Sovereign Grace Music

Some of you at Parkview and on this blog remember my former "plug" for Sovereign Grace's CD "Valley of Vision". That project is one of my favorite worship CDs. It is filled with a bunch of great worship ballads and the killer congregational song "Let Your Kingdom Come". If you don't have it, you should get it. Anyhow, Justin Taylor had a recent post on some new stuff coming from Sovereign Grace Music that I thought I would also pass on. I'll be honest that some of SG's music doesn't really fit my style, however, the "Valley of Vision" project convinced me that it's always worth taking a look at what this gifted ministry is producing. Be sure to check em out.

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From Sovereign Grace Music:

The newest CD from Sovereign Grace Music will be our first father-son project. Titled In a Little While, the CD features twelve songs written and sung by Mark Altrogge and his oldest son, Stephen. It is planned for release in August.

You may already be familiar with some of Mark's songs—"I Stand in Awe," "I'm Forever Grateful," and "In the Presence," to name a few. You may also have heard some of Stephen's songs on recent Sovereign Grace Music projects, such as Worship God Live and Valley of Vision. But you may not know that Mark has been senior pastor of Sovereign Grace Church in Indiana, Pennsylvania, for 25 years. His example of humble service and heartfelt worship inspired his son Stephen to play music and write songs for God's glory. In a Little While reflects Mark and Stephen's considerable talent, but it also represents of years of service in the local church.

The songs on In a Little While range from the upbeat, electric-guitar driven "At the Cross" to "Whatever My God Ordains Is Right," a gentle rendition of a seventeenth-century hymn. You can listen to song samples, and read the lyrics for all twelve songs, at our website.

You can also preview the CD with a free download of the song "All I Really Need." To download this MP3 file, visit our website and follow the instructions in the upper right corner of the page. We hope you enjoy this preview of In a Little While.

They also provide information about their new remix CD:

When we introduced Asleep in a Storm at our recent New Attitude conference, it sold out almost immediately. Our first remix CD, Asleep in a Storm takes well-known Sovereign Grace songs and refashions each one into something new, while keeping the original lyrics and vocals.

We're pleased to announce that this CD is back in stock at our online store for $10.00. If you haven't yet heard it, you can listen to song samples at our website. (For this CD only, a bulk discount is available: 30 or more copies for $8.00 each.)

Plus, you can download a free MP3 of the song "Across the Great Divide" at on our online store. (To download the song, you'll need to log in or follow the easy instructions to create an account.) Upcoming CD from Mark Altrogge and Son—Download a Free Song Now.

The Zone

This week I'll be throwing up some "highlights" from a class I am taking this summer at Covenant Seminary on Spiritual Formation. Here is Dr. Phillip Douglass' adaption of a quote by Marcus Buckingham regarding "the zone". The point of the quote is to illustrate the importance of us serving in our area of giftedness and how serving within our area of giftedness gives us a deep sense of fulfillment. Clearly the quote shows that most people are not experiencing this in their life and ministry.

The goal is to be engaged in our ministry, which means being so involved in your service to the Lord that you lose track of time and forget about your difficulties. Some call this "the zone” and Gallup research has found that 82% of American workers fail to experience it even once a week. Marcus Buckingham, The One Thing You Need to Know

Arts Ministry BBQ

Word out to all Parkview Arts Ministry participants.....

You and your families are invited to attend a picnic at Lake McBride on Sunday, July 29, from 4:00 to 7:30 p.m. Please bring a salad, side dish or dessert to share. The rest of the meal and table service will be provided.

Lake McBride offers a variety of recreational opportunities. There is a swimming beach, biking/hiking trails, fishing, paddle boat rentals, playgrounds...or just hang out! We are also asking if anyone has badminton, croquet, bocce ball or volleyball equipment we could use to bring it along. We will send out the name of the shelter we have reserved in a later email.

Please R.S.V.P. (let us know either way!) by July 26 to Kristen Kufeldt kkufeldt@parkviewchurch.org or DeDe Parker ltnews@iowatelecom.net

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Worship

“If I were to ask you what was the greatest activity in which the people of God could ever engage; if I were to ask you what was the highest ambition that any man or woman created by God could ever have; if I were to ask you what would remain when every other activity in this world has fallen away- what would you say?”

The answer is this: it is to offer to God acceptable worship. This is why God has formed the universe and created human beings. This is why God has sent His Son to redeem a people. This is why God is sanctifying and purifying the Church of Jesus Christ and preparing them for glory. It is in order that He might have a people who will bring Him acceptable worship. And when you focus it down to your own life, this is why God has made you. This is why God has given you a tongue and lips and a voice; this is why God has created every faculty of your being, that it might be engaged in the proper worship of Almighty God.

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones (sermon quoted by Eric Alexander)

(HT: Worship Notes)

What is Your Theological Worldview?

I do apologize for the recent randomness of my posting. My seminary class, 75th Anniversary planning, and numerous other issues have kept me from writing or reading blogs of late. Recently Zach Nielsen and then John Carlson posted their results from taking this theological worldview quiz. I was curious enough to take the quiz myself. Below are the results. I'm not surprised. You can take your quiz here.

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You scored as Reformed Evangelical, You are a Reformed Evangelical. You take the Bible very seriously because it is God's Word. You most likely hold to TULIP and are sceptical about the possibilities of universal atonement or resistible grace. The most important thing the Church can do is make sure people hear how they can go to heaven when they die.

Reformed Evangelical 75% Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 68% Fundamentalist 50% Neo orthodox 50% Emergent/Postmodern 50% Charismatic/Pentecostal 32% Classical Liberal 25% Roman Catholic 21% Modern Liberal 11% What's your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com

EFCA Worship Leader Network

The Evangelical Free Church of America just launched a new website for the EFCA worship leaders network. Included with this site is an email list you can subscribe to in order to participate in an email messaging system. It appears the goal of the site is to resource and network worship leaders. It’s too early to tell, but this may be a great resource for those of you out there who lead worship.

Evil, Suffering, and Samuel Barber

Today, while eating breakfast, my oldest daughter asked why God created people if He knew that some would go to hell. Nothing like a little light breakfast conversation! Rather than go right to a study in Romans 9, the Lord gave me an idea.

I told Hannah I would answer her question in a few minutes after having her listen to something. I went to the computer and downloaded Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber and following breakfast, had her sit and listen to the majority of the song. Before she listened I asked her to close her eyes and try to visualize whatever the music made her feel or think about.

Once the song was over, I asked her to describe what she felt while the music played. In short she shared that the opening represented dancing, that the middle sounded like a great battle, and that the end represented peacefulness. At that point I tried to explain the principle behind Romans 9:22-23 in musical terms where consonance or resolution (God’s glory) can only be fully appreciated and understood if presented in contrast to dissonance or tension (wrath, evil, suffering). After my brief explanation Hannah’s questions were satisfied and she went about the rest of her day.

