Conquering A City In 2012

Here we are fellas, a few days past Christmas and a new year on the horizon. If you're like me, your scrambling through the files of your mind trying to decide what needs to change next year and what went well this year. Most of us make New Year's resolutions at the beginning of each year and hope that we'll see them come-to-pass. There are many areas of my life that I know the Lord would like me to improve upon next year, and by His grace they will be different come December of 2012.

I'm wondering if you'd like to join me on a quest to improve the quality of life for yourself and for your family in the coming year. I know that by making my desires public, I open myself up for public inquisition at any time. Maybe that's a good thing. Men need to be challenged in all areas of their life, like the kings of Israel and the Prophets who helped guide them. The first king who didn't have his own prophet ended up allowing his passions to run wild and it led to much sin and heartache. I'm speaking of Solomon, who as and old man wrote about the meaninglessness of everything life had to offer expect obedience to God.

So if you're willing to join me in setting out to conquer the city that's known by your name, send me an email or post a comment on this blog.

Below is a list of some areas of life that I'd like to improve upon next year and some areas that I know other Men struggle with and need to conquer if they're to truly excel in their walks with the Lord and in the leadership of themselves and their families:

• Prayer life

• Study of God's word

• Family devotions with wife and children

• Finances (budgeting, debt elimination, saving, etc. I know this is a major one for many men, and if I could, I'd like to recommend a book that's easy to read, The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey.)

• Marital oneness (Connecting with our wives at a heart level on a daily basis. Not sure how to, just ask your wife.)

• Sexual purity (Another big issue, if not THE issue, that has crippled the power of men in the church. Whether it's adulterous relationships, masturbation, pornography, fornication, or any other sexual sin--until we as men get control over our God-given desires and steer them in the right direction, we will lack the power to serve that comes through purity. Let's put this sin to death, men!)

• Family ministry endeavors (What can your family do as ministry to others in 2012? Whether it's serving in a homeless shelter, nursing home, soup kitchen, or caring for the elderly in your neighborhood, find something you can do together and do it!)

• Discipleship of children (I'm talking about intentional discipleship here, not just what comes by living with you.)

• Home improvements (the condition of our homes is a reflection of our lives and a message to our wives.)

• Fasting and prayer (I'm beginning the year with a 30 day season of fasting and prayer that I'd love for some men to join me on. I'll go from 1/2/12 - 1/31/12. Let me know if your interested. You can do 1 day a week, 10 days, 20, or all 40. You decide and stick to it.)

• Diet and exercise (For too many of us, the question isn't whether or not we need to lose weight, the question is, how much weight do we need to lose? I want to see my grand-kids, so I know that this is gravely important.)

• Knowledge expansion (What I mean here is how are you continually developing your mind? Did you read any good books this year? What do you plan to read next year? I would challenge you to read a minimum of 6 books next year. That's only 1 book every two months. Some of you who read well and more quickly should read 12 books, one per month. Read in diverse areas as well. If you need suggestions, let me know.)

• Church Life (The Lord opened the door for my family to team up with several other tremendous families to start a family integrated church in the Northwest Indiana/Chicagoland area, and with the basic structures put in place in 2011, we're believing 2012 will be a year of blessing and growth if we honor the Lord and follow where He leads. So I'll be praying and fasting for our new Church, New Hope Christian Fellowship, and would cherish your prayers for us as well. And, if you might be interested in visiting us, we'd be honored to have you as our guest!)

These are just some of the things that I've been thinking through for myself and for other men close to me. This is not an exhaustive list of areas that need addressing by men, it's just meant to get you thinking about next year. Consider it and send me your thoughts.

And oh yeah...Happy New Year!

The Day After, For Harold Camping

 
So here we are, Sunday, May 22nd, 2011-a day after Harold Camping, of Family Radio Ministries, predicted the end of the world, and as far as I can see, all is normal. Here's my prediction about the end of the world--"It will happen."

 

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???

Church Is a Horrible Hobby...

Last night at work I was listening to my boy, Matt Chandler, via "The Village Church" podcast on my iPod and thought he made some interesting remarks.

