A Christmas to Remember

Hudson decided to surprise GiGi, GiDaddy, Joel and Nanny on Christmas day- as we were supposed to be there on the evening of the 26th. We drove all night (10 hours) on Christmas Eve to surprise them (without getting shot entering their house at 6:15 am). Here's a snapshot of our Christmas . . . one that we will all remember for a long time. It's a bit pixelated, but I think you get the picture.

A Social Network Christmas

Creative video highlighting how the key players must have felt on that first Christmas.

The dance of sermon prep

This walk, this dance;
Holy & sacred, joyful & true;
Weaving through the Word-
Loving every moment, loving You.

Praise You for Your faithfulness!
Valleys, hilltops, shadows & light;
You have not remained silent!
You have proven your might!

Use me. Use this-
Reading, meditating, seeking Christ out-
To build Your Church;
To make You proud.

I'm a Single Lady- and I'll be single for a long time . . .

For the 4 of you who haven't seen this yet- I haven't laughed this hard at a video since Scarlett Takes a Tumble. Check it out:

Don't Waste Your Life

God has gifted His people with unique talents and gifts- all for one purpose: Express the Gospel. Lecrae shares the gospel through hip hop and rap. I found this video on a blog post on the Gospel Coalition website.

Nuggets: Psalm 1-10

I love the Psalms. Throughout my life, God has used the Psalms to strengthen me, encourage me, and challenge me in my estimation of Him. The Psalms have proven to be a steady agent of change in my heart. In my best days and worst, there are the Psalms. When I have words to say to God, there are the Psalms. When I am speechless, there are the Psalms. This morning, here are a few nuggets that have nourished my soul:
PSALM 1- "for the LORD knows (intimate interaction) the way of the righteous."
PSALM 2- "Kiss the Son (the Lord's anointed One, Jesus Christ), lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him." Psalm 2:12
PSALM 3- "I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me." Psalm 3:5
PSALM 4-"But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for Himself; the LORD hears when I call to him." Psalm 4:3
PSALM 5- "But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you." Psalm 5:11
PSALM 6- "Save me for the sake of your steadfast love." Psalm 6:4
PSALM 7- "God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day. If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword; he has bent and readied his bow." Psalm 7:11-12. (any connection to Genesis 9:16-17?)
PSALM 8- "Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger." Psalm 8:2. (cf Genesis 3:15)
PSALM 9- "The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed; a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you... For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever." Genesis 9:9-10, 18
PSALM 10- "You have been the helper of the fatherless... You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more." Psalm 10:14b, 17-18

Broken World- Awaiting Redemption

This world is broken and it is not as it's supposed to be. God, awaken me. Awaken your Church to help the least of these.

The Village of Korah - A short documentary from Session 7 Media on Vimeo.

Lovesick Father

The worship pastor at the Together For Adoption Conference recently adopted a little boy named Amos from Haiti. Aaron Ivey wrote a song that expressed his heart during the long and difficult waiting period before they could get Amos home. Here is the music video that I feel expresses very well the heart of a lovesick father. Adoption is intertwined with the heart of God. I know because I have been adopted by God, a loving Father.

Journaling- Psalm 42

I love the Psalms. I am always refreshed by God's love and challenged to trust Him in the midst of difficult times. Today I spent time flipping through Psalm 32-43. I settled on Psalm 42.
This morning I started journaling again. Here's a glimpse-


















Perhaps journaling will help you...

Morman-ity VS Christian-ity

Ever wonder what the differences are between Christianity and Mormonism? I like what the Gospel Coalition's Justin Taylor did- adapting the ESV Study Bible's section on religious cults. Here's a very concise look at the differences: FAQ on the Difference Between Mormonism and Christianity.

New blog to follow

My wife is a fantastic woman. I love love love her and I love who she is and I love everything she cooks and I love the way she snorts when she laughs really hard. I also love the way she blogs. Check it out- a new blog to follow: To Become Children of God.

108! Wha!!??

