.ross Retro (09.30.08) - Our Anniversary

13 years ago today I married my beautiful wife. I cannot believe the roads we have traveled on this journey: graduate school, Maggie, YL staff, Sand Springs, Kirk on the Hill, private practice, seminary, Jay, paper routes, pool cleaning, Living Life, JDM, Richland Bible Fellowship, counseling (for us!), graduation, Wichita, Katherine, the cul-de-sac, Bethel, Tyler, middle school...

No one will know what every one of those things are, some of you will know some of them. Leslie - you know them all... and more. I love you.

As this goes to post, Leslie and I are in the air traveling to N.C. for a marriage retreat at the Cove with Howard Hendricks and Chip Ingram and their wives. We are looking forward to a great week.

Happy Anniversary - it is only the beginning!

My Friday (09.26.08)

My Friday started out as usual. We got Maggie and Jay off to school and then Leslie, Katherine and I went on a breakfast date. I also had gotten a call yesterday from my brother Elliot who said he might come over today for lunch.

Elliot showed up about 10am and then we headed over to Jay's school with an A&W Rootbeer in hand to each lunch with him. Now - I know what you are thinking, "10am and you are going up there for lunch?" Well, officially it is at 10:25am, but yes. Can you believe that? I was explaining to Elliot that Jay has a bowl of cereal before he leaves home, most mornings also takes advantage of the free breakfast that Andy Woods Elementary serves every morning, and then turns around at 10:25 and has lunch. He is living the life of a Hobbit! (Sorry for the digression!)

From brunch at Andy Woods, Elliot and I went to El Lugar for what I believe to be Tyler's finest Friday lunch destination. He was impressed. After lunch we came back to the house and played with Katherine outside for about two hours. It was her perfect day. We rode bikes, jumped on the trampoline and learned to dribble a basketball. Elliot left about 2pm, and then I took about a 45 minute nap.

Jay came home about 3 and Maggie about 4. Maggie blew in the door, grabbed her packed bag and sleeping bag and then headed back out the door to meet the Youth Group up at Bethel for her first "Work Crew Weekend" at Pine Cove. She was very excited and for the second weekend in a row I am confronted with the fact that my baby girl is growing up. (I text Mark and Marla and asked them to tell her I missed her... as long as it wouldn't be embarrassing.)

After everyone got settled, we ate dinner with the Wrights and then headed over to their house and the children played. That is a fun family and even learned a couple of things tonight.


1. If you complain about the price of the children's portion of Macaroni, the manager will come and personally hear your complaint. Now, this is a valid complaint, I was just surprised to see such boldness coming from Kristen in the moment. $3.99 for what amounts to about 1/4 of a Kraft Macaroni and Cheese box that you can buy for under $2 and feed all your children.











2. If you complain, and then are really nice to the manager, he will bring you a free chocolate dessert.






After dinner and a free dessert, Todd and I went to go see Eagle Eye. It was a fun movie. It was impossible and at the same time entertaining. But, I would have to say the best part of the evening was seeing a small group from Bethel at the movie theater. They were all there to see Fireproof. Actually, the whole community of Tyler was there to see Fireproof. It was sold out all day on two screens (big deal here in East Texas).

Well, Todd and I stopped by the group as they are standing in line to get into the show and some of the girls asked where our wives were. I explained that we left them at home and were just out to see a late movie. A guy night. Well, they looked very puzzled and even a little concerned. They asked a couple more times thinking I was kidding when it dawned on me that they thought Todd and I were there to see the Romantic, Christian Drama together. Actually, that would have been pretty funny. That would not be a guys night out, that would be a "date with a dude." -- That's not the way I roll.

Got home about 12:15. Finished getting stuff together for the CF Walk at Bergfeld Park and headed to bed. It was a great day!

OK... lots of digressions today, sorry about that. But, that's My Friday.

Under the bus!

I got thrown under the bus over @ Bethel's blog today... I filed that away and my wheels are spinning.


The New Guy

Friends

George is a great friend. One of the most creative guys I know and his
heart has been captured by the kingdom. He is also a blogger.
Check him out here.

"Going Green"

Michael Patton @ Parchment and Pen has a nice little rant today on "Green Evangelicals." It is well worth the read and he has captured my thoughts exactly! I am sure it will create quite a long "comments" trail.