He said that going to church and "trying" to be a "good Christian" is a horrible hobby. Trying to keep enough rules to be ok with God, trying to be good enough to make those around you happy and so on, is a horrible hobby. If it isn't out of love for Christ and an act of worship, it's drudgery. Admit it, he's right. I've been there, you've been there, we've all been there, I think, if we're honest.

He said it's like "Halloween" every week.

You put on your "Christian face," get all dressed up and pretend to be something you're not. When asked "how's it going?" you respond "good brother, praise the Lord." Then you walk away knowing you just lied and deep down in your heart you wish you could have told him the truth, sat down, and got some prayer.

Let's be honest about who we really are. We are born-again, Holy Spirit regenerated, Christ followers and Christ worshipers who struggle to live holy lives and battle against the enemy every day of our existence. We are men who everyday must be ready for battle the minute our feet hit the floor. We must be ready to fight at a moments notice for our souls, our families, and our God!

Although we can fool everyone in church, we cannot fool the one who presides over the church. Jesus sees us for who we really are. So why do we pretend on Sunday mornings? Why can't we just be who we are? Sinners saved by God's amazing grace!

Robert Robinson wrote about this in his hymn, "Come Thou Fount," with these words; "Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. Here's my heart, o take and seal it. Seal it for thy courts above."

Does your heart betray you everyday like mine does ? You know the life you want to live, but you feel so prone to wander. Does the church invite the "messy" people like me in? Or do we have Halloween every week? Do Pastors set the example of how to repent of sin, cry out to God for mercy, and plead with the Lord to make us more like Christ every week from the pulpit? Or do they seem so untouchable that the only way to seem anything like them is to fake it, like many of them do? On the streets of Chicago this is called perpetrating, or false flagging. Pretending to be something you're not.

In the end, in some way, I guess we all play church on Sundays. Lord knows I do. Wouldn't want to disrupt the culture you know. If people really knew me for who I am inside they probably wouldn't like me very much. And if I knew them for who they really are, I probably wouldn't like them very much. So I guess we'll go on having Halloween every week in order to "keep the peace." After all, isn't that what good church folk do? God help us...

That Which Divides...

This must be how we look to the watching world. One true church with many faces.

I've been thinking about the things that divide Christians and decided to jot some of them down. I'm sure you can add to this list, so please, feel free to do so with a comment or two.

Some of these are meaningless, and wouldn't stop two Christians from socializing or joining the same church. But, for some, these would keep them from socializing with you and you couldn't join their church if you wanted.

My recommendation; if someone withholds fellowship from you because of these, let it go. Pray for them and move on.

So, here we go...

That which divides:

• Bible versions: KJV, ESV, NIV, NASB, etc., etc., (I know you KJV guys are HOT now, ain't-cha?
• Church size: Small, medium, large, mega
• Church building: Traditional, house, cathedral, organic house
• Church mode: One meeting, multi-service, one location, multi-site, multi-campus
• Church Government: Senior Pastor, Lead Pastor, Deacons, No Deacons, Elder led, Congregational led, Women Pastors, Women Deacons, etc.
• Spiritual Gifts: Cessationist, full gospel (all gifts still exist), all speak in tongues, tongues don't exist anymore, no more "super-natural" gifts, etc.
• Church structure: Program driven (programs for every family member), relational driven (little to no programs that would divide families), Youth groups, No youth groups, Children's ministry, No Children's ministries, etc.
• Attire: Ripped jeans and shorts OK, Suit and tie preferred, Dresses for gals preferred, etc.
• Smoking: Can, should Christians smoke squares, cigars?
• Alcohol: BIGGY...Can, should Christians drink alcohol?
  
• Communion: Weekly, monthly, quarterly. Grape juice, or red wine?
• Worship style: Look out now...Contemporary, Hymns only, a blend of both, or something entirely different.
  
• Worship music: Instruments, no instruments, organs, drums, electric guitar, or acapella?
• Educating children: Homeschool, private school, public school (type 'education' to search this blog to see what I've wrote about this)
• Working Wives: Can, should women work outside the home?
• Eschatology: The study of end times. Pre-trib, mid-trib, post-trib, and so on. (Thank God our salvation isn't based on knowing that which Christ said only the Father knows!) OK boys, put away the charts... :D
• Tattoos
• Men wearing earrings
• Modes of baptism
• Paedo baptist vs. Credo baptist
• Denominations: (There are over 300 branches of Christians, with over 38,000 different denominations. Yikes!)
  

