one new branch

To do list: sign up for RTM

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Nygren) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 02:46:00 +0000

One of the apps I love and use daily is Remember the Milk. In short, it's a to-do list manager that syncs across a variety of platforms. I use it on my pc and my android phone.

Today RTM added some nice upgrades to their software. So if you're not a RTM user and you need a good task manager, now's the time to sign up.

I recommend paying for a pro account ($25/yr) but you can get along with the free version until you think it's necessary to upgrade.

Horton on 'The King Jesus Gospel'

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Nygren) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 17:37:00 +0000

There is a very thorough review posted by Michael Horton of Scot McKnight's new book Reflections on The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited. Horton has a lot of good things to say about this work, though he does express some legitimate concerns. In general though, Horton says about McKnight's book, "this is a great starter for some remarkably important conversations."

You can read the entire post by clicking here.

For more about the book see the blog tour page from Koinonia. Zondervan is also offering a sample of the book here.

Carson & Keller Have Boundary Issues

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Nygren) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 21:44:00 +0000

There is a great post from D. A. Carson and Tim Keller on The Gospel Coalition site today discussing the boundaries of evangelicalism. The post is related to the ongoing discussion related to James MacDonald and The Elephant Room (cf. DB).

As Carson and Keller state, part of the problem is that we tend to ask the wrong question when faced with these "boundary" issues.

"Sometimes this way of thinking leads to hopelessly bad questions such as, "What is the least I must believe in order to be called an evangelical?"---the answer to which often generates reductionistic approaches to evangelism and horribly emaciated lowest-common-denominator versions of the gospel. Why not rather ask, "How can I give a theologically rich definition of evangelicalism that faithfully reflects the whole counsel of God?" Worse, inside the boundary there is so little agreed tough-minded confessionalism that love for the truth and a deep knowledge of the Bible and historical and systematic theology are rarely encouraged."

To read the entire post click here. [via TC]

p.s. - I'm really looking forward to more of what Carson has to say on the topic when his book Evangelicalism is finally released.

Mohler on Mormonism

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Nygren) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 15:27:00 +0000

Albert Mohler (albertmohler.com) doesn't shy away from controversial topics, and I for one am glad he doesn't. While I don't always agree with everything he says or how he says it, his post are always well thought out and clearly written. Yesterday he tackled the hot topic of Mormonism as it relates to biblical Christianity.

"It is neither slander nor condescension to state clearly that Mormonism is not Christianity. Taking Mormonism on its own terms, one finds a comprehensive set of teachings and doctrines that are self-consciously set against historic Christianity. The larger world may be confused about this, but biblical Christians cannot make this error, for we are certain that the consequences are eternal."

You can read the rest of his post here.

A Funny Little Thing Called 'Faith', Part II

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Nygren) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 16:48:00 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

What is true of real estate is equally true of a person's faith: it's all about location, location, location.

In my last submission to this column I stated that the word "faith" is a verb that requires an object when it is used in a sentence. To speak of faith merely as a thing all by itself is too confusing for conversation. So, with some help from the word "in" we are able to bridge the gap between the act of faith and its object. But even if we successfully build this bridge we are going to want to know if the bridge is worth crossing. We will want to know just what, or who is on the other side.

According to the story of the Bible (and by story I do not mean to suggest that it is fictional) the object on the other side of the bridge is God Himself. Actually, to tweak the analogy just a bit, the picture that the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments presents is one of a grand chasm where we humans are on one side and where God is on the other. The story of the Bible tells us that at one time this chasm or spiritual separation did not exist. There was a time when a bridge between people and a holy God was unnecessary. In fact, the first couple pages of the Bible describe a relationship that the first humans had with God that was absolutely perfect. But then we read that something happened; everything changed.

Theologians will tell you that what happened was that sin entered the world and what changed was the perfect divine-human relationship that was once enjoyed. The theologians are correct but we need to be clear on what all this means. When I say that the Bible speaks of sin entering the world, try not to picture sin as some foreign object, falling from the sky, entering our world like a meteor from outer space. Sin entered the world through the rebellious hearts of the first man and woman. Sin has ruled over the hearts of every man and woman ever since. (Well, all except for one man, but we will get to that). In our hearts there is an ongoing attempt to "degod" God, that is an attempt to remove God from power and to assume that role for ourselves.

