses) from "The Suburban Church," by Arhtur H. DeKruyter:

"Loving, faithful churches grow organically out of the sincere desires and shared dilemmas of the members and visitors. ... A congregation has to figure out how to grow where planted. More accurately, the people themselves have to use the quandry of growth as an opportunity to learn to be faithful where they have been called and rooted." -- Page 27 (A lot of people in churches spend their time fretting over what we should be and how we should do things. Our mission, as I see it, is to be part of the culture in which we find ourselves. To be part of the fabric of the community. To paraphrase Pogo, we have seen whom we are trying to reach and it is us.)
Suburbanites are motivated from within; demand dependability; practice specialized ways of thinking tied to a reverence for experts and authorities who really know what they are talking about; are goal oriented; are committed to excellence; are confidently enthusiastic about the future; tend to have significant family problems and frustrations. -- Page 30-33. (In our community, which was absorbed into a metro area relatively recently but was a stand-alone rural community beforehand, there is tension between suburbanites who demonstrate these qualities and long-time residents who do not.)
"So many pastors end up either trying to do everything themselves or giving too much responsibility to volunteers without adequate training and organization. Both scenarios can mire a church in stress and conflict, leading to unmet promises, disappointed volunteers, scapegoating and general disillusionment about the future of the church." -- Page 40. (Seen it. Lived it.)

Grace

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 03:04:00 +0000

"When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul." -- Psalm 94:19

Nothing funny today, just comforting. Like God's grace. I may be laid off my job this week, but God is loving and strong, which is an awesome combinaton.

To Make You Feel My Love

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 01:53:00 +0000

This song makes me think of the love Jesus has for us and for his call to reciprocate his love.

"God demonstrates his love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." -- Romans 5:9

"For the love of Christ drives us on. For we are convinced that one died for all, therefore all died and those that live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died and rose again on their behalf." -- 2 Cor. 5:14-15

Jesus Saves

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 02:35:00 +0000

A cheerful heart is good medicine. -- Proverbs 17:22

So God gave us a sense of humor, right? What evidence of Jesus' sense of humor can you find in the Bible:

At age 12..... He looks up to see Mary and Joseph looking for Him and responds.... But I thought you said I was old enough for a sleep-over.
Jesus says to the twelve, "OK, a priest, a minister and a rabbi are golfing," and then, looking at their blank stares, says, "Try this one. A duck walks in a bar . . ."
So He asks the apostles "who was the first man to walk on water?" Peter replies "Why You were, Master." Jesus says, "bzzzt, wrong answer..... it was you Peter, while you trusted in Me. Yes, I was first.... but I am God."
Joseph tells the 12 year old Jesus "Young Man if you ever put Your Mother and I through this again, I will give you something to think about." Jesus says, "You're not my real father. Would you like to meet my real Father?"

Any evidence of Jesus' humor that you can see? For real?

In the meantime, how about these other religion-related jokes?:

Did you hear the one about the militant Unitarian who burned question marks on people's lawns?
Did you hear the one about the Buddhist who asked the hot dog vendor to make him one with everything?
The 1st century Christians drove Hondas. They were, after all, gathered in one Accord.
Did you ever see "The Greatest Action Story Ever Told"? Some people just don't understand the Gospel no matter how many times you explain it to them. "The meek shall inherit the action."

TGIF: Aug. 8, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:17:00 +0000

Let the sea roar, and all it contains, the world and those who dwell in it. -- Psalm 98:7

I'm fighting a cold, worrying a little bit, I'll admit, about losing my job and feeling under the pile in a general way. But I'm going to try an roar a bit today.

Here's some of my findings this week from the Internet:

A little late perhaps, but here's an excerpt from a 2005 interview with Bono on the Old Testament, Elvis and grace.
God loves a good party.
Some churches need to stop worrying about being great and just focus on being good.
How to spend a day alone with God. Or how about just having a cup of coffee with Jesus.
Brett Favre is a Jet.

