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If “Love Wins” were a Hymn…

January 30, 2012 in Church Ministry, Gospel, Rob Bell, Salvation, Worship Music with 33 Comments

I’m currently attending a wonderful church, connected to my seminary.  I love the way in which they represent the Anabaptist way of following Jesus, not giving into nationalism or violence.  They are a voice of peace, grace, and love.

I noticed this love recently in a hymn that was selected to sing.  I was so impressed that I pulled out my phone and took a picture of the song right out of the hymnal.

If “Love Wins” were a hymn…

Lyrics:

There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy

1. There’s a wideness in God’s mercy,
Like the wideness of the sea;
There’s a kindness in God’s justice,
Which is more than liberty.

2. There is welcome for the sinner,
And more graces for the good;
There is mercy with the Savior;
There is healing in His blood.

3. But we make God’s love too narrow
By false limits of our own;
And we magnify its strictness
With a zeal God will not own

4. For the love of God is broader
Than the measures of the mind;
And the heart of the Eternal
Is most wonderfully kind.

5. If our love were but more simple, Continue Reading…

NT Wright “Hope for this World” (Video)

January 29, 2012 in (Series) Video to Ponder, Church Ministry, N. T. Wright with 0 Comments

Below is the first session in a small group series I’m currently engaging in called “Surprised by Hope” based loosley on the book by the same title.  If you are part of a church small group community, I HIGHLY recommend this study!  Paradigm shifting stuff!

Treat Them Like a Tax Collector: Reflections on Matthew 18, Church Discipline, and Andrew

January 26, 2012 in Church Ministry, Community, Culture, Early Church, Tim Geddert with 71 Comments

© 2010 | Ibai | Flickr | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Jesus offers a model for reconciliation in Matthew 18.15-17.  Often, these three verses are used for the opposite of this: alienation.  These words operate as a law in some settings, when in fact they are meant to give guidance toward restoring relationship.

Over the past few days, Matthew Paul Turner hosted a series of blogs (#1 & #2) about a guy named Andrew.  It was found out that he engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior and he was placed on church discipline.  After reading part 1 of the series, although I thought the rigidity of creating a church discipline contract was over-the-top, I didn’t know that the actions of the Mars Hill elders were worth fussing about.  After all, when a leader in the church acts in a way that is inappropriate, the way to restore them back to good standing is to raise the bar – so to speak.  We ought to invite people to repent and put their lives back on a good track – good for the people involved and good for the community of faith.

But, after hearing the second part of the story, I knew it was time for me to engage in the conversation.  This is what happened when it was all said and done: Continue Reading…

Is Worship all about ‘Me and Jesus’ or ‘Us and Jesus’?

January 25, 2012 in (Series) Video to Ponder, Church Ministry, Video Blog, Worship Music with 45 Comments

I invite you to watch a 3 min video where I reflect on whether our worship music and liturgy ought to be change from individualized language to plural, specifically as a correction to the abundance of individualism in the United States.  I would love to have you watch this brief video and give me some feedback!

Example of what my question at the end of the video is getting at:
Instead of singing “Here I am to worship. Here I am to bow down. Here I am to say that your my God.” Change it too “Here we are to worship. Here we are to bow down. Here we are to say that your our God.”

Finding Conversation Partners: Acquiring the right commentaries for preaching

January 21, 2012 in Church Ministry with 2 Comments

© 2011 | brett jordan | Flickr | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

I thought the following gave some good criteria for thinking about gathering commentary resources for preaching.  With so many options out there, it can be overwhleming and expensive.

The Biblical Preaching blog give the following advise:

A few quick thoughts on buying commentaries (gathering the conversation partners):

1. If you can, try before you buy (library, google books, friend, etc.) If not, at least get good recommendations (such as on bestcommentaries.com).

2. Let your ministry provoke your purchases. I take a sermon series as a good excuse to buy a commentary or two if my library is lacking in that area. 2nd Chronicles now, Acts next.

3. Build a quality library slowly, rather than a junk collection fast. The personal library is a vital tool of the preacher. Even if it is only five books, if they are five good books, then it is worth having! Don’t rush, don’t get into debt, and don’t buy books with more hype on the cover than content in the pages. Continue Reading…

Shane Hipps’ Aha! Moment on Preaching and Success

January 20, 2012 in (Series) Video to Ponder, Church Ministry with 5 Comments

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