You can imagine what rebelliousness does to a relationship! You've heard the expression, "don't go burning any bridges," haven't you? Well, according to the story of the Bible that is exactly what each and every one of us has done. The trouble we now face is that even if we wanted to rebuild the bridge, no one on our side of the separation is qualified to make the repairs. We are stuck on this side of the chasm and that is a hell of a place to be (pun intended). But knowing we are stuck and lacking the repair qualifications can't prevent us from attempting to engineer our own solution.

The process is pretty universal. First, we deny that there is really anything wrong with us. We won't let a little thing like a grand chasm trouble us. Second, we get angry and shout, "This isn't fair! If God is so good, why didn't He keep us out of this mess in the first place?" Then third, we begin to bargain with God. We try to calculate just how many Sundays in church or how many good deeds will convince God to look the other way at our rebellious hearts. Whether we realize it or not we are all grieving the loss of a relationship with our Creator. It is then and only then that we will come to the realization that the bridge needs to be built from the other side in order to reach us on our end.

So what does all this talk about objects of prepositions, bridges, and the story of the Bible have to do with that funny little thing we call "faith"? As I said at the beginning, what is true of real estate is equally true of person's faith: it's all about location, location, location.

The bridge is the central picture in the story of the Bible. The New Testament writers used the word "gospel" to describe this picture. This "gospel" or "good news" that these New Testament authors announced is the message that God has indeed built a bridge from His side of the chasm over to us. What might surprise us is that His bridge is neither a thing like a religious system or a code of ethics, nor is it a place like a temple or a church. The bridge is actually a person, and that person is His Son, Jesus Christ. The good news of the gospel is that God has accomplished the necessary work of reconciliation between Himself and rebellious humanity that both satisfies His justice and expresses the fullness of His love.

There are still two questions that I need to answer yet. First, how exactly has God accomplished this divine-human reconciliation, and second, is this "bridge" truly worthy of our trust, that is, is Jesus a worthy object of our faith? But with my allotted writing space having nearly run out, I must postpone the conclusion of my argument until my next submission. And so again I say, "To be continued..."

[This column was originally written for and published in the August 31, 2011 edition of the EV Star, North English, IA]

A Funny Little Thing Called 'Faith'

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Nygren) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 16:43:00 +0000

Cover of Schoolhouse Rock! (1973 TV Series)

Faith is a funny word. I don't mean funny in the sense that it makes you giggle when you say it (like 'dipthong') or that if you say it repeatedly it doesn't sound like a real word any more (like 'phalange'). What I mean is that the word 'faith' is one that carries multiple meanings. Sometimes it is hard to know just how a person is using the word in a given instance.

For example, we might talk about 'faith' categorically, such as, "There were many different 'faiths' represented at the community event." We might even be bold enough (since discussing religion and politics is culturally taboo) to ask someone, "Tell me about your 'faith' tradition, are you religious?"

We sometimes use the word faith in a quantitative sense, "It is going to take a lot of 'faith' for me to get on that airplane!" or "I couldn't muster up enough 'faith' to confront my boss."

The word 'faith' can also be used in contexts where someone's character is either being praised or scolded. You might know someone who visits the same coffee shop every day, at exactly the same time, and orders the exact same beverage. We call that person a 'faithful' customer. On the other hand a cheating spouse is labeled 'unfaithful' because of his or her marital misconduct.

I could go on with other examples but I will attempt to make my point. How do we know what people are talking about when conversations turn to the topic of 'faith'. What exactly does the victim of a terrible tragedy mean when they for example, say, "It was my 'faith' that carried me through this difficult time"? How should my congregation understand me when I tell them that the Bible says we are to be 'people of faith' or that a Christian is someone who has placed their 'faith' in Jesus Christ?

If we go back to our early days in school, when we were first taught English grammar we may remember hearing something about prepositions. Prepositions are those little words that typically point us to a location (yes, they can point to time and relationship too but bear with me). So when we first were learning to read we said that, "The cat is on the mat" or that we would not eat green eggs and ham "in a box or with a fox." (If you're still a bit rusty on prepositions be sure to review the classic episodes of School House Rock.)

Now if we are building a sentence to help us better understand what faith is we might say something like, "I (the subject) have (the verb) faith (the direct object) in (a preposition)..." What we need now is what our English teachers called "the object of a preposition."