Grace

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:25:00 +0000

"When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul." -- Psalm 94-19

Nothing funny this Monday. Just a little comfort. God knows. God cares. God is gracious. He's loving. And He's powerful. He can't be stopped.

TGIF: Aug. 1, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:15:00 +0000

How great are your works, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep! -- Psalm 92:5

We closed on our house this week and moved from a 1,900 square-foot, 4-bedroom, 1 bath house to a 1,200 sq.-ft., 2 br, 2 ba, apartment. I'm still sore from moving and we still have lots of boxes of tickey tack to unpack. And now it's increasingly looking like I may be laid off in the next week or two. My preference would be to keep my job for another year or so, but God may be accelerating the timetable for me to change careers. We're riding the wave because the decisions are not really in my hands.

This week, from the Internet:

The oldest living Bible is going to be put back together online.

The American Bar Association picks the 25 greatest legal movies of all time. Also interesting is an article from the ABA on ""How I Learned to Litigate at the Movies."

Mark Steffey is writing a series of articles, titled "Pints and Saints," about how Christians shoujld use bar culture to reach their communities for Christ. You can read Part 1 HERE, Part 2 HERE, Part 3 HERE and Part 4 HERE.

NASA TV has film of the total eclipse of the sun, in case you missed it. The heavens declare the glory of God.

Church in Suburbia

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 21:41:00 +0000

I realize I haven't been posting lately, leaving the many fans of this blog in the lurch. So I thought I'd throw something up here. To catch you up, we sold our house and moved to an apartment. I'm loving it.

I just started reading a new book, "The Suburban Church: Practical Advice for Authentic Ministry" by Arthur DeKruyter. Here are some excerpts:

Suburban churches can and should reach millions of people, disciple generations of Christians, steward billions of dollars, parent tens of thousands of new congregations, and advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the hundreds of nations on our Earth. (Leith Anderson, in the Forward, page xiv)
The suburbs are increasingly fertile soil for growing churches that are incarnational (based on strong, relational, localized ministry), indigenous (growing out of specific suburban culture), historic (premised on ancient biblical, theological, and even confessional Christian faith) and intentional (carefully as well as creatively developed from core beliefs as well as solid biblical vision). (the Introduction, page xviii
Suburban believers are exilic people too (1 Peter 2). People come to the suburbs from the city, or at least from other suburbs. (Albert Hsu, "The Suburban Christian") advocates a recovery of the "parish concept" in suburban church ministry. If suburbs are a kind of spiritual wilderness, they are also places wehrre aliens can rediscover faith and faithful community life. (Pages 4-5)
Listen (to those whom you seek to serve), not to yourself, or to other ministers or church experts. (Page 8)
What is the community already saying about you? What are the 3 strongest felt needs among members of your community? ... What "story" does our worship convey to visitors? ... What is your church's "story"? How and where are you telling that story? (Pages 10, 16 and 21)
Rather than assuming that we had all of the right answers ... we would grow with our neighbors, learning together what it meant to be faithful suburbanites. (Page 27)

TGIF, July 18, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:23:00 +0000

Hit my heart with a hammer
Turn it to shattered glass
Remake me, a mosaic
Bits of beauty and grace.
-- "Hit My Heart With a Hammer"

Paul wrote:

"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions. ... For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." -- Eph. 2:4-5, 10

Just a reminder to me today that God is still working on me and there's more where that came from.

Here is some fruit from my wanderings through the ether in recent days:

"Deciding without Dividing" talks about keeping the peace in church while making tough decisions.

Here's a blog for women in positions of church leadership.

Help some kids get out of the city this summer through the Fresh Air Fund.

The tendency is to read the Book of Proverbs as a list of unrelated sayings. This blog argues that it should be read as a piece to be fully appreciated. When we don't approach Proverbs the way it should be, we drift toward verse jacking, which we often are guilty of committing when we read others parts of God's Word.

