A Little TV

I thought last night's American Idol was the best episode ever, as far as the competition. My number 1 & 2 for the night were Matt and Danny, but I thought all five were amazing. I think this is by far the most talented group ever.

And how about the NBA playoffs! The Boston/Chicago series is the best first round playoffs series I've ever seen. I'm a big Celtics fan, but I find myself pulling for the baby Bulls. I think D. Rose is going to be a top 3 point guard in another year or so. He's just got to cut those turnovers down. And I think they're one trade away from being an elite team (how about L. Deng and Tyrus Thomas for a big man, perhaps Bosh or Stoudamire?).

The Goal of Parenting

The following is from Tim Kimmel's great book, Grace Based Parenting.

The real test of a parenting model is how well equipped the children are to move into adulthood as vital members of the human race. Notice I didn't say "as vital members of the Christian community." We need to have kids that can be sent off to the most hostile universities, toil in the greediest work environments, and raise their families in the most hedonistic communities and yet not be the lease bit intimidated by their surroundings. Furthermore, they need to be engaged in the lives of people in their culture, gracefully representing Christ's love inside these desperate surroundings (9).

There are times when we need to shelter and protect our children, but if that is our primary to the world, then we are doing a disservice to our children. Instead, we need to teach and live out a biblical worldview. We teach them what it means to follow God and be a missionary in their world.

Favorite Iphone Apps

I've had my iPhone now for close to three months, and I love it just as much as when I first got it. The 1 billionth application should be downloaded sometime today (winner gets a $10,000 iTunes gift card), so I thought I would share some of my favorite apps.

• Google app - I probably use this most of all because I'm now using Google Reader for my rss feeds
• reQall - replaced Jott when Jott ceased to be free; not quite as good but it's very useful
• Amazon Kindle - I haven't bought a Kindle book yet, but I've sampled the first chapter of many
• Evernote - I use this primarily on my laptop, but it's nice to have an app for the iPhone
• Files lite - free version; allows me to take documents on the iPhone; I can read them, but no editing
  
• Pandora
• Simplify - allows me to listen to my entire iTunes collection on my desktop at home; not the best quality, but still a great feature
• Yelp - pinpoints my location, shows restaurants, grocery stores, coffee shops, etc. nearby, and even gives reviews; I used them a lot while we were on vacation
• Maps - right up there with Google as to most used; I drive around and look at houses a lot; this helps out quite a bit
  

American Idol

I think the talent in this year's American Idol competition is the strongest ever. I love Matt's soul, Danny's power, and Adam's charisma, but of all of them, the one I would spend money to hear is Kris Allen. His performance a few weeks ago of "Ain't No Sunshine" was amazing.

Books I'm Reading

I just updated my Shelfari page, so I thought I would give an update on some of the good books I've been reading. On Easter we finished up our series on the Cross, so for the last couple of months I've been reading a lot on that subject. Two of the key books I read were Death by Love, by Mark Driscoll, and The Atonement, by Leon Morris. I grew and learned a lot during this series.

Next Sunday I am preaching on parenting, so I've been reading a few books on this topic, namely, Grace Based Parenting, by Tim Kimmel, Revolutionary Parenting, by George Barna, and Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture, by Mary DeMuth. I haven't read much of Barna's yet, but I highly recommend the other two.

I've also just started reading Total Church, by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis. This is one of those books where it seems like I'm underlining every other sentence. The chapter on community is amazing, as is the one on evangelism. Speaking of that chapter, you can read it on Tim Chester's blog.

Finally, our men's discussion group has one more week on Piper's Don't Waste Your Life. It's been encouraging yet very challenging. I guess that's typical Piper, though.

Cal Who?

Great article on Memphis' new head basketball coach!

The Importance of the Resurrection

I am getting ready to preach my first Easter sermon, and I feel a little overwhelmed. For the past few weeks we've been seeking to answer the question, "Why did Jesus have to die?" We've looked at the following bad news/good news facets of the cross:

Week 1
Bad news: We are in bondage to sin and cannot escape on our own
Good news: Jesus died to redeem us from the bondage of sin

Week 2
Bad news: God's response to sin is wrath and judgement
Good news: Jesus died as a once-for-all atonement for our sin, appeasing God's wrath, forgiving all of our sins (past, present and future), and cleansing us from all unrighteousness

Week 3
Bad news: We have sinned, and the penalty for sin is death
Good news: Jesus died in our place for our sin. Therefore we do not have to pay the penalty.


As I have been working my way through this, a new question has emerged that I'm going to try to address this Sunday. The Cross has humbled me. It is truly beautiful and amazing. In some ways it would be enough to say that Jesus is my Savior, that He did all of these things for me. My life would be changed. I would no longer be the same.

So what's the purpose of Easter?

