"This Month's Hottest Blogs On Earth"

"This Month's Hottest Blogs On Earth"

• holy heteroclite:

  

  only the Edge gets raptured.. - With a song like "Until The End of The World" played last night on May 21 (and Mark and Hosh were there..not jealous!) the supposed end of the world, I th...

   
• Peer Pressure Is Forever

  

  The Lion & The Baby - Most of what you need to know is on the poster. Bulb is essentially the soul of Nashville. You've seen them featured here before. There will be crafts and... 

   
• U2 Sermons

  

  - U2 dedicated UTEOTW to Harold Camping last night. It's really rather poignant. Bono jokes that only Edge would be "taken up in the air," then gives a cor... 

   
• Sarcastic Lutheran

  Commencement address for the PLTS class of 2011 (May 21st 11a) - Text: Luke 14: 15-24 One of the dinner guests, on hearing this, said to him, ‘Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!’ Then Jesus* said t... 

   
• NextReformation

  Church on the Other Side - This dinosaur of a book is approaching ten years in age. It was one of the first noticeable efforts of Brian McLaren, and I had never seen a copy until I w...
• The Rebel God

  

  I don't blame you - A song by The Sarah Jade who's an amazing artist. I love this song. I know there is lot of hurt in this world, and a lot of that hurt comes from religion... 

   
• Stuff Christians Like - Jon Acuff

  Win 1 of 25 copies of Francis Chan’s new video series BASIC. - Francis Chan writes dangerous books. They’re dangerous because when you read them, it’s really hard to stay the same. They ask hard questions in beautiful ... 

   
• Hacking Christianity

  Mutants v. Dispensationalists - Hilarious for theology and comic-book nerds. The 2:00 minute mark made me LOL embarrassingly loud. “Why are your pants wet?” (via Chad Holtz) Tweet 

   
• THE UPRISING

  - Is it wrong that I want to privately name the...
•  

  shallowfrozenwater

  surgery update - Wendy had major surgery yesterday. she was supposed to be done by 230 in the afternoon but there were some complications with pain management and then some.

  ..
• Those who dance are thought mad by those who hear not the music.

  

  the end of the world after party - So, my friend Joey pointed out to me the billboard on a major road in Orlando advertising the end of the world on May 21. I went to the website, and it URL...
• I

  gneous Quill

  A Computer for $25: What it Could Mean for Tech Education in Brazil - What One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) promised but never delivered (namely, a laptop for under $100), it appears that David Braben and his Raspberry Pi Foundati... 

   
• Abandon Image

  

  I Like Mercy...But I Love Revenge - *"There is no revenge so complete as forgiveness."--*Josh Billings Something profound happens to me whenever I reflect upon the parable of the Prodigal So...
•  

  the holy wild

  art of all sorts (some recent pictures from the journey) -
• Grappling with Grace

  The Opposite of Exclusion is ...? - One of the themes that arose in the BUGB/BMS Assembly in Blackpool was that of exclusion. Knowingly and, more often I hope, unknowingly church practice end...
•  

  satire and theology©

  

  Some inspirational statements within my academic career - Conwy Gardens, Wales 2001 (thekingpin68) Update I have reposted this article for May (May 1). It was originally published April 25, but I have added more...
•  

  While We Slept

  PRAY WITH JAPAN - Dear friends, God brought together a group of people in Japan to seek Him together during the time of their great crisis. Wolf and I had the privilege to s...

Liz Babbs Sunday morning

Liz Babbs Sunday morning

 We just found out that Liz Babbs , of the UK and currently on your in the US, is able to be with us for our Sunday gathering tomorrow...so if you would not be me missing your own church, and were unable to attend here other two area events, please do join us. Liz is author, poet, creative prayer consultant, and one of the world's leading speakers and experts on Celtic Christianity, and how it can impact contemporary Christianity   Check out her  website, books, CDs, and some videos amd hear Keltic Ken and Kim interview Liz , here.  
-Our Sunday gathering is very informal,  10:10 am, 539 W. Celeste…just SE of Palm/Bullard, turn e. on Morris by the 7-11  Then R on Winchester, R on Celeste.  But park, if you can, by the apartment fence along Winchester. map and more info:http://www.3dff.com/pages/zcalendar.htm

this weekend:CELTIC CHRISTIAN ADVENTURE

It's not every day we have a Celtic Christian event in Fresno/Clovis! So this weekend is historic, as Celtic Christian Spirit offers TWO!  Together, they are called
 "CELTIC
 CHRISTIAN
 ADVENTURE"

