… but this is pretty funny – especially if you know these guys. John Piper is really bad. John MacArthur now does rap. I’m thinking I might see if my friend and Senior Pastor Jerry Mitchell might want to join this elite group.
A shout-out to Fide-O for pointing us this way!
My friend Glen Schaumloeffel sent this to me last week. Christians should take note when a secular writer says he is not concerned with the impact of Christianity because Christians themselves don’t seem to believe it applies to them. He seems to be talking about the “religious right” but I have to ask myself if my lifestyle might lead to the same conclusion. I think all Christians must consider their lives and witness. As a pastor I have to wonder about the impact of our church.
So … what do you think?
As recently as last week I have heard leaders in the church say that we have “too much emphasis on Bible teaching.” I take issue with that. If anything, there seems to be too little excellent instruction in the Word. To be fair, there is also too little “Bible living” which may be the point of those recent comments, but we must take care to not devalue the importance and centrality of the Word of God. In many ways I like the incarnational emphasis some are encouraging, but how can you incarnate Jesus without knowing His word, that which he proclaims to be true.
While musing on this, I came across this short post by Mark Dever which includes a great quote from David Wells on this very subject.
I couldn’t pass up this link. In an odd sort of way it calms the busy mind. I’m pretty sure that there is absolutely NO theological significance to be found in popping bubble wrap.
So, its Saturday evening and I’m in Southern California. I’m here for the 50th anniversary of Grace Community Church – the church where I grew up. I made my first steps toward the Savior at 6 years old when our Mormon neighbors invited me to go with them to this new church just up the street (I don’t recall why they were going. Hey, I was only 6!). I have a few snippets of memory about that time, but the clearest was Mrs. Michaelson … she was kind, pretty, and told me about Jesus. I don’t think the neighbors ever went back to the church, but I know I did. I even remember walking the two-and-a-half blocks to church every Sunday – talk about a different time – we wouldn’t let a six year-old walk next door anymore!
I think I was at Sunday School almost weekly for years. I know I got a Sunday School attendance award at least once. I got a bit sporadic in Junior High, but I do remember the Marriott’s being the class leaders and they called me often … demonstrating care that I probably never really understood at the time. Of course, Mrs. Michaelson never seemed to forget about me. She had learned that I loved to read and since she was the librarian she always let me know when a new Sugar Creek Gang book came out.
The church hired a new youth director just before I entered High School. I had begun to blow church off more and more every Sunday – no one was making me get up. But someone told me that Paul Sailhamer was really great, young, played fun piano, and really cared about teenagers – even if they weren’t cool. Since I wasn’t cool that sounded good to me and God once again wooed me back to His church. Somewhere in the winter of my Sophomore year I made that final step towards God. A year later I decided that I wanted to be a youth pastor someday. A few months after that I had a rare experience of really feeling a “call” to be a youth pastor. And a year later in my Senior year a young pastor was called to shepherd Grace Community. John MacArthur was amazing. He taught the Bible in such a way that we couldn’t get enough. Sunday morning and Sunday evening and even on Wednesday nights at prayer meeting he brought the Scriptures to life. I became a volunteer Junior High leader at Grace with Darryl Delhousaye (now president of Phoenix Seminary), met my wife working with those Junior Highers, took on more responsibility as a volunteer, and ultimately was hired part-time to pastor junior high when they split the youth group in 1972.
They paid me very little, but told me that I could make some extra working in the church bookstore if I wanted. Problem? The bookstore didn’t exist yet so I had the joy of starting up “Grace Book Shack” with an older man in the church. Eventually it made enough to pay me and somehow I was able to oversee that ministry for 12 years along with my other responsibilities. After 7 years with Junior High I thought my youth ministry days were over – I wasn’t sure that I could take another Junior High lock-in! John asked me to take on a different ministry – bringing Pastors and leaders to the church to learn from us rather always sending John to other conferences. Planning and executing that first Shepherds’ Conference was one of the most amazing opportunities to see God at work. In the midst of that year, our High School director left and I was asked to take on the High School ministry. After that seven-year stint it I moved on to Crossroads Bible Church in Bellevue – a whole new story.
So much for the bare outlines of thirty years. Obviously there is much more that happened … good and bad. I can’t believe all the mistakes I made, the patience of those who worked with me, the people who helped me to grow in Christ and as a pastor. Dozens of other men and women served God faithfully during those same years at Grace Church but I’ve been thinking about those years a bit more tonight in anticipation of seeing some old friends tomorrow. Obviously the perspective I have is mine. But one thing that just about anyone who was involved at Grace during those years would say is that they were amazing as we watched God build a local church. I still can’t believe that God would use me, but then again one of the great lessons John MacArthur taught us was that God likes to use “nobodies”:
For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Therefore, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:26-31, ESV)
PostScript for Bloggers: I came into town a early since I’m using flyer miles and stopped by Grace to You to visit some friends. Todd gave me the 50 cent tour on which I actually walked into the office of Head Pyro and Spurgeon guy – Phil Johnson.
There is lot’s of buzz about churches being “missional.” Something of a confusing word, and even more confusing in that it used by both the theologically liberal and conservative ends of the church spectrum. This post at 9 Marks is very helpful in understanding the meaning and scope of “missional church.” Eric Simmons related article on “What is the Missional Life?” is also interesting.
Another controversy has erupted around Mark Driscoll – this time including John Piper. I’d like to do my part to point to the truth as I appreciate the teaching of both these pastors.
Mark was a keynote speaker at the recent Desiring God Conference. I wasn’t there but from Tim Challies’ liveblog of the session it was biblical and challenging. However, Mark’s style seems to have set some people off and at some point Piper spoke about style being relatively unimportant. Apparently some Christians were hard of hearing and only got part of what was said and began rumors of a controversy (or worse) between these two men.
The truth, in their own words, is here.
I appreciate Dr. Piper’s willingness to speak truthfully to everyone and candidly to Mark. I like Mark’s response. I hope I can grow up to be more like them … they seem to be more like Jesus.
This has been another very full week between church and family responsibilities including the hiring of a new youth minister for Crossroads’ to replace Jayson Turner who has taken on the task of preaching at Crossroads Saturday Evening worship service. Anyway, I’ve not had much time to do some of the things I’d like – including blogging. I did come across a couple of interesting posts however.
Kristen has some thoughts about real letters on her Chaos site.
Tim Challies has been live blogging the 2006 Desiring God National Conference spearheaded by John Piper. The Supremacy of Christ in the Postmodern World led to some great messages. The notes on Mark Driscoll’s message were insightful.
Pulpit Magazine Online has begun a series of posts on Lordship Salvation. I had to write a significant paper on this topic in Seminary, so it isn’t a new issue. Just one that keeps coming up and confusing people.
Pecadillo thinks he’s found the son of the Michelin Man.
And if you have time to waste, enjoy some bubblewrap.
Musings of a Random Nature 