My text will be 1 Corinthians 15, and the key words for me have been "of first importance." Paul shows us why the resurrection of Jesus is vital to Christianity. In verses 12-20 he gives shows what things would be like if Christ hadn't been raised from the dead. He shows that this can't just stop with the Cross.

The Resurrection also sets up the New Creation (which harkens back to the Creation Mandate found in Genesis 1). With the Resurrection, Jesus is not only Savior of the world but also King of the World. And He has called us to be ministers of reconciliation in His Kingdom!

Vacation

We are in Orange Beach, AL this week with Paw Howard, Boogala (not sure how to spell that, but it's Adam's grandmother), and Megan. The boys did great on the long drive yesterday, and our first night was good. Micah slept in the bathroom last night, but we moved him into the closet this morning (is that wrong?). Adam is most excited about making smores and watching Star Wars: Episode I. I'm looking forward to eating a lot of seafood, enjoying the serenity of the waves crashing outside our door, and enjoying my family!

Does Satan Exist?

Last week ABC News Nightline featured a four-person "Face-Off" debate on the topic of Satan. The guests were Bishop Carlton Pearson, Deepak Chopra, Annie Lobert, and Mark Driscoll. You can watch it in its entirety here. I was very impressed with Driscoll's responses. I also think Pearson hit the nail on the head when he began talking about Scripture. It all boils down to what you believe about Scripture. If you don't believe that Scripture is authoritative, then nothing that Driscoll and Lobert makes sense.

Coach Cal Leaving?

Apparently Coach Calipari is announcing this afternoon whether or not he is leaving Memphis for Kentucky. It is going to be troubling for so many in Memphis if he leaves. Not only will we be losing a great coach (and a great Memphian), but we also stand to lose several prized recruits. It's also troubling for another reason, though: How concerned should we be that something like this puts us in such a state of depression? In the grand scheme of things, how big a deal is this?

Weekly Links

• Innovation3 was one of those conferences that I would have loved to have gone to. The next best thing is having free resources from it.
  
  
• Great nugget of parenting truth from Mark Batterson
  
  
• Ben Witherington reminds us of God's promises during our woeful economic times
  
  
• Tim Keller's Q & A Sessions free for download at Redeemer's store
  
  
• Ed Stetzer's 5-Part Interview on Communication with Andy Stanley

Financial Advice for 20 & 30-Somethings

I just discovered Ramit Sethi's new book, I Will Teach You to Be Rich on Lifehacker. I don't like the title that much (he chose it because it gets people's attention), but I really like his practical advice and his focus on systems and using technology. Check out his blog for more info.

Memphis Desperate for Money

Shelby County tax appraisals have started coming in, and residents are not happy. In a climate of decreasing values, it would seem logical that tax appraisals would also follow downward. However, that's not the case with most parts of the county. Here are a couple of articles (link, link) from The Commercial Appeal. Midtown & Downtown residents will find out at the end of this month, but I'm sure the bad news will continue.

A second example centers around my neighborhood. Over the last week or so we've had a code enforcement officer going around ticketing residents for very minor infractions (for example, having mardi gras beads on the porch). Now the first problem with this is that I'm on the safety committee of the CYCA, and it's going to appear to some that this is our doing. However, the primary problem is the motivation. Is it all about Memphis' need for money?

Everyone is struggling, and this includes the government, but the government shouldn't make their problems go away by adding to the problems of their residents. That's my 2 cents.

Another Great Resource

Leadership Learnings from Bloggers

This is a 250-plus page e-book features the best of the best leadership lessons from 20 different bloggers. I printed it out and have been reading it over the last few days. A lot of great reminders!

Facebook Bible Study

Just finished week 1 of an online Bible study on the Sermon on the Mount. My friend Joe is leading this interactive study of Matthew 5-7. He's an excellent teacher, and I look forward to learning with he and the other participants during these next few weeks.

A Good Day

Today was a really good day. It was a family day. It was truly Sabbath. This morning I decided to take Mandy and the boys to Victorian Village. I had driven all around this historic part of Memphis but had never driven down Adams Ave. We're going to go again sometime soon and go on a tour.




When we got back I used an emusic coupon to get some new music - 50 new songs to be exact. I love music. Some of my finds: Bon Iver's Blood Bank, Great Big Sea's newest album, some Over the Rhine, a few songs by Adele, some Sufjan Stevens, and some Andy McKee.

After that Dad, Evan and Kelsey came over. Dad and I watched the Tigers beat UTEP. Great game. And it was great to see UNC lose to Maryland in overtime. We also enjoyed a little BBQ from Paynes after the game.

