A Wonderful Sermon

At this year's Annual Convention, my fellow Pastor in the ministry, Tony Karlik, gave a great message from God's word called 'He is With us Always." Check it out:




You can also listen to all the other messages presented at this year's Convention here.

Idolatry illustrated

In light of last week's sermon on idolatry I thought this video posted by Andy Naselli was appropriate. Notice the screams going on in the background. I'd laugh if it wasn't so incredibly sad.



Naselli goes on to post this passage from Isaiah 44:9-20:


All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame. Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing? Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall e terrified; they shall be put to shame together.
The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint. The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil. He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, “Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!” And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!”
They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”

How to Reach 'Them'

At just about every leadership meeting for V.C.C. the topic of 'reaching the lost' comes up. After planning all sorts of big festival events with the hope that folks would start coming to the Church, we have had to be honest and admit they aren't effective really at all. Unbelievers generally won't come for the event (that is unless they are invited by someone who goes to the church), so typically what you have is a gathering of the Churched (whether from our church or another).

What needs to be done then? Well, we believe that the only way the lost are reached is if there is actually someone reaching out to them (at least most of the time, Paul excluded since Jesus appeared directly to him). But there's our rub though. We live in Southern California, where you can literally live next to your neighbors for 10 years and never say more than "Hi" to them the whole time you live there. They're busy, we're busy, so we never talk. The church is not immune from this cultural isolation.

But this is where the Church needs to be different. We are a community, and even if those around us are not interested in building relationships, we need to try. It is our responsibility to be intentional about just even talking to our neighbors so that we just might get to know them. It is in the context of this kind of relationship that the gospel can and will be shared.

But you say, "I'm not the outgoing type," or "I'm not a people person." For those in this category, I recommend going to Steve McCoy's blog where he lists 5 ways that we can each be intentional about 'being neighborly."

It all starts with intention.

HT: Between Two Worlds

Corporations and the Mega Church

Now I might be the only one around these parts to find this fascinating, but there is a really fantastic slideshow showing the correspondence between Corporate architecture and Mega-Church architecture. Form definitely follows function.

I think the architecture gives us clues as to what an organization's priorities are. If a church's building is purposely built all around the people's comfort, what does that tell you about the Church's priorities? Is it a good thing or bad thing? This isn't a rhetorical question. I really am curious what you think.

HT: Gene Veith

Sermon Video

Well, from now on it looks like Victoria Community Church will be able to offer video of the sermons on it's website. The sound quality isn't as good as the audio recording, but it's certainly good enough to hear. The picture quality is actually quite good (considering it was filmed with a fairly cheap camera!). Anyway, this is just a sample and unfortunately, because I preached too long (surprising?) the end of the sermon (the good news!!) was cut out (that won't happen normally). So if you wanna watch the video, just to see what it looks like, that's cool. But if you wanna hear the whole message, then listen to the audio posted below:

What we worship, but shouldn't from Erick Sorensen on Vimeo.

Idolatry

The first of three sermons on Worship

When a man stops believing in God, he doesn't believe in nothing, he believes in anything.- G.K. Chesterton

Christianity's Status in America

Thanks to Dr. Mathiesen (of Lutheran Brethren Seminary) I just saw this interesting interview with Tim Keller and Jon Meacham:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Teachers’ union votes for gay marriage, abortion — Cranach: The Blog of Veith

Teachers’ union votes for gay marriage, abortion — Cranach: The Blog of Veith

Why? What in the world does this have to do with teaching children?

Thank God For Your Freedom

Just in case you forget how incredibly blessed you are to live in the United States (no matter how bad the economy gets), read this story about a woman in North Korea (33, wife and mother) executed for giving someone a Bible.

Living Christianly

Last year, really for the first time, I started watching College Football regularly. Just about every Saturday (it seemed like) the Florida Gators were playing on CBS; so I watched a lot of Gator's games. Over the course of the season I became a fan of the team, particularly of their quarterback, Tim Tebow. He's different than most quarterbacks in that he's probably a better rusher than thrower, and he's built like a tank.

Some time during the season I saw he had 'John 3:16' painted on his face. I thought, "Well that's unusual, but it is John 3:16 after all. Everyone in sports for some reason or another knows that verse." Then I found out that his parents were lifelong missionaries/evangelists in the Philippines. Today Sports Illustrated has a piece on Tim Tebow's faith and how it manifests itself in his daily life. Reading it this morning I was actually quite inspired. So here's the link for you to read as well.

Faith like a Child

One of my favorite things about SONfest is hearing children (as young as 3) sing praises to Jesus. This year I had the privilege of seeing and hearing both my boys (ages 3 and 4) sing these songs. My wife recorded Johnathan (my 3 year old) singing the fantastic song 'Jambo.'

Click To Play

Veith's Pastor

Dr. Veith alerted me to this excellent sermon preached by his Pastor yesterday. If you would like to be fed by the great news of Jesus for you, go here.

Update: Listen to the audio HERE!

The Lord's Prayer

What did your kids learn at SONfest?

I Shall Post Again

Well, SONfest is over and soon there will be some sense of regularity again. The rest of the summer looks a little more lite (Thank God), so I'm hoping to get more up soon.

Just in case you're interested, there are pictures of SONfest here.