An excerpt:

I just don’t get it. I am not saying don’t recycle. I am not saying don’t have environmental concerns (when legitimate). I am not saying don’t save a whale, monkey, frog, bumblebee, a flea, or a tree (to each his own). What I am saying is don’t speak with the same volume about these things as you do about human lives—about babies, children, the unprotected innocent souls. Don’t EVER speak with the same volume. There is a dichotomy—a biblical dichotomy. They don’t even belong in the same discussion. It is comparable to the condemnation of body odor of Osama Bin Laden while defending his terrorism. There are bigger issues. Much bigger issues.

It also appears that Thomas Nelson Publishers has gone "Green." - you have to be kidding me!

Bible software

One of the best things about living as a believer in the 21st century- bible software. What use to be inaccessible or takes countless hours is now available to everyone with a computer.

Desiring God has a great post on a few bible softwares and discount offers from the companies.

On Bible Software

Bible translations

Dr. Dan Wallace has weighed in on the Bible translations (ESV, NIV and NET). It is a great read and Dr. Wallace is candid and fair.

NET, NIV, ESV: A Brief Historical Comparison

HT: Benji

.ross Retro (09.23.08)

.ross Retro will continue to post on Tuesday and it will be a glimpse into something from my past... sometimes more personal than others. It will give you an insight into things that are seared into my memory. This is one of those events!
_______
Bathroom Babies

Growing up with three sisters, I saw my fair share of quarrels. Many of them were ugly (the quarrels, not the sisters). They were close enough in age that they would fight about almost anything: clothes, boys, hair care products, telephone, and the television to name of a few. But, as I remember, the fiercest battles were fought over the bathroom. Time in that small, four walled sanctuary was coveted as much as the air they breathed. I don’t remember the mirror being all that big, but they managed to fill the entire reflective space with their image.

I remember one particular afternoon when my mom was at work and my two oldest sisters were both in their early teens. There must have been some special event that evening because both of them wanted to take a bath. The conversation started out as usual, both of them making their claim that it was their turn to go first.

I don’t know who initially turned the water on, but before long the bathtub was filling and my sisters were shouting. They each had the special gift of being able to say just the right thing to really upset the other. The very next sound I heard was two doors slamming shut at opposite ends of the hall. They had gotten so mad with one another that they both had retreated to their rooms. There was only one problem… the water was still running.

My mom usually came home from work about 5:00 in the evening and this day was no different. Her ritual was to walk through the front door and hang up her coat and drop her purse. Well, the moment her purse hit the ground she knew something was terribly wrong. By this time there was over an inch of water on the south end of the house.

Each of my sisters had gone to their own rooms. One ended up falling asleep on the bed and the other got lost in a book with her headphones on. Neither of them had remembered the water was running.

All in all the water ran for almost 3 hours that afternoon. The damage was severe. All of the carpet had to be replaced, as well as the floor in the bathroom. My sisters felt terrible. Neither one could remember who actually turned the water on, but it didn’t really matter anyway. The inconvenience of them having to use the “boys bathroom” for several weeks was punishment enough. Actually, we were all punished. And although my sisters still continued to fight over the years, it was never quite as intense.

I don’t they ever forgot the incident of the bathroom babies... I know I haven't.

Thoughts on Pilgrim Psalms

The book of Psalms has long since been the hymnbook of praise. Prayer, confession, admiration, and intercession are all familiar to the psalmist. The entire book was written over a thousand years and the authors range from Moses to David to the Minor Prophets. God, his work and his word are the central themes in the collection of the psalms. While the Psalms were not written in the order they appear, they were compiled in such a way as to facilitate worship.

The key to pure living all throughout the psalms is the word of God. The “law of the Lord” is celebrated as the main ingredient for righteousness. The psalms were memorized and rehearsed whenever the covenant community of believers would gather. Whether sharing a meal, burying a family member, or making sacrifices to God, the psalms have guided believers in all manners of worship.

Psalms 120-134 are called the “Pilgrim Psalms.” As the Israelites traveled to Jerusalem for the annual feasts of the Temple, these psalms marked the physical and spiritual “steps” of this journey. Psalm 122 marks the arrival in Jerusalem. Psalms 123-134 lead the worshipper to the Temple. They were meant to be read aloud and evoke preparation for this very sacred time.

In the psalms, we see man standing before God in worship, doubt, celebration and mourning. The soul of the believer is poured out before the creator in way that remains relevant 3000 years later. The psalms instruct us on the faithfulness of God and encourage us to honestly lay our lives before his throne. We are taught to pray and sing and dance and cry out to our Lord and Savior. Thanks be to God for the psalms of the Bible.