Finally, as if the day couldn't get any better, I introduced Adam to Star Wars tonight. We watched the first hour of Episode IV: A New Hope. Before you get too worried, I fast forwarded several scenes. Right before putting him to bed, I asked him if he liked it. His response: "I love Star Wars." That's my boy! My mom wants me to come by sometime soon and go through my toys, comics and baseball cards in their house. I'm looking forward to showing off my collection of Star Wars toys to Adam.

Oh, one last thing...in addition to being able to say Momma and Dada, Micah can now say Night night.

A Great Church Resource

Mars Hill in Seattle has released a free resource in conjunction with their 28-week series on 1 & 2 Peter. It seems that there are a couple of reasons behind this document. The first is that they want to saturate the message of 1 & 2 Peter into everything their church does. They have outlined the two letters, giving the big ideas for each message. They've also written a study guide to be used in their weekly community groups. This also includes a daily devotional guide for families to use. I love this because it's centered around the dinner table and is to be used with the kids. Brilliant!

Their second reason for doing this is to help pastors like myself plan and "brand" sermons. I need all the help I can get, and I'm very appreciative to Mars Hill for this.

You can download this 207-page document from the Resurgence site.

Most Miserable Cities

God loves Memphis. Too bad others don't. Forbes just named Memphis the #2 Most Miserable City to live in. Here's an excerpt from the article:

Sandwiched between Stockton and Chicago is Memphis, Tenn. The home of FedEx has an incredibly high rate of violent crimes, with only Detroit faring worse. The 1,218 violent crimes per 100,000 residents is more than twice the rate in the New York City metro area. The city's sales tax and rate of government employees committing crimes also fall within the 10 highest in the U.S. Pro sports has been a mess in Memphis in recent years as well. The city's lone major franchise, the Memphis Grizzlies, has lost 74% of its games during the past three years, the worst in the NBA.

Weekly Links

Man, it's been awhile since I posted my "Weekly Links." Definitely more than a week. I've been very busy, but I've missed doing this. I actually post these for myself. I learn so much from reading different websites and blogs, and I always run across ideas that I want to internalize. I use my blog to do this. So hopefully, this will once again become a regular occurrence.

 

Scott Thomas interviews Steve Timmis on the Acts 29 site – This is one of those books that has unfortunately had to be moved towards the back of my bookshelf. I've had it for a couple of months and look forward to reading it. The interview is very good.

Bob Hyatt at Out of Ur says that our need for productivity often stems from pride. Here's a great quote (and when I say "great", I mean that it punched me in the stomach): "Conceived of this way, busyness isn't an issue of time management and productivity, it's an issue of desire. When is enough, enough? When am I doing enough good things through which that God-given desire to feel productive and useful in this world can be fulfilled? When do I cross the line between finding satisfaction in the good day's work I put in and trying to find my identity through an ever-increasing load of ego-enhancing commitments?"

Mark Batterson on God Ideas – I totally agree, but he says it in a much better way than I can!

Slumdog Millionaire – Mandy and I went to see this on Saturday night. It's one of the best movies I've ever seen. Very uplifting story, and one that I can recommend to everyone.

Ed Stetzer on The Dangerous Church of the Future (from Innovation 3)

Next Wave Ezine on the History of the Emerging Church

Jonathan Dodson posted the following quote by Tim Keller: "young preachers won't find their voice until they have preached 200 sermons, so don't be so hard on yourself!" I think I feel better after reading that.

 

 

The Empty Chair

On Sunday night I told a story that I had read the night before in Abba's Child, by Brennan Manning. Here is the story:

Brennan Manning tells the following story of an old man who was dying of cancer. The man's daughter had asked the local priest to come and pray with her father. When the priest arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows and an empty chair beside his bed. The priest assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his visit.

Priest- "I guess you were expecting me, " I see the empty chair, I figured you knew I was going to show up."
Man- "Oh yeah, the chair ... Would you mind closing the door?"

Puzzled, the priest shut the door.

Man - "I've never told anyone this, not even my daughter .... But all of my life I have never known how to pray. At the Sunday Mass I used to hear the priest talk about prayer, but it always went right over my head.. I abandoned any attempt at prayer, until one day about four years ago my best friend said to me, 'Joe, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here's what I suggest. Sit down on a chair, place an empty chair in front of you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It's not spooky because he promised, 'I'll be with you always.' Then just speak to him and listen in the same way you're doing with me right now." "So, Father, I tried it and I've liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I'm careful, though. If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she'd either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm.

The priest was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old guy to continue on the journey. Then he prayed with him, anointed him with oil, and left him in God's care. Two nights later the daughter called to tell the priest that her daddy had died that afternoon.

Priest - "Did he seem to die in peace?"

Daughter- "Yes, when I left the house around two o'clock, he called me over to his bedside, told me he loved me, and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour later, I found him dead. But there was something strange. Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on a chair beside the bed. What do you make of that?"

The priest wiped a tear from his eye and said, "I wish we could all go like that"