Blog Out of Ur wonders whether the true biblical basis for "felt needs marketing" by the church is not so much to validate our mission but to accomplish our mission. If so, "our good works need to be more than smart PR or marketing. They too must have some intrinsic gospel validity—a worthiness beyond validating our verbal proclamation," the author says. Of course, is marketing even in the Bible?

Finally, one writer wonders (as do many others), what is a missional church? I like what he says here:

A missional understanding of the church places us within a historical context. It removes the ticket to heaven pressure that the Western Evangelical Church has placed upon itself. Missional people recognize that God is on the move in our villages, towns and cities. We need to engage with Him in what He's doing. Rather than building big box church warehouses that "vacuum cleaner up all the surrounding Christians" (to paraphrase Al Roxburgh @ the end of the video, Three Churches and a New Age Mall) and calling that the Church, we are to be the leaven that permeates our neighborhoods with the lived-out good news of Jesus Christ.
This is not a two-year, three-year, five-year or even ten-year plan. This is a lifetime's engagement with the communities where we have been strategically
placed by the hand of God. We may see a great awakening that happens in our very midst - or we may be like David Livingston and Hudson Taylor - who never got to see the incredible harvest that came from the seeds they planted. But our call is to be the hands, feet and voice of Jesus as we live amongst the people who
are our neighbors. I believe that is what missional is.

Only Two More Lawn Mowings Left After Today

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:12:00 +0000

"Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap." -- Ecclesiastes 11:4

We have two weeks before we close on our home sale and get out of our house, assuming everything goes according to plan. Today I mow my lawn. That means I only have to mow that hill in front two more times until we're out of here. We've found an apartment we're downsizing to. Our decision to downsize may be serendipitous -- aka, a God thing -- because my company has announced a 10% downsizing and my job could be on the chopping block. They're offering a "sweetened" voluntary buyout. The deadline for accepting the buyout is two days before our closing. God is so funny. By the end of the month, we may be without a house and without a job. But this all could be an opportunity that perhaps we should seize. We're confident God will work it out.

We went to a family reunion this past weekend and I gave a presentation on how a DNA test of my Dad showed that we're descended from Norse Vikings and that our first ancestor to come to England probably arrived during the Norman conquest. Oooh ra!! As someone said, "That explains a lot."

Some more from "In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day," by Mark Batterson, which I've just about finished:

People who live in prayer mode are watchmen. They see farther than others see. They see things before others see them. And they see things other people don't see. (Page 135)
The Aramaic word for prayer, "slotha," means "to set a trap." Prayer helps us catch the opportunities God throws our way. (Page 136)
We are called to conform to Christ. And Christ was a non-conformist. (Page 151)
Maturity doesn't equal conformity. In too many churches, holiness is equated with cultural conformity. (Page 151)
"Neoteny (the retention of youthful qualities by adults) is the rentention of those wonderful qualities that we associate with youth: curiosity, playfulness, eagerness, fearlessness, warmth, energy . ... open, willing to take risks, hungry for knowledge and experience, courageious, eager to see what the new day brings." -- quoted from "Geeks and Geezers" (Page 154, see Matthew 18:3)

The Funniest Joke In The World

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 21:01:00 +0000

"A cheerful heart is good medicine." -- Proverbs 17:22

If you're going to die, you might as well die laughing.

I could use a good laugh today. How about you?

TGIF: July 4, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:16:00 +0000

“If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.” — Paul to the followers of Jesus in Philippi (Philippians 2:1-4, The Message)

Some gleanings from the world wide web:

Another article on why renting may make more sense than buying.

Journalistic principles are vital to effective evangelism, this blog contends. Speaking of journalism, the industry is tanking. Who knows when it's going to hit bottom. It makes one wonder, "Should I take the buyout?"

The '60s are fading as liberal professors retire, this article says.

Someone asks, can program-based churches grow disciples?