*NOTE: thank you!

A look at 2 John - Part 3

Love
If someone were to ask you what the book of 2 John was about, the answer would be “truth and love.” I guess if someone were to ask you what being a Christian was all about, the answer would also be “truth and love.” Truth and love go hand and hand. They are weaved throughout the words and pages of scripture. In fact, in John’s writings alone (John, 1, 2, 3 John, Revelation), he uses the word love 117 times. He uses the word truth 47 times. These are major themes from the “disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 21:20). It is good to be reminded that this man who spent 3 years with Jesus writes, “Love means doing what God has commanded us…” (v.6). And what is it that God has commanded us to do? “Love one another” (v.6). Where did John get this? Look at John 13:34 “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.”

Love always involves the truth. This is especially true for Christians. We all have a variety of relationships. We are children and brothers and sisters and cousins and friends. We all have people that we are close to. There are also people that we come into contact with everyday at school or work. I believe that John is telling us that we are to love them all. That doesn’t mean that we are never going to mess up and say or do the wrong thing sometimes. Perfection is not the point.

The love that John is talking about is not complicated. I think it is as easy as sharing your life with those around you. And to the degree that your life reflects the truth of Jesus Christ, you will be loving as Christ loved. When our life is filled up with the truth of Jesus Christ we are better able to pour love into those around us. I am not talking about some weird kind of mushy love. I am talking about being yourself, with all of the gifts and ability and personality that God gave you. And then unselfishly sharing yourself with others.

Questions
1. Who in your life is hard to love?

2. Think of one thing that you can do to show that person love.

3. Spend some time praying and thanking God for the truth of his Son Jesus Christ.

My Friday (09.19.08)

The day started out uneventful. I got up early, the kids got ready for school and then Leslie, Katherine and me went on our Friday morning breakfast date. We splurged this morning and split an order of the cinnamon rolls. After breakfast we went to Walmart and bought Jay a mouthpiece in preparation for his first flag football game tomorrow.

After we got home, Katherine watched some PBS, Leslie made some phone calls and I caught up on some reading. Trying to make my way through Jack Welch's book Winning. Enjoying the book immensely and at the same time reminding myself, "the church is not a business..."

My M.O. is that I usually go to bed late on Thursday night (catching up on emails, TiVo and blog reading), especially after a late elders meeting. Then, I wake up early on Friday mornings - all in preparation for a "day off nap." I love those.

After a great nap, I mowed the yard, picked Jay up from school, finished the yard and then Jay and I played catch for about an hour while Katherine jumped on the trampoline. At about 5:45, Maggie was picked up by some of her friends and they all headed to her friends house to eat pizza, do hair and then off to their first middle school dance.

Now, I must pause here for a moment... I've stated before the 'transition' of becoming a parent of a middle school'er has been hard. This is just another step. Wow... it was just yesterday that Maggie was Katherine's age and watching PBS after Friday morning breakfast dates. The time has just flown by.

Maggie headed to the dance and Leslie, Jay and Katherine and me went to the Olive Garden to take advantage of two free kids meals. On the way home we stopped to get some ice cream and were joined by the Wrights for ice cream, story-telling, and kids playing. A great evening!

Maggie rolled in about 11 after hanging out with friends and their moms at the Whataburger for the '6th grade girls post-dance tradition.' She had a great time and didn't dance with any boys.

The house is quiet now and I'm headed to bed. I love taking Fridays off and usually have a great day of thinking, reading, napping and resting in preparation for Sunday. Today was a great Friday.


As always: *Propers to Todd Wright for the “My Friday” movement.

Michael Phelps: the early days

This was too good to pass by.

A look at 2 John - Part 2

2 John

Truth
The first thing we must notice about this letter is that John is writing it for a reason. It appears from verses 7-11 that John is concerned about “deceivers.” He even calls their work “evil” (v.11). The word that John uses here literally means “evildoers.” That is the same word that President George W. Bush used to describe the terrorists that attacked America. It is also the same word that Jesus used in Matthew 6:13 when he prays “…deliver us from the evil one.” John is not just a little bit upset about what these deceivers are doing. He is ticked off in a major way. These deceivers were not teaching the truth about Jesus Christ. It is important to notice that it is not just that the deceivers were not teaching about Jesus… they were. The problem is that they weren’t teaching the truth. Listen to what the prophet Isaiah says about such people, “Destruction is certain for those who say that evil is good and good is evil; that dark is light and light is dark; that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter” (Is. 5:20).