And the list can go on, and on, and on, and for some, it does. Like Pharisees, some believers get so caught up in what divides us, rather than focusing on what unites us. And for that I have a list as well...

That which UNITES Christians:

• The Gospel of Jesus Christ!
• Amen...
  

PS - My own personal views for the above mentioned subjects are found in the Bible. What it teaches, I believe!

Why Should We Study Theology?

I'm a few weeks into my new theology class through Moody Bible Institute's distance learning program, and am really enjoying the content and discussion to this point.

The class is "The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit," taught by a retired Pastor/Contractor who's been in ministry for about 30-40 years in various capacities. Our class has people from various theological streams and it has caused some disagreements already, but always ends cordially with the teacher smoothing everything over.

There are people of the Wesleyan persuasion, reformed persuasion, dispensational persuasion, catholic, etc.. Some have been saved a number of months, some for a decade or so like myself, and then others for several decades. So it's quite a mixed bag.

The class has challenged me to study more in depth, to think more critically, and to know what I believe, why I believe it, and be able to explain to others why they should too. These are not traits or characteristics that most men have or desire to have. If it doesn't include drinking alcohol or watching sports, most of us men would much rather take a pass. And that's not to say that drinking alcohol or watching sports are wrong or should be avoided entirely. I enjoy a nice glass of wine or good beer when having dinner with my wife, and occasionally will catch important games that matter primarily in the post-season. But for the most part, most men, or should I say, most 'Christian' men don't really desire to know their Bibles all that well. They leave it to the "professionals."

So what's caused this? In my own experience, what has caused me to dig into my Bible was seeing other men that I "respected" dig into theirs. And when I say other men, I mean "men." Masculine, non-effeminate, heterosexual, one eyebrow, meat eating men. The kind who you'd want with you if you were gonna get jumped on your way home from bible study at 10 pm in the alley behind your house. Now there's something to consider! (Can you tell I grew up in Chicago dealing with these scenarios?)

And I firmly believe this begins from the pulpit. Do we have real men leading in most churches in the US? Do these men like the UFC? Do they hunt and like to kill things? Can their wives beat them up? Do they love their wives as Christ loved His bride? Do they disciple their children like God does His? Are they passionate about Jesus and His gospel? Do they portray Jesus as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, or is he just always the humble Galilean peasant who took a beating and was killed by stronger men, then tell you to go and do the same? What about the Jesus of Revelation. Sword protruding from His mouth as He comes to slay His enemies! Now that's a masculine man!

Don't get me wrong, we need the whole Jesus from scripture. But why is it that we mostly only hear of the weaker, softer Jesus who laid down His life as a ransom, (as portrayed by them) and not about the Lion of the tribe of Judah Jesus who will slay those who oppose Him in the end??? Could it be that a lot of Pastors better relate to the former Jesus, and not the latter one? Just a question.

I thank God that I've been in churches, some for over ten years, that were led by men who who were "men." They loved the Lord, their Bibles, their wives, children, and spoke in a way that made me want what they had.

I'm also thankful for many leaders and churches in the emerging church movement. Not emergent, but emerging. (Click here to understand the difference.) These men and churches have been very effective in reaching the most unchurched in our land; men between 18 and 30. These churches are filled with men in this demographic. I cant' explain it all, but see some common denominators that begin in the pulpit. To see some of these churches, look at my list of churches under 'churchville' to the left.

So back to the question at hand..."Why should we study theology?"

I believe the answer to my question is because we're men, and that's what "men" do!

Meeting "The Man"

On January 29th and 30th, my wife and I, along with some close friends, headed to Deerfield, IL, for a 2-day church planting conference hosted by Acts 29. Acts 29 is a church planting network that seeks to help equip Men to plant, and re-plant, church planting churches.

The co-founder, and President of A29 is Mark Driscoll. Mark is the Lead Pastor at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, and author of several books. He planted Mars Hill in the fall of 1996, with around 12 people in his home. Today, Mars Hill averages around 7,000 in attendance every Sunday. Truly a work of God!

