One Week Earlier And...

Seeing the tragedy of the Minneapolis bridge collapse brings a burden to the heart of us all. Let us join in praying for the families who lost loved ones, and for the health of those who are recovering.

The fragility of life stares us all in the face as we view footage like that of the collapsed bridge. Most likely, none of those frightened I-35W passengers were thinking of the possibility of his or her life ending today between the banks of the Mississippi. No, they were talking on the cell phone, or chatting with a fellow passenger. Others were thinking about being on time for a special meeting.

I wasn't thinking about life ending last time I was there either. You see, between Monday and Thursday of last week I drove across that very bridge eight times. Why did it fall today, and not last Wednesday evening at approximately the same time of day when I was crossing it? Friend, our time is coming sooner than we may suppose.

May I ask you a crucial question? Are you right with God through His Christ? If not, won't you trust Him now? Eternity is calling, and very soon, you will answer...

Signs of the Spirit

I picked this up a few days ago, and have benefited much from it. For all of those who have shied away from Edwards because of his difficult prose, here's your invitation to reconsider!

GC Ladies Night

The ladies of GC celebrated a sister's birthday together on Sunday evening at one of Memphis' finest: The Happy Mexican. If my addition serves me correctly there were 31 children who went mom-less while these ladies tore up the town!


Seriously, ladies, we thank God for you and pray that the Lord will use you to show our world what Proverbs 31 looks like. Blessings to you all in Jesus!

Thank You!

...All for praying for me during last week's church planting conference.

After condensing, I have 15 pages of "impacting thoughts" that stood out from my notes that now need to be prayed over, processed, and as the Lord sees fit, applied. Thank you for praying for that too.

Wedding Tonight

Tonight, Lord willing, my little brother will wed Kathleen. It is a joy to see this day arrive and to rejoice in God's kindness in their lives by first drawing them to Christ and loving them with His very own life; and then by leading them to one another. It is a uniquely special occasion in that I have been asked to 'officiate' the wedding.

All GCer's are invited to come and if you are unable, then please pray that tonight would be a time of Worship honoring Christ in the marriage uniting Kathleen and Brent.

Time: 7p
Location: Lucy Baptist Church
4005 Lucy Rd.
Millington, TN 38053

Stump The Mike

ESPN has "Stump the Schwab," Grace has Stump the Mike. Mike Rusten, that is.

Since our Q&A sessions at the Revelation seminar would still be going today if we didn't cut them off at some point, I've asked Mike Rusten if we could do one final Q&A session here on SC. Gladly, he agreed. So, here's your chance (even if you didn't attend) to ask any question you want to ask related (obviously or less obviously) to the book of Revelation.

Just ask your question in the comment section at the bottom of this post. My hope is that we'll have quite a few questions, then I'll try to consolidate them into a list of 10 that most represent our submissions. After that, I'll send them to Mike, and post his responses here for all to see.

Question cutoff deadline = Saturday at noon.

I'll begin the query in the comments section below (Click "interaction" to see all the questions).

A Cause for Rejoicing

Here's part of an email from Bryan Smith:

"And for those who don't know, number three is on the
way (sometime next March/April)."

Amen!

Jesus, I have a few questions

A snippet I thought I'd share from my (not so daily) journal:

Jesus, I have a few questions:

Why have You been pleased to drop a potentially long-term relationship with Nigeria in Grace's lap? Why Ethiopia? Why now? Why before our "launch?" Why us? Why not when we are more "ready?" Why did You send Vijay Sastry to visit Grace last Sunday and lay another (happy) burden on Grace to care about the joy of India (and the 10-40 window) being found in Jesus? How are we to respond to each of these things?

And, what about those neighborhood kids showing up each Sunday night for the BYBC's? Who's praying for them...by name? Anyone? Will they ever be grafted into the life of Grace? What about their parents? Will the gospel transform (former) Hurt Village (now) Uptown, and downtown, and beyond in such a way that lost people tremble? You know, I mean tremble with what Edwards saw in the Northeast in the 1730's and 40's when he described Your Spirit's reviving work as a "deep and penetrating conviction of sin."

Will the vision for a multi-cultural, multi-racial, multi-generational, multi-socioeconomic church be realized in the membership of Grace? Beyond that will the walls of racial division, marginalization, paternalism, monocultural pride, and ethnic bigotry be trumped by the gospel (noticeably, even by unregenerate people) in Memphis, TN in our lifetime? If not, why not? Will we live to see the day when biblical churches are easy to find in every corner of America?

