Cheap Alternative to Blackberry Servers and Mobile Me

It's pretty easy to use Google calendar, email, and contacts in such a way as to instantly sync between your phone and computer. An impressive alternative to the more costly Blackberry exchange services and mobile me membership fees. Read more here.

I should add, that there are some pretty affordable third party software packages out there that sync your standard computer calendars like iCal and Outlook with Google Calendar. Once you've got these systems in place, keeping your personal contacts updated wherever you are is a breeze.

Christ Centered Worship

My seminary president Bryan Chapell is releasing a new book on worship that looks like it will be a great resource to those involved in worship ministry in the Church. Check out the video promotion below (or by clicking here).



Below is your direct link to the book on Amazon.



HT: JT

Teens and "sexting"

Parents beware, this article highlights a growing disturbing trend among teens called "sexting". Here is a quote...

According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, one in five teens have sent a naked picture of themselves by "sexting" - using a cell phone to transmit the image; or by posting it on the Internet. That means your child or one of your child's friends has engaged in this sad practice.

Below is a sad story of where "sexting" lead to some terrible consequences for one girl. If you're reading this on Facebook to see the video click here.

The Dangers of Sexting from Family First on Vimeo.

Audio from WorshipGod 09

Here are links to the audio for the WorshipGod 09 conference I recently attended. Thanks to Vitamin Z for pulling these together.

From the WorshipGod 09 website:

The WorshipGod Conference is devoted to the theology, practice, and joy of God-honoring worship. Our 2009 conference was held August 5–8 at Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

General-session audio is available for listening or download below. Seminar audio will be available in the coming weeks.

General Sessions
For all downloads, right-click and select "Save Target/Link As."

The God of Worship (John Piper)
Listen | Download

The Heart of Worship (John Piper)
Listen | Download

The Leaders of Worship (Jeff Purswell)
Listen | Download

The Church of Worship (Thabiti Anyabwile)
Listen | Download

Lessons Learned from Three Decades of Leading (C.J. Mahaney and Bob Kauflin)
Listen | Download

The Life of Worship (Bob Kauflin)
Listen | Download

(HT: Vitamin Z)

Reflection on Worship God 09

I am on the way back to Iowa from the Worship God 09 conference in Gaithersburg, Maryland and thought I’d take the opportunity to synthesize some of the thoughts that were triggered from the time I spent at the conference.

The biggest lesson (i.e. reminder) is this; the central motivating factor for ministry must be Christ and the cross. The cross is central in the scriptures, from the covenant with Adam in Genesis 3:15 to the worship of the Lamb around the throne in Revelation 5. If we devote ourselves to loving God and exalting Christ, first in our life and then in our ministry, God will be honored and fruitfulness will result. It is truly that simple.

Having attended scores of conferences throughout my life as a worship leader, I have suffered under the pressure of coming up with the next cool innovation, having the latest technology, adapting to the newest trend. The pressure is immense and when you get on the conveyor belt that tells you effectiveness comes through creative effort and polished performances, it can be unbearable. When the church growth movement of the 80’s exploded on the scene everyone bought into the idea that our effectiveness at growing churches and reaching lost people was in direct proportion to our level of innovation and creativity within service programming. I lived in that world for so many years and still feel the effects as we scurry in planning meetings to find the next great thing that will bring people to the church. It’s like running on a broken treadmill that won’t stop. You run as long as you can and then, when you can’t take it any more, you fall off and are left battered and bruised.... completely burned-out.

Does this mean we don’t work diligently in preparation for worship services? No. Does this mean we don’t employ creativity? No. Does this mean we no longer concern ourselves with reaching people for Christ? Absolutely not.

What does it mean?

It means we consume our lives with loving and abiding in Christ and helping others to do the same. Don’t believe me? Read the words of Jesus from John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in Him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” Want to be fruitful? Be compelled by your love for Jesus Christ and by abiding in Him.