I share this experience because it really impacted me. Good music is an amazing illustration of this great mystery. The suffering and evil (the dissonance) around us accentuates the brightness and beauty (the consonance) of God’s glory. There is no question that music illustrates the powerful means by which God is glorified even in the context of a world subject to sin and condemnation.

Semper Reformanda

Semper Reformanda is an ancient maxim that means always reforming. It was an important term during the reformation when Martin Luther nailed his 95 thesis to the door of the Wittenberg church. The theses were an appeal, calling the church to reform its beliefs and practices to that which is consistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ and the scriptures. The idea behind Semper Reformanda is that the church is called to continually reform, submitting itself to the headship of Christ and the teaching of the scriptures.

The reason I wanted to meditate on this term briefly in this post is because the perpetual need for reformation is something resisted both in the life of the individual Christian and in the life of the church. It wasn’t that long ago that I fully realized how wrong I was earlier in life when I believed that there was some arrival point when the “dust would settle” and I would actually feel as though I’d fulfilled my calling and purpose in life and ministry. I have since found that my expectation was completely false. There is always going to be struggle, hardship, humbling, learning, challenges, and change. When I came to accept this reality, I quit looking for “Disneyland” and began trying to understand the immense value of the journey. With this realization my discontent relented and I actually began to see the challenges before me as opportunities to grow in Christ and depend upon Him. Of course, my admission to the need for personal reform is a confession that I have not and will never “arrive” in this lifetime. Despite this I am so thankful to now know that this life’s journey will continually lead me to the deep well of joy realized in my weakness and found God’s supply.

Within the church Semper Reformanda must also be embraced. Too often leaders in the church erect doctrinal and methodological fences that become untouchable and unquestionable. I am not suggesting that there aren’t foundational orthodox beliefs that must be fought for and maintained; however, so much of our resistance to change is often grounded in an unwillingness to be humbled and submit ourselves to the calling to always reform, always adapt, always submit, and always depend. Semper Reformanda!

Sally Morgenthaler Quote

Hi friends. I am still on vacation, but thought I would throw up a quote from Sally Morgenthaler that was posted as a comment on Nancy Beach's recent post regarding the future of worship. Nancy is the director of the Arts ministry at Willow Creek Church. The conversation is in regard to how worship services must reform in order to reach our post-modern, post-Christian culture with the gospel.

It is time for the big questions. We cannot afford to just keep doing what we've always done. That has been Willow's message for thirty years: the need for reformation. Now those of us who have been faithful at the contemporary, entrepreneurial model - especially praise and worship - must ask again if what we are doing is really transforming lives and expanding the kingdom.

People who know me will say that I'm not into throwing out the baby with the bathwater. For instance, in worship, there is much the liturgical or classic Christian expressions can offer to us and I called for a fusion of old and new in Worship Evangelism. So what I am not saying is, "Get rid of worship." Yet, how does a missional, "embedded" perspectiive (i.e., being the church outside the building) inform what we do each week? I believe we are at an incredibly exciting juncture where an out of the building focus will re-make - re-form - our corporate gatherings in ways we never imagined. For worship services to be the overflow of our lives in the kingdom instead of the destination - now that is a vision of beauty and faithfulness worth all the wrestling and disequilibrium we can stand. Change is never easy. But the faithful church is always the changing church. The reforming church.

Vacation

Friends, I am heading out on a vacation tomorrow and will be on the road for 10 days. Please know that posts will be a bit more intermittent for a while. An early June vacation is in order since the rest of the summer will be a bit of a whirlwind as we prepare for Parkview’s 75th Anniversary Celebration at Hancher Auditorium. Yipee!

God Remembers No More

For my summer course at Covenant Seminary I am reading Jerry Bridges book Transforming Grace. It’s been a great read so far. At one point Bridges highlights Isaiah 43:25 regarding God’s forgiveness for the Israelites sin with the golden calf saying “I, am he who blots out your transgressions, and remembers your sin no more.” So, what does it mean that God remembers their sins no more? Does he literally give himself amnesia? Does he literally keep no record of wrong?

Well, to assume God has erased his mind of any memory would put into question his omniscience, so that is likely not a conclusion that is consistent with Scripture. His keeping no record is likely our best understanding; however, 2 Corinthians 5:10 seems to allege that some kind of record of good and evil is kept for all people (believers and unbelievers) to account for at the judgment seat.

I believe we can conclude that, for the believer, Jesus keeps no record of our sin in a legal sense. This would be consistent with Colossians 1:21-22 where the Bible says we are presented holy in the sight of the Lord and free from any accusation. This legal declaration of “not guilty” is our justification before God. Though God is completely aware our continuing good and evil deeds, the Christ follower can rest assured in their legal standing before God.

So, if we are legally innocent, why does 2 Corinthians 5:10 say that we will need to give account for our good and evil in this lifetime? I’ll hopefully post on that tomorrow.

Willow Arts Conference

Willow Creek is actively blogging their Arts Conference. They've got video highlights, summary, and discussion. Some interesting stuff.

Gilmore Picked to Atlanta Braves

Our own Jon Gilmore, son of Jeff Gilmore our Senior Pastor, was selected in the draft today to play with the Atlanta Braves. This is the highest pick for a high school player in Iowa history. Way to go Jon!

Here is an excerpt from the Press Citizen website:

"The Atlanta Braves selected City High baseball player Jon Gilmore with the 33rd pick Thursday in the Major League Baseball draft. Gilmore, a senior infielder for the Little Hawks, is believed to be the earliest Iowan taken in the draft’s history. Gilmore signed with Wichita State in November, and the Braves flew him down in May for a workout at Turner Field. Gilmore just missed the first round by three picks and was taken by the Braves in the compensatory round."

Blogging Tips

Abraham Piper recently posted these blogging tips on the Desiring God blog. They look pretty good. Since more and more people are blogging, I thought it might be beneficial to pass on a portion of Abraham's thoughts....

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Be yourself.

You have ideas, and people are reading because they’re interested. So be you. (When I say this to myself, I don’t mean that everything I think is gold—I just mean that I shouldn’t pretend to be someone else, whether it’s gold or not.)

Here’s how I test myself: After I’m done writing, I pretend I’m telling the same content to someone. If there’s no way I’d speak it the same way I just wrote it, then I’m probably not using my own voice.

Write less.

Don’t write any more than is necessary to make your point.

This has nothing to do with whether or not long posts are good. People are just unlikely to read them, good or not.

Here’s how I test myself on this one: After I’m done writing, I go back and pretend I have to pay $100 for every word. Seriously.

And if I’m ever inclined to pretend I have a hefty vocab, I make myself pay per letter.

Write to be scanned.

