Pillar is working on getting a new logo to better reflect our purposes and ring in years 5-10 for us. To the right is the logo that I personally like the best. Follow the links below to see another 10 options… The goals with this logo are as follows… We want to freshen things up with an image that is able to stand alone black and white and doesn’t have a lot of detail… in a word, simple. The other goal is to reflect or passion to plant new churches. Please take a look at the following samples and let us know what you think in the comments section. All the logos were done by Matt Giedon at MWG Media Works – I highly recommend him if you are in search of a designer for web or print.
Next week we will begin a five week series on the book of Proverbs called, “Friends & Fools”. The book of proverbs is basically divided into two parts, (Chapters 1-9) are the writers attempt to convince you that employing wisdom in your life is a good idea… And the rest (10-31) are a collection of wise sayings.. From now through valentines day we will organize the proverbs into categories and try to get a good idea about what God wants to teach us through the proverbs.
As I have mentioned a few times before on this blog I have been learning from Dr. Mark Dever and the team at CHBC since August as a “virtual intern” Dr. Dever leads six interns each semester with in a concentrated theological and practical study of ecccesiology. I was the seventh wheel participating in some elements of the internship while excusing myself from others for the sake of my church and family. My experience was quite memorable and I will use this post to share a few of my the ways the internship was helpful to me.
First, Dever’s study is amazing.. and the hub for much of what Goes on at CHBC during the week. His study is in his home just a few steps from the back door of CHBC’s downtown DC facility. The CHBC has purchased most of the homes on the street fro the staff to live in. Dever leaves his back door open when he is in and a steady stream of traffic is up and down the flight of stairs leading to his study.
A few major benefits that came from participating in the CHBC internship:
Reading with Application - time will tell how much I retain from the reading and discussion… but unlike simple reading or studies in seminary the discussions of very old texts were applied to a modern church. And the implications were immediately discussed and compared in various settings.
A Transferred Passion – Although I never heard Dever mention this it is clear to me that he is intensely committed to training young leaders and pastors. He spends an staggering amount of time with young men and spends hours each week reading what they have written. I want to mimic him in this area. I pray that as God grows our ministry that I will continually seek to influence young men who are called to ministry.
Normalizing Missions – By far the most interesting thing I learned from Dever and CHBC is how to normalize missions. In my church for example… we talk about going on mission & spreading the gospel all the time in hopes that as people hear about it they will grab hold and go for it. CHBC has successfully created a culture in there church where the people do the missions an ministry – not programs thought up by the staff. I venture to say they are having more impact on and sending out more prepared missionaries than anyone in the beltway but doing it very discretely.
My only regret is that I didn’t do something like this before entering vocational ministry. I will continue meeting at CHBC with a small group of local pastors each month and continue to learn from the ministry. I strongly recommend young seminarians consider applying to the internship. For those of you who are already in ministry 9Marks offers Weekenders and T4G. If you live in VA, MD, DC region and would like to go to T4G I am organizing transportation and lodging for a large group – If you are interested feel free to email me at clint@pillarchurchsbc.com.
Living with the Garmans is like living inside a Saturday Night Live Sketch… non-stop comedy. This week has been a great time of catching up on our lives and talking about the ministry they have here. The Garmans have made the (very wise) decision to direct the majority of their attention during this first phase of ministry on learning the Icelandic language. It is a difficult language compounded by the fact that the vast majority of Icelanders speak fluent English. This makes learning Icelandic difficult because English is always available as a default. Tonight an Icelander who has known Colby and Annie for a few weeks told me that he has never known a foreigner to learn the language so quickly. The week to this point was spent preparing for an event that took place tonight.. Colby, Annie and I performed a Christmas concert in the basement of a downtown Reykjavik’s Café Rot. We chose eight songs that told the Biblical Christmas story and talked about the significance of the incarnation.
About 50 people came to the concert and it went great. Each song was dripping gospel and we giving us the opportunity to talk about the songs during and after the concert with those who attended. Everyone stayed around for an hour or so after the event and talked. Please pray for Colby & Annie as they continue to work in Reykjavik.
I’m riding a bus between DC and NYC right now (wi-fi on a bus? Wow!) with my 5-year-old daughter Ruthe. Ruthe and I are going to spend the day today in NYC before flying out to Reykjavik tonight to visit our good friends the Garmans. This is a sweet trip for me because this time three years ago my family and I were on month three of a four-month church planting project in Reykjavik. It’s a great city and we loved our time there. Our family and our church have had a tremendous desire to see the gospel spread there since we learned spiritual condition of the country. Our work there has gone well and we are hoping that having the Garman’s there full time will give the project some real traction. While Ruthe and I travel Jennifer and our boys is in the sunshine state visiting her solder brother who recently returned safely from the war in Iraq.
I’m not use to traveling with children when Jennifer is not with me. I have already broken several of the cardinal house rules. Ruthe’s hair went without being brushed for about 36+ hours (if you have never seen Ruthe’s hair you cannot possibly understand why that is so bad), we left the house for our December trip for “Ice” land with only a pair of church sandals – oops. We had donuts for dinner last night at 9:30pm, then cheese-its for breakfast this morning. Ruthe’s not supposed to drink anything after 7pm but she was downing a Sunkist at 11:00pm. But… she’s still alive and having a grand time.
