A friend reminded me of this absolutely amazing guitar video and I just had to post it for those of you who haven’t seen it yet.
in case you’re wondering, Eric is tuned FACFCF. This is a very interesting tuning that sort of has a quality like the regular “G” chord on a guitar due to the proximity of the low third with the tonic, and the 5ths in the higher range (at least if you play your G like this in standard tuning - 320033).
It’s been a grueling but productive week in San Diego, but I’m so ready to be home for the weekend. This will be my first time on a plane in 8 years. Wow. I can’t believe it’s been that long.
Last week was hectic. We had kids throwing up, Awana Awards night, and I returned to the world of mid-week band practice (more on that later).
Then, on Saturday, we spent the morning at church in workshops and seminars. We stayed up in Fresno for a barbecue and carnival at church, followed by a family concert with Rob Biagi. Of course, Jack started throwing up again before the concert, so sadly he didn’t get to go. But Kaitlyn and Kyle had a blast dancing and singing and we even got to go up on stage! Amy is so disappointed that she didn’t get to see me dance.
On top of all this, our friends had some extra sod (about 300 sq. ft.) and said we could have it. We had some dirt patches that needed some landscaping, so we spent our Sunday morning digging trenches, installing sprinklers, leveling ground, and laying sod.
On top of THAT, I had the opportunity to lead worship at the Fig Garden Campus of the Well Community Church. I don’t think I realized how much I missed leading worship until I the chance to do it again (my last time had been September 9th).
And so now, here I sit procrastinating on my school work, preparing for another jam-packed week.
Doug Wilson has some very thought provoking insights on how we derive our sense of justice.
Step out of your desires for a moment. Learn to look at your life as though you were watching a movie, and “you” were a character up on the screen there. View your wants dispassionately, with a sense of justice that is not fed by the simple fact of your desiring. This is the heart of what Jesus provided for us in the profound ethic of the Golden Rule.
I had the opportunity to preach today at the First Baptist Church of Kingsburg. My message, titled Foolish Things, is an exposition of 1 Corinthians 1:18-31. In this passage, Paul reminds us of the foolishness of worldly wisdom and calls us to radical dependence on God and all that he has done for us in Christ.
As part of my preparation, I created an exegetical diagram of the passage that reveals some of the underlying parallels, repeated ideas and emphases of the text. If you want to study this passage in more depth, I hope this will be a useful tool for you.
Mark Driscoll’s 4 Questions to Ask When Preparing to Preach (with some of my added thoughts/interpretations).
What does it say? (Exegesis, original languages, grammatical constructs, idioms, literary context)
What does it mean? (Hermeneutics, interpretation, historical context, authorial intent, original audience)
How or why do we resist it? (Assumption of natural resistance, rebellion, hard-heartedness, objections, dismissals. Puritan preaching—predicted resistance and then apologetically addressed those objections to defeat and disarm them)
How does this apply to our mission? (What has God called us to? How does this text have a person, family, ecclesiastical application? How does it apply to our specific mission? How are we called to live out this scripture as transformational agents in the world?)
As if the infamous Tom Cruise video wasn’t scary enough, now eBay is letting the “church” of Scientology have direct control over the removal listings from the online auction site.
It has been a while since I’ve had an invitation to preach, but I’m excited that I’ll have the opportunity coming up in a few weeks. While meditating upon possible topics, I was drawn to I Corinthians 1:18-31 where Paul compares the wisdom of God with that of the world.
This passage is loaded with dichotomies and contrasts. I love how Paul uses poetic devices and word plays to make his point that the cross puts worldly divisions to shame and removes all ground for personal pride and boasting. Paul brings us back to the centrality of the cross.
I’ve created an exegetical diagram that reveals some of Paul’s parallelism and visually highlights some of the greek word plays which he employs. There is so much in this passage, it’s going to be tough to cover in one sermon.
I wonder if the whole “excellence in praise and worship music” phenomenon we’ve seen over the past few years—for all the good it’s done—hasn’t also had some less-than-desirable effects on young Christians. I wonder if it hasn’t created a generation of functional mystics who gauge their relationship with God by emotional experience rather than the objective reality of redemption.
Good thoughts from the Pastors Conference at Bethlehem Baptist in Minnesota:
There are 3 qualities in God’s father-son relationship that we should try to emulate in our own relationships:
1. The father makes the son a part of what he’s doing.
2. The son does the will of the father.
3. Father and son outdo one another in showing honor to one another
My good friend Tony (who also happens to be my father-in-law) shares from his heart why it is so important to daily live out a life of redemption and forgiveness.
