Meet Tim Keller

Here is a Christian voice that you need to be listening to. Tim Keller is the pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. Redeemer is 4,400 strong and had helped to plant nearly 100 churches... that is right... they have sent out leaders around the city and the world to start 100 new churches.

I used to think the gospel was just about getting people to heaven... then I heard Keller. I used to think social justice was for liberal churches and had nothing to do with the gospel... then I heard Keller. I used to think church planting was not necessary... then I heard Keller. I used to think Presbyterians were... well... Presbyterians... then I heard Keller.

You can enjoy a bunch of FREE teaching and articles here... from a voice you can trust. And if you want your world turned upside down by the simple story of the good samaritan... then read his book Ministries of Mercy.

"If you listen to one voice, you become a clone. If you listen to two voices, you become confused. If you listen to 10 voices, you get your own voice." -Tim Keller

A weekend in my web

Life is a web of relationships. That is why when considering who you will marry... you should consider the relationships that come with your spouse... because they will become part of your web. That is why when you lose a relationship or many... there is pain and loss... because part of your web is torn away.

So I'm continually weaving and re-weaving my web... and that was the theme of this past weekend.

On Friday Night I played poker with a bunch of my neighbors. I don't really know my neighbors all that well and it was only a $10 buy-in... so I jumped at the chance. I recently realized that most of my friends are Christians... what a shame. So I'm in the process of repenting of my sin, I am on the lookout for new friends. Will you pray for me.

On Saturday morning... I skyped my sister, Stephanie, who is spending the next year teaching English in Seoul, South Korea. I happened to be up at 6:15A, which is 7:15P, and randomly caught her for 45 minutes before she went out with friends. I have not had the chance to talk to her since she arrived about 3 weeks ago. It was great to catch up.

On Sunday morning... I enjoyed the preaching of my good friend Steve. They will post his message from Sunday here, soon. Steve is a gifted preacher and as funny as they come. He has also been a great friend and source of encouragement to me during my time of transition.

On Sunday night... I church hopped with some close couple friends. The place we visited blew my socks off. On your next free Sunday Night, you've gotta visit LifePoint Columbus up in Polaris. The vibe is young... the worship will blow you away... the preaching is solid... and the kids facilities rival COSI. Afterwards we went out for pizza and closed the joint down.

Just another weekend in my web.

Just Wonderin'

If you win and others lose, have you really won?

If you give a complement, do you have less of something?

... just wonderin'

Favorite Movie Clip(s)

I was tagged by Aaron for this one. I was happy to find some clips for Good Will Hunting... what, for me, has become one of the modern classic films. I think it is brilliantly written and ask some of the basic meaning of life questions while probing the issues of love... loss... purpose... and trust. Plus it throws in some good shots at spoiled rich kids. I could not choose just one clip and could not put the whole film here... so I whittled it down to 3 classic scenes. (Warning: Clips contain strong language)

Your Just a Kid


It's not your fault (sorry for the Chinese subtitles)


Bar Scene

Who is your church?

That's right... who not where? I read in a book once that "it is a theologically incorrect statement to say 'let's go to church'". As if the church is the building. The church is the people. It's a who question not a where question. It seems like a small step... but it seems to have huge implications.

I read somewhere else that some time around the Reformation the protestant church became defined as this... "the place where the the gospel is preached, the sacraments are distributed and discipline is enforced." I am for all those things, because they are biblical. But notice the phrase the place where. The shift was to "the place where" and away from "the people who"... and I think the results are devastating.

I think that we have a tendency to minimize our Christian life to faithfully "going to Church" on the weekends, trying to live a good life in between Sundays, and for the zealous inviting others to "go to Church" with us. But what if church is not a where question but a who question.

Even the Greek word translated church (ekklesia) literally means "the called out ones." The emphasis is on the people.

So...who is it that when you gather with them you are the church? Now that is a good question. Do you agree? How can you answer such a question? Well I think the bible helps us.

The church is the people who:
(1) study the bible together (Acts 2:42)
(2) spend time together (Acts 2:42)
(3) eat together (Acts 2:42)
(4) pray together (Acts 2:42)
(5) love one another (Rom 12:10)
(6) support each other financially and physically (Rom 12:13)
(7) restore each other (Gal 6:1)
(8) support each other in tough times (Gal 6:2)
(9) bless their city (Prov 11:10,11)
(10) care for the poor and oppressed (Matt 25:31-40)
(11) tell the world about Jesus (Acts 1:8)

I'm sure you can add to my list... so, who is your church?

A moment of silence...

Rumors

I heard a rumor about me on Sunday night. I was talking with a local friend who checks up on me once in a while. It was clear to me that this rumor grew from a lack of information about why I made some decisions. And in that vacuum of information, some had tried to fill in the blanks... thus birthing the rumor. I could tell that he was troubled... by what he had heard... and didn't even want to share it with me. I gave him the freedom to share what was troubling him and he did. It really was a harmless thing... and did not bother me... but it was not true. So I was able put him at ease about the situation and we both ended the conversation better.

Rumors... can be damaging can't they. Before I try to get all philosophical on rumors... let me interject a favorite '80's tune called "Rumors" by the Timex Social Club. Enjoy...



OK, back to the serious....

The power of rumors is tied to the power of words. Words can give life... or take life. Words can be used as agents for the gospel or against the gospel. In the gospel, King Jesus defeats the power of Satan through his substitutionary death and victorious resurrection. In doing so he inaugurates his reign over all things and begins... in part... a process of restoring all of creation to its pre-Eden wholeness and perfection (biblically shalom). At the appointed time... His reign will fully come.

