Soma

The other day I noticed an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal by Fred Barnes on his experience of church planting.  He was a founding member of a church plant, and was trying to describe to the readers of the Wall Street Journal why this was something he and his family were interested in, and why there is a growing movement of church planting all across the country (and world).

As a church planter, the article definitely intrigued me, but what intrigued me even more was Al Mohler’s commentary on this same article.  Mohler is the president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (where I’m currently enrolled) and wrote a post commending Barnes and reminding all of us that while church planing is definitely a growing movement at the moment, it is simply the newest version of a very very old idea.

The only strange aspect of this article is the sense that church planting is a new idea.  Church planting is indeed a “burgeoning movement,” but it is not new.  As a matter of fact, the church planting movement began in the first century — and was central to the New Testament pattern for the church.  If this seems new to some, it is only because they are rediscovering a very old idea.

On the other hand, there is something newly energetic about the church planting movement.  Younger pastors are increasingly attracted to the vision of starting a new congregation and seeing it established with solid conviction, deep passion, evangelistic commitment, and strategic focus. They see the need and are ready to take up the challenge.

They also understand the New Testament’s impulse toward reproduction.  Christians are to reproduce themselves through witness and evangelism, and churches are to reproduce themselves through missions and church planting.  Growth leads to growth.

It is a sweet reminder to all of us at Shoreline that what we have done (having planted a church) or what we are doing (multiplying ourselves and living life in missional community) is not only not unique, but it is nowhere near new.  We are playing our small part in the grandios slavation story of Christ and His Church and we are just a handful of the millions and millions of brothers and sisters all over the globe and throughout history who are trying deserately to be faithful just like we are (most of them probably even more faithfully than we are).  It is a humbling thing to remember, but also a very exciting one.  An excitement that is only intensified by identifying with Mohler’s closing commentary:

The most powerful ideas are rarely new, but these same ideas must be captured anew again and again.  Jesus Christ promised that the very gates of hell will not prevail against His church.  This new generation of young pastors intends to push back against hell through bold and visionary ministry.  Expect to see the sparks fly.

Since we’re on the topic of productivity, I thought I’d share the latest gem from Mahaney.  It was a sweet breath of fresh air to me as it turned me back to the glory of the Gospel.  The original post is here.  But here is the whole thing:

Only God gets his to-do list done each day.

This simple sentence informs how I begin my day, what I expect to accomplish during the day, and how I close each day.

When I step out of my office and turn the light off at the end of my day, and the list of to-dos is incomplete, I say to my secretary, “Nora, we will try again tomorrow.” This brief statement is an acknowledgment of my limitations, and is my way of saying that—once again—I didn’t get everything done. It’s a moment for me to cultivate humility.

No matter how much planning, scheduling, and discipline is present in my life, I will never completely redeem the time. I am a finite creature, limited in what I can accomplish, and further limited by my sin. So it should surprise nobody that I leave to-dos undone each and every day.

My joy is not derived from the flawless execution of my goals. My joy each day is derived from the person and work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

Only God gets his to-do list done each day. I need the cross of Christ each day.

I want to thank all of you who diligently pray for your pastors and for their hearts.  I must say, it’s working.  I know that you are praying and I know that it is working not because I am becoming greater and greater, but because God is revealing to be (seemingly each day) what a weak sinner I am, and how desperately I need His grace.  I can’t think of a better place to be.

Lately, one of the key areas of sin the Lord has been exposing to me is that of my laziness.  “Laziness?” you may ask…yes, laziness (sloth if you would like to use the Biblical term).  “But, Scott, you are one of the busiest people I know, how could you possibly be lazy?  You don’t play video games, watch TV, or spend hours on Facebook, how could you be lazy?”  And there in lies the greatest lie that I have often bought into, and that we all must deal with in one way or another.  The lie that busyness negates laziness.

The truth is, often times busyness does not negate laziness but is a fruit of it.  Just because someone works hard does not necesarily mean that they work well and are productive, fruitful, or even faithful in their working.  This may sound like the old addage, “work smarter, not harder” but there is much more too it than that.  The truth is, when we put off unwanted tasks, we are being lazy.  When we procrastinate until the last minute and fail to plan and discipline our schedules accordingly, it is often times a result of laziness.  When we allow ourselves to be distracted (with an email, a website, a conversation, anything that is not absolutely necessary) instead of finishing the task at hand, it is also often a fruit of our laziness and desire to avoid hard work.

The kicker to all of this is that this laziness in my life (and yours?) is not simply a weakness to be avoided or a personality trait to be dealt with.  Laziness is a sin to be repented of.  I have repented of my laziness and am working diligently to discipline myself in regards to my distraction and procrastination.  Even as I write this post, I am tempted to check a news website since the words I am writing aren’t coming as quickly to my mind as I would like.