How God's Kingdom Operates

Luke 13:18-21-The Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast

Killer Prayer Tips

If you are like me then this video is both funny and painful. There is a lot of things that we do as Christians that maybe we do not put a lot of thought into. We do them because it is part of our Christian culture, but maybe not biblical. Sometimes definitely not in the bible. Another thing I thought of was how our "Christian Culture" looks to new converts who do not understand "christianese" and cannot find some of our traditions and practices in their bibles.

The Don't Song

Here is some relationship advice (for guys) from Igniter Media.

Is This the Typical Modern American Christian?

The creators of this video see this woman as an example of a typical, modern, American Christian. What do you think? Do her responses regarding God, Jesus, religion, and the Bible sound familiar? I would really love to hear your thoughts and experiences regarding what you see as the "typical American Christian."

HT: A Little Leaven

Run For Your Life

This message is as applicable today as it was when it was preached almost 8 years ago. Maybe even more so, for some of us, as our comfort isn't currently disrupted by a tragedy like the one that happened on September 11, 2001. What did you think of this message? How did it make you feel?

Michael Jackson as Savior

If you're ever in the mood to read pure folly, you can always count on Princeton professor Cornel West to deliver. Here is the man speaking about Michael Jackson:

It's almost like a crucifixion, in terms of the cross you have to bear. We reap the fruits of the resurrection, in terms of the power that emanates from [Jackson's] sacrifice. He sacrificed his childhood because he loved us so. He didn't just entertain us, he sustained us.

Now I sincerely do appreciate Jackson's musical and dancing talent; I do, really. But yesterday's Memorial service combined with comments thrown out like this one give us a great look at our culture's values. A man who danced and sang good is heralded in God-like terms.

Which brings us to the real point of it all: Our culture worships fame for fame's sake.

Pray.

HT: Between Two Worlds

The Antidote to Legalism

The Christian's deadliest temptation

Funny and True

Shows you how easy loving God and others really is!

Thank you Jay Price

New Online Bible Study Resource

Here is a great new online bible study resource and a great give-away too. Follow the links to check it out.

Logos Bible Software is celebrating the launch of their new online Bible by giving away 72 ultra-premium print Bibles at a rate of 12 per month for six months. The Bible giveaway is being held at Bible.Logos.com and you can get up to five different entries each month! After you enter, be sure to check out Logos and see how it can revolutionize your Bible study.

The Wonderful Sacred Sandwich

Bible-Land was the brainchild of entrepreneur Phineas T. Farnsworth, who envisioned a place where Christians and unbelievers alike could see the pages of Scripture come to life. The photo above shows an opening-day crowd enjoying the Wrath of God ride just before it plummeted two stories into the Pit of Hell underground exhibit and barbeque concession. Though complaints of singed eyebrows and smoke inhalation were numerous, Farnsworth felt the ride was necessary in order for visitors to better appreciate the Grace of God aerial transom that carried them to Salvation Mountain.

Sadly, Farnsworth would see his venture largely ignored by the public because of his refusal to compromise the park’s doctrinal stance. When a rival amusement park, Osteen World, opened across the street to popular acclaim, Bible-Land became a virtual ghost town and closed seven months later. A Walmart Supercenter is currently occupying the property.

HT: Sacred Sandwich

Let's Make a Deal!!!

According to this article, in Turkey there is a game show in the works, whose goal is to convert Atheists! The show's format will have a Muslim Imam, a Catholic Priest, a Rabbi, and a Buddhist monk attempt to persuade a group of 10 different Atheists to join their faith.

What do you think about this?

Church: Love it don't Leave it

Fantastic article in today's Washington Post from Kevin Deyoung and Ted Kluck about the importance of being part of a Church. They recently released a book with a great title: "Why we love the Church: In praise of Institutions and Organized Religion". Here's an excerpt from the article:

"Take a spin through the religion section at your local bookstore. What you'll find there is revealing - there are "revolutionary" books for stay at home moms, teenagers, and Christian businessmen. There are lots of manifestos. And most of the books about church are about people leaving the church to "find God." There are lots of Kerouacian "journey" stories, and at least one book about the gospel according to Starbucks. It used to be you had to overthrow a country to be considered a revolutionary, and now, it seems, you just have to quit church and go pray in the woods."

HT: Between Two Worlds

Down with Metanarratives!

HT: The Big Picture

Creation, Fall, Redemption, Consummation

The other day, Gene Veith had a great post describing some of the new discoveries Archaeologists have found surrounding early man. He highlighted two discoveries in particular:

1. It appears our ancient ancestors (whoever, whenever they may be) were playing music much earlier than previously thought. Scientists discovered a flute said to be 35,000 years old! From the very beginning, man has had the glory of the image of God stamped on them (and this particularly shows itself in our desire for beauty, such as music)

2. However, there is also another discovery from the same time that suggests the way Neanderthals became extinct was through being eaten by more advanced Homo Sapiens! So here's the picture of man from our earliest times:

Man makes beautiful instrument; man plays beautiful instrument; man becomes hungry; man uses instrument to beat to death lesser man; man eats lesser man; man after meal goes back to making beautiful music.

All this has had me thinking about how tragic and wonderful God's story all is. Man is created in the image of God to relate to God and love God forever; man rebels against their loving Creator, choosing their own glory over His; Creator in love comes down to restore His lost Creation; Creator is killed by His lost creation for His lost creation's salvation; Creator is risen and rules over all; yet He does not completely establish His rule yet. He will, but not yet. He still has a fallen people, (you and I) to reach out and save.