And, what can church leaders learn from literature?

Finally, in an article on helping church members connect with unbelievers, this challenging little exercise is suggested:

If you want to check the pulse of your church's evangelism, try this simple exercise with your church members. Ask them to write two lists:
1. The names of ten believers with whom they are close enough that they could share a prayer concern with them;
2. The names of ten non-believers with whom they are close enough that they might share the gospel with them.

TGIF: June 27, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:52:00 +0000

"Make the most of your regrets; never smother your sorrow, but tend and cherish it till it comes to have a separate and integral interest. To regret deeply is to live afresh." -- Henry David Thoreau, quoted in "In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day"

"Hell begins the day God grants you the vision to see all that you could have done, should have done, would have done, but didn't do." -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, ibid

The buyers had an inspection at our house yesterday. It took 4 hours! We weren't allowed in, of course. We, and the dog, had to cool our heals elsewhere. This process is stressful and exciting. We've never been through it before so this is all new to us. I have to admit it's been difficult for me to concentrate on things lately, including God's Word. I do seem to be in an attitude of prayer, however, with my basic prayer being, "Help!" but also, "Lord teach me through this experience." All I can do is do what's right and not falter and trust in Him because He cannot be stopped:

"I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me." -- Psalm 57:2

Here are some things I found on the world wide web this week:

Americans tell George Barna what defines the American Dream. It turns out that what Americans want really hasn't changed much over the last quarter century.

One news photographer confesses to a hoax. Another commits murder (and suicide) to give himself something to write about. And, meanwhile, the industry's advertising revenue is tanking.

My church is sometimes referred to as the church where the ex-Catholics go. The Catholic church has its share of problems, as this story attests. A couple of facts caught my attention, however: Mass attendance has dropped from 212,3000 five years ago to 165,100 last fall and winter in the Milwaukee Archdiocese. That's with at least 680,000 registered parishioners in a 10-county area and an unknown number of unregistered churchgoers. Where are they going on Sunday morning? Apparently, a sizable number of evangelicals are ex-Catholics.

Goodbye to George Carlin. I enjoyed his baseball vs. football routine. But I hope he's enjoying himself (NOT!) now that he's met face to face the God whom he spent a large part of his career mocking.

Great catch by a Ball Girl. Unfortunately, it's fake. Would have been cool though. THIS is not fake, however.

Jesus is big in China, as this Frontline news program showed. It featured a Chicago Tribune reporter, Evan Osnos, who wrote about what's happening with the county's estimated 70 million Christians and their effect on Christians society. Read the series of articles HERE.

Our House -- SOLD!

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:59:00 +0000

But I call to God,
and the LORD saves me.
Evening, morning and noon
I cry out in distress,
and he hears my voice.
-- Psalm 55:16-17

I mentioned in an earlier post that we've put our house up for sale. Well, after about a month and a couple dozen showings, we have an accepted offer for the price we were asking for. Now pray:

For the inspection tomorrow. That's just about our only contingency.
The appraisal, just to make sure the bank thinks our house is worth as much as the buyer thinks it is. Our Realtor is confident it won't be a problem.
That God would guide us through the closing process.
That God will find us a new place to live. We plan to rent, for reasons I explained HERE.

To close, here are some more remarks from Mark Batterson in "In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day":

Easy answers produce shallow convictons.
(Lion chasers') fear of missing out is greater than their fear of messing up.
The goal of faith is not the elimination of risk. In fact, the greatest risk is taking no risk. Isn't that the principle in the parable of the talents? ... The servant who buries his talen and breaks even is called "wicked."
If you were always to act in your greatest self-interest, you would always obey God. (Matt. 19:28-29) ... 'No one ever bet too much on a winning horse.' I know this for sure: The only regrets we'll have at the end of our lives will be that we didn't seek God more or seek God sooner. That's it.
There is no such thing as risk-free faith. And you can't experience success without risking failure.