You see, faith requires an object. You can't just have 'faith' by itself, that is unless you are talking about "the faith" as in "Keep the faith!" or you are talking about that girl whose name is Faith. Thanks to that little two-letter word "in" we know that there must be another noun (person, place or thing) that tells us where that faith is located.

We could say then that 'faith' is the trust that a person has in a certain object (something or someone) based on what they believe to be true about that object. For example, imagine you were about to board a flight at the airport when you notice that your pilot is yawning uncontrollably and is complaining to his co-workers about how he hasn't slept in days. Then you happen to notice out the window that someone appears to be patching up sections of the plane with duct tape. Would you take your seat? My guess is no, you would not deem this situation travel-worthy.

Now according to the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments (a claim that is worth verifying), the most worthy object of a person's faith is in God Himself and in His Son Jesus Christ. But that doesn't tell us much, does it? We might reply by asking, "Faith to do what? Why should I trust God? Why is Jesus worthy of faith?" Based on my definition of faith stated above we would have to somehow demonstrate that God and/or Jesus are worthy of faith by showing that we could trust them to do what they claim to be able to do for us because of what we believe to be true about them.

And that's what I hope to demonstrate next time. To be continued...

[This column was originally written for and published in the July 20, 2011 edition of the EV Star, North English, IA]

Feed the Sheep!

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Nygren) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 13:45:00 +0000

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One of the books that I picked up recently is The Work of the Pastor by William Still. On the subject of preaching and teaching Still offers this advice to pastors:

It is to feed the sheep on such truth that men are called to churches and congregations, whatever they may think they are called to do. If you think that you are called to keep a largely worldly organisation, miscalled a church, going, with infinitesimal does of innocuous sub-Christian drugs or stimulants, then the only hope I can give you is to advise you to give up the hope of the ministry and go and be a street scavenger; a far healthier and more godly job, keeping the streets tidy, than cluttering the church with a lot of worldly claptrap in the delusion that you are doing a good job for God. The pastor is called to feed the sheep, even if the sheep do no want to be fed He is certainly not to become an entertainer of goats. Let goats entertain goats, and let them do it out in goatland. You will certainly not turn goats in to sheep by pandering to their goatishness. Do we really believe that the Word of God, by His Spirit, changes, as well as maddens men? If we do, to be evangelists and pastors, feeders of the sheep, we must be men of the Word of God. (p, 23, underlining mine)

Back from TCG11

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Nygren) — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 01:13:00 +0000

I spent today catching up after an incredible week in Chicago at this year’s The Gospel Coalition conference. It will take a few days to fully recover, but it will be worth it. After attending the 2009 “Evangelical All-Star Game” I knew I had to go back. I wasn’t disappointed.

Everything about the event was incredible. The speakers were top notch, the music was outstanding, and the bookstore was nearly overwhelming. I was fortunate to be one of the minority who also got to be a part of this year’s Band of Bloggers event.

Eventually much of the conference content will make its way online. What you won’t get online however are the intangibles of a conference like this. I met pastors and leaders from all over the country. There were some of those “small-world” connections that inevitably happen in such larges crowds. It was encouraging to see the tell-tale lanyards on the train, in the restaurants, and even in the airport. I guess what I’m saying is that it was very encouraging to see so many people (many of who were “younger”) all on the same team.

I’ll be back in 2013. Make plans now to be there too. You’ll be glad you did.

How Far is Too Far?

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Nygren) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 00:21:00 +0000

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How far is too far? It’s a good question. It’s also a question that makes all the difference depending on why a person is asking. It’s a question that James McDonald asked in The Elephant Room.

I came a little to the party so I missed the original broadcast. Thankfully Harvest Bible Chapel has been posting clips from the event on their vimeo site. The latest is a discussion between McDonald, Mark Driscol, and Perry Noble. The topic: Was it right for Noble to use AC/DC’s song Highway to Hell as a lead in to his sermon?

Highway to Hell - Part 1 from Harvest Bible Chapel on Vimeo.

After watching this clip I googled “Perry Noble Highway to Hell” and found the video of the music performance on YouTube.

NewSpring Band performs AC/DC's "Highway to Hell"

It turns out this is a bit of old news (where have I been?). This infamous sermon/rock show was a part of the Easter 2009 service. I did a bit of searching but wasn’t able to find the original audio or video aside.