But the beauty in this, is (again) the glory of the gospel.  I am forgiven of my laziness and of the effects it has had on my ministry (at times) and on my family (at even more frequent time) and I have hope in the work of the gospel in my heart that the Lord will continue to sanctify and help me experience the freedom He has purchased for me through Christ.

If this strikes a nerve at all, I would strongly suggest checking out this blog series by C. J. Mahaney that has gone a long way in convicting and helping me in regards to my busyness/laziness/productivity.  I hope you will find it helpful as well.

Yesterday, after a great weekend in the Bay Area, and a very memorible and special wedding for Brian and Chrissie, we packed up the Durango, set up the computer (movie player) for the kids and headed home.  We made the decision to take the 101 home, the same route we had taken on the way up.  There was a partial alterier motive as we were hoping to stop off in Morro Bay to scout out the location of the upcoming Marriage Retreat (the spot is idealic!).  However, much of our decision was based simply on the beauty of the drive as compared to the alternative.

Now, I have been making the drive from LA to the Bay Area multiple times a year for the past 10 years and 99% of the time I take the 5.  Why in the world would you add 1.5 hours of driving to a trip if it wasn’t necesarry?  I baredly ever took the 101, and definitely never took it twice on the same trip.  So what in the world possesed us to take the longer route now that we have two kids (take a 6.5 hour drive and make it an 8.5 hour drive)?  Honestly, it was the scenery…and (as proved the case) the opportunity to worship.

Aside from the wedding itself, one of the greatest highlights of this weekend was simply to get out of the city.  As we drove for hours upon hours up the coast I couldn’t help but appreciate with fresh eyes the immense beauty of dark oak trees scattered on over a cluster of brilliantly green rolling hills, upon the backdrop of a startilingly deep blue sky, spotted with towering clouds that looked so soft you could fall asleep in them.  And that was just one part.  Along the drive we also were able to enjoy the expanse of the deep blue ocean, the power of rocky shores and even caught a climpse of a couple of deer grazing on a hillside.

The truth is, the sights weren’t anything too out of the ordinary, but in my city surrounded, computer dominated, apartment encapsulated life…that is exactly what they were…out of the ordinary.  And in seeing God’s wonderous creation again, I was moved with awe.  He didn’t have to create such incredible colors, He didn’t have to make the green of the hill and the blue of the sky so startlingly different.  He didn’t have to allow us the opportunity to comprehend His grandeur in a glimpse, but He did.

Just thought I’d share in case it’s been a while since you’ve taken time to get out of the city (or in case you were also up North and flew down the 5 without looking out your windows once).  For you students, you may be wondering what to do with your week off.  Others of you may be wondering what exactly you’re going to do this Saturday.  If you have the time, get out of the city.  Drive a few hours, hike a few hours, get outdoors and look up and around you.  You may have “more important” things to do, but I promise you it is worth your time.  I know that the extra couple of hours (even with the kids in the car…tired of being strapped into a car seat…and tired of being fed the same kind of cracker for 6 hours straight) was worth it to me.

So, get outside the city sometime soon…and worship.

But don’t forget to come back…because even more than you need to get out of the city…the city needs you.

If you’ve been wondering why so many Shoreline sermons include “The Gospel” and why our Membership class is entitled “The Gospel and God’s Church” and why our equipping class focuses on “Gospel-Truth, Gospel-Community, and Gospel-Mission” I want to assure you that it is no coincidence.  We want to be a people and a church that magnifies the gospel in everything we do.  The gospel is not just for beginners, it is what we all need more and more of every day.  I wish I had the communication skills of John Piper, but I don’t, so I’ll let him speak for me again:

Here is a simple exhortation that I have been trying to implement in our family:

Seek to see and feel the gospel as bigger as years go by rather than smaller.

Our temptation is to think that the gospel is for beginners and then we go on to greater things. But the real challenge is to see the gospel as the greatest thing—and getting greater all the time.

The Gospel gets bigger when, in your heart,

* grace gets bigger;
* Christ gets greater;
* his death gets more wonderful;
* his resurrection gets more astonishing;
* the work of the Spirit gets mightier;
* the power of the gospel gets more pervasive;
* its global extent gets wider;
* your own sin gets uglier;
* the devil gets more evil;
* the gospel’s roots in eternity go deeper;
* its connections with everything in the Bible and in the world get stronger;
* and the magnitude of its celebration in eternity gets louder.

So keep this in mind: Never let the gospel get smaller in your heart.

Pray that it won’t. Read solid books on it. Sing about it. Tell someone about it who is ignorant or unsure about it.

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel…. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

See the original post on the Desiring God blog

Now, I know it’s probably bad form to write a followup blog post to your own sermon, but I think there are some resources that you might enjoy.  Don’t worry, I’m not going to simply repeat myself, but it may be beneficial for you to check out some similar thoughts from guys who are much better communicators than I am.  The first is a book that has been really influential in my thinking, and the second two are an interview done with the guys who wrote the chapter in the book on Singleness.  While you’re checking out the interviews, you should cruise around the Boundless website for anything else written by those two guys…I promise you it will be worth your time (even if you don’t agree with everything they write).