I became acquainted with Mark Driscoll in the late 90's when my marriage was rocky...my holiness was invisible...and my god was myself. I was driving home from Chicago late one Saturday night, when I tuned in to WYLL to see what they had on. This was a Christian talk station, that occasionally had something on worth listening to. This night would alter the course of my life forever.

The program that was on was a live call-in show called 'Streettalk.'(No longer on) It was hosted by guy named Leif Moi. Leif was a general contractor, Pastor, and host of this program which aired every Saturday from 11pm - 2am Chicago time. Well, Leif happened to be a Pastor at a young, newly planted church in Seattle named...yeah, you guessed it...Mars Hill.

Leif had a co-host come in periodically to help in out or cover for him if he needed the night off, and his co-host's name?...yes again...Mark Driscoll. The two would speak to Men in ways that I didn't think Pastors were allowed to talk. Little did I know Jesus, Paul, the Apostles, and Prophets had been speaking to Men like this for thousands of years, unbeknown to me.

Well, since then, I've spent countless hours being molded, rebuked, corrected, convicted, and whatever else good preaching is suppose to do by Driscoll, and have followed the life of his church and other ministry endeavors with great delight. Ministries like Acts 29 and The Resurgence. Mark is also on the board of the Gospel Coalition, headed up by D.A. Carson and Tim Keller.

The Lord has used Mark in my life to do great and mighty things. And for that, I will forever be thankful. When I spoke with him at the conference, I relayed this message to him and he was as humble as I've ever seen any man be. My wife and I both found Driscoll to be very kind and friendly. He even gave my wife a closed fist 'high-five' when he found out that we have 8 kids. I think he even told her that she 'rocks.'

I thank God that after using Driscoll to draw me close to Christ with much needed hard words, He then led me to a solid church, led by another Pastor named Mark, who would've known, Mark Jobe at New Life Community Church in Chicago. There the Lord brought Men into my life who would disciple me and prepare me for useful service in the kingdom of God. Mark, Mike, Asa, Dave, that would be you. I spent the better part of 12 years at New Life and am forever thankful to those Men who God is using mightily in the Windy City!

So all in all, the conference was extremely insightful, but the highlight of it all was finally, after all these years, getting to meet the General. You know, he even told me that him and Leif have recently talked about doing Streettalk or some form of it again. Well, if they do, I pray that some guy out there screwing up his life and not loving his wife will just happen to tune in on his way home from work, and maybe, just maybe, alter the course of his as well!

Church Planting with Acts 29...

This past week, my wife and I, along with some close friends packed up our bags and headed up to Deerfield, IL., on the campus of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, for a two-day church planting conference hosted by Acts 29.

This trip was kind of like a "third heaven" experience for me, because it was 10 years in the making.

Acts 29 is a church planting network co-founded by Mark Driscoll. Yes, the Mark Driscoll. (Just type his name in the search box at the top of this blog to see other postings about him and you'll know that I'm a big proponent of his, and have been for over 10 years.) I'll post about my personal thoughts, and put up a photo with him in a later post.

This church planting "bootcamp," as Acts 29 calls them, was very, very insightful, and comes highly recommended for all current Pastors, and anyone interested in possibly planting a church some time down the road. See their website for a full list of topics that are covered, doctrinal beliefs, current churches, etc., etc.. You can also subscribe to their free 'podcast' and listen to previous bootcamps from previous locations.

At this conference, on top of meeting and conversing with Mark Driscoll, I was also able to meet and converse with other Men who have taught me much about life and church planting thru the years.

Men like Darrin Patrick, who serves as VP of Acts 29, Dr. Ed Stetzer, Scott Thomas, director of Acts 29, Dr. Mark Dever, founder of 9marks ministry, and Tyler Powell, asst. director of Acts 29.

These Men were first class in all respects. Polite, courteous, intelligent, and willing to converse with people until they felt all their questions were answered.

Some topics we heard teaching on were:

• Leading the Mission
• Preaching the Mission
• Kingdom focused Church planting
• Missional and Biblical Church planting
• Church planting evangelism
• Vision for Church planting
• Q and A concerns for church planting wives

To see upcoming bootcamps, and other venues to hear these men at, visit their respective websites.

