No one has more fun than Mark Driscoll.Read more

   Glenn kindly asked and so I’ll share that I’ve just finished co-editing A Faith and Culture Devotional.  It’s a treasure book of God’s glory from 70 believers who are, themselves, treasures. Dallas Willard, Walter Bradley, Dick Keyes, Frederica Matthewes-Green, Erwin McManus, Scot McKnight, Os Guinness, Bill Edgar, Bruce Herman, Catherine Claire Larson, John Eldredge ...

   They’re helping me see God’s glory as I learn about ancient empires, DNA, Tolkien & joy, flight, Rockwell, the search for intimacy, String theory, J.S. Bach, the Periodic Table, the fall of Rome, Quantum physics, Dylan, Dark matter, U2, Paradise Lost, T.S. Eliot, the genius of Jesus, the Great Awakenings and the Resurrection. 

   Somehow I’d missed that Rembrandt painted his Return of the Prodigal after losing five of his own children, and two wives. I didn’t know that missionaries (and the Gospel) so impressed Charles Darwin on his early voyage.  Who knew that Oscar Wilde read Pascal’s Pensees while Wilde was in jail for “crimes of gross indecency” then came to Christ for mercy (thus he could write the end of Dorian Gray as an offer of salvation).  I missed that Picasso was such a cad, though his tragic late-in-life confession does have the merit of sincerity.

Faith and culture?  Why bother?  In one day a tsunami, or band of terrorists, can devastate decades of culture-making.  Including countless human lives.  Some of us are in slight shock, if not in mourning....Read more

Our greatest desire is to be fully known and fully accepted.  Deep down we want someone to see us for who we are- the beautiful with the ugly- and neither balk in disgust nor mistake us for something we are not, something better with fewer blemishes and flaws.  And yet, we fear the fulfillment of the very thing we desire.  Our greatest fear is to be known, found out, rejected.  Out of this fear we build up defenses like walls, hiding our weakness, preventing anyone from really knowing us at all.  We are like shopkeepers that put mannequins in the window, clean projections of the person we would rather people see (confident, attractive, sociable, interesting, etc), all the while keeping the shop door locked tight, carefully keeping the ugly reality of our imperfect lives out of sight.

As a portrait artist, the goal of my paintings is to subvert this practice of building defenses, and instead create a conversation with the viewer that is open and honest. You look at the person on the canvas and they look right back at you. Hopefully there is intimacy in that moment of examination.  Maybe it is because the person in the canvas never looks away.  You can look and look, critiquing every wrinkle and zit, but the subject has no shame.

January 20th was a day undeniably drenched in power.  And I was, admittedly, a bit in awe.  There was the peaceful exchange of power—noteworthy in its relative global rarity.  There was the power of the crowd, literally warming and sweeping itself along, erupting with ardent cheers in response to powerful prayers and poems, songs and speeches.  There were powerful past presidents, security forces and steel plated, tank-like limos.  There was the powerful reaffirmation of the supremacy of this nation.  And, regardless of political position, most people I’ve talked to sensed that the public acknowledgment of deep racial wounds, and the president’s embodiment of wound-transcending achievement, released a powerful surge of healing and hope for many.
    Frankly, I admit that I thrill at experiencing a day drenched in power.  I say “admit” as if it were a sin, but it’s not. Something in us as human beings was made for abandon to that which is greater, to be swept up in worship of that which is stronger, smarter, holier, and more powerful than ourselves.  For better or for worse, days like the 20th can be tastes of that.
    How strangely odd it was for me, then, that night, head still spinning, to encounter Matthew 27 in my devotional reading: Jesus before Pilate.  The contrast took my breath away.  Read more

“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”  Jesus said that.  In fact he talked a lot about riches, saying things like “you can’t serve both God and money”; and “one’s life does not consist in the abundanRead more

Yesterday, I briefly outlined some truths from Randy Alcorn’s book,  The Treasure Principle . Today, I’ll pick up by sharing some lessons that I learned while reading John Schneider’s book, The Good of Affluence.