We live in a world today that does not want to draw lines between what is good and evil. Terrorists believe that the evil they do is really good. College campuses all over the nation have professors that teach there are “no absolutes.” In other words, there is no good or bad, it only depends on how you feel about it. I had a professor in college that “preached” the greatest sin for any human being was to cling to one “idea” as truth and reject other “ideas” as false. His point was that truth was different for everybody.

It is evident that the apostle John and my professor do not share the same philosophy. In fact, John, in this letter, is adamant that we as Christians absolutely reject any false teaching about Jesus Christ. He states it this way, “For if you wander beyond the teaching of Christ, you will not have fellowship with God” (v.9).

The false teachers (deceivers) did not believe that Jesus came in a real body (v.7). They wanted to deny that Jesus was a man. There have been other false teachers throughout the years that have wanted to deny that Jesus was God. The truth about Christ is that he is both man and God. It is essential to the Christian faith. Jesus was the perfect man that physically died on the cross for the sins of the world. Jesus was also the Son of God and was raised from the dead. He conquered both sin and death and bridged the gap between man and God. Because of Jesus Christ, man can enter into relationship with God. Some people would like to say there are many ways to God. The truth, the absolute truth, is that belief in Jesus Christ is the only way.

Questions
1. Read v.3. What are the two things that John is telling us to “live in?”

2. Why is the truth so important? (see 1 John 4:10-12).

3. When is the last time you had a chance to share the “truth” with somebody?

A look at 2 John - Part 1

Over the next few days I am going to be reflecting on John's second letter. It is short, very short. It is easy to read and because of that we tend to blow by it. I know I have. But, over the past couple of days, it has arrested my attention. So, I'm going to share a few thoughts with you. Here is part 1:

“Can’t Have One Without The Other”

2 John 6 – “Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.”

Love is such a weird concept. Some people get starry eyed and mushy feeling when they think about it. Romantic dinners, boxes of chocolate, and red roses. For some it is little notes. For others, love is sharing a long walk at sunset. There is also the group of people that try to avoid love. It feels uncomfortable. It requires too much energy. They’re afraid they won’t be loved back. Maybe they were hurt or abused by someone in their past and they have decided they would never get that close again.

Love is easily confused. It is confused with sex. It is confused with being taken advantage of. It is also confuse with selfishness. Selfish love says “I will love you if…” Rather than being concerned about the good of another, it is being concerned only with self.

Interestingly enough, love is also used to score a zero in tennis matches. Some claim that the term “love” comes from the French word “l’oeuf” (which means egg). The zero on the scoreboard looks like an egg. Whether that is the truth or not, I have no idea. But nonetheless, the word love covers a lot of ground in our English language.

So the question becomes: What does John mean when he tells us that we should love one another? It is probably safe to say that he doesn’t mean we should be out trying to beat everyone in a game of tennis. But, what does he mean? And most importantly, what are the truths in this little letter that are vital for us today?

We will look at these questions tomorrow and Saturday... but for now, think about this for a minute:
1. Think for a moment about someone that loves you. How you KNOW that they love you.

2. How do others KNOW that you love them? How do you express love?

Christianity - the hobby

Jim Smithies, Missions Pastor at Bethel Bible Church has challenged me with his thoughts about The Great Commission being treated as a hobby in our lives...

read his thoughts here

.ross Retro

It has been fun to sit and browse through YouTube with my kids and look at crazy videos and music and some of the stuff on there. One night Leslie and I were introducing Maggie and Jay to some of the 80's music we grew up with and listened to when we were their age. It was kind of funny to see how excited Leslie and were getting as the kids rolled their eyes.

Well, all of the sudden my memory was jarred and I couldn't wait to show the kids Michael Jackson's "Motown 25" performance. I know you remember it. It was the first time the world ever saw someone moonwalk. I remember being absolutely amazed as I watched it. So, I expected Maggie and Jay to think "wow... cool... awesome..." Here were their responses:

Jay: "Where is his other glove?"
Maggie: "What are we supposed to be looking for?"
ME: "Maggie, he just MOONWALKED!"
Maggie: "yeah... so what?"

Thoughts on cancelling church

Leadership, at times, comes with moments of very hard decisions. 10:30pm last night was one of those moments. I sat in the church parking lot, it was pitch black, and I prayed that the electricity would be restored to the grid that Bethel is on (south end of Tyler). Well, the lights didn't come on, so I prayed for wisdom. I called my elders and laid out the scenario, and by the end of the 5th call, we were all in agreement that since there was no guarantee of electricity, canceling our Sunday morning services was what we needed to do.