Both fearure Liz Babbs, all the way from England. Liz is an author, poet, creative prayer consultant, and one of the world's leading speakers and experts on Celtic Christianity, and how it can impact contemporary Christianity

Check out her

•  website here,
• books and CDs here,
•  some of her videos here, 
• The event website here.  

• Keltic Ken and Kim interview Liz on what we can expect during her visit, audio here

>>>But more than anything, come and meet her this weekend.

• Flyer below  (click to enlarge, then click again)
• Saturday event Facebook here
• Sunday night Facebook event here

click to enlarge, then click again

tell people about Jesus so they can go to hell

(Who's Going to Hell? from D Y on Vimeo.)

Full routine:


----about Joe Wong::Who The Hell Is Joe Wong?

Rob Bell on/in hell; Crises sells books/Jesus

Now that the whole world is googling "Rob Bell" and "hell,"
I fear folks will miss the best quote ever by Rob Bell with the word hell in it,  It's here.


Onto the topic, though..with all the craziness surrounding Bell' s upcoming book...it's good to read a review by someone who has actually
uh, read it (and not just seen the attention-grabbing video above, or the already infamous John Piper tweet, “Farewell Rob Bell.” ) So here's Paul Wikinson:

• (part 1)Rob Bell — Straying From Traditional Evangelicalism: How Far is Too Far?

• (part 2)More on Rob Bell: "Love Wins" Chapter by Chapter

 

Then see Kurt Willems' "If Rob Bell is a Universalist, then maybe I am – along with many prominent evangelicals? (A response to Justin Taylor)".

 

I also really loved Tim Neufeld's response to the PR and interwebs riot  of recent weeks;  his post is a very important read.  For example, I had not realized how

John Piper (let alone John McArthur)

and 

Rob Bell 

can ironically, if unintentionally, fall into the same trap.   That Tim commented on megachurches reminds me how gunshy I am about any of our network's churches getting over 120  (that's a megachurch!..see "St. Mike and Megachurches of 120") in attendance.. I also really worry about the celebrity culture and "controversy culture" machine* that fires up to sell books/movies/hell/Bell/ Jesus.  

Also, don't misss Tim's analysis of  the role that "crisis manager" leadership style plays here.  Tim once lauded me for "pushing toward the unobvious",   but here I had missed an obvious lesson..so just one except on that below:

Those who study leadership models know that a common style is that of "crisis manager." The advantage of this leadership style is that the leader is often very good in crisis environments and can make appropriate decisions when under pressure. Crisis managers help people navigate confusing, difficult and uncertain situations. However, the downside of this leadership style is that crisis mangers always need to have a crisis to feel valued and effective. If no actual crisis exists, these leaders will manufacture one, often unknowingly. Both Piper and Bell are, at least in part, crisis managers. People have gravitated to them because they have provided answers for those in theological crisis. Bell appeals to liberal Evangelicals, Piper to the conservative. The danger is that in order to stay relevant to their followers, each will need ongoing crises to manage. Thus, the debate over universalism (or anything) is not unexpected   -Link, Tim Neufeld, full post :Why I think Rob Bell and John Piper are more similar than not

A pastor friend of mine often quipped, "No crisis in the church?  Force a  crisis!"

Crisis sells.