This leads me to a few challenges...

First, we must be dedicated to growing in our knowledge and affection for God through intentional study. The argument that growing in faith shouldn’t require diligent study just doesn’t make sense. How does a husband best love and honor his wife? He does it by studying her. By learning how to serve her, what delights her, how she communicates, what her unique gifts and abilities are. If a husband is dedicated to the discipline of studying his wife, he will grow to love and appreciate her more. This is why we must study the Word of God, listen to Biblical messages in Church, read quality books, listen to Christ exalting podcasts and music. The more we know God, the more we are amazed and changed by His character and purposes.

Second, we must dedicate ourselves to delighting in God and seeing our worship of Him as an end in itself. Another way a husband grows in his love for his wife by delighting in her. As John Piper illustrated in several of this weeks sessions, a husband does not delight in his wife by bringing her flowers and responding to her “thanks” by saying “it was my duty.” Nor does he honor her by by saying “your welcome”, all the while hoping his generosity will result in a good supper. Our affection and love for Christ must be an end in itself. It’s not Jesus and something else (i.e. if you love Jesus, he will give you a nice car or provide you with health). The greatest way we can delight in God is by finding our satisfaction in Him and Him alone (versus finding our satisfaction in other things like new electronics, sex, money, or fame).

To clarify, growing in our knowledge of God and finding Him as our source of delight is not our way of manipulating God, it is His means for graciously bearing fruit within our lives.

One of my favorite practical examples of this came in the session where C.J. Mehaney and Bob Kauflin were interviewed about the dynamic between a pastor and worship leader. When C.J. was the Senior Pastor working with Bob, he would communicate critical feedback by pulling Bob aside and saying something like, “First, you did an excellent job with...... and second, I have a few minor things to share with you. To be clear, these things didn’t hinder the worship of God and His purposes for us, but they are points that will help you grow effectiveness for the next time you lead.” Did you catch that? He said, “These things didn’t hinder the worship of God and His purposes for us.” What C.J. was doing was not putting the burden of God’s work on Bob’s shoulders (i.e. if only you’d have performed better, God could have worked). The fruit of the service in the stirring of the hearts was ultimately God’s responsibility.

Do you get what I am writing here? By loving and abiding in Christ, and helping others to do the same through community worship, we are taken off the hook. The calling of people to faith and trust in Jesus is then in the hands of God and not ultimately contingent upon our ability to live up to the cultures standards of relevance or excellence. In our life this doesn’t mean we don’t work hard and live obediently, but it means we don’t put the cart before the horse. Obedience IS the fruit of a life that is abiding in Christ. Abiding in Christ IS NOT the fruit of obedience.

I pray this is can be an encouragement to those who labor in ministry. Ministry of any calling can be very difficult and even painful at times. Sometimes it is the calling alone that sustains us. For us to add to this by taking on the responsibility for “saving the world” is to take on a burden too great. A burden that must be left to God alone. “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery!” Galatians 5:1

I Am Guest Blogging

This week I am a guest blogger on Zach Nielsen's blog, Vitamin Z. This is somewhat humorous since I am not exactly what you'd call a frequent blogger. Non-the-less, you can check out my posts there and should be seeing a little more activity here following the weekend.

Widmer Testimony

Yes, I am still alive, just on a bit of a blogging hiatus. Life is very crazy right now with trips, work projects, and this new 4 week series from Galatians that I'll be teaching the opening message for this weekend. Last Sunday we closed out a series on stress with a message on, "Rejoicing in Times of Stress". The following is one of the testimonies we featured on the Widmer family in our church. It was a moving story and a wonderful illustration of how to rejoice in times of difficulty. Watch and be blessed!