Since this particular episode is old news I won’t focus on whether Noble was right or wrong in this case. The question I am more interested in is the one McDonald raised at the end of the video clip: how far is too far? What are the boundaries of acceptable methodology for reaching people for Jesus Christ? For some the question is about how much leash they can have before they needed to be pulled back. For others it is a hedge of protection, guarding against voiding the gospel message by our actions.

So I will pose the question: How far is too far when it comes to using our creativity to expand the reach of the gospel?

Knowing God–audiobook review

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Nygren) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 02:43:00 +0000

The first time that I read J.I. Packer’s Knowing God I was a first-year seminary student. The book was a required text for my systematic theology course. As I listened to this audiobook I was reminded of how I felt back then—this book doesn’t read like a textbook. But that’s what you have with Packer’s Knowing God, a top notch systematic theology work that is not only readable, but hard to put down (or in this case, hard to hit pause on the iPod).

While Packer doesn’t hit every subject under the heading of systematic theology, he does touch on a number of topics beyond the doctrine of God. Packer helps the reader (or listener) think through such subjects as God’s revelation through Scripture, the Trinity, the person and work of Jesus Christ, and soteriology (the doctrine of salvation).

When I read a book or listen to an audiobook I am always looking for that “worth-the-price-of-admission” factor. Not every book has it, but the best ones often do. For Knowing God it is Section Three, Chapter 18: The Heart of the Gospel. Packer tackles the the term propitiation, a word that can scare readers. But Packer not only unpacks the term, he explains the whole concept in such a way that provides the reader with a better sense of how atonement relates to the gospel. Chapter 18 is certainly worth the price of admission. (Apparently others felt the same way. The chapter was included in In My Place Condemned He Stood: Celebrating the Glory of the Atonement by Packer and Mark Dever.)

As an audiobook Knowing God is an easy listen. The length of the chapters lend themselves to be manageable track lengths. The narrator (Simon Vance) does a good job of giving a voice to Packer’s text, one that keeps the listener engaged.

[Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from christianaudio.com as part of their christianaudio Reviewers Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.]

Can’t wait for BoB

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Nygren) — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 20:29:00 +0000

If you haven’t registered either for The Gospel Coalition 2011 Conference or the Band of Bloggers event, stop reading this and do it now. Did I mention there will be free books?

Kevin DeYoung reviews Love Wins by Rob Bell

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Nygren) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 15:56:00 +0000

I just finished reading Kevin DeYoung’s review of the now controversial, soon to be released book by Rob Bell, Love Wins. The review is long (available also as a 20 page PDF) but worth the time it takes to read. The review is not only helpful for understanding Bell’s theology of the afterlife, it also traces the book’s departure from orthodox Christology, eschatology, and as DeYoung suggests most egregiously from the doctrine of God.

“At the very heart of this controversy, and one of the reasons the blogosphere exploded over this book, is that we really do have two different Gods. The stakes are that high. If Bell is right, then historic orthodoxy is toxic and terrible. But if the traditional view of heaven and hell are right, Bell is blaspheming. I do not use the word lightly, just like Bell probably chose “toxic” quite deliberately. Both sides cannot be right. As much as some voices in evangelicalism will suggest that we should all get along and learn from each other and listen for the Spirit speaking in our midst, the fact is we have two irreconcilable views of God.”

DeYoung’s review is well written and without having read Bell’s book yet myself, appears to be very comprehensive. Yet what shines forth most clearly from this review is DeYoung’s grace and charity toward Bell the man and his passion for pointing God’s people toward a right understanding of Biblical truth.

“I have not spent hours and hours on this review because I am out to get another pastor. I may be a sinner, but with four young children and a very full church schedule, I have no time for personal vendettas. No, this is not about a single author or a single church. This is about the truth, about how the rightness or wrongness of our theology can do tremendous help or tremendous harm to the people of God.”

Take the time to read this review. Though DeYoung won’t be the last one to review Love Wins in the coming days, I imagine many bloggers, writers, and thinkers will be citing this helpful article.