I plan to post our adventures throughout the week. If you are in town this weekend Pillar Church will be continuing the Man of the House series with Pastor Naethan Hendrix teaching “A Man Guides Patiently” and at Lakeside Pastor Bryan Scott will be continuing our series in Galatians.
This week two articles came out about CWAC. The first came out in OC Magazine you can read the text from the article HERE. The second came out today on the front page of the Region Section of the Free Lance Star and Fredericksburg.com. The articles are mostly accurate and very positive about what we are up to with CWAC. Please read them over and remember that we are short on funds and short on volunteers. If you can give to CWAC please visit our donation site at www.thelakeside100.com.
Our good friend Kevin Dowker is also working on a new website for CWAC… Click the little image for a quick look at it.
Well.. tomorrow will be two weeks since CWAC opened it’s doors. Business has been decent especially considering that we have done virtually no advertising yet. The past two Sunday evenings we have held community worship services and those are also going well. Here are a few shots from the shop for those of you who have not yet been able to stop by. For all of you coffee lovers, one of the CWAC team members, Kevin Dowker, has put together the CWAC Coffee Club. If you join the coffee club ($10+S&H per month/per LB) you will be shipped CWAC coffee each month. If you are interested you can download the form HERE and fax it to 540-720-9070, or email it to kdowker@gmail.com or mail it to CWAC 32345 Constitution Hwy Suite C Locust Grove VA 22508.
Below are a few resources for husband’s and dads who are hoping to do a better job at spiritual leadership in the home. The first two are from Resurgence. Happy learning!
In preparation for our upcoming sermons series “Man of the House” I have been thinking about the pastoral nature of the husband’s role in the home… The church almost never teaches on this subject and many varieties of Christian men exist within our churches. I have made a list of 50 christian men I have known from childhood to present (myself included). I dropped each of them into one of four categories that best described them.
The Slug – is an easy going guy who doesn’t generally rock the boat. He doesn’t lead his family but is content to be led by his family. He has realized that following is far easier than leading so he lays low and hopes for the best. He is sometimes considered a good father/husband by others because he is involved in a lot of activities with his family. The passive man is found in both lazy and hard working versions. His wife tends to be the disciplinarian, the bookkeeper and the pacesetter on spiritual matters. On occasion he attempts to lead but surrenders quickly in exchange for peace.
The Bear - throws his weight around in the house. His wife wonders if she is his helper or his servant. The bear spends a lot of time at work and tends to keep every professional commitment while often sacrificing family commitments. His time away from work is dedicated to hobbies and media. When questioned, the bear generally responds with anger. He rarely says “thank you” or “I Love You”. The bear sees himself as a spiritual leader because he makes sure that his family is involved in spiritual activities such as church and mealtime prayers yet his family rarely observes any authentic spiritual devotion.
The Ant – his good deeds and religious piety monopolize his life leaving no room for his ministry in the home. He cannot devote mental or physical energy to his wife and children without believing that he is robbing it from God. The ant is sure to make significant progress in his ministry but will achieve it at the cost of his family.
The Dog – is able to be both strong and loving. He can lead the family and love the family. His spiritual devotion is interwoven with his devotion to his wife and children. He sacrifices himself in order to provide for them and protect them. He is chiefly concerned about how his actions will effect the spiritual climate of his household. He sees his wife and children as a flock that he is to shepherd and protect and lead. He embraces his role as a leader without lording over his family. The dog sets the pace on matters of faith and direction yet is always a servant to them.
No.. I will not put the list of men in this blog… nor will I share the details of my observation… What I will say is that more than 1/2 of the Christian men I know best from childhood until present are not the spiritual leaders of their home that they should be. Here is how my little subjective experiment shook out:
Slugs – 12
Bears – 6
Ants – 9
Dogs – 22
So Christian men…. take a few minutes and place yourself in the category that best describes you.
I was named after dirty Harry, yet I am nothing like the famed tough man. I am dirty in a depraved, spiritual sort of way and hairy in the more obvious since of the word but I am not the gun slinging hero that my mother thought of when she named me. I am a follower of Jesus a husband and a dad. I have talented passionate wife who I have known for approximately the same amount of time that I have been able to tie my shoes. I also have four kids; Noah who is loyal, Ruthe who is joyful, Isaiah who is hilarious and Moses who is too young to classify. I am the pastor Pillar Church in the suburbs of Washington DC.
Pillar is working on getting a new logo to better reflect our purposes and ring in years 5-10 for us. To the right is the logo that I personally like the best. Follow the links below to see another 10 options… The goals with this logo are as follows… We want to freshen things up with an image that is able to stand alone black and white and doesn’t have a lot of detail… in a word, simple. The other goal is to reflect or passion to plant new churches. Please take a look at the following samples and let us know what you think in the comments section. All the logos were done by Matt Giedon at MWG Media Works – I highly recommend him if you are in search of a designer for web or print.