Back On the Job

After a week at seminary and week on vacation, I am now back and in the office. Please be patient as I take the week to catch up on email and my other regular duties at the church. I am looking forward to a busy summer as we program for the Fall, reorganize the vocal ministry (thanks to a vocal reorg team), develop a job description for a Pastor of Worship and Music (search starting soon), recruit architects, develop a master plan for a new church facility, and...... (the list goes on and on).... busy summer to say the least. I now leave you with a few of the fun pictures from our vacation. For those Parkies out there, see you Sunday if not sooner!

The Cost of Adultery

A year doesn’t seem to go by without someone in ministry or the church confessing or being caught in the sin of adultery. It is a serious problem with serious consequences. So often people get to this point slowly, compromise by compromise. Often, by the time one gets there, they are consumed by their emotions and unable or unwilling to contemplate the destructive consequences of their actions. Surely there is hope for forgiveness and recovery, but more often then not the costs are great and lasting. Years ago Randy Alcorn assembled the following list as a reminder of the consequences he would face as a Pastor if he chose the path of adultery. It is a good and sobering reminder that there is a cost for every action. Lord helps us all to stay faithful!

Personalized List of Anticipated Consequences of Immorality

• Grieving my Lord; displeasing the One whose opinion most matters.
• Dragging into the mud Christ's sacred reputation.
• Loss of reward and commendation from God.
• Having to one day look Jesus in the face at the judgment seat and give an account of why I did it. Forcing God to discipline me in various ways.
• Following in the footsteps of men I know of whose immorality forfeited their ministry and caused me to shudder. List of these names:
• Suffering of innocent people around me who would get hit by my shrapnel (a la Achan).
• Untold hurt to Nanci, my best friend and loyal wife.
• Loss of Nanci's respect and trust.
• Hurt to and loss of credibility with my beloved daughters, Karina and Angela. ("Why listen to a man who betrayed Mom and us?")
• If my blindness should continue or my family be unable to forgive, I could lose my wife and my children forever.
• Shame to my family. (The cruel comments of others who would invariably find out.)
• Shame to my church family.
• Shame and hurt to my fellow pastors and elders. List of names:
• Shame and hurt to my friends, and especially those I've led to Christ and discipled. List of names:
• Guilt awfully hard to shake—even though God would forgive me, would I forgive myself?
• Plaguing memories and flashbacks that could taint future intimacy with my wife.
• Disqualifying myself after having preached to others.
• Surrender of the things I am called to and love to do—teach and preach and write and minister to others. Forfeiting forever certain opportunities to serve God. Years of training and experience in ministry wasted for a long period of time, maybe permanently.
• Being haunted by my sin as I look in the eyes of others, and having it all dredged up again wherever I go and whatever I do.
• Undermining the hard work and prayers of others by saying to our community "this is a hypocrite—who can take seriously anything he and his church have said and done?"
• Laughter, rejoicing and blasphemous smugness by those who disrespect God and the church (2 Samuel 12:14).
• Bringing great pleasure to Satan, the Enemy of God.
• Heaping judgment and endless problems on the person I would have committed Possible diseases (pain, constant reminder to me and my wife, possible infection of Nanci, or in the case of AIDS, even causing her death, as well as mine.)
• Possible pregnancy, with its personal and financial implications.
• Loss of self-respect, discrediting my own name, and invoking shame and lifelong embarrassment upon myself.

Is It OK to Cast Lots?

I am presently wrapping up a residency week of studying the Old Testament at Covenant Theological Seminary. I’ve got to admit that the class is messing with a lot of my theological categories. We just finished having a discussion on the casting of lots that is a very prominent method used throughout the Old Testament and was even used for the selection of an apostle in the days of the early church (Acts 1:26). My conclusion is that, as long as it is used with caution, there may be circumstances in which is it appropriate to cast lots for making a decision.

Below is a video of John Piper discussing the issue of casting lots. Appropriately, he emphasizes the need for using caution.