Trust Me ;)

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Nygren) — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 01:58:00 +0000

Image by feyip via Flickr

I’m not one of the privileged few who have a pre-release copy of Rob Bell’s forthcoming book Love Wins. However, I have been reading and discussing with a local group of pastors Bell’s Jesus Wants to Save Christians. I couldn’t agree more with Carl Truman’s recent post critiquing the way Bell and others construct their arguments:

Popular books written for popular consumption are vital in the church; and Bell is to be commended for seeing that need. Further, when such books simply put forth an unexceptionable position, there is no real necessity for any scholarly apparatus; but when they self-consciously present themselves as arguing for significant or controversial paradigm shifts, the author really does need to cite sources. This is crucial because such citation allows the reader to engage in a conversation with the matter at hand. Indeed, the failure to do so actually prevents the reader from checking such for herself. In short, such an author does theology by fiat, adopting a dictatorial and high-handed approach which precludes constructive dialogue, whatever “conversational” rhetoric the author may use to describe his intentions. The message is not one of dialogue; it is rather ‘Trust me: everyone else is wrong, though I am not going to give you the means to judge their arguments for yourselves.’ That kind of approach lacks any real critical or dialogical integrity.

via JT

The Mark

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Nygren) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 12:00:00 +0000

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Perhaps sometime today (Wednesday) you might see someone with a big, black, dirty smudge on their forehead. Lest you think they were running late and missed their morning shower or that they just wiped their brow after unloading a load of coal, know that smudge was put there on purpose.

Today many of our brothers and sisters in Christ in other denominations will be marking the beginning of Lent. Ash Wednesday has marked the start of this holy season for centuries. Traditionally Ash Wednesday and the Lenten season are celebrated in preparation for Easter.

I remember one day walking back from class on my college campus seeing a group of students just coming out of a church service (the denomination doesn't matter), bearing the mark of the black smudge. What troubled me was that I knew some of these same students and that what I knew of their lifestyle seemed inconsistent with such a mark of repentance. "What hypocrites!" I thought to myself.

The funny thing about hypocrisy, as the old saying goes, "It takes one to know one."

It may be the case that because of our tradition none of us reading these words will attend an Ash Wednesday service or will receive the mark of the cross on our foreheads. But how many of us will wear a cross necklace to work? How many have a silver fish or clever Christian bumper-sticker on the back of our car? Who will dust and straighten up the Christian artwork hanging the wall in their home? None of these are wrong, but do they accurately depict who we are? What are the distinguishing marks of a Christian believer?

Shortly after a meal with his disciples where Jesus identified Judas as his betrayer, the Master once again told the Twelve he would soon be leaving them. And so, Jesus issued a new commandment to his disciples:

"Love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35, ESV)

Of all the things Jesus could have said about what will make his followers stand out from the rest of the world, Jesus picked love. Love seems to be one of the most generic human characteristics, and yet Jesus says it will be uniquely demonstrated in those who truly belong to him. What's so unique about "Christian" love? Jesus says the uniqueness will be seen in how we love one another.

It's not hard to love. Jesus said that even sinners are capable of loving others (Luke 6:32). But sinners typically only love the loveable. Sinners love if and only they are loved in return. What if God loved us this way? What if Jesus' sacrificial love was given only to those who were loveable? Scripture tells us that none of us are loveable and therefore none of us would ever know God's saving grace (Ps 130:3; Rom 3:10).

So what then is the distinguishing mark of a Christian? Christ-like love. Love that has nothing to do with favoritism or personal gain. How else could Jesus ever love Judas? How else could Jesus ever love you or me? This is love that says, "I put you first, not because you are good or loveable or even of benefit to me, but because I am Jesus' disciple" (Php 2:3)

Smudge or no smudge we know that tomorrow there will be people out there bearing the distinguishing mark of Jesus Christ. Will you be one of them? How will anyone know?

[This post was written for the Cornerstone EFC Around the Corner weekly newsletter for March 9, 2011]

Worship or Fellowship? Which takes priority?

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Nygren) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:00:00 +0000

Cover via Amazon

I can’t stop thinking about this quote from Donald Miller the author of the book Blue Like Jazz:

"Sunday morning church service is not an enormous priority; spending time with other believers is," he says. "Some people associate Sunday morning with God. One of the things I associate with God is a sunrise. How many sunrises have you missed over the years, and God created that?” [Born-again rebel Don Miller reveals 'best sermon I ever heard' by John Blake, CNN]

Statements like this one show that for many people church is merely something you do or something you attend. The return on the investment is expected to be low. This leads people to assume that there must some more fruitful spiritual experience out there.