Compose your posts so that your point is accessible to those who are not reading word-for-word, because most people aren’t.

Here’s a list of what will usually make text scannable:

· Putting your point at the beginning.

· Composing short, one-point paragraphs.

· Organizing with headers and sub-headers.

· Setting lists apart with bullets or numbers.

· Highlighting important words and phrases with bold or italics (but not all caps).

Use common keywords.

Vocabulary affects visibility; so usually it’s good to write with words that people are likely to search when they are interested in your topic. Using the most normal word, especially in your title, even if it is less interesting, will help more people find your post when they’re searching.

For instance, if someone is curious about the Bible, they will probably search “Bible,” not “Scripture” or “God’s Word,” even though these are perfectly good synonyms.

Link a lot.

With discretion, link to anything that will support your content.

It's good when a link itself gives some idea what you will find at the other end. So, as a rule, it’s most user-friendly to connect links to meaningful words rather than words like “this” or “here.”

· Least helpful – Go here:

http://rightreason.ektopos.com/

· Pretty unhelpful – You may be interested in this.

· OK, but could be better – “Beckwith discusses his return to Catholicism. Read it here.

· Most helpful – “Beckwith discusses his return to Catholicism.”

Also, linking does not mean condoning; so don’t be afraid to send people to sites you disagree with. If you discuss the KKK, it may be useful to link to their site. (If only to show how lame it is—my goodness!)

Don’t tease with titles.

The best headlines are both eye-catching and content-rich. They are interesting and they state the main point of the post.

• Bad: “Big News at Crossway!”
• Good: “Justin Taylor Is Voting for Clinton”

Allow exceptions.

Guidelines are not commandments. Break these as necessary—but do it on purpose.

Teacher of the Year Dave Bousfield

Congratulations is in order for a long time volunteer in the vocal ministry at Parkview, Dave Bousfield. Dave has been named Iowa's "Teacher of the Year" by the Association of American Educators. Dave is more than a great teacher, he is a follower of Jesus Christ and it's awesome to see how his faith has shaped his commitment to make a difference in the lives of children. Thanks for your great example Dave! Below is a clip from the Press Citizen website:

David Bousfield, a Lemme Elementary resource teacher, has been named the AAE-PEI Teacher of the Year by Professional Educators of Iowa.

The award, given by the national education association, Association of American Educators and PEI, is presented based on the application submitted by the teacher's administrators and fellow teachers.

Lemme Elementary Principal John Bacon called Bousfield "the ultimate professional" who "exemplifies the Golden Rule and six pillars of character." First-grade teacher Susan Thrams said Bousfield is a valued colleague and one of the "most respected leaders" in the school, while parents Jim and Michele Weno said Bousfield has brought their daughter to an educational level that is "a true success story."

Bousfield has been a resource teacher at Lemme since 1979.

Chronicles of Tech Ninja Sensei

Adam Carmichael our new Technical Director now has a blog called "Chronicles of Tech Ninja Sensei". You need to read his first post to understand why a technical ministry blog can be associated with life as a Ninja. Adam is a great addition to our team. For words of wisdom (or in the very least words of entertainment) be sure to check out his blog here.

Bill Gates Touch Screen Table

I couldn't resist linking to the newest innovation coming out from the PC side of the world (sorry Mac people). This video is a promo of the new touch screen table that Bill Gates and his Microsoft cronies are marketing to commercial interests. I'm sure they are unbelievably expensive, but am also sure we'll all be able to do this with our kitchen table in a few decades.

Christ Centered Ministry and the Gospel Coalition

In Worship by the Book, Kent Hughes recounts a story about E.V. Hill, former pastor (now deceased) of Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church.

E.V. told of the ministry of an elderly woman in his church whom they all called “1800” because no one knew how old she was. On unsuspecting preachers “1800” was hard because she would yell, “Get him up!” (she was referring to Christ). After a few minutes of the messages, if she didn’t think it was happening, she would again shout, “Get him up!” If a preacher did not “Get him up!” he was in for a long hard day. Dear old “1800” was no theologian, but her instincts were sublime. True worship exalts Jesus. It cannot fail to “Get him up!” because both testaments lift Him up. There is nothing more important, and more salutary for the church, than Christ-centered worship.

I share this story because it relates to the focus of the conference I attended with Josh Malone (our Pastor of Young Adults) several days ago. The Gospel Coalition is the attempt by an association of pastors and theologians to create impetus toward a gospel centered movement within the church.

This coalition grew, in part, out of the observation that the Evangelical world is highly fragmented. There are those who are clinging to an overly individualistic and overly systematic approach to evangelism/mission and others who are focused upon community and social justice but are living out these values in the context of eroded orthodoxy. This coalition believes there is a third way that can excellently fulfill the values of personal conversion, community formation, and cultural renewal within a context that is both Biblically faithful and culturally relevant.

To some, the idea of a coalition like this appears to be too theological and academic. In response to this, I have come to realize that there is a deep-seated worldview in many of those leading in today’s churches that keeps the church from being missionally effective. This worldview, in many cases, is grounded in some erroneous theological assumptions that were formed through tradition or in some faulty aspect of seminary education. If we try to make changes in the church without addressing the worldview that is grounded in false theological beliefs, then we will continue to hit brick walls in our attempt to bring about needed reformation.

I am very thankful that many of these issues are being wrestled with at Parkview and in the universal church. In the words of “1800” we must not neglect to “Lift him up” in all we do. I believe a gospel centered movement has the potential of ending the gridlock that fragments us and, by God’s grace, helping us to more effectively fulfill God’s mission.

For a more detailed summary of what this movement is about you can check out Josh’s summary on his blog here. The Gospel Coalition site will have conference video/audio and other documentation available by mid-June.

Religious Affections

In Jonathan Edwards’s treatise The Religious Affections he expresses that true followers of Christ are characterized by love, faith, and joy. According to Edwards, the affections (heart, inclinations, will, passion) of a believer will be consumed for the Lord. So, where do your affections lie?

For although to true religion there must indeed be something else besides affection, yet true religion consists so much in the affections that there can be no true religion without them. He who has no religious affection is in a state of spiritual death, and is wholly destitute of the powerful quickening, saving influences of the Spirit of God upon his heart. As there is no true religion where there is no religious affections.

If the great things of religion are rightly understood, they will affect the heart. The reason why people are not affected by such infinitely great, important, glorious and wonderful things, as they often hear and read of in the Word of God, is undoubtedly because they are blind; if they were not so, it would be impossible, and utterly inconsistent with human nature, that their hearts should be otherwise than strongly impressed, and greatly moved by such things.