I know it's blurry, but please let me assist you:
108 degrees in Mansfield Texas.
73 degrees in Buena Vista Colorado.

Let's risk it all

What will it take to reach 4.5 billion people for Christ and to literally save 30,000 children from starvation? I think the church must start by being willing to do what the rich young ruler couldn't do.
Radical obedience + Radical sacrifice = Radical rewards.
The reward is seeing millions come to know Christ and to see thousands of children clothed and fed and to see the name of Christ worshipped by every tribe, tongue, and language. There is nothing greater. And there is no time to waste.



This is a clip from David Platt's message titled “Are we going to die in our religion or are we going to die in our devotion?”
You can watch it here or download it here.

Where's your youth group?

412CC has shy'd away from thinking "youth group" to thinking "minister to students." These links may clarify why we feel this way:
USA TODAY
THE GOSPEL COALITION

Get the word out . . .

I wish I were the one who had done this. Good stuff.

Free Yourself

K'Naan's song, Wavin Flag (Coca-Cola Celebration Mix), is a song with a great vision- the nations gathering to celebrate something greater than themselves. It's about freeing yourself to celebrate a greater cause. For Christians, the greater cause is to spread God's fame around the world. Here's the vid:



By the way- the World Cup is AWESOME.

Do you speak soccer?

Jess and I decided last week that Hudson is going to grow up playing the game of soccer (or futbol), so we went to Academy and bought him a soccer ball. It's not one of our favorite sports (not even close!), though I played soccer for 8 or 9 years when I was a child. The World Cup has opened up a new world for us. We see the nations playing and celebrating this game. We want Hudson to know how to play soccer when we take the gospel to the nations (who happen to REALLY know how to play soccer). Steve Adler (shout-out!) said it best- "It's the language of the nations."

Soccer will be the common ground between Hudson and children around the world- so that the common language will go from soccer to Jesus.

Orangatar

To be sure, Lanny Donoho is one of the funniest guys I can think of at the moment. This is an intro video for a conference he just hosted. This will delete brain cells, but it's well worth it.

I REALLY like this guy...

Looking for some good entertainment? Try booking K-Strass and Zim-ZAM!


I have A LOT of respect for this guy. He wears his heart on his sleeve.

Here's a link to another video from a morning show called Sunrise 7.
http://vimeo.com/11156270

Radical- it's what's demanded of us

Let this video challenge you to the core.

RADICAL from David Platt on Vimeo.

Jessica and I are going to be reading this book together. The plan- turn off the tv no later than 9:30 pm and read and pray through "Radical" by David Platt. I have a feeling this is going to be like a baseball bat to the gut.

Jesus told the scariest cutest little stories.

Why do I get the feeling that Jesus' parables have become like fairy tales or Aesop's fables to the church in America? As I studied and preached through some of the parables, I got the distinct feeling that we have truly missed the point of Jesus' stories. His stories were never meant to be cute. There was no "happily ever after" butterflies in the bellies of the listeners. No one asked Jesus at the end of his parable, "So what's the moral of that story, Jesus?" Granted, a lot of people didn't understand what he was saying (ie the disciples asked Jesus what a few of his parables meant), but they were more confused because they were hearing something that was totally counter-cultural. They were trying to understand Jesus correctly- ("So you're telling me that if I don't forgive that Roman soldier for running his sword through my pregnant wife, then I won't be forgiven by God?" "Jesus, you're telling me that if I sin and cause others to sin, then your angels will gather me along with people much worse than me and throw us all in the 'fiery furnace'?" Their understanding of God and humanity was being rocked and turned upside down.

Do you get what Jesus is saying in his parables? He's asking everyone to consider- "Are you sure you know God?" "Are you sure you are wearing the white hat?" "Are you sure you're on steady ground?" "Are you sure you aren't God's enemy?" May we approach the parables with a bit of fear and a prayer that we will understand what Jesus is really saying in his "cute little stories."

Creating church.

Great video from North Point Community Church about how we often try to create church. My guess is that if you have visited churches lately, this will look strangely familiar. Painfully true...

"Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.

Do all things (even the iPhone) for the glory of God...

I got this from Louie Giglio's tweet- the band Rend Collective. You gotta check this out.

Ever thought about starting a Family Worship Time?

If you're anything like me- a guy who's still trying to figure out how to be a great pastor for his home and family- this blog post is for you. If you've ever thought about how to lead your family in worship at home, check this out . . .



















FULL BLOG POST HERE.
Thanks for the help, James Grant.

Super Sweet

This is weird, but it's super-sweet!


PIXELS by PATRICK JEAN.
Uploaded by onemoreprod. - Arts and animation videos.

A snap-shot of God's mercy

Jessica snapped this shot with her phone the other day and texted it to me. When I saw it, the rays of light reminded me of the great mercy of God- allowing Jessica and I to have a little boy. We're so thankful.
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17

Easter- The Jesus Storybook

I got this from The Gospel Coalition. Here’s a video telling the resurrection story by using the art from the Jesus Storybook Bible and David Suchet’s narration. This would be great to watch with your kids. The intro is long (45 seconds) so you can just skip ahead.

Sometimes I wonder about Jesus

- I wonder what His conversations with God were like when He was 4 years old. I wonder how much Mary and Joseph must have laughed at their little bundle of joy and energy behind closed doors at their house when he was a little guy.
- I wonder who his best friends were when he was a teenager and if they ever thought he was "a little odd." I wonder if there was a point when they decided not to like Him. Or if their parents warned their kids to stay away from Jesus- He was too dangerous.
- I wonder what Jesus thought about when He laid down at night and drifted off to sleep. I wonder what He dreamed about. Did He have nightmares about His future? I wonder if He dreamed about Heaven.
- I think about how it must have been obvious that He had so much love in His heart when he hung out with his buddies. I wonder how Jesus would have responded and how his body language must have changed when his buddies would sin (against Him!).
- I wonder how teenagers today could live like the teenager that Jesus was.
- I wonder how often Jesus went out of his way to specifically tell people "I love you."
- I wonder how old Jesus was when people who were staring Him in the face started wondering "Is that man, or is that God talking?"
- Was He a 15 year-old causing people behind closed doors to ask "Seriously, who is that kid?"?
- I wonder if Jesus would have ever hung out with me. I wonder, had I been alive then, if I would have wanted to hang out with Him.
- I wonder if there were certain children who knew Jesus well and saw Him as kind of their "God-father." I wonder if they ran to Him when they would see Him. I wonder if they ever tackled Him with big hugs or covered his eyes from behind and played the "Guess who?" game. And I wonder if He always got it right.
- I wonder if the children who loved Jesus understood what happened to Him when He was suddenly gone. Mere babes trying to figure out where Jesus went . . . And I wonder how their moms and dads tried to explain to their children why Jesus was arrested and "went to heaven."
- I wonder what they thought when they gathered with Him the day that He ascended back into Heaven.
- I wonder if there were any who followed Jesus from a distance for months who decided that He was not legit. I wonder if they second-guessed themselves even when they were old, gray, and wrinkly.
- I wonder if the blind man who received the gift of sight followed Jesus long enough to lay his eyes on the mangled body of Jesus.
- I wonder what it would have been like to be the son of one of the guys that met Jesus on the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24)- sitting in the living room listening to him speak with tears about the time that Jesus walked and talked with them. I wonder if his non-verbals and the fire in his eyes would carry me to that special road and that special conversation that he had with Jesus. I wonder if Hudson will ever be able to see the same fire in my eyes that I imagine those 2 guys had after meeting Jesus.
- I wonder what it would have been like to walk into the empty tomb while it was still early in the morning on that day, wipe the sleep from my eyes, and lose my breath.

When your heart beats faster when you think of Jesus, that means something. This is what it means to truly be alive.

A Conversation between blind people...