Live video feed/chat to our conference in Kansas City

Video here (schedule below)

Watch live streaming video from gracecovenant at livestream.com

Dear Ministry Friends,

We are tremendously excited about our approaching Grace Covenant Ministry Conference 2011. Our theme is "Pursue the Victory" from our central verses of Scripture:

"Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless. With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies." Psalm 60:11-12

We have a strong representation from our ministries, nationally and internationally, registering to attend. We have a number of special guests coming as well. This is will be a wonderful time in the Presence of the Lord as we worship, pray, minister His Word in His Spirit and connect in fellowship. There will be encouragement of hearts, clarity of vision and strategic steps determined for Kingdom causes. Greater teamwork will emerge and ministry capacities will expand. We will be mutually enriched by the individuals who attend. We encourage you to get the word out and help to get your key people in the house. Encourage them to make all of the conference that they can.

We will be highlighting works that God is doing and works He is birthing. We will give invitations for people to get involved in mission works planned for this year. We have people on hand who will be launching new ministries. We will present ministry training venues and offer helpful ministry resources. There is a strong contingent of young adults who will be converging on our conference. We will see a new generation step up for God before our very eyes. It will be Spirit stimulating stuff!

The conference is free and will held at New Destiny Church-Kansas City, MO. (If you need directions to the church go towww.NDCkc.com ) For those desiring to stay in a hotel, we have a block of rooms at the Comfort Inn, (four blocks from the church). It has a 24 hour shuttle from the airport, free hot breakfast and our room rate is a flat, all-inclusive $65 per night (up to four people). You do need to register for the conference and book your room through our GC office. Email us or call us at 816.431.6217. We are able to help with providing homes for some people to stay in while supplies last. We know that this can help with expenses for some.

Attached is our conference schedule. We are expecting God to move mightily through the various sessions of our conference. We believe God is poised to bring increased victory through our lives and ministries. We look forward to seeing you!

Sincerely in Christ,

Dallas Elder


Grace Covenant Ministry Conference 2011

February 8-11

“Pursue the Victory”

(Event Location: New Destiny Church-Kansas City, MO)

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

Monday, February 7
7:00pm-ish Conference Praise Band Practice (Led by Spiesses and Tuggles)

Tuesday, February 8
10am-12:30pm Executive Board *Boardroom
12:30-2:00 Lunch Break
2:00-4:30 Board of Ministry *Boardroom
6:45-7:05 Pre-service Prayer *Boardroom
7:15 Praise and Preaching: “Conclusions for Victory”-Dallas Elder

Wednesday, February 9
9:30-10:30am Praise and Prayer Season: Shawn and Maryann Spiess/Dallas Elder
10:30-10:45 Break

10:45-12:00pm Teaching: “On the Brink of a Bold Move” by Dallas Elder
12:00-2:00 Lunch Break
VisionVestors Fellowship Lunch-Maria’s Mexican Restaurant-Platte City
2:00-4:00 Inspiration and Equipping-Sanctuary
(2:00-2:55) *Intercessor Inspiration: Jaimee Bernard/Nancy Boyd

(3:05-4:00) *“Effective Leadership in a Spiritually Declining Community”-Jonathan Carey

2:00-4:00 VisionVestors Forum –Youth Room
4:00-5:00 Board of Ministry- Boardroom
6:30-8:00 GC Banquet Dinner-Downtown Café, Platte City
9:00-10:30 “Light the Night” (praise) (Young Adult led)

Thursday, February 10

9:30-10:30am Praise/Devotion: Message by Raquens Turenne-Haiti
10:30-10:45 Break
10:45-12:00pm Affirmation of Leadership, GC Vision & Ministry
12:00-2:00 Lunch Break

Missionary Fellowship Lunch-Granite City Restaurant
2:00-4:00 Missions Highlights-Sanctuary
*Bahamas/Jamaica-Jonathan and Shena Carey
*Haiti-Raquens Turenne
*Paraguay-Angel and Malia Hernandez
*Dominican Republic-Rick and Carie Bernard
2:00-4:30 Board of Ministry-Boardroom
4:00-6:30 Young Adult Fellowship Connection (Jacob Sledd)
5:00-6:30 Supper break
6:45-7:05 Pre-service Prayer *Boardroom
7:15 Praise, Commissioning and Preaching: Message by Kevin Clancey

Friday, February 11

9:30-10:30am Praise/Devotion/Communion: Message and Serving-Angel and Malia Hernandez

10:30-11:30 Closing Remarks and Prayers of Blessings



Note: There will be an Infant Nursery (0-5 years) for morning, afternoon and evening sessions.