The Value of Community and Participation

I have had a growing conviction in recent years regarding the importance of participation in community worship. I find it interesting that, depending on whom you speak with, there are sharp disagreements regarding how we can best foster participation specifically within the singing portions of the service. Some say that people participate most enthusiastically when the music is loud and they can no longer hear themselves. In this setting they will be far less concerned about what other people are doing or singing, far less insecure about singing out, and consequently they will be far more likely to participate freely. The problem with this view is that it tends to be a bit individualistic (i.e. if we can be loud enough as to drown out everyone else around you, you will be more confident in your participation and have a better experience). Another view proposes that the key to musical participation is a room with live acoustics and soft instrumentation so that you can hear everyone else in the room singing with you. This view tends to have a strong emphasis on the communal experience with little regard for the integrity of the contemporary musical genre, which is highly dependant upon a louder rhythm driven sound mix.

Though I am sure a debate on these views would make for a lively comment string, I would like to focus on the unifying factor in both views, namely that all sides desire for people to participate wholeheartedly in community worship. All this to say that you would be hard pressed to find any music leader in a church who would prefer that people sit with lips sealed during a time of community singing. Now, if we agree that participation is an important goal of community worship then we can begin asking questions like “why is community worship more ‘special’ than individual worship?”

In the technological age we live, this is an especially interesting question to ask. Our people should leave our services having experienced musical worship and teaching that can’t be matched by what they can download in a podcast or view on their high-def TV. Why is this? Well, mainly because there should be a dynamic and beauty experienced in community that cannot be matched individually. Robert Rayburn explains:

When there are a number of worshipers present, there is a participation in worship which is more intense than is the individual passion of any one of them when he is by himself. It is common knowledge that a mob is more cruel than any individual in it would be by himself. Symphony is more intense than that of a single music lover sitting by himself listening to the same music. God has so created man that there are deeper delights and more intense inspiration in the worshiping congregation than in individual devotion.

If we believe the value of community as portrayed here by Raybum and modeled in the New Testament church, then we should all have a passion for participation. In response to this passion we should care more deeply about creating a context that encourages participation and intensifies the community experience. In light of a present re-design of our mission, vision, and values at Parkview I am beginning to consider myself as much a Pastor of Community Development as a Pastor of Music and Worship. How will this elevated value effect services at Parkview? Only time will tell. One thing for sure, if we are all truly serious about the value of community in corporate worship, then we should take a second look at how to elevate this value in every aspect of our programming, implementation, and evaluation of community worship.

Legacy of Laughter

Jeff Foxworthy (Redneck Comedian) recently delivered a comedy routine at a funeral in Fayetteville, Georgia. This is a pretty cool story about a man who wanted to leave a legacy of laughter. You can watch the video here.

(HT: Challies)

Racial Reconciliation

This is a really good article by Tim Gombis on the Resurgence blog regarding racial reconciliation. Below is the introduction to the article. Go to the whole thing here.

In the thinking of many Christians, the notion of racial reconciliation does not have a direct relationship to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We may agree that Christians of different ethnicities ought to get along, but many would also be hesitant to recognize a demand in the gospel along this line. After all, the thinking goes, the gospel is the message that all people need to "get saved." Each individual human is alienated from God because each of us is a sinner, and we need to ask Jesus into our hearts so that we'll go to heaven when we die. And, while we might agree that it would be nice if there were all sorts of races in heaven, and we probably should do our best to get along here on earth, if we don't, we can be thankful that this is no threat to the gospel.

I will argue in this article that this is not a proper understanding of the gospel message, and that rightly grasping the gospel entails a commitment to reconciliation of all types—including, perhaps most specifically, ethnic, or racial, reconciliation. Let me first offer a definition of what I mean by "racial reconciliation": Seeking to foster fruitful community life across racial and social boundary lines—lines of division that seem to be "normal" in some sense but have been perverted by Satan and human sinfulness, so that communities do not regard each other with respect and dignity, seeking mutually fruitful relationships, but with suspicion and fear, which lead to exploitation and manipulation of all types.

I will argue, from Scripture, that racial reconciliation is not simply something nice that Christians should be doing, a sort of add-on to the gospel—nice, but not necessary. It is at the very heart of the gospel. Reconciliation is the gospel, and racial, or ethnic, reconciliation—in a divided America, and in a divided world—provides a perfect arena to manifest and to live out the reconciling grace of God. Because of this, to persist in passive avoidance of racial/ethnic reconciliation is to misunderstand the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Innkeeper

Ok, I know this is way out of season, but something triggered my memory of this poem written by John Piper back in 1986. Every year John writes an advent poem for his congregation. In this poem he is exploring the perspective of the innkeeper who allowed Jesus to be born in his stable. The setting is Jesus, as an adult, going back to visit the innkeeper. I have NEVER made it through this poem without weeping. What a moving picture of suffering and redemption (especially moving from a parents perspective).

Here is a link to the poem on the Desiring God site. I strongly suggest you click on the "listen" link and listen to the rendition of Piper reading the poem with underscore. It is far more moving that way. If you can't get the audio to work, you can read the poem at the same link.

Wear Your Helmet

I enjoy biking, but usually don't wear a helmet when riding in town. I am reconsidering after seeing this article about a guy whose head was run over by a truck. Because he was wearing his helmet, he was not injured. Here's the full story.

Characteristics of a Missional Church

OK, I am officially becoming a Tim Keller fan. I took a few minutes tonight to peruse through the Tim Keller videos on youtube that were posted by the team who ran the postmodernism conference I attended in Minneapolis last year. This is a good clip on what it means to be a missional church. Tim articulates very well how it is we must relate to non-believers if we wish to be missional. Establishing context is key.



Along a related vein, here is a video from Mark Driscoll on how Christians should relate to sinners. Definitely thought provoking.

The Neglected Ascension

Ascension Sunday is the 7th Sunday of Easter according to the liturgical church calendar (something we don’t really follow at Parkview outside of major events such as Good Friday or Easter). This year Ascension Sunday is May 20th. This month Ron Man’s Worship Notes is dealing with the significance of Christ’s ascension which we can read about in Luke 24:50-53. There are some important things for us to understand about Christ’s ascension and present state at the right hand of the Father. For one, it affirms the renewing work of God to restore physical creation. Below is the opening quote from Ron’s opening article. You can read the entire thing here.