As his ambassadors and agents of this good news, the church (those who gain citizenship into this kingdom through faith) is to live redemptively in these last days... in all that we do. The churches existence as a community of the redeemed is a foretaste of the future shalom that will wash over all things. When shalom exists... things are knit together as they should fit... as they were designed to fit... not frail and frayed... not disordered and dissected.

Our words, too, can express shalom or disturb it. Our words when truthful and righteous and godly can affirm and do the work of bringing shalom in communities and individuals and families. When our words are truthless and rumorful... we can tear apart individuals and families and communities.

The Church is the place where the wholeness of life (shalom) should be most fully evident. Our speech... our disagreeing... our demeanor... our attitudes... our community life... is to be a foretaste to the world of what life is like when Jesus reigns in our hearts... in our homes... and in our communities.

So practically how should we deal with rumors? Reject them... they are probably not true. Instead personally seek out the individuals involved... because truth is most often discovered in healthy, face-to-face dialogue. With truth in hand you will actually escape the trouble that comes from the destructive power of rumors. Reject + Dialogue = Truth.

The righteous man is rescued from trouble,
and it comes on the wicked instead.
With his mouth the godless destroys his neighbor,
but through knowledge the righteous escape.
Proverbs 11:8-9

Missional Hip-Hop

I was over at the Resurgence at bumped into a great 15 minute interview on being missional. The specific topic is how to redeem the hip-hop culture. And while you might not give a rip about that specifically... we can all learn missional principles that will apply to our own local, sub-cultures.

The interview is with the Ambassador... who was a classmate of mine at Dallas Theological Seminary. I think we took some Greek and Bible Study Methods together. My man Duce is a crazy-smart, theologically astute brother, who can flat out rhyme. It was hilarious being in class with Duce wearing baggy pants, construction boots and walking with a swagger.

Duce is both an ambassador of Christ to the hip-hop culture... and an ambassador of hip-hop to the church culture. Both are important roles... I think... in the kingdom ministry of the church... being God's agents of reconciliation as he redeems all things (Col 1:20).

17 years to GRACE

Grace is experienced in relationships. It is not something coldly received off a shelf or in a letter. It is personal. It is intimate. It is most alive when face-to-face. Here is a true story of grace....

In the summer of 1990 something happened in my church that became quite a traumatic experience in my life. It didn't exactly happen to me... just around me... but it had a huge impact upon my life. At the end of that summer I went off to college and slowly stuffed the experience further in the back of my mind. It was not resolved... the situation had not improved... damage was done... but life went on.

Then a few years ago I quite randomly bumped into one of the individuals who was at the epicenter of that situation. Immediately my life's story turned back to that unfinished chapter... and with it all the hurt and confusion and misunderstanding came to the surface. I was quite ignorant as to many of the facts about the original situation... but was quite in touch with how they had affected me. I did not know what to do... so I avoided this individual... and tried to avoid dealing with the situation... content to leave that chapter of my life in the suspense of an unresolved conflict...

But God had another plan. Earlier this summer I once again bumped into that same individual... but something in me was different. My life experience encouraged me to pursue closure to this situation. So I didn't not avoid the individual... in fact I did just the opposite... I initiated conversation. Nothing was solved... but the ice was broken.

Then a few months later when I again bumped into this individual (are you seeing a pattern) I asked for a breakfast meeting. We met and I... for the first time opened the pages of my life back to the summer of 1990 and invited the individual to walk through the situation with me.

I needed to understand the situation more fully... and he needed to walk me through it. I needed to ask some questions... and he needed to delicately answer. I need to hear an apology... and he needed to receive my forgiveness. But most of all... we both needed to experience grace. We needed to understand one another to lovingly help each other move on with life... a progress that could only happen in the midst of grace. So after 17 years we did... we experienced grace.

That day our relationship was reconciled (2 Cor 5:18) and as two men who have been forgiven much by our heavenly father ... we were able to grant one another a much smaller degree of forgiveness(Matt 18:21-35).

I've come to believe that my life is a story... about redemption. The characters and the tragedies and the conflicts allow for the master storyteller to work out his redemption in my story... and to ultimately redeem my story. And redemption involves the often painful, face-to-face discussions in which grace is worked out.

Labor Day Weekend retreat

My short blog hiatus... coincided with my family's weekend hiatus. We joined 9 other couples for a long weekend of camping.

It was great to unplug from TV and air conditioning and many of the distractions of busy suburban life and just spend time together... living.

We played alot... and ate some... and talked alot... and slept some... and refereed (our kids) alot... and refereed (the adults) some. In addition to unstructured camping life we all joined together for a communal meal one night... a kids church service on Sunday... a "traditional German" birthday party... and a trip to the beach.

These getaways really are great for relationships... they allow you to reconnect with some that have become distant... and they allow others the quality time to begin and grow. Quality time is quantity time... and shared experiences - like camping - are the fertile soil for such quality time.

We found that the secret of camping... was sharing an RV with our friends (the Garwicks - just to our left in the pic)!!! Much thanks to Matt & Jamele (2nd family from the left) who organized this getaway.

The Elephant in the Church

It's been quite enlightening following the blog brainstorm over at Mark Batterson's blog about his upcoming series... The Elephant in the Church. The comments are pouring in with things that people always think but never say about the church. Check it out!