Attention All Guitar Players

Last weekend I had my first opportunity to use Korg’s Pandora Toneworks processor in preparation for playing my Telecaster electric guitar in weekend church services. I’ve got to say, it was the coolest thing ever. Not only does it allow you to practice through headphones with eleven different guitar effects, but it also allows you to run an eighth inch stereo input from an ipod or CD player that can be instantly transposed into another key. In church, where charts are often lowered from the key of the original recording this is a gold mine feature. Though I haven’t used the feature, you can also record a 30 second segment (say for a guitar solo) and, without changing the pitch, slow down the tempo in order to practice at a more accessible speed. Practicing guitar will never be the same! BTW: This also works for bass guitar and can be found here for around $150.

Why People Become De-Churched

I just finished reading the book of Job this morning and was reminded how inappropriate it is, like Job's friends, to live our lives with the mindset that suffering is always a direct result of wickedness. The idea being, if you are struggling with cancer or facing bankruptcy, there must have been something you did to cause it. Certainly there are consequences for our poor actions, but when you understand the gospel you see that even our most obeident actions are incapable of reversing the judgment we deserve because of sin. The point being that God's graciousness produces everything and anything in our life that is good, it is not a result of our righteousness, or in the case of suffering, our wickedness.

This also applies to the belief that if we are good, we will be rewarded with blessings from the Lord. One need to only view a few minutes of Christian television to see this theology preached in extreme measure. To think this way is to strip the gospel of it's beauty and power. God's gift of life is His benevolent action extended to us in spite of our sin. This grace frees us from the guilt and condemnation that comes with us always trying to "measure up" to a standard we're incapable of reaching.

In this video Matt Chandler illustrates how moralism is the very reason many churched people become de-churched. Those raised in moralism either become moralists themselves or see moralism for what it is and run as far as they can from the church. Moralism is one of the greatest dangers in the church and something that must be opposed.



(HT: Desiring God)

Arts Ministry BBQ 2009

Thanks to all of you who were able to make this years Arts Ministry BBQ out at the Boatman's. The Lord was very gracious to give us a dry cool evening when, just the day before, it appeared rain was imminent. I am so thankful for the wonderful people I have the privilege to work with day in and day out at Parkview. What a great group of people who love the Lord and love doing life and ministry together! Thanks for hosting us Doug and Jean! The following are some pics of our time together.

Insanity or Creativity?

Thanks to Ryan Lamb in San Fransico for the pic!

Anniversary of the Flood

A year ago this week, Parkview was under 4 feet of flood water from the Iowa River. It's hard to believe all this church and community went through over the last year. Recently I went through all the photos and was surprised how much it moved me. The feelings were not of regret or frustration, but of fondness. Fondness rooted in the memory of working side by side with such wonderful people. Though some might think the flood got the best of us when it filled our facility with over four feet of muddy river water but, in my view, the Lord used the flood to cement our trust in Him and to fordge deep and meaningful friendships. For this I am grateful.

Here is a recent article in the Press Citizen regarding our return and below are a few pics and descriptions recounting some of the events that surrounded the flood. To see a complete review of the flood, you can visit my June blog archive for more pictures and written detail.

On Sunday, June 8th we began building a sandbag wall around the church. At the time we only expected to build the wall a few feet high.



Each day the flood projections required us to increase the height of the wall, leaving it at about 4 feet tall all the way around the building. Rain gutters were re-built in order to send roof water outside the flood wall.



Walls were fortified and sump pumps were installed all along the wall in order to maintain the integrity of the flood barrier.



Eventually trucks and tractors were unable to transport sandbags due to the eroding driving path. From that point forward long lines were made to pass sandbags where ever they were needed.



Here's our access to the main entrance of the church facility.



A boat with diesel fuel was ready to keep our generators fueled that were to power the sumps once land access was no longer available.



Sand bagging operations continued in our upper parking lot for both the church and area neighborhoods.



The water kept rising.



The wall on the southeast corner of the facility was holding back water by Wednesday, June 11th.



Sandbagging operations kept shifting further north as the waters rose.