Popular conversations about the incarnation tend to focus on the nativity stories and on the earthly life of Jesus… Many think that the ascension really means the shedding of Jesus’ human nature, as if Jesus is now simply a spiritual presence who used to be human, someone whom we remember with affection rather than someone we expect to see face to face someday. A full-orbed understanding of the incarnation will also proclaim that the incarnation continues, that it is the incarnate Christ who has ascended. Jesus is our contemporary, not a historical figure from a dead past. He is living now, interacting with us now, and standing now in a human body in the presence of the Father. He is praying for us now, leading our worship now, feeling our pain now, sharing our humanity now. (Laura Smit, “The Incarnation Continues,” Reformed Worship 79, 4)

My Job Title is Ridiculous

“Worship” is an English word that Evangelicals have grossly abused for years. Being the Pastor of Worship and the Arts at Parkview, I am in circles that are continually referring to the musical portion of the service as the “worship”. According to many, when does the teaching come? “After the worship.” When asked how was the worship today? Many reply, “Oh, we sang some of my favorite songs today in worship.” According to D.A. Carson “The notion of a “worship leader” who leads the “worship” part of the service before the sermon is so bizarre, from a New Testament perspective, as to be embarrassing.” (P.47 Worship by the Book) One reason this term is so often misapplied is because we truly don’t know what the word means.

The reality is, “worship” is a very difficult word to define. This is in part because numerous Hebrew and Greek terms in the Bible are all translated into our one word “worship”. This means words with entirely different applications and meanings are all lumped into our one word. On top of this, the Biblical contexts for how worship was applied and understood historically are numerous and diverse. Defining this term is indeed a difficult task.

One thing we know for sure is that worship under the new covenant is part of everything we do. The “cultus” (liturgies/practices) of the Old Testament were replaced under the new covenant. Levitical priests were replaced by the priesthood of believers (1 Peter) and Jesus the high priest (Hebrews). Jesus body (John 2:13-22) and the church became the new temple (1 Cor 3:16-17). In short, worship no longer happens in a place, but it happens in a person (Jesus) and a people (the church). Worship is everything we do and no longer depends upon any institutional structure or physical building!

What’s my point you may ask? My ultimate hope is to decentralize and deinstitutionalize our application of worship. Though I don’t expect this to happen, perhaps churches should start putting worship at the head of every staff persons job description (i.e. the Pastor of Worship and Preaching, Pastor of Worship and Youth, the Director of Worship and Children, etc…). We should also recognize that our grossly narrow application of the word worship (i.e. a time on Sunday, takes place in a building, is a musical style, requires special music, accompanied by Sunday school programs, etc…) is far more formalized and culturally restrictive than Biblical. Of course, I don’t expect my thoughts on this issue to radically transform the westernized use, application, and understanding of the word “worship” but I would love to see some measure of reform take place. A proper understanding of worship could transform our lifestyle and loosen our grip when it comes to forms that restrict the missional movement of the gospel within our churches and communities.

Zach Nielsen Songwriter Extrordinaire

I just found out that Zach Nielsen (former worship leader at Parkview) just had one of the songs he co-wrote while in Nashville released on the new "Women of Faith" CD. It's called "For Who You Are" and you can buy it on Itunes here. One of the other songs he co-wrote is coming out on a "Point of Grace" CD in the near future. You can read a few more details on Zach's blog here. Congratulations Zach!

Stay-at-home Mom Is Worth $138,095 A Year

It is fitting as Mother's Day approaches to post on this recent Reuter's article that was first referenced on Justin Taylor's blog. My wife is a wonderful wife and mother who works as hard as any woman I know. Based on this article in Reuters if she was getting monetarily paid for her career as a stay-at-home-mom she'd be making $138,095 a year. Though her investment as a mom is reaping a far greater pay-back in the growing and healthy lives of our kids, it's fun to see a more concrete measure for the huge investment that goes into being a mom. Go here to see the article.

We Become Like Our God

In the book Worship by the Book by D.A. Carson suggests that well-fed sheep (Ps 23:2) are given a diet of worship that calls them to “deepen their grasp of His ineffable majesty in His person and in all His works.” In response to this we will live differently. According to Carson “worship, properly understood, shapes who we are. We become like whatever is our god.” In some ways this idea seems complex, in other ways it is simply “you are what you eat” morphed into “you are what you worship” (admittedly reductionistic, but I think you get the point). Carson then shares the following quote from Peter Leithart.

It is a fundamental truth of Scripture that we become like whatever or whomever we worship. When Israel worshipped the gods of the nations, she became like the nations-bloodthirsty, oppressive, full of deceit and violence. Romans 1 confirms this principle by showing how idolaters are delivered over to sexual deviations and eventually to social and moral chaos…. Along these lines, Psalm 115:4-8 throws brilliant light on the Old Covenant history and the significance of Jesus’ ministry. After describing idols as figures that have every organ of sense but no sense, the Psalmist writes, “Those who make them will become like them, everyone who trust in them.” By worshipping idols, human beings become speechless, blind, deaf, unfeeling, and crippled- but then these are precisely the afflictions that Jesus, in the Gospels, came to heal.

I share these quotes, first of all, because it is personally convicting. What I stand for, my passions, my behaviors, my likes and dislikes all reflect the focal point of my worship. It is a good and healthy thing to question our allegiance and examine our hearts (Psalm 139:23). An important step in growing is being wakened to the reality that we are inclined to idolatry and then filling our vision with God’s “ineffable majesty”.

The other reason I share this is because those of us in music and arts ministries must resist our inclination to “own” responsibility for people’s experience and obedience in the worship service. Certainly we must do all we can to prepare a service that exalts God and gives people the opportunity to fully participate in community worship; however, their response to the Lord is beyond our control. This should be a great source of comfort for those of us who tend to concern ourselves a bit too much with the affirmation of man. Once we have done our best to be faithful stewards of the ministry entrusted to us, we must surrender the results to the Lord and pray that the people will redirect their life-worship to God. Once God is their focus their lives will respond in faithful obedience to Him.

Grass-Root Elites

Who are today’s most influential people? The wealthy? The politicians? The athletes? Several weeks ago I listened to a talk by Tim Keller that was given at the most recent Resurgence conference. In the talk he was sharing his thoughts regarding how the church can effectively win today's culture. One of his points was that we must win those he called the “grass root elites.” Who are these people? According to Keller they are the young creative types. Many of these people are working for companies that are shaping today’s youth culture. A few examples of these companies would be MTV and Facebook.



In the recent issue of Fast Company Mark Zuckerberg, the 22-year-old CEO and founder of Facebook is featured for his gutsy decision to turn down a buy-out deal for $1 billion dollars from Yahoo and Viacom. Facebook, a website that connects people in social networks, was started by he and his roommate several years ago while they were students at Harvard. Things were going so well that they dropped out of school in order to divert more attention to their growing business. What I found most interesting about this article was how these guys ran their business.









As you see in these few pics, their office is more like a dormitory than a corporate office, they wear jeans and sandals, their hours are abundant but flexible, their meals are catered, their dirty clothes are laundered for free (company benefit), and they appear to have a lot of fun.

So, how do we reach these young innovators who are shaping todays culture? This is a great question and one that we should ask. One thing for sure, they appear to be the kind of people who resist formal institutionalism in favor of casual creative environments. They also appear to be hard-working people who will pour out their lives for a cause they believe in.