How is Grace to avoid "retreat-ism," and "creature-comfort" but instead, keep pushing forward and "hastening the day of the Lord?" Will we be the church that preaches against a the prosperity gospel but lives like we are in favor of it? What will the sting of persecution feel like at its worst? How will the You be pleased to manifest Your grace in such a way that You get all of the glory from our involvement in all that You have called us to be for (1) You, (2) each other, (3) our city, and (4) our world?

What will Grace's first daughter church look like? Where will she be located? What will her 43rd daughter church look like? Will our generation live to see it? Who will be the first covenant member of Grace to go home?

Psalm 27:14

Global Church Advancement - National Church Planting Seminar

I'm in Minneapolis this week enjoying the GCA's National Church Planting Seminar. The training is Christ-centered, practical, and goo.., er, convicting. Thank you for your prayers for the Lord enable me to both process and apply the things He desires for me to take away.

Biblical Theology

Thanks to Justin Taylor for pointing this out.

Directions to Enjoying Jesus in Revelation

For those who are unfamiliar with how to get to FBC West Memphis, simply click the church's address below for directions.

200 N. Missouri St
West Memphis, AR 72364

Check in: 6:30p
Session 1: 7p

Worship Prep

1. Prayerfully meditate on the truth of Galatians 4:8-11.
2. Sing, "Jesus knows me, this I love." (Yes, the word order is changed on purpose: "Yes, Jesus knows me...Yes, Jesus knows me." - See verse 9).
3. Attend corporate prayer at 9a.
   
4. More than anything, walk with God right now.
   

If, Then

If our preference is God, then our ambition will be to please Him (2 Cor. 5:8-9).

BYBC Week 2 Pix

The Missionary Church

"No church is anything more than a pathetic pietistic backwater unless it is first and fundamentally and all the time a world missionary church."

- James Stewart, Heralds of God

(HT: Ray Van Neste, via Anthony Mathenia)

Revelation Worship Prep

The response to Grace's upcoming Enjoying Jesus in the Book of Revelation seminar this coming Friday and Saturday with Mike Rusten has been very encouraging.

Registration will still be available up to the start of the seminar, but listening-guide style notebooks (195 pages!) are only guaranteed for those who have already registered. Mike suggested that I pass along two ways to prepare well for the seminar

1. Read and reread the book of Revelation
2. As much as you are able, look up the cross-references to other places in Scripture
   

Prayer For Today & Tomorrow

I will appreciate your prayers this evening (Sat) and tomorrow morning as I will be preaching at Grace's mother church.

Nate, praying for you, and all of GC tomorrow morning as ya'll worship through Deuteronomy 6.

GC, praying for you all and the Uptown community as you seek to impact the neighborhood with the gospel at BYBC #2.

2 Ways 2 Live (For Kids)

I'd guess it was about 2 years ago when I was first pointed to Matthais Media's helpful discipleship and evangelistic material.

As a parent I'm always wanting to find helpful ways to point my children to Christ. This simple version of "2-ways-2-live" for kids is great.

(HT: Steve McCoy...who would appreciate your prayers for his wife, Molly).

A Prayer

"Lord, we pray that You would make Yourself the exclusive object or our ultimate devotion."
- Mark Dever, Promises Made: The Message of The Old Testament, 587.

The Cup? The Handle? The What?

After today's pastor's meeting, I realized that I began an illustration on Sunday that I never finished. How's that for helpful preaching!?!

Toward the beginning of Sunday's sermon, I intended to emphasize that we would not be thinking of novel ideas in the morning sermon, but maybe, the Lord would be pleased to use our thinking on Paul's use of (1) Law & Gospel; (2) Baptism; and (3) God's adopting love for us as His sons, to "hand the coffee mug to us with the handle facing toward us." I think I said something kind of like that. The coffee cup picture was intended to convey the idea to some of who were already familiar with the sermon's concepts, that, "Oh, I knew that already, but now it is an easier concept to grasp," or something like that.

Instead, (ha!), I was made aware today by my brothers that I didn't communicate anything of the sort...or really anything at all...except maybe a confusing moment for anyone trying to follow what I was saying.

Are there bonus points for unhelpful sermon illustrations? If so, I'm set!