I couldn't help but chuckle a little bit when I read this article... up until I realized that these "Christians" are more concerned for their pets after the rapture than they are for the person who will be taking care of them.
Imagine the conversation. Essentially it will go something like this:
"Are you sure you're an atheist?"
"Yes."
"How can I be sure?"
"Well, I think you are an idiot and God definitely does not exist."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes! Are you kidding? You guys are nuts!"
"Okay, good. Then take good care of Scruffy when the rapture happens. (I'll be gone and you'll still be here). He likes to eat Fancy Feast Dog Food and I like to give him a treat every night before bed."
"You got it. Have a nice day."
"Thanks. You too."
Win-win-win situation.

The blind talking to the blind.

Don't believe me? Here it is:
Christ died for more than this...

Are you a healthy member or a guilty party?

I am reading through a small book called "What is a Healthy Church Member?" by Thabiti Anyabwile and got my highlighter warmed up. Here are a few things that I highlighted:
- "Just as the pastor's preaching agenda should be determined by the meaning of Scripture, so too should the Christian's listening agenda be driven by the meaning of Scripture." p 19
- "When we listen to the preaching of the Word, we should not listen primarily for "practical how-to advice, " though Scripture teaches us about everyday matters. Nor should we listen for messages that bolster our self-esteem or that rouse us to political and social causes. Rather, as members of Christian churches we should listen primarily for the voice and message of God as revealed in his word." p 19-20

I highly recommend this book for every pastor and member of a Christian church. The reason is that I have found there to be a troubling number of people who have become spiritually emaciated at their church. Many people are quick to blame the pastor and leadership for "not feeding" the people of the church. Just as the leaders are to blame, the members are to blame even more-so. The reason I believe this is because too many people willingly trade in Biblical doctrine and truth for feelings of goodwill and warm fuzzies. And before they know it, the Christian sitting in the audience on Sunday morning has become the epitome of 2 Timothy 4:3-4. "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires (warm fuzzies), they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." (Parenthesis was added by me).
So who's the guilty party? The teacher? Perhaps- especially if the teacher is willingly doing his job to bolster his ego or his checking account. The listener? Absolutely. Paul tells us that those who are at fault are the ones who gather around those who may make them feel good, give them warm fuzzies, or "say what their itching ears want to hear."

This is absolutely commonplace in our church culture in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Example- a recent text exchange between a teenager and a student pastor (true story): "Hey man, where were you at church this morning?" "I was at so-and-so church." "What did he preach about?" "I'm not sure but it was really good." "Okay, well what passage of Scripture did he preach from?" "I don't remember that. I think he read from Matthew and Corinthians and stuff but he mainly speaks from his heart and not the word."

The tragedy is that speaking from the heart and not the Word has become admirable among Christians today. God help us and God help those who have itching ears! And hide me from the temptation to entertain people with itching ears instead of faithfully loving my God and His people through the intentional, Gospel-saturated, proclamation of the Word of God.

So, Christian, are you a healthy member of a congregation who listens for God's voice in the midst of everything that happens on Sunday morning, or are you a member of a guilty party who has itching ears? Think long and hard about your answer. It's really important.

The Power of God

Do you believe that the Gospel is the power of God? This video shows us what that means. This video footage was taken during a missionary's first time to explain the Gospel in the native language of this tribe.



The Gospel is Good News and it is the power of God. Do you believe this?
Romans 1:16-17

My name is Wade Phillips and I like to have a good time

This is good stuff. This is the head football coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

My Boy! Little Warrior!

Yeah, I know. He's cute.

Who do I give to?

Here is a link to a safe organization to send your money if you are looking to help with the situation in Haiti (and I hope you are): http://churcheshelpingchurches.com/
Check them out and pray about how you can help.