The question I have for the church is, “why are young people like this doing all they can to stay away from the church?” After all, we are the ones with the greatest cause, aren’t we? My challenge for church leaders is to consider people like Zuckerberg (and young innovators like him) when they are examining how to strategically reach our culture and commit themselves to contextualizing the gospel in order to bring Christ to this generation that is both highly influential and also the least churched in American history.

Optical Illusion

Click on this link to see an interesting visual illusion. It's fascinating how our physiology is so complex and testifies of the creator God.

Blogging Lapse

Hey All! I just finished my last final for my Perspectives in World Missions course late last night. I am shelled today, but looking forward to catching up on sleep and actually getting some things going again in a few days. Sorry for the lapse in posts. Hope you are all having a great week!

Spiritual Gifts

Today in my theology study, while discussing divine revelation, the issue of spiritual gifts came up. Here is a concise list of gifts found in the scriptures. Do you know your spiritual gift?

1 Corinthians 12-14

• (Vs 8-10): Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith, Healing, Miracles, Prophesy, Discernment, Tongues, and Interpretation.
• (Vs 28): Apostleship, Prophesy, Teaching, Miracles, Healing, Helps, Administration, and Tongues.

Romans 12:1-8

• (Vs 6-8): Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Encouraging, Helps, Leadership, Mercy

Ephesians 4:1-16

• (Vs 11): Apostleship, Prophesy, Evangelism, Pastors, and Teaching.

1 Peter 4:8-11

• (Vs 9): Hospitality

Other Possible Gifts

• Exodus 31:1-6: Craftsmanship
• Parables, Psalms: Creative Communication
• Matthew 5, Proverbs: Counseling

National Community Church

National Community Church is a very cool church in the D.C. area that is effectively reaching young people in an age when churches are really struggling with that demographic. Here is a link to some custom videos they've use in services. They are great quality videos that could serve as some great creative inspiration.

Choosing A Hymn

When I went to the Worship God 06 conference last year, I was really convicted regarding how I go about choosing new congregational worship songs. To be quite honest, like most worship leaders out there, I tend to be drawn to the hot new worship songs that have great melody a powerful poetic line. I seldom take the time I should to really analyze the lyrics to see what theological messages they are sending. This is something I am definitely working on and one of the reasons I felt convicted to get going on my masters at Covenant Seminary.

Bob Kauflin recently had a great post on criteria for choosing hymns. It's interesting to me how people assume that all hymns are rich in theological content just because they are hymns. The reality is, a hymn has the same propensity for poor theology as any other song.

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Hymns aren't a category of worship song that is above critical evaluation. They aren't divinely inspired songs that we can just insert into a slot. So I've come up with a few questions we can ask when thinking about "doing a hymn."

1. What do the lyrics actually mean? Is the emphasis more on biblical truth or aesthetic beauty? Both are important, but truth trumps aesthetic considerations. Are the lyrics progressive in nature? If so, where do they begin and end? Do the lyrics take a theme and state it different ways? What specific theme or themes does the hymn address?
   
2. What do the lyrics actually say to people? Is it overly familiar? Do people understand all the words? Do people like the hymn for the sound or the truth? For instance, "Battle Hymn of the Republic" is a stirring hymn, but I don't think I'd ever use it on a Sunday morning, since it seems to mix Scriptural themes with national ones.
   
3. What context will surround the hymn? Hymns are generally weighty compositions lyrically speaking. Is there time before or after a hymn or group of hymns to reflect on the truths that you've sung?
   
4. What is the emotional effect of the hymn? Some hymns are triumphant, others reflective. Some are somber, others jubilant. Hymns can express everything from repentance to joy to God's holiness to God's mercy. Simply saying we should do a hymn is like saying we should go shopping. "For what?" should be the obvious question. Similarly, asking "why" we should sing a hymn will help us to use them more effectively.
   
5. How will the hymn be accompanied musically? The same hymn can sound very different when the accompaniment is changed from a pipe organ and piano to an electric guitar and drums. And there’s a world of variety in between those two extremes. Thank God for musicians who are taking many of the great hymns and revitalizing them through fresh musical arrangements. Passion and Indelible Grace are two that come to mind. There are many others.
   
6. Should the melody be updated? Since melodies aren’t sacred, it’s perfectly legitimate and often advisable to create a new setting for the words of a hymn. When we do this, though, the goal is to use music that emphasizes the lyrical meaning, not detracts from it.

Any church will benefit from doing more hymns. But it's always a good idea to understand why

What is Right Belief?

I was raised as a Christian believing that right belief comes from the scriptures alone. If there was an issue that appeared to be “in the gray” then I would attempt to make a final determination from a broader evaluation of biblical principle. After reading Chapter 2 in “The Mosaic of Christian Belief” by Roger E. Olson I came to more fully understand the idea that there are other factors outside of scripture that can aid in making conclusions about right belief.

One representation for this is found in the Wesleyan Quadrilateral which teaches that proper Christian belief is shaped by four main sources and norms: Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. Tradition represents what Olson often refers to as the “Great Tradition” which is the “consensus of beliefs held in common by the early church fathers and the Reformers of the sixteenth century as expressed in common by the ecumenical creeds and Reformation confessions of faith.” (p 57)

I am not going to take a lot more time to unpack the quadrilateral in this post, but do want to make clear that scripture is still the primary and final authority (sola scriptura) in determining belief; however, we are likely in error when we do not take into account tradition, reason, and experience when making determinations about right belief. Next time you wrestle with an issue of controversy such as women’s and men's roles in the church, gifts of the Spirit, or the inerrancy of scripture go to the scriptures first, but also take into account tradition, reason, and experience as you seek to confirm proper belief.

For a more “scholarly” take on this issue check out this post by Josh Malone on First Theology or take the introductory course in the Theology program, which will likely begin in September.

Easter Worship

Today we took some time as an Arts staff team to do some focused evaluation on our Easter weekend of services. As always, there were some things that could have been better but, all things considered, we were very pleased that almost 2,500 attended services and several gave their lives to Christ.

For those of you interested, here is the song list from our service. The song list was diverse for the sake of engaging a diverse crowd and it is probably obvious from the list that we started the service contemplative by focusing a little more intentionally upon the cross. At the end we closed with the final four songs as a powerful resurrection medley. The strongest tunes were without a doubt the “By His Wounds” opener and closer “Mighty to Save”, which is a must for Easter! You can click on the highlighted titles to hear the songs on Itunes.

By His Wounds
How Great is Our God
Christ the Lord is Risen Today
All the Earth Will Sing Your Praises (Brewster)
Hosanna
Grace Like Rain
Mighty To Save

From New York to London

This came from a funny email two people sent me today. Just follow the directions and you’ll get a chuckle out of it.