Now, I know what you are thinking... I was thinking the same thing. "Electricity is a fairly new invention in the scheme of things and Christians have gathered for 2000 years - most of that time without electricity." That is a true statement. The problem for us is that we have a worship room that does not have much natural lighting and no air circulation. Most of our classrooms do not have much natural light and the bathrooms are pitch black. We have a ton of children on our campus on a Sunday morning and a campus full of people and no electricity is not something we have a contingency plan for... yet!

We got the word out last night, and it traveled fast (amazing how fast... ). I met some elders and staff up at the church about 8:00 am this morning and we sat at the entrance of the property with donuts to welcome and then turn away those that did not get the message. "Sorry... we have not had electricity since about 3pm yesterday, actually, it has just come back on, but we had to make a call. Wish we would have known..." I said that too many times this morning. Lots of visitors. Many people that are new and aren't yet on the weekly E-News list. And the few people that don't wake up and immediately check their email, facebook and twitter accounts while watching tv (who are these people?).

I hated how the morning felt. I hated not gathering with the church. I missed worship. I missed preaching. I missed being with my friends. I missed meeting new people (although, I did get to meet some new people) and getting to know some others even more. It felt weird this morning. And the great thing about the weird feeling was that it wasn't from guilt or some legalistic duty of "having to be at church." It felt weird because I genuinly missed it. I genuinly longed for it. There is something mysterious and soul nourishing about corporate worship that doesn't take place anywhere else. It is not the only place or time to worship. It is not the only place of mystery in the Christian life. And the church is by no means a building or an hour. But there is a reason that the writer of Hebrews says "do not neglect to meet together... but encourage one another and all the more as you see the Day drawing near" (Hebrews 10:25). The writer knows that there is something we need that we only find in corporate gathering.

I say that carefully... I am the guy who preaches. I also think that the preaching/teaching ministry of the church is very important. But, it is not about me. It never is... God makes sure of that. But, there is something about faithfulness to God's Word. It transcends the preacher/teacher. It transcends the worship leader. I believe it transcends our understanding many times. It is not uncommon that someone will comment on a something in a sermon that I did not say. The Holy Spirit took His word and illuminated it in a way that transcended all the human effort of the morning. I love that. I am thankful for that. I pray for that every week.

So, if you are from Bethel and reading this - I missed you. If you are not from Bethel - don't neglect to meet together... with whoever you meet with. It is vitally important.

This week we are going to begin talking about our "contingency plan," in the case of power outage. We might call it, "Church in Box" (or something... help me with a name!) - It is a morning of corporate worship in its simpliest form and needs nothing other than people. I don't know what it will look like yet, but I am praying that God would make that clear to us. So, the next time we are without power or some other "obstacle"... we will be prepared.

Tropical Storm Ike in Tyler

Here are a few pictures from our neighborhood.





I sure am glad I don't live in Albany, GA. I hear they get tropical storms every week. :)

More pictures are here.

Krauthammer to Palin's defense

Charles Krauthammer is not the guy I would want to get on the wrong side...

His defense of Sarah Palin in her interview with Charlie Gibson.

Ike hits Tyler

In all fairness... Todd would happily go and check Bethel - it is not necessary yet. I am actually looking forward to Todd Blog coverage of the storm.

.ross Reader (09.13.08)

.ross Reader will periodically be posted to link to some places that have caught my interest or I have stumbled upon throughout the week. (Also look for the .ross Retro to be coming soon...)

Apple's "Let's Rock" event liveblog summary
For all of those that missed Apple's big event on Tuesday (9/9), you can catch up here. New iPods and a cool new "Genius" feature. Summary and pictures.

Leading Canadian Dr. worried abortions may decline
This summarizes the concern some doctors have that Palin's pro-life example may lead to a decline in abortions of Down's babies.

John Piper preaching the Gospel of John
Piper explains the series he will begin and does not speculate on when it might end... He outlines 7 reasons for the series. Even Piper's "reasonings" are edifying to me!

9/11 Documentaries: History Channel and Naudet's (they're French)
I remember, like most of you, where I was when I found out about this. I was at the donut shop around the corner from our house in Richardson, TX. Maggie (4 at the time) and I were on a Tuesday morning breakfast date. I spent the rest of the day glued to the TV.