On Thursday the 12th, we were ordered by the city to evacuate. At the time we were told flood waters were now projected to reach to the eaves of the building.



Most of the facility was evacuated in these crates that were hauled by lifts across the floodwaters into numerous semi trailers.



Services were relocated to West High.



Within a day the entire facility was flooded.



A few of us were joined by CNN (the guy with the camera) as we toured the flooded facility.



Here's the window in the main office.









On Sunday, June 22 the waters fully receded and we were given access to the facility to begin the process of clean-out.







On December 14th, we had our first services back at Parkview after almost 6 months of facility renovation.

I Am Clean

From my reading from Leviticus for my OT survey course...

If a man's hair falls out from his head, he is bald; he is clean. And if a man's hair falls out from his forehead, he has baldness of the forehead; he is clean. Leviticus 13:40-41

Great reassurance for follicly challenged men everywhere.

Proud of My Sister

This post is a bit out of the ordinary for my blog, but I could not help but brag on my sister who is a veterinarian in Kearney, Nebraska. She was recently trained in a cutting edge ACL repair procedure that involves rebuilding the structure of the leg in order to change the physics of how it functions. Outside of Omaha, she is the only vet performing this procedure which allows young larger sized dogs a quality of life previously unavailable. Here is an article featuring her work in their local newspaper and below is an x-ray of her first completed procedure. If you are looking for a good vet in central Nebraska, I've got a recommendation for you.

Ministering to the Transgender

In this set of articles, Russell Moore, a seminary faculty member at Southern Seminary, deals with the ethical dilemma of how to counsel a surgically altered transgender with a daughter who comes to faith in Christ. To be honest, I am still wrestling with this one. Where Moore's article may break down a bit is the assumption that this person does not have a whole host of emotional struggles that keep them from neatly progressing through the process of discipleship. None the less, he certainly has well thought answer that is Biblically sound. I just worry that his thoughts are written from the perspective of one who has never actually walked through this type of issue with a transgender individual. I am concerned that those who read his thoughts will "amen" them and not really be equipped to handle the sophisticated issues one encounters when working with people in this situation. If dealt with improperly, the Christian could end up pushing the individual out of the church. One thing for sure, helping people with these types of issues requires you to have lots of grace and be in it for the long haul, but that is what the church is to be all about. Here are his thought provoking posts on the issue.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

Soul Winning Made Easy

This was too funny to not cop from Challies blog. As a future church planter, I'll need to keep tabs on this post from a 1959 soul winning pamphlet for future reference!

God's Calling

Tonight at the congregational meeting, those of you in attendance heard that Carrie and I are accepting what we believe to be the call of God to plant a church in a little over a year (June 2010) with the Acts 29 network.

This calling stems from a growing heart to be part of, not only planting a church, but of planting a missional church that is committed to spreading the Gospel through the ongoing process of planting new churches. This vision for being part of a “movement of the Gospel” stems from a growing conviction from God and His Word and a growing love for His church. This growth has lead Carrie and I to pray and deeply ponder how it is God would uniquely use us in His mission to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).

I am presently in the process of undergoing assessment with the Acts 29 network, which is a network of churches with the goal of planting 1000 churches, both locally and globally, in the next 10 years. We are presently setting our sites on Madison, Wisconsin as an optimum church plant location.

This next year will be a busy one as I work to...

• Develop transition plans with those of you serving in the Worship and Arts ministry
• Help Jeff and the elders in the search for a new Pastor of Worship and Music
• Serve as a member of the building committee as we undergo a master planning process for our future facility relocation

Please be praying as we work with the elders in upcoming months to confirm the various details of this planting vision. We are thankful to be part of a church that not only shares our vision for Gospel expansion, but has also patiently loved us as we have grown through the various successes and failures that often come with ministry. In the last 10+ years of ministry God has used you all to form and shape us in ways that leave us humbled and immensely grateful.