1. go to www.google.com
2. click on "maps"
3. click on "get directions"
4. type New York in the first box (the "from" box)
5. type London in the second box(the "to" box)& hit "get directions" on the same line
6. scroll down to step #23

Trivial Pics

For those of you who check this blog regularly, I do apologize for the recent lack of creativity, premeditation, and engagement in posts. It has been a particularly busy season at the church. On top of my ministry demands, my Perspectives class is now in its final weeks with a large project due and final exam just around the corner. I am looking forward to having time in a few weeks to actually read for fun and spend more time pondering and writing about issues more intentionally. In the mean time I thought I'd post a few pics that seemed somewhat humorous to me. The first on was on the girltalk blog recently under the caption:

"What to wear when your wife pulls out the "honey-do" list." Look closely. This is more than just a couch.



This next pic may only appear funny to me and my wife (you had to be there). We opened the grill a few days ago with the hopes of grilling some juicy chops only to find a large nest in the grill. I cleaned out the nest and postponed the grilling due to a broken part I discovered in the process of cleaning. Yesterday I opened the grill again to find that the birds had, over the course of a few days, built another large nest. I decided the best deterrent would be to leave the grill open for a few days. Immediately after returning to the kitchen ma and pa bird returned to the grill with a great deal of confusion as they discovered their nest now exposed to broad daylight. You can see them in this picture at opposite ends of the grill with dad looking up at the missing roof and mom peering through the nest at her husband with a "what the heck?" expression. For some reason Carrie and I had a good laugh over this one. What can I say, I guess we were hard up for some levity...

Podcasts Worth Listening To

On the Reformissionary blog, Steve McCoy recently posted a bunch of audio resources that he listens to regularly. My first reaction is, where do you get the time?!?!? To see his entire list, go here. I've put some of the more interesting listening suggestions below and added a few of my own at the end.

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Ministry/Theology

Audition (Mars Hill Audio): Ken Myers in an NPR style commentary on culture and Christianity through Myers' commentary and interviews. This is a free spin-off of the Mars Hill Audio commentaries.

Catalyst: Covers both church leadership issues and cultural issues through interviewing Christian leaders, authors, pastors, etc. I really enjoy the Catalyst podcast, though I find myself skipping the first several minutes of pre-interview conversation about Catalyst Conference stuff and other random bits. The interview is the meat, and it's consistently thoughtful and engaging.

Church Leader Insights: Pastors Nelson Searcy and Kerrick Thomas of The Journey Church in NYC talking together about church leadership, church growth, church planting, systems, evangelism, etc. A lot of info of what has and hasn't worked for them. I always come away with insights for pastoring and ministry, even if you don't approach ministry in quite the same way as these guys.

Covenant Worldwide: At least 15 free seminary classes are available on the topics of biblical theology, OT and NT, apologetics and outreach, the Reformation, life and letters of Paul, and more. What the heck are you waiting for?

Fermi Project: Discussions with leaders on culture, the future, the Church and the Gospel. It's hosted by Catalyst guys Gabe Lyons and Andy Crouch. It's only on episode three, but I've enjoyed it tremendously so far. A great, concise podcast.

Internet Monk Radio: Michael Spencer's thoughts on theology, ministry, his critics, yadda. The worst aspect of this podcast is his love affair for the Cincinnati Reds. Yuck. But if you can get past that, Spencer can often deliver thoughtful insights on a variety of issues. Warning: If you don't know Spencer and his online writings, some of this won't make much sense. It's for the devoted.

National New Church Conference: Interviews with conference speakers dealing with church and church planting. Have learned a lot from this podcast and highly recommend it for church leaders.

Practically Speaking: North Point boys (Andy Stanley, et al) on the Seven Practices of Effective Ministry. It's a "dead" podcast in that there are no new episodes, but their seven podcasts I have found very helpful as a pastor. I've listened to them more than once, and will listen again.

Resurgence: Mark Driscoll's missional resource that includes talks from various conferences and lectures pertaining to ministry and theology. Lots of good stuff here.

Movies

Filmspotting: A weekly podcast from Chicago featuring new movie reviews, top 5 lists, interviews and insightful film talk with Adam Kempenaar and Sam Van Hallgren. It's also found on Chicago Public Radio. Ugh, this is a great podcast. The best movie podcast I know of. Even when I disagree with a particular take on a movie, which isn't often, these guys are still compelling in their arguments. Worth every second.

Preaching

Capitol Hill Baptist: Pastor Mark Dever is one of the most important living Southern Baptist pastors/preachers, and a pastor who I have had a chance to talk with a bit. He has seen a remarkable change over the years of his church in D.C. Dever is obsessively expository in his approach. If you want to know the Bible, this is a great way to digest it. Dever is also well known for tackling very large sections of text, including single sermons on entire books of the Bible.

Cornerstone Simi: Pastor Francis Chan is fairly new on my radar, but I have enjoyed what I have heard so far.

The Journey - St. Louis: Pastor Darrin Patrick is a friend and has seen some great things happen after planting in St. Louis. A good preacher, and a young leader worth watching.

Mars Hill Church, Grand Rapids: Pastor Rob Bell is a controversial writer and speaker in the emerging church movement. I find him very engaging and biblical, though we would surely differ at points. He challenges me with living the Gospel.

Mars Hill Church, Seattle: Pastor Mark Driscoll is a different sort of controversial writer and speaker in the emerging church movement. He has been very influential in my ministry and life.

Village Church: Pastor Matt Chandler is SBC, Acts 29, and one of the best young preachers I've heard. Probably my favorite younger preacher to listen to over the last few months. Some people trip over a few of his stylistic traits at first, but please persist and you will find so much worth hearing.

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The following are the podcasts I am presently subscribing to...

Creative Synergy: This is a podcast by a couple of technical ministry gurus. They focus on arts, programming, promotions, technology, etc... There are only four episodes so far, but they are good ones.

Desiring God Radio: Piper, Piper, Piper... what else can be said.

Mars Hill Church Sermon Video: This is the video version of the Mark Driscoll podcast.

Healthy Living Radio: Dr. Cooper and his medical cronies share healthy living tips and discus recent findings in medical journals.

Church For Men Only

I can’t help but pass on these oddities on occasion. This church in Daytona Beach, Florida is a men-targeted church hoping to counter the trend of men being less likely to show up to church on Sunday. They meet in a gym, talk about men’s issues, and are out in one hour. The large time clock for basketball games is used to make sure the preacher’s message is delivered in 15 minutes or less.

Of course, some of you might appreciate your pastor being on a preaching time clock with a loud buzzer, but a church for men only? Something is wrong with this picture. To read the whole article, go here.