Understanding Christianese-Lesson 2

"We don't sing what you aspire to, but what's actually going on"

Meet Todd and Angie Fadel, AKA  Agents of Future (a "jalopy gospel" band, which includes many others, see also their Facebook) , "worship leaders" at The Bridge, North Portland. 

Start with this  first video below ""What would it look like for pain and suffering to be worked out through the worship of God? We don't sing what you aspire to, but whats actually going on....Besides, someone will call us on it if there's any bullshit.":

Interview with Angie:


Documentary on the church:


Crossrythyms review:

"AGENTS OF FUTURE - SNEEK PEAKS AT MAGIC MOMENTS - 8/10 stars - The confidently named Agents Of Future from North Portland, USA, have been much talked about after their Greenbelt appearances - some loving their eccentric eclecticism, others detesting their rather shambolic stage presence. To be frank, their album here is bizarre - it's raw, unrestrained, messy, passionate and raucous garage rock blitzed with erratic melodies and screeching vocals harmonies. In fact the whole vocal department feels like a shout-along session the entire band decided to join in on - there's barely a moment where one voice is allowed to sing on its lonesome. However, while it's not pretty and polished, the vocal talent is glaringly present; the performance on "Perfect Love" can't be faulted for its beautiful emotional intensity. Note as well that while eclectic, the record manages to deliver the kind of memorable melodies you'd expect from a band like The Killers. The closing cut's rhythmic ending chant of "Heaven is sewn in my skin" is fantastically infectious while musical intelligent (in its own unintelligible way). The magnitude of chaos within 'Sneek Peeks At Magic Moments' guarantees it not be an all round people pleaser, and admittedly there are moments where the entropy exceeds the effective quota, but if you're the indie type fed up with cookie-cutter rock worship, give the disc a spin and you may be proclaiming it your gem of the year." - Martin Smith for CROSSRHYTHMS

Thank you isn't enough....

You can only say, "Thank you" in so many ways. I tried to look up how many ways to say thank you and well I got overwhelmed at the many language translations. I was so overwhelmed I did not even post all the language translations. I decided to stick with english, which says, "Thank you". :)

I have the opportunity to be apart of a church family for sometime now. I don't really care much for counting the days, months or years that I have been apart of this family. In some ways it's really not that important to me to "count the days", as opposed to developing relationship by investing in each other and seeing God move in our lives.

This church family has walked me through my twenties and let's just say, I don't think it was easy. I came out of experiences of brokenness, bondage and abandonment in my past. I had heard about living in freedom from my past and declaring victory in the end, but I had no taste of that. The desire to be free of my dysfunctional past was what I wanted to attain in my life. I knew that God had a plan and purpose for my life, but in order to know what that was or to even experience it, I needed to be free.

This family saw that desire on my heart and began to stand beside me, pray with me and walk me through the struggles of life. God used this very loving family to help understand what it takes to live a life of freedom, once I was healed from all the things in my past that plagued me. To live in freedom is to understand that the dysfunctions of the past do not define you. It's the fact that God sees you has His sons and daughters and loves you as His beloved ones. When God sees that you hurt from your past, God hurts too. God wants you to walk in wholeness with him. So, that the struggles of your past will no longer stop you from a future relationship with Him.

I feel very fortunate to have people in my life that God has used to bless me. Third Day Fresno, has been my church family and for that I am incredibly thankful. There are a few more, who may not be involved with Third Day, but have had an impact on my life the last couple years. So, to all of you, I want to reiterate what I said at the beginning of this blog and that is, "Thank you".

Jeff Myers: A Pornographer's Redemption

new book by Dallas Elder, "The Value Giver"

The new book by Dallas Elder, "The Value Giver" will be out soon.  There are currently previews at thevaluegiver.com/

abandoning Mars Hill...and proper grammar

Here is the story and photo essay about the abandoned Mars Hill church (in Iowa)we talked about Sunday..