"So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, especially to those who are of the household of faith." Galatians 6:10

What I didn't mention last Sunday... The Great Flood

Since I forgot to address the issue of archaeology, geology and the historicity of the Great Flood event, I'd like to do that now. The Scriptures were never intended to give scientists a leg to stand on (though in many cases it does!). The original intended audience of Genesis would not have been looking for the same answers that too many of us look for today. So without getting too bogged down in peripheral issues, I will simply say- the Flood is a historical event. It’s simply a fact that this truly happened. It’s interesting that there is Mesopotamian and Babylonian literature that include a story of a great flood. The Mesopotamian story is called the Epic of Gilgamesh. It has many similarities to the story recorded here in Genesis. No doubt oral tradition played its part in the passing down of the different accounts of the Great Flood. The account in Genesis was written by Moses under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. That makes the book in our hands not just reliable, but also essential to understanding God's purposes for us here on earth. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, a man (named Utnapishtim) built an ark, loaded it with animals, and survived a torrential flood. The story says that he loaded animals in pairs onto the ark (much like the story of Noah).

What is key to recognize is not so much the similarities of the stories, but rather, the differences:

Epic of Gilgamesh:
- Warring gods created the earth.
- Mankind was pretty much an afterthought to the gods.
- The sun and moon and stars are depicted as gods to be worshipped.
- Mankind becomes noisy and rambunctious.
- The gods are annoyed and have a headache so they send a flood to wipe out the noise along with all of mankind.
- The flood got out of control.
- One man escaped their view and survived (much to their dismay). They overlooked a man named Utnapishtim.

The Bible
- A loving God created the heavens and the earth by opening His mouth and speaking them into existence. All that He created was good.
- Mankind becomes God's masterpiece, and it's clear that He loves mankind.
- The sun, moon, and stars, were spoken into existence by a powerful Creator. They are not even mentioned by name, perhaps to point to the fact that they are duds without the power of God to give them light. See Genesis 1:14-19.
- God is not annoyed by the noise of man, but he is grieved by man’s sin.
- God sees that His creation has been ruined by sin and recognizes the need to deal with sin.
- God, in His great wisdom and mercy, watches and sees with his own eyes, a man named Noah. Genesis 6:8.
- God intentionally wipes out all living creatures, except for Noah and his family and a select portion of the animals.
- God's salvation was made known to Noah's family and all flesh through His Word (specific directions given to Noah) and through the wise provision of the ark. Noah's faith was rewarded by deliverance from annihilation.

It's fascinating to think through this story- with all the dynamics at play. How would a righteous and blameless man feel about all that was happening? What about his friends that he must have loved dearly (blameless and righteous people are, by definition, loving)? How many conversations must he have had with God through all this time? What about the conversations he must have had with his wife and his friends? Or conversations with the rhino!

And then you must consider the sheer horror of the event. God essentially drowns all that "had the breath of life in its nostrils." We learn that God cannot simply sweep sin under the rug and avoid dealing with it. The Flood is a picture of humanity gone wrong and God's grieving over the sin of mankind. He is the only one who can save us from what we deserve. Here's video footage taken on December 24, 2004 from Banda Aceh, Indonesia. It gives a slight hint as to how horrific the Great Flood would have been (though clearly the Great Flood would have packed a much greater punch than this Tsunami).

WARNING: This is a very intense video and contains images that some may find disturbing.

I am selfish.

This holiday season has reminded me of many things. Like- a family that loves God is the greatest blessing, traveling non-stop from one place to another is not a blessing, my wife and son are AWESOME, and I am selfish.
CS Lewis wrote about this sickness. He addresses his own selfishness (some call it depravity) with bravery:

All this is flashy rhetoric about loving you.
I never had a selfless thought since I was born.
I am mercenary and self-seeking through and through;
I want God, you, all friends, merely to serve my turn.

Peace, reassurance, pleasure, are the goals I seek,
I cannot crawl one inch outside my proper skin;
I talk of love- a scholar's parrot may talk Greek-
But, self-imprisoned, always end where I begin.

I was blessed with great food, friends, family, and great memories, but as embarrassing as it is to say, all I keep thinking about is how much money I received for Christmas, how much money I have left to spend, and how much I want stuff.

Anytime I replace God with something else, then I am guilty of idolatry. God save me from myself and open my eyes to see the emptiness of loving the riches of this world.