Monthly Archives: April 2009
Sovereign Grace Conference Audio
Excellent audio from Sovereign Grace for pastors. I love when people give gospel saturated stuff away for free.
The Pastor’s Charge, Part 1 (C.J. Mahaney)
The Pastor’s Teaching (Jeff Purswell)
The Pastor’s Mission (Dave Harvey)
The Pastor’s Legacy (Jared Mellinger)
The Pastor’s Charge, Part 2 (C.J. Mahaney)
Stott on Preaching
John Stott – wow – this guy is something. first he is British, celibate for his entire life in order to devote himself to the Gospel, written more than 50 books.
Stott on preaching
“Either we preach that human beings are rebels against God, under his just judgment and (if left to themselves) lost, and that Christ crucified who bore their sin and curse is the only available Saviour. Or we emphasize human potential and human ability, with Christ brought in only to boost them, and with no necessity for the cross except to exhibit God’s love and so inspire us to greater endeavor.
The former is the way to be faithful, the latter the way to be popular. It is not possible to be faithful and popular simultaneously. We need to hear again the warning of Jesus: ‘Woe to you when all men speak well of you’ (Lk. 6:26). By contrast, if we preach the cross, we may find that we are ourselves hounded to the cross.”
Stott on listening to and watching your own sermons. (HT: Desiring God)
“If you look at yourself in the mirror, and listen to yourself on tape, or do both simultaneously on videotape, I fear you may find that you continue to look at yourself and listen to yourself when you are in the pulpit. In that case you will condemn yourself to the cramping bondage of preoccupation with yourself just at the time when, in the pulpit, it is essential to cultivate self-forgetfulness through a growing awareness of the God for whom and the people to whom you are speaking.
I know actors make use of glass and tape, but preachers are not actors, nor is the pulpit at a stage. So beware! It may be more valuable to ask a friend to be candid with you about your voice and mannerisms, especially if they need correction. An Indian proverb says “He who has a good friend needs no mirror.” Then you can be yourself and forget yourself”
Pillar’s Easter Message
We don’t currently post our sermon audio but I wanted to pass along our Easter service for those who have expressed interest. I mentioned what a great celebration it was HERE.
Some Updates
The picture to the right is the prospective location for Coffee with a Cause. It is a corner spot that will allow us to have outside, tables, concerts and events. Please pray for us as we negotiate with the owners of the building. Also, here are a few updated logos based on the comments I received through email and the comments section. We are still not to a final decision about the logo but wanted feed back before a meeting that we are having on Sunday evening.
Last night I spoke at a Church Planter Network meeting for my denomination. The meeting was comprised of church planters, their spouses and their teams from the Metro Richmond area. It’s really exciting to see a solid team forming in one of the biggest metro areas in the state. I wonder why we cant pull something like this together for DC. About 10 or 12 churches represented in the group.
Tuesday Evening I spoke at FBC of Woodbridge to the regional “Perspectives Class” It was a great class. We were talking about spontaneous church planting.. I was offering a local perspective and they had two 30+ year veteran missionaries serving both in China and the middle east. Both of these men have witnessed church planting movements first hand.
So what things to you think will have to take place in the US for us to see a church planting movement here?
Coffee is the Theme
HT: sbcimpact
Another Logo Design
Let me know if you like this one better.
Coffee With A Cause
A lot more info will be coming down the pipe about this project in the near future but the short version of a long story is that we are opening a coffee shop in locust Grove, VA sometime this fall. We are calling the shop Coffee with a Cause. The coffee shop will serve two purposes: 1) it will be a base for the ministry of one of our church plants (lakeside Community Church) and 2) It will raise funds and awareness for our Church Planting Projects here and overseas. We are planning to dedicate 10% of proceeds to these causes. Here is where you come in. We are trying to settle on a logo design. If you could help by sharing your opinions in the comments section. You can refer to them as logo 1-4 from top to bottom. Thanks for the help.
Family Vacation
We spend a few days at a Westmoreland State Park and had tremendous time despite the fact that we arrived to find out that our reservations were mistakenly made for the following week. The staff at the park called in cleaning crews and made cabin space for us. We hiked, played a game of kickball, found shark’s teeth on fossle beach, grilled out and had an all around great time.
Easter at Pillar
Well I just have to let everyone know that Our Easter was outstanding at Pillar Church… We had the highest attendance ever at Pillar on Sunday morning, our band did an outstanding job and Jesus was the undisputed hero of the day.
I started the sermon on Sunday by pounding an 8 inch galvanized nail into a 12 foot cross. My point was to get everyones attention. I’m not really sure how well it worked but, as the guy pounding the nail, it sure got my attention. Easter this year also marked the 4 year anniversary for Pillar Church. I can honestly say that I am more excited today about the things that are happening at Pillar Church than I was just after our launch service. Tomorrow I am expecting an update on the “land deal” mentioned in previous posts. Ill be sure to let you know how that Goes. I’m taking a little break with my family this week, headed to a state park for some R&R. Have a great week.