"belly dancing pirates eating stale spaghetti on the dark side of the moon last Tuesday"? ...sounds like church to me

One of our favorite games for church parties is "wacko pictionary":  it's great for creative juices....as well as driving participants to pull out their hair.
It's pictionary with a  twist: you gave to draw something like "belly dancing pirates eating stale spaghetti on the dark side of the moon last Tuesday"  " ( A biblically-themed one is appropriate: "the twelve disciples, a drunk Foghorn Leghorn and twins who look like  Donny Osmond  try to fix a USB port while imitating Gene Simmons" was fairly easy to guess, actually)
............or something equally wacky like:

I love the comment halfway through: "we'd better not post this anywhere":




You know you want to see more..

"belly dancing pirates eating spaghetti on the moon?"

One of our favorite games for church parties is "wacko pictionary":  it's great for creative juices....as well as driving participants to pull out their hair.
It's pictionary with a twist: you gave to draw something like  "belly dancing pirates eating spaghetti on the moon." ( A biblically-themed one is appropriate: "the twelve disciples, a drunk Foghorn Leghorn and twins who look like  Donny Osmond  try to fix a USB port while imitating Gene Simmons" was fairly easy to guess, actually)
............or something equally wacky like:

I love the comment halfway through: "we'd better not post this anywhere":




You know you want to see more..

Nice to have Ken Metz back from the dead! Here's the story

Thanks to all who prayed (backstory here). Check this out below (Click to enlarge, then click again):

and just for fun, an antique i found:

5

Sts. Marta, Wolfgang, Purple Pig Daniel Fast and Sinead

 Highlights from today's gathering:
-------------------
The Fresno Bee article on Marta and 24/7 Prayer is here

The Wolfgang Simson Antioch Meeting summary is here  (PDF)

21 Day Daniel Prayer/Fast that was announced at Purple Pig, and started today, here:

St. Sinead prayed:

Metz September update from Peru

click to enlarge:

Tarzan Tom's tattoo evangelized a Peruvian brothel

• When Tarzan Tom got this tattoo, he probably knew it would

wind up being an attention getter.
It's "all Greek" to some folks, but prize goes to the first person to translate it.

Even though he was told his tatts and earring might be a stumbling block in Peru, he found people fascinated with them all...and was able to preach many impromptu sermons when people noticed them on the street, in a church service, in the sex shops and brothel.  (Uh, if you think I'm kidding, I was there..and video evidence here.)
----------

• If you're worried about the "biblical injunction" against tattoos, see:

                 kicking butts, hair in a bun, tattoos

• For another story about Tom, click:

"Not only was that turbulence not normal, it was 100 times worse than I knew was possible.."

• To see how Tom and wife made the local news, watch:

Tom and Brenda: They be sober...even at the bar

Frostie the Dancing Bird..you won't be sorry if you watch this!

The rest of his repertoire here

Video of Brain Surgery :The Gospel of Sin Management

At one of our home meetings not long ago, we did brain surgery on each other.
As you can see by this video excerpt, the scissors and the tape are all ready to go;
the cameraman (St. Merlin) wisely stopped filming before the actual surgery.

Any questions?

The whole point was praying for each other that our brains/souls would be rewired from
the counterfeit, or partial gospel ( what Dallas Willard and often call "the gospel of sin management") to the more holistic gospel of the Kingdom, which is much more
grace-full.......and inevitably attractive and missional.

Here are some quotes and links on this dichotomy:

• “The gospel of sin management produces vampire Christians who want Jesus for his blood and little else.” Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy
• The Recovery of Self and the Gospel of Sin Management
  by Leonard Hjalmarson

In the video clip, I read from Dwight Edwards' (a great great nephew of Jonathan Edwards) book,"Releasing the Rivers Within: The Exhilaration of Utter Dependence on God".
Edwards in turn quotes a famous passage from Lutzer about an entire neighborhood of thousands of people where no one sins.