Photogenic Ike
Terrible hurricane that landed more than 2000 evacuees in Tyler, TX. Many do not know yet what they will go back to. The satellite pictures are breathtaking.


Great sports photo: Superman (a.k.a. - Marion "the Barbarian" Barber)

Did Whoopi really say this?

Did Whoopi really say this?

whoopi slavery
by dollarsandsense123

My Friday (09.12.08)

I am actually going to tell you about today and last Friday in the same post. The reason is that they have some things in common.

First - last Friday marked the end of a long journey for Leslie and me. We got to call Dave Ramsey's radio program to let them know we are debt free except for our home! (We didn't get to talk to anyone, just left a message... I am sure they will call us back.) The story is long and it include incredible blessing, unusual discipline and the opportunity to teach our kids what I never got to learn about money - it is all God's and we are stewards of it!

Now, for this Friday - we woke up today, got the kids off to school and Leslie, Katherine and me went on our usual Friday morning breakfast date.

After we got home it was high gear media watch because of Hurricane Ike and the crisis it is creating. Tyler received about 2000 evacuees just around the corner and I spent the afternoon over there helping take out trash, breaking down boxes and anything else I could find to do that wasn't in the way. Another church in town (Grace Community Church) has done a great job mobilizing people and casting a vision for ministry in this context. It was a privilege to hang out with some of them in that context today.

Tonight we had some friends over for dinner. They have a great ministry and God is using them in this community to do something no one else is doing very well - they are doing multi-cultural ministry with low-income families. They are passionate about it and are incredibly gifted. It is a great blessing to get to come alongside them and be mutually encouraged.

One final note for the day - we got to give away a car today. Yeah, I've never done that before. This week we got a deal on a car that we couldn't pass up and then found ourselves with three. We don't need three. We felt led to give one away and it was awesome. And that brings me back to where I started - we are debt free. I told Leslie today that this was in no way about us, it was about God. And what I realized today is that when you are debt free, it is much easier for things to flow through you... they don't get stuck. That is my observation and the great joy we had.

I share that not to say anything about us... rather to say God is awesome. I am more and more passionate about wanting people to get out of debt. Dave Ramsey is the place to start (or a great place to start). Come on... do it, what are you waiting for?

Ok... that is my Friday - how was yours?


As always: *Propers to Todd Wright for the “My Friday” movement.

Yet another reason I am a Mac user

The feeling I had after watching this is the same feeling I have everytime I have to work on a PC... I do not understand this.

Perspectives

Bethel Bible Church (Tyler, TX) has had the great privilege of hosting "Perspectives on the World Christian Movement". This study program is a ministry of the U.S. Center for World Mission - a non-denominational parachurch ministry that works with churches, mission agencies, and campus ministries around the world.

Perspectives is not so much a course, as it is a "movement" involving tens of thousands of God's people throughout the world finding their niche in God's overall purpose to bless the nations. Since its beginning in 1974, dozens of other seminars, courses, and materials have been developed after the pattern of the course, both in the United States and abroad.

• Learn more about the history of the Perspectives Program.
• Learn more about the core ideas of the Perspectives Program.

This last Monday night, we had the privilege to hear from Dr. Ron Blue. He spoke about the Kingdom. It was great! Below are some of the notes from the evening. If you have a chance to go to Perspectives in your area... Go!

The Messengers of the Kingdom

Psalm 145:11-13

11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
and tell of your power,
12 to make known to the children of man your2 xmighty deeds,
and ythe glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

When we hear "Kingdom" in the scripture we need to think God's Authority.


The Meaning of the Kingdom

God's Realm - Royal Territory

God's Reign - Royal Authority

• First Coming: Satan's power is BROKEN
• Intermediate period: Satan's power is RESTRICTED
• Second Coming: Satan's power is DEFEATED

So... we are not rosy optimists or distraught pessimists, but biblical realists.

The program: Pardon - Preach - Power - Peace

The Mandate of the Kingdom

The gospel of the Kingdom: "Good news of Christ's conquest."

• Triumph over death (1 Cor. 15:20-26)
• Triumph over sin (Rom. 6:1-11, 23)
• Triumph over Satan (Heb. 2:14-15)

The Prayer of the Kingdom: Mt. 6:10 - Christ's Dominion and Christ's Invtervention

Intercessory prayer must be offered in rebellion against the status quo that...

• His name may be honored even where it is denied
• His message may be effective even where it is denied.