The Good of Affluence

As the title suggests, John Schneider’s view of abundance is upbeat. For example, he writes, “[W]hat makes affluence a cosmic good is just that it creates freedom for human beings and, in that light, that it makes possible the proper dominion, dignity, and delight which otherwise would be impossible” (p. 103). Below I’ll to share a few (overlapping) ways that I find this book’s defense of affluence compelling.

I appreciate that Schneider celebrates humans taking creative dominion over the earth. For instance, Schneider says, “I imagine that the makers of Mercedes Benz automobiles take immense pride in the engineering and craftsmanship of these superb cars” (p. 38). I cannot help but think that, whether or not the maker consciously acknowledges God, such luxurious expressions of creativity show forth the glory of God. He’s lavished gifts in science, art, math, and mechanics to His image-bearers. Therefore, I think Schneider is right when he teaches that it is good for us to delight in beautiful cars, hotels, clothes, and other luxury goods.

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Over the next two days, I hope to reflect upon two books that discuss money from Christian perspectives. The first book is The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn, and the second is The Good of Affluence by John Schneider. I found both of these books compelling and encouraging, but they address money from two different angles. Today, I’ll share a few things that I learned from The Treasure Principle. Tomorrow, I’ll do the same for The Good of Affluence, and then I’ll consider how both sets of truths fit together in the Christian life. My hope is to dialogue about how our use of money (whether we are giving it away or spending it on ourselves) can be driven by biblical, Jesus-centered truth as opposed to consumerism.

Let me make two disclaimers upfront. First, I am not remotely close to being an expert on issues like generosity, giving, finances, or consumerism. Also, I don’t mean to suggest that Randy Alcorn or John Schneider would endorse any of my comments or reflections. I’m merely a novice trying to think out loud and stir up discussion, which brings me to the first book.

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It’s the one phrase that affords malicious free reign to anyone who is generally well-mannered or has a sweet demeanor.  When thinking of the typical Southern Gothic figure (most any Flannery O’Connor character will do), the typical slanderous, denigrating remark is prefaced or followed by “Bless his heart.”  It is such a curious interjection.  Blessing another’s heart suggests an intense desire for a solemnity or emotional resolve, despite the fact that the speaker might think the subject is a blockhead.   Really, just say it aloud: “Bless his heart, but he’s just a negative shy of the full picture.”  Doesn’t it sound a little less harsh, somewhat tolerant?  I want to point out the example Paul sets in Acts 14 which takes this phrase to a new level.

God has sent for Barnabas and Paul, instructing them to go and spread the gospel.  As the two are in Lystra, a rural town populated by what is likely a relatively uneducated people, Paul speaks to a man who is lame from birth.  Paul heals him as he commands him to stand and walk.  The Lycaonians are floored and begin worshipping Paul and Barnabas, calling them Hermes and Zeus and bringing forward animal sacrifices.

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We launched public worship at City Church–Eastside (www.citychurcheastside.org) nine months ago and I have watched so much happen.  The nascent beginnings for this work began almost three Read more

This is for an immediate job opening. Work will begin as soon as the research assistant is found.

Requirements

Communication:

You “get” what makes for excellent communication to a young adult and young family audience comprised of new-in-their faith Christ-followers and seekers.

Illustrations come easily to you. “Sticky” concepts and statements that connect Scripture and theology come easily to you.

Committed to preaching that both reaches unbelievers and teaches believers.

You embrace excellence in communication; willing to be outside the box in style or approach if needed to communicate.

**If you’re a fit for this particular job, some similar pastors that you personally, actively enjoy- Andy Stanley, Driscoll, Ed Young Jr., Wilhite, Chandler.

Theology:

At least moderately Reformed. Cheerfully, winsomely Reformed.  God’s sovereignty in all things matters to you. You bank your life on God and His character and sovereignty...for real.  But you’re not a jerk about Calvinism.

High, high view of the authority of Scripture.  Committed to historic Christian orthodoxy and ethics.  The pastor is Reformed but the church is broadly evangelical.  If you disdain “broad evangelicalism” this job is not for you.

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