I understand that church “services” can easily become impersonal if pastors and leaders are not thinking much about the purpose of that hour. I agree that spending time with believers, which is an essential of the Christian life, takes on a different form in church versus outside of the church. I simply don’t see how Miller can think that congregational worship and spending time with believers are mutually exclusive. They are both, to use his words, “enormous priorit[ies]” and can happen together in a healthy church environment.

The Hole in Our Gospel – audiobook review

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Nygren) — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 23:02:00 +0000

How does the president of a company that produces fine tableware find himself at the helm of a Christian organization dedicated to alleviating poverty and its symptoms? This is the story of Richard Stearns, the president of World Vision, Inc. and the author of The Hole in Our Gospel (audiobook read by Tommy Creswell).

Stearns’ book is a detailed account of his personal journey leading to his position at the head of World Vision. While the book does trace his career path, the narrative has more to do with the change of heart that occurred over time to bring him to such a role.

The author’s compassionate heart is present in every chapter. Listening to Stearns describe the current state of poverty in our world, it is hard not to be drawn in emotionally. Perhaps this was part of his purpose in writing this book, to tug at the heart of those who might otherwise be oblivious to the living conditions that many outside of our context know as “normal”.

Because I listen to my audiobooks mostly while driving, I was able to listen to a large portion of this book during a period when I happened to be in the car a lot. One doesn’t need to listen in a single sitting (rarely do any of us have that luxury of time to spend anyway). I found that the chapter division would be good stopping points to take the book in pieces.

While I did find much of the book very interesting and engaging, I have to admit that I am somewhat distracted by the book’s title. With the subject matter of the book it could be easy to leave someone with the impression that compassion for the poor is an essential element of the gospel. A person could wonder about his status in Christ if he doesn’t share the same level of concern for the things Stearns and others do. The “hole” isn’t in our gospel, it is in our understanding of how the gospel moves us to love our neighbors as ourselves.

If in the all this book does is to poke a hole (no pun intended) in our Christian bubble so that we become more aware of the economic state of the rest of the world, then I think Stearns has done his job. The author’s argument and presentation isn’t flawless but it is still very engaging and is worth a read (or listen in my case).

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from christianaudio.com as part of their christianaudio Reviewers Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

EFCA Leadership Conference – Day 1 Review

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Nygren) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 04:10:00 +0000

Today was the first day of the 2010 EFCA Leadership Conference, at least the first day for me. Even though I’m a Buckeye by birth, it’s been a few years since I navigated downtown Columbus. So with the GPS on my cell phone navigating me I was able to get down to the Convention Center without any trouble.

After checking in I grabbed my seat for this year’s Forum on Expository Preaching. Dr. Tom Nelson first took us through Joshua 1:6-9. The obvious challenge from these verses is “be strong and courageous” but what does this really mean for us? Dr. Nelson reminded us with a variety of illustrations that we are now living in the “new normal” world. This was the world that Joshua was living in post-Moses, and this is the world we live in today, a world filled with fear.

But should we be afraid? No, not if do not turn to the right or to the left from God’s Word, for God’s Word when it’s obeyed builds courage in those who trust Him. The question we need to come to grips with is whether or not we will remain faithful in the places where God has put us?

An hour and a half was plenty to time to grab some lunch, to do some networking, and to stop by a number of information booths. I was pleased with many of the freebies being handed out including T.J. Addington’s book from NavPress, Leading from the Sandbox. Then it was back to the meeting room for the second half of the Forum.

Dr. Nelson pointed us to the New Testament and to a familiar passage of Scripture, one he warned might be too familiar to some. Dr. Nelson referred to Matthew 11:25-30 as “The Great Invitation.” In these verse we were challenged to rethink what it was that Jesus was inviting his hears to. Certainly Jesus isn’t calling us to “chill out” with him.

Jesus of Nazareth, the carpenter’s son invites us to throw off the yoke of religiosity and take his custom yoke upon our necks. His yoke might feel restrictive at first while we are still convinced that our own way is best. But as he shows us the better and causes us to cease from trying harder, that yoke of discipleship brings the transformation he promises. Lest we forget the extent of Jesus’ invitation, Dr. Nelson pointed us back to that word “all” which ought to be reflected in our churches and in our evangelism.

Were the Forum the the only event on the schedule I would have been satisfied that it alone was worth the price of admission. Throw in another freebie book, Dr. Nelson’s own Ekklesia: Rediscovering God’s Design for the Church from Cross Training Publishing and it sweetened the deal. But as every good pitch man will tell you, wait, there’s more!