The Messiah and the Kingdom

The Day of the Lord (Mal. 1:1-10; Mt. 11:2-6; Mt. 12:17-21)

Suprise Messiah - not political conquest but spiriutal healing

God at War (Mt. 12:22-29)

Victorious Messiah: he came to conquer the power of the devil.

Strategic Prayer

Prayer is not magic, but through prayer we participate in God's work to...

• Redeem people from allegiance to false gods (idolatry)
• Relesae people from the strongholds of false ideas (fatalism)

The Mission of the Kingdom

Jesus came into a "diabolical war zone" to overcome Satan and his demonic forces. But instead of issuing judgment on the nations, He introduced salvation through grace. Our "spiritual warfare is not beligerent. We depend on God's supernatural power through...

Faithful evangelism

• FORM - family, occupation, religion, message

Gracious Service
Ron Blue tells a story about a church that had 5 services with well over 10k and the place kept growing. *Their strategy - every member agrees (when they become a member - maybe a covenant) that if a friend, family, co-worker ever has a problem - the church is informed and then some people will go with a gift (fruit or flowers) and then say, "we heard you had this ... (problem / circumstance) and we wanted to pray for you." Then they pray on the spot right there... follow up three days later with a visit. Pray again. The guy told Blue that they never have to ask people to come to church, they end up asking, "can we visit your church?" - The church keeps growing like crazy.

Persistent Prayer

I also heard today that Ed Stetzer is going to be writing for the new edition of the Perspectives text book.

New On-Line Bible

Logos Bible Software has launched a new free on-line Bible. It has several versions (including Greek), a quick word search feature and looks like there will be more to come. It is a great place to link to in blogs and on websites. Very simple and elegant interface.

Check it out. Well done Logos!

Baptisms

Bethel Bible Church has launched phased one of "Operation Communication." It is a multi-phase strategy to improve the ability to communicate with a growing congregation.

Today, a few sites will launch with some footage from our baptism services from last weekend and some staff introductions over the next couple of days. Be sure to subscribe RSS where available and look for more to come...


Baptism at Bethel 9/7/08 from bethel bible on Vimeo.


Also look for Bethel on Facebook

Hillary might be back?

This might the beginning of a Biden exit... "Biden like Hillary for VP."

It gets more interesting all of the time.

ShamWow

Have you seen this infomercial for ShamWow? Have you ordered one? Is it really as magical as it looks.




I am so tempted to order one. (two with the special!)

Fantasy Football - Week 1

Tomorrow night begins week 2 of fantasy football, so I want to reflect a bit on the gravity of the first week.
Now, if you are keeping up with "Blood, Tears and Sweat" then you know we are heavily favoring two teams: Dallas Cowboys and Indianapolis Colts.
From the Cowboys we have: Romo, Owens, and Whitten
From the Colts we have: Harrison, Vinitari, and their Defense/Special teams (we also have Dominique Rhodes as a reserve - we got to dump him!)

Ok, week 1 - such a disappointment. We lost our first game against a team that started Tom Brady. Brady went out, was worth only 3 points... and they still won - 80-73.

What was so disappointing was this - Romo threw for over 300 yds (only 3 QB's did that this week). Owens caught a TD and the Cowboys had over 400 yds total offense and won big. And yet, we did not get many fantasy points.

Secondly, the Colts obviously forgot how to play football. Harrison was a weak receiver and their Defense/Special Teams were terrible.

Third, Darren McFadden (Oakland Raiders) was the best athlete on any field Monday night... and he barely got the ball. In fact, he did not get much playing time at all. The Raiders got killed and all the while, McFadden is on the bench. That I do not understand. And, that I do not appreciate since he is our #1 running back.

Bonus: I also had such a weird experience. I love watching the Cowboys... but, I found myself hoping Marian Barber would not have a great game and that they would utilize their other players. Barber is not on my fantatsy team, so while he was great for the Cowboys, he was counter-productive to our fantasy goals. Interesing experience. I discovered that my loyalties are stronger with myself (my fantasy team) than they are with the Cowboys. In fact, I might even be satisfied with great fantasy points from my Cowboy players, even if the team loses. That was unexpected.

Honestly, I think what that reveals is the depravity of my soul. I care more about myself when NFL football was suddenly about me.

So, this is my week 1 discovery... 15 more weeks to go!

Bock on Palin

Darrell Bock weighs in on Palin in an NPR interview:

Darrell Bock, a New Testament scholar at Dallas Theological Seminary, says some Pentecostals hold to their convictions in the face of opposition because they believe they are in tune with the will of God.

