This past week, I had the privilege of attending Exponential Conference in Orlando, Florida. It's the largest annual conference for church-planters in the world.
I am not a church planter but was there to learn, observe, and support our MissioChurch Brethren Church planters.
It was a blast.
It was a week of connecting with new friends and old, being equipped for more effective ministry, and being challenged by world-renowned speakers in the main group sessions.
I tried to take careful notes as much as I could and as I have reviewed them, I've come up with 12 of the most memorable quotes.
Why 12? It's the number of disciples and tribes of Israel...ok that wasn't the intent. It is the ten that really spoke to me plus to personal ones that you'll want to stay to the end for.
So here we go, in no particular order:
1. "Don't get stuck on the math and miss the mission." - Albert Tate 2. "The drift of the human soul is always towards self-reliance." - Matt Chandler He may have been quoting someone, but I didn't catch it if he was.
My last Music Monday post was a little silly, tying into the NCAA Tourney that was going on. With this post, we're getting more serious and spiritual, tying into the Easter weekend we just went through. I've featured these songs before, but I can't think of anything better than to feature these three favorites that highlight the glorious truths of the Resurrection story.
They don't really need extra comment, but they do all deserve extra contemplation as we "move past" Easter. Even if time marches on, hopefully are hearts will remain fixed on these realities.
The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is must-see tv for
basketball junkies like me, to say nothing of the fans and alumni of college
teams.
The basketball is not always pretty, but every year it
provides great drama. So great, that you get this kind of reaction when teams
are trading baskets at the end of a tie game:
To me, I find that whole thing amusing, concerning, and
understandable. I would absolutely react the same way had it been my favorite
team. It’s one thing to go crazy in the moment as a game is decided. It’s an
entirely different issue when sports lead to this kind of thing:
Yesterday I preached(sermon upload coming soon) on how our society has made sports an
idol and how that can lead to harmful results. But I also wanted to emphasize
how Christians can properly view athletics.
Sports aren’t inherently evil – don’t hear me saying that.
They can be played and viewed with a balanced perspective. I believe God has
given us things like sports to find joy in this life and to teach us spiritual
lessons. You can listen to my sermon for
my biblical rationale, but I also thought this could lead into a Music Monday.
Admittedly, there aren’t a lot of sports-themed songs that really stand out (though feel free to comment if one does), but this song kind of fits the
bill in a fun, silly way.
This is a classic “Youth Group” song of the 1990’s about
heaven. And the unique thing about it is the line about how we’ll be
playing football in eternity. Some more serious theologians may object to it’s
biblical inaccuracy.But really, who
knows?
We’re not given a ton of specifics about what heaven will be
like beyond the glorious presence of God. But one can make the legitimate case
that if God has given us elements in this life for our fun and enjoyment,
what’s to say that there won’t be opportunities to play catch, shoot hoops, or
something along those lines in heaven?
The bottom line is, we can play sports to the glory of God
(1 Cor. 10:31, 9:24-27,James 1:17), and
when we do that well in the here and now, we’re really just practicing for
eternity.
It's been a couple weeks. We took a mini-vacation to Gatlinburg on a Pastors and Spouses Retreat. It isn't necessarily warm in Tennessee this time of year. But it was definitely pleasant and a needed get-away.It proved to be the kind of scenario where one is refreshed by almost everything - the food, the fellowship, and the scenery.
That experience plus a curious case of deja vu led me to this week's highlighted song.
This is new single by Needtobreathe is just perfectly fit for retreats surrounded by nature and Spring's arrival (it's today!). It also has happened to be playing three consecutive Sunday mornings in a row as I've been getting ready for church. And of course I heard it again on my way to the office this morning. I began to realize that maybe I should be sure to "come to the fountain and be satisfied." I can't be certain - maybe it's a message from God, maybe it's random deja vu, maybe it's just the nature of Christian radio...whatever the case it has inserted a little joy into each of my mornings when I've heard it.
The Beatles lied to us. Love is not all you need. Ok, they weren't intentionally deceiving us, given that they wrote their famous hit "All You Need is Love" for a TV special promoting world peace and harmony. But how many people have taken that line and adopted it as a romantic philosophy, no-questions-asked?
On this blog, I typically highlight songs worth considering. This week, I decided to go negative given that "Love" has become such an American idol, it's hard to choose just one pop song that illustrates our cultural worship of romance.
I've begun a sermon series that works through many of these "American Idols" and we kicked things off assessing the dangers of making love an idol. Specifically we looked at an episode in life of Jacob that effectively illustrates all the pitfalls of treating love like a god.
Love is a crucial part of the Christian life and a natural part of the human experience. But to pursue satisfaction from it is a fool's errand.
As the pinnacle of the great sign miracles of Jesus, John records for us the Lord's raising of Lazarus from the dead. It is the glorious capstone of Jesus' works and it fully reveals who He is unlike any of the other signs He did. For critics, John 11 is an easy target to aim at in their goal of reducing Jesus to a mere religious figure. They search for alternative explanations, they cast doubt on it's authenticity, and they deny it's reality. For believers, John 11 is an overwhelming wave of hope that washes over us and leaves us forever changed. John 11 is the story of Jesus confronting death and proving it is no match for his divine identity. There are beautiful details showing him calling his followers to faith and emotionally responding to the fallenness of this world. But the truly impactful part of this story is the dramatic demonstration of Jesus calling Lazarus back to life. It is a showcase of His infinite power and a foreshadowing of what is to come in His own person.
That is why this song resonates so much with me:
You have no rival You have no equal Now and forevermore You reign
What a beautiful, wonderful, and powerful name it is - the name of Jesus.
1. "Don't get stuck on the math and miss the mission."
