Wednesday, April 29, 2009

10 Ways to Know Your Pastor Isn't Called!


Top Ten Reasons You Know
Your Pastor Isn't Called

10. He doesn’t agree with you.
9. He cheats at golf.
8. He thinks “Pyromaniacs” is a disco group.
7. He thinks Thomas Nelson wrote the Bible.
6. She doesn’t wear enough makeup.
5. He wears too much makeup.
4. He thinks Plato is the original Greek.
3. He has “applause” lights on the front of the pulpit.
2. He thinks the movie “The Godfather” denied the Trinity.
1. He insists on including eunuchs in his altar calls.

Dumb Church Sign

How'd you like to call this church home?? I took this pic on my cellphone last summer driving home. They've since changed it, thankfully...

I wonder what God thinks when He looks down at those who call Him Father???

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Gospel Coalition Conference '09

This past week, I took a few days out of my vacation, and kitchen rehab project, to attend the Gospel Coalition Network's 2009 conference entitled; "Entrusted With The Gospel; Living the Vision of 2 Timothy"

I attended with my brother Israel and my Dad. It was a nice chance to hang with family and see and hear from Men who God is using to advanc His kingdom. Men like Tim Keller, John Piper and Mark Driscoll to name just a few. To see the full line-up, and to hear or watch the video's from the conference, click here.

There were so many good things that went on and I went away with much to chew on, and much to ponder. It was really cool sitting less than 10 feet away from Tim Keller and D.A. Carson during one session. It was awesome spending about an hour and a half talking wth Jeff Louie over lunch and gleaning from him nuggets of truth on the state of the church and how we must remember the lowly in our society.

Attending gave me an opportunity to see Men I admire and respect again and say hi to them for a few minutes. Men like Scott Thomas and Tyler Powell, who are the Director and Asst. Director of Acts 29, a church planting network doing some amazing things for God's kingdom.

I saw some good friends from New Life Community Church in Chicago, along with the crew from Bethel Church in Crown Point, IN. Seeing friends who are doing their parts to move the kingdom forward is always a great thing. And today, with cyberspace, we're always just a click away from staying in touch.

I also went away with about $150 in free books! This helps ease the pain of $5.50 sloppy joes. :-)

So all in all, it was a good time. I cut it a day short and went home early to celebrate my son Ravi's 8th birthday. As good as the conference was, it doesn't compare to being a Dad and hanging with my crew at home. Reality set back in as I looked at my kitchen which was gutted of all the old cabinets and flooring, and needed to be put back together before I go back to work on Monday.

So be sure and vist the GCN's website for the messages from a really great conference, then go out and advance the kingdom for your King!

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Marriage and Men

The sermon, "Marriage and Men," by Mark Driscoll, should be required listening for any Man who wants to be a follower of Christ, or is a follower of Christ!

OK, maybe "required" is a bit much, but not by far. If you haven't heard it yet, you must. If your a husband, or have a husband, if your a son, or have a son, if your a man, or want to be a man (whatever that means), you need to listen to this sermon.

Ladies, who read my wife's blog, listen to this sermon and then make your husband listen to it. You won't regret it!

Click here for the link to the sermon!

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Are American Christians Committed to the Church?

In my last post, "Growing On Your Own," my good friend, Kevin, raised an interesting point with this comment:
"Statistically, many Americans already believe they don't need the church in order to be spiritually growing people. And that's the problem. The church doesn't fit into the growth plan of most people who want to be spiritual."
I'd like to know what you think about this. Do you want to be spiritual? And if so, does the church fit into this desire?

Do you think "most" people who want to be spiritual think they can accomplish this without the church? And a bigger question is, "Can this be accomplished without the church?"

Look forward to hearing what you think about this issue! And gentlemen, (or ladies), don't hold back!

And for those who live outside the US, I'm curious about how committed you see the Christians in your country are toward the church?