Sex and the Supremacy of Christ

Sex and the Single Guy, part 1 - Scott Croft and Michael Lawrence

Sex and the Single Guy, part 2 - Scott Croft and Michael Lawrence

As I was looking for a clip for this weekend’s sermon from one my all time favorite movies, Real Genius, I came across this great studying clip that I thought all of you who are currently studying for finals might appreciate.  Hope it doesn’t resemble your efforts!

Yesterday, I read a version of the story about the fact that “Christianity” in America is statistically declining and was really interested.  It seemed to me like when it comes to true Biblical Christianity there may not necesarrily be less Christians in America, there may just be more people who are being honest with themselves about the fact that they don’t believe in Christ as their Savior.  Less people calling themselves “Christian” doesn’t necesarrily mean that there are less followers of Christ, so I wasn’t particularly alarmed by the statistics.

And then, this morning, I read an article (as I’m sure many of you did since it was linked to on the Drudge Report) about one writer’s opinion that Evangelicalism as we know it is on the verge of collapse (I’m not completely convinced that this is as bad of a thing as we would first think).  Now, bear in mind, pastors who predict the future have an extremely bad track record (basically 0-for-? since the Apostle Paul), but the simple reality that the world we live in is far less predictable than we would like to think, gave me sufficient pause to reflect on the encouragement and hope identified in 1 Peter (that we ought to pay attention to regardless of what the present or future of our country holds):

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1:3-9)

The next few decades will undoubtedly look unique to us.  This may (and probably will) include a shrinking of religious tolerance for those who believe the Bible to be true, and an increase of the hold of secular humanism on our cultural psyche.  But, regardless of whether this is true or not, our hope is not tied to this country (although we are incredibly grateful for it) but to the “salvation that is ready to be revealed at the last time.”  What a sweet hope we have in Jesus.

The article is definitely worth a read.

I love it when authors and pastors I respect who spend much of their time writing about high theology and lofty ideals get fired up about practical situations in this world.  And I love it when they get so fired up you can hear them screaming in frustration in their own study at the situation.  This is what seems to have happened when John Piper took the time to consider the impact of the first high school girl wrestler entering the state tournament for high school boys wrestling.  His reaction (and encouragement to parents) is pretty straight forward.  And you really should read the whole thing.  But this is how it starts:

Come on, dads, have some courage. Just say, “Over my dead body are you going to wrestle a girl.” Of course, they will call you prudish. But everything in you knows better.

Yes, I am talking to the boys’ fathers. If the girls’ fathers don’t care how boys manhandle their daughters, you will have to take the lead. Give your sons a bigger nobler vision of what it is to be a man. Men don’t fight against women. They fight for women.

I’d love to hear your thoughts…what if it was your son…or daughter?

Lately Lara and I have been doing a lot of pre-marital counseling (an exciting thing both for us and for Shoreline).  In addition to multiplying the nnumber of couples we are meeting with, I have also been revamping how we do pre-marital counseling and have been preparing much more thoroughly for it.  All that to say, I have spent a good number of hours over the past couple of months thinking about, writing about, and talking about preparing for marriage.

In the midst of preparing today a thought occured to me: “Why is marriage the only thing we prepare like this for?”  Don’t get me wrong, marriage is a bog deal (basically the biggest deal) and it should be prepared for with much more depth and intentionality than simply deciding on who is going to sit where and which color of flowers you like best.  However, I’m starting to think that we ought to be tackling a whole lot of other seasons in life with the same kind of preparation and commitment that I see in these engaged couples.

To make my point, let me explain to you (in a condensed version) what pre-marital counseling entails:

1. A couple tells me their story and how they came to want to get married.
2. Having studied the Bible on this topic, I share with them what God has to say and we discuss it in depth.
3. Since their new season in life entails a whole host of changes we talk about what Scripture says about things such as communication, family, finances, intimacy, etc.
4. As we discuss what Scripture has to say, we intentionally pursue areas of repentance and growth and pray specifically for these areas.

Now, is it just me, or does that not sound like a good plan of attack no matter what season in life you are in or are approaching?  I mean, if you’re about to graduate college, don’t try to figure it all out alone!  Grab someone (maybe in your Community Group) who has already gradutated college, has demonstrated spiritual maturity, and knows Scripture and ask them to talk to you about the transition.  Ask them to spend some time thinking about the things you need to know and allow them to get to know you so they can speak the gospel into areas in your life where it hasn’t seemed to penetrate.

Intentional preparation shouldn’t be reserved for engaged couples, everyone should be doing it…we all need the help and need each other, sometimes we just need to carve out the time, sit down, and ask someone to speak the Word into our lives, or we need to be willing to speak it into someone else’s.  Either way, if we did a little more of that and a little less “flying solo” I guarantee you the church, and your relationship with your Savior, would be much stronger as a result.

Just a thought.