Thanks to the Acts 29 team for a first-class church planting experience. The gospel was proclaimed unashamedly!

The Value of Family...w/ Voddie Baucham

Is the Church Ready? w/ Voddie Baucham

The Power of the Gospel...

Video produced by Marshill Church in Seattle for their 10 year anniversary back in '06.

It's an awesome thing to see the gospel transform lives!

The Cost of Discipleship

On Saturday and Sunday, September 5th and 6th, 2007, my family and I headed up to Fellowship Baptist Church in South Bend, IN., to see our friends the Wesco's (who lead there), and always seek to encourage families in the ways of home discipleship.

Well on this particular weekend, they had the Vogrin Family in doing family ministry, and leading the services all together. My wife had seen their music sampler on their website recently and thought it would be nice to see them in person (not knowing that were coming to Fellowship) in order to bless and encourage our children, some of which have musical talents of their own.

So we drove up there on Saturday night and Sunday, because they held a short performance and lecture on Saturday night about different aspects of family ministry, and knew it would be good for us to see it. So all in all, we probably spent about 5 hours commuting both days to and from, and were pretty tired come Monday morning. But it was a good kind of tired, if you know what I mean.

Yeah, we paid a bit in gas, spent hours driving, and had to eat out some, but for what my children were able to see, it was well worth it. It was the cost of discipleship!

The Vogrin family is strong, peaceful, and well versed in the scriptures. The Dad has done an excellent job leading his home, and the Mom has done a fine job building up her home. Not many families are doing family ministry the way their doing it. And the reason for this lack of Godly examples is that it takes time, hard word, and a commitment to the Lord that goes beyond just showing up at church on Sunday mornings.

I was able to spend some time speaking the Vogrin Dad on Sunday and had a very delightful conversation. I asked him point blank, "What must be in a home to produce Godly children who love the Lord as adults?" And without skipping a beat, he looked me in the eye and replied, "You!" "You as the Father must be there!" Ouch, I hadn't been punched like that for a while. But you know, I needed to hear that. I think all Men need to hear that. Right Men?

So Men, on behalf of George Vogrin, I ask you, where are you in your home? Are you somewhere in the background, lurking undetected, paying bills silently? Or are you front and center, leading your family and imparting vision to them about what the Lord has called them too?

Are you there? Are you teaching, discipling, instructing, disciplining, training, and educating your children as God commands you too? Or are you just your "average Christian Dad?" Not involved beyond what the Youth Pastor asks of you?

The answers to these questions will determine in large part, the future of your children. Mediocre, nominal, passive, back-slidden. Or strong, determined, faithful for generations to come!

So go ahead, pay the price of discipleship. Think of something to do soon that won't be easy and may not be free, but will help your children and wife grow stronger in the Lord as they follow your lead and are blessed for doing so!

Here a Denom, There a Denom, Everywhere a Denom...

With over 300 branches listed within Christianity, and apporximately 38,000 different Denominations within those branches, who is right? and who is wrong?

I'll tell you who's right...Jesus! Just Jesus. The rest of us, just using our 3 pound brains trying to figure out an infinite God who created everything that exists. Good Luck!!!

Read the bible, pray, and in the end, trust Jesus. Man can fail us, Jesus can't!

Watch this short clip from Mark Driscoll on Denominations. He says it pretty well!

Lifehouse Everything Gospel Skit...

This is an incredibly powerful gospel drama. The best I've ever seen!

To view in larger window click here Life House Drama.

The Rapture - End Times

This is a great conversation starter.

Watch this with your kids, then be ready to answer some questions about the rapture.

Does Anybody Hear Her - Casting Crowns

Mark Driscoll on Denominations

Emerging Vs Emergent

Filmed during John Piper's National Desiring God Conference in 2006. Mark Driscoll (who's featured here) spoke along with Tim Keller, Voddie Baucham (who's one of my favorite speakers), and of course John Piper.

Examing Two Enemies of the Gospel

Got 43 minutes? Care about the Gospel?

If so, watch this video of Mark Driscoll speaking at the "Creative Church Conference" in Grapevine, TX. back in February of this year.

It's worth the time.