"What faith does in this case is fuel a sense of mission and direction," Bock says. "It can also produce a little bit of element of certainty about that direction."

Bock, however, warns against drawing conclusions about anyone's policies from his or her faith.

"Trying to figure out what the link is between a person's faith and their politics is very, very difficult business because there is so much pragmatically and ideologically that's also driving what's going on," he says. "There's not just the faith element."

Bock says President Bush and Democratic nominee Barack Obama have already been through this sort of spiritual vetting. Now it's Palin's turn.

You can find the audio of the interview here.
Bock's Blog

Community

Here is a great picture!


Benched from Brandon McCormick on Vimeo.

Niche market

I am just imagining the marketing directors sitting around the table saying, "Ok, what exactly are we going to say about this?"

There are just some things that will never benefit from "word of mouth" marketing!

MockCast props

shout out to B.B. for outdoing anything I could have personally done with regards to Gustov coverage...

If Geraldo Rivera was a city - he'd be Tyler

It is kind of like the spirit of Geraldo has possessed Tyler. This place has gone crazy with all the frenzy of Gustov. The local media is so excited (in the name of concern) that a tropical storm is going to stall out over East Texas and the rain potential is somewhere between 5 and 20 inches depending on who is at the mic.

Not to be left out, I went to Lowe's today and bought sand bags for the front of our house. We have a low spot in our property and a hard rain can flood our garage and Katherine's room. But, not today. I have a two foot sand bag barrier erected in front our garage and it might take a full-blown hurricane for water to penetrate this baracade. I think the levy engineers would be impressed.

What I was not expecting was to be the one that bought the last bit of sand available at Lowes. Obviously I was not the only one in survival mode today. In fact, I had to supplement my sand bags with large bags of East Texas pine mulch. I'll post some pictures tomorrow... hopefully action pictures. In fact, I may even have to get into the action with a little storm coverage video of my own.

Now, it is off to bed so I can get up early (5am) and begin to keep track of all the local closings due to rain. Yes - closings due to rain. This might make me look like an idiot after it is all said and done, but my prediction is that all this hype is going to be a little disappointing for all those hoping to see Anderson Cooper and Shepherd Smith camping out in the heart of East Texas.

Fantasy draft

Ok... Jay and I embarked on a whole new world tonight. The world of NFL Fantasy Football is now apart of our life. We signed up with a group of men and their sons in the last couple of weeks (most of the guys from our small group). Ever since then, Jay has diligently studied the NFL Fantasy site collecting information, making decisions, and planning our evening. He is eight.

So tonight we all gathered in the foyer of the worship center. A laptop connected to a video projector. Separate tables, each "coach" and "general manager" plotting every move. Twelve teams with twelve (I think?) rounds of the draft. It was absolute chaos. All I can say is that I am glad my theology has the NT church building as just a building and not necessarily a holy place in and of itself (NO - I don't want to argue that point in the comments...)

Overall, we are very pleased with our team - Blood, Tears and Sweat (I know, the last two are traditionally reversed, but your team can't end in tears!). There are a couple of players that we would have wanted, but they were gone or stolen right out from under us. But, we did end the night with Romo, Owens and Whitten. Not a bad trio.

Here is the rest of our team for all the fantasy fans out there.

Romo, Tony QB DAL @CLE 10 0.0 19.1 100 96
Maroney, Laurence RB NE KC 4 0.0 8.1 99 77
McFadden, Darren RB OAK DEN 5 0.0 8.9 86 65
Harrison, Marvin WR IND CHI 4 0.0 n/a 98 75
Jackson, DeSean WR PHI STL 7 0.0 5.6 69 17
Owens, Terrell WR DAL @CLE 10 0.0 11.9 100 96
Witten, Jason TE DAL @CLE 10 0.0 8.2 100 96
Vinatieri, Adam K IND CHI 4 0.0 8.2 99 93
Colts DST CHI 4 0.0 n/a 90 70
Ryan, Matt QB ATL DET 7 0.0 7.1 23 1
Mendenhall, Rashard RB PIT HOU 6 0.0 5.1 75 6
Rhodes, Dominic RB IND CHI 4 0.0 n/a 41 2
Gage, Justin WR TEN JAC 6 0.0 n/a 35 4
Kaeding, Nate K SD

I don't exactly know (yet) what all the stats on the right of each player are... but it won't be long. Now, let the games begin. I'll keep you updated as the season progresses. I know you won't be able to wait!