After perusing some more exhibits and the NextStep Resources book table it was time to file into Battelle Hall for the Worship Service. The blend of old and new music was near perfect thanks to the band (led by a former member of PFR). Then some exciting news about not one but two church plants happening in the near future in Columbus, and a high school group who put everyone to shame for having run (yes, by foot) from Minneapolis to the conference site. This was no mere athletic feat (no pun intended), every mile was bathed in prayer.

Then EFCA President Dr. William (Bill) Hamel took the microphone (two actually). Taking us to Romans 1 and verses 16 and 17 in particular we were challenged to come back to the gospel. This gospel-centered attitude is no evangelical fad, it’s the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes. Amens peppered the audience; we who listened knew Dr. Hamel was hitting the nail on the proverbial head.

The session ended with some more great worship which unfortunately had to come to an end. I suppose we had to eat eventually. For me it meant calling it a day so I could could enjoy a meal with my in-laws. Sorry, no leftovers to share.

Wednesday will bring a new day. To some I will see you there, to others you’ll have to wade through tomorrow’s summary. That is unless I return too exhausted from the day’s events.

Biblical Literacy in Jeopardy? Googling Genesis 2:24

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Nygren) — Wed, 12 May 2010 12:55:00 +0000

Quick, what does Genesis 2:24 say? Don’t know off the top of your head? Google it. Turns out everyone had the same problem yesterday. Why? Because even last night’s Jeopardy contestants couldn’t answer what that verse says about marriage and family.

Now granted I had to stop and look up what the verse said (without Google’s help) but I certainly didn’t need a search engine to tell me what Genesis 2 was all about. As far as the overall message of the Bible is concerned this is a key chapter. What this tells me is that as a people our basic grasp of biblical themes is slipping away quickly.

Should we expect people today to know the themes of Scripture or is this no longer a reasonable assumption? If so how and where should these themes be taught? Feel free to comment and don’t worry about answering in the form of a question.

He Doesn’t Like You and I Don’t Like You Either

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Nygren) — Tue, 11 May 2010 15:46:00 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

I just came across Brian Croft’s blog called Practical Shepherding. He has a recent post there titled “How do I shepherd a church member who doesn’t like me?”

The temptation to allow frustration to lead to bitterness in these situations is hard to avoid. Here are three suggestions he offers to help shepherds to love and care for their sheep:

Take an interest in what they love and enjoy.
Seize moments to care for them in their greatest need.
Take your children when you go and visit them.

I might also add that we shepherds need to keep in mind that sometimes it isn’t so much that we are not liked but that what we say or what we represent isn’t sitting well with that troubled member. It’s not that we are troublemakers, it’s the fact that we are breaking from tradition. It’s not that we are nosy, it’s that we hit a nerve when speaking about sin.

What other advice would you add to this list? Go ahead and comment with your suggestions.

Should Mother’s Day be on the church calendar?

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Nygren) — Mon, 03 May 2010 13:33:00 +0000

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Next Sunday is Mother’s Day and once again I’ve wrestled with what emphasis to give the holiday as part of the Sunday morning worship service. Specifically the question I’ve been thinking about is what to preach on Sunday. Should there be a Mother’s Day sermon?

Expect the expected?

In truth, I do have my sermon idea picked out already for Sunday, and yes, it will be tied in with Mother’s Day. But is this an unspoken expectation? Is this holiday something we should feel obligated to acknowledge? Will Father’s Day in June get the same attention, or will dad take a backseat?

I’ve heard many opinions on this subject, some suggesting that to ignore the day is to shoot yourself in the foot, others saying the church needs to do nothing more than include mothers in the morning prayer. I suppose I take a middle ground.

Somewhere in between.

My feeling is that culturally Mother’s Day is a significant enough day that ignoring it is unwise. However, I never feel obligated to preach a Mother’s Day sermon. Sometimes the only nod is a point of application (if it’s there in the passage) directed toward mothers or parents in general. Other times it is a more traditional Mother’s Day message. Either way it has to fit in to what I already have planned for the series. I don’t think I would ever break from a series just because it’s Mother’s Day. At the same time I do take care as massage the order of a series so that an overly sensitive topic doesn’t happen to fall on that Sunday.