(HT: Challies)

Easter Services

Thanks to everyone who helped make this year’s Easter 07 services such a wonderful success! I received many comments from those attending the service who were moved and encouraged by your offerings of worship. After weekends like this I always praise the Lord for the immense privilege I have to work with such amazing and talented people. Thanks for making your lives available to serve the Lord in this way. I know many seeds were planted in the lives of those in attendance.

Below are a number of the pictures taken by photographer, Lloyd Bender. Thanks Lloyd! He took over 100 pictures during our technical rehearsal on Saturday. You can view all of them at this website and actually order prints from there directly.

Sir Brian Mawhinney at Parkview

On April 21st and 22nd we have the distinct privilege of having Sir Brian Mawhinney speak in our services at Parkview Church. Mawhinney was a long time member of British Parliament who retired from his seat in 2005. He is presently the chairman of the Football League which is the professional football (meaning soccer) league in Wales and England.

Mawhinney actually attended Parkview (as the Coralville E-Free) back when he was doing post-doctoral studies at the University of Iowa. He is known in England as a man who takes his faith very seriously. Undoubtedly, he will be a fascinating guest. If you are not in the Iowa City area, the message audio will be available online at our website following the weekend he speaks.

You can read more about him here.

Happy Easter

Every child's worst nightmare this Easter...

The Resurrection Is Restoration Not Innovation

If we understand the incarnation to mean that Jesus was God in humbled action, then the exaltation of the resurrection is not some new thing that was conferred upon Jesus to vindicate him after his crucifixion, or to reward him for his obedience. The resurrection is restoration, not innovation: No glory could be given to Jesus after the incarnation that did not first belong to Christ, the Eternal Word, before the incarnation. The resurrection is not something newly added to Jesus but something newly made evident to us.

Laurence Stookey, Calendar: Christ's Time for the Church, 37

(HT: Ron Man Worship Notes)

Easter Week Schedule

It’s Wednesday, but Sunday’s comin! We had a fantastic rehearsal last night in preparation for Easter. I am confident we have a very moving weekend of worship and celebration ahead of us. Last year we had 2,600 attend our Easter services. Undoubtedly many of those were visitors just checking their Easter attendance box. Join me in praying that God would move in the hearts of all who attend. Pray that believers would be encouraged in faith and obedience and that those who don’t know the Lord would start a new relationship with Him. The following is a schedule for the Easter week.

GOOD FRIDAY

Friday, April 6

• 5:00-5:45 pm Sound Check
• 6:00 & 7:30 pm Services

EASTER SERVICES

Tuesday, April 3

• 7:00-9:00 Band, Strings, & Vocal Team

Wednesday, April 4

• 6:00-8:00 Choir

Saturday, April 7

• 3:00-4:15 Sound Check
• 4:30 & 6:00 pm Services

Sunday, April 8

• 6:45-7:15 am Sound Check
• 7:30, 9:00, & 10:30 am Services

Don't Date Your Vets Daughter

I'm definitely hoping to borrow one of these from my veterinarian sister when my girls turn 16.

ESV Web Resources

The ESV is a recently released translation of the bible that has become the primary text used in services at Parkview. A few days ago I took some time to look over the English Standard Version’s website and found some great resources I thought I’d pass on.

• First of all, if you are a Firefox user (you really should try it if you haven’t already) then you can get a toolbar add-on here that allows you to search the ESV right from your browser. You can also keyword or passage search the version here or go to the popular site biblegateway.com and simply select ESV as your translation.
• The ESV site has numerous bible reading plans where you can either check into the website every day, have the passages emailed to you, or have them sent to your aggregate reader (if you are using one… i.e. Googlereader). I have started doing my Bible reading for my quiet time this way. We’ll see how it works out. So far, I am really enjoying it. (FYI: If you want to click on the “listen” link above each passage, you can actually hear the passage spoken out loud).
• There is a daily devotional and memory verse system that can be sent out to you or accessed via their site.
• Finally, there are a lot of ways the ESV site can serve you. Just go and check it out here!
  

One of the things I really appreciate about the ESV leadership is their desire to get the Word out and in the hands of people. I am thankful for the tremendous resource this is for Christ followers around the globe.

The Easter Lily

Ever wonder where the Easter lily came from? Here is some interesting background on the Easter lily from appleseed.com.

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The Easter Lily. For many, the beautiful trumpet-shaped white flowers symbolize purity, virtue, innocence, hope and life—the spiritual essence of Easter.

History, mythology, literature, poetry and the world of art are rife with stories and images that speak of the beauty and majesty of the elegant white flowers. Often called the “white-robed apostles of hope,” lilies were found growing in the Garden of Gethsemane after Christ’s agony. Tradition has it that the beautiful white lilies sprung up where drops of Christ’s sweat fell to the ground in his final hours of sorrow and deep distress. Churches continue this tradition at Easter time by banking their altars and surrounding their crosses with masses of Easter Lilies, to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and hope of life everlasting.

Since the beginning of time, lilies have played significant roles in allegorical tales concerning the sacrament of motherhood. Roman mythology links it to Juno, the queen of the gods. The story goes that while Juno was nursing her son Hercules, excess milk fell from the sky. Although part of it remained above the earth (thus creating the group of stars known as the Milky Way), the remainder fell to the earth, creating lilies. Another tradition has it that the lily sprang from the repentant tears of Eve as she went forth from Paradise.

The pure white lily has long been closely associated with the Virgin Mary. In early paintings, the Angel Gabriel is pictured extending to the Virgin Mary a branch of pure white lilies, announcing that she is to be the mother of the Christ Child. In other paintings, saints are pictured bringing vases full of white lilies to Mary and the infant Jesus. St. Joseph is depicted holding a lily-branch in his hand, indicating that his wife Mary was a virgin.

The legend is told that when the Virgin Mary’s tomb was visited three days after her burial, it was found empty save for bunches of majestic white lilies. Early writers and artists made the lily the emblem of the Annunciation, the Resurrection of the Virgin: the pure white petals signifying her spotless body and the golden anthers her soul glowing with heavenly light.…

A mark of purity and grace throughout the ages, the regal white lily is a fitting symbol of the greater meaning of Easter. Gracing millions of homes and churches, the flowers embody joy, hope and life. Whether given as a gift or enjoyed in your own home, the Easter Lily serves as a beautiful reminder that Easter is a time for rejoicing and celebrating.

During the Victorian era, however, the very conspicuous stamens and pistils were removed because they were seen as overt symbols of sexuality that might move the congregation to impure thoughts (Sara Williams).

The Resurrection

The resurrection was a kind of cosmic explosion that reverberated in all directions. It gave the followers of Jesus a new understanding of the present, but also of the past and of the future. Through the resurrection (and that alone) the cross, that instrument of capital punishment by the hated Romans, ceased to be an enigmatic embarrassment and became the central symbol of the faith.

Laurence Stookey, Calendar: Christ's Time for the Church, 37