I know there is other wisdom out there and probably some great experience worked out in the laboratory of the pulpit. I would be curious to hear how others have dealt with this issue so be sure to comment with your two cents. And while you’re here be sure to subscribe to the blog fee in your favorite reader and link to this post on your favorite sharing site.

Scary Statistics

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Nygren) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:00:00 +0000

A story on USA Today’s website quotes some scary statistics collected from LifeWay Christian Resources about the beliefs of 18- to 29-year-olds.

72% say they're "really more spiritual than religious.”
65% rarely or never pray with others, and 38% almost never pray by themselves either.
65% rarely or never attend worship services.
67% don't read the Bible or sacred texts.
50% are unsure Jesus is the only path to heaven.

If this is true, then what does the word “spiritual” even mean?

Of those who "believe they will go to heaven because they have accepted Jesus Christ as savior":

68% did not mention faith, religion or spirituality when asked what was "really important in life."
50% do not attend church at least weekly.
36% rarely or never read the Bible.
40% believe evangelism is their responsibility.

So my question is how did the church become so irrelevant and how can we see a reverse in these trends?

Get Your Hymns Here!

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Nygren) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 02:28:00 +0000

The new album from Page CXVI is out now and you can buy the CD or download at their site. Hurry over to their site and get their first album for free this week as well.

Bonhoeffer on Justification

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Nygren) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 03:37:00 +0000

I’ve been rereading ‘The Cost of Discipleship’ by Dietrich Bonhoeffer and was struck by this statement:

“The only man who has the right to say that he is justified by grace alone is the man who has left all to follow Christ.”

9 Great Great Things About Themelios Journal

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Nygren) — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 02:19:00 +0000

The new issue of the Themelios Journal is out today. Here are 9 great things about this incredible resource.

1. The journal is a resource made possible by The Gospel Coalition.

2. General Editor and contributor D.A. Carson.

3. Three available formats: HTML, iPaper, and PDF.

4. Lots of good book reviews in each edition.

5. Cool name.

6. A variety of great contributors such as Wayne Grudem, Raymond C. Ortlund Jr., Robert W. Yarbrough, Tim Keller, Philip Graham Ryken and more!

7. Old issues are available archived on the website.

8. Available RSS feed to keep you up to date.

9. It’s free!

Just Preach It.

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Nygren) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 02:22:00 +0000

It’s inevitable. That 8 week sermon series seems like it’s going to go on forever from the perspective of that first week. But sooner or later that seventh week is upon you and you realize you only have one week of cushion before you are forced to do something new.

I am usually pretty good about knowing where I’m going next when it comes to my preaching. Typically I map out the year starting with major events on the calendar such as Easter, Christmas, perhaps Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, vacation, and so on. Then I try to fill in the gaps with series.

For some reason I think in terms of 8 week blocks. I’m not bound to it; sometimes it’s a couple more, sometime a few less. Even when I’m preaching through longer books of the Bible I try to stick to those 8 week blocks even if it means having a few sets of 8 broken up by something unique.

The hardest part isn’t the mapping process, it’s the selection process. Will this next series focus on a theme? Is it time we return to the Gospels, or the OT, or do we need to dive into an Epistle? What if I choose X and my people are in need of hearing from Y?

Here’s what I’ve learned so far in the 5 short years I’ve been preaching:

It’s not so much about what you preach as it is about what you preach.

What I mean is that most of the time finding the perfect topic or the perfect series isn’t really all that important. What is important is that God’s Word is being handled correctly and is being expounded faithfully. Since I have zero control over who happens to be in the chairs on a particular Sunday morning, why should I think for a moment the series that I designed is guaranteed to accomplish what I set out for it to do?

It’s funny how many times I’ve planned a series, often times preaching through a book of the Bible, and on a particular Sunday which I had mapped out months prior, the sermon I preach happens to be the exact thing needed to be said at the right time. I had no way of predicting the future or knowing what would need to be said months later. Under God’s mysterious, sovereign direction that sermon just came together at the right time.

Of course I plan, and of course I prayerfully ask the question “what next?” But in the end the right choice simply seems to be to just preach it.

one new branch

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Biblical Literacy in Jeopardy? Googling Genesis 2:24

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Should Mother’s Day be on the church calendar?

Expect the expected?

Somewhere in between.

Scary Statistics

Get Your Hymns Here!

Bonhoeffer on Justification

9 Great Great Things About Themelios Journal

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Just Preach It.

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