How many of you have relocated to a new area and struggled to find a new church? It can be challenging to find a place to call home because often there is so little online that a church offers to really tell you their missiology, theology, worship and other aspects that are critical to a good church. A group of us are launching a new website called Church Reviews that will allow people to post comments, reviews and other observations about the churches they’ve attended.

My passion is to support local churches that hold to the gospel with a firm hand and live a life of mission with the other hand. I believe it is rare to find a church that is concerned with proper doctrine as well as desires to be the ‘beautiful mess’ of the kingdom of God. Our goal is to use these discussions to help people find God-glorifying churches.

More will come (including asking some of you to be Editors of your local area) but if you have suggestions or comments let me know. We hope to have this project launched in a week or two.

After a pleasant summer break, we’re ready to start a new year of finger-pecking articles. And here are a couple new ones and a few from Summer. Derek Webb gracefully gave us permission to reprint an excellent article, Too Close For Comfort: The Church’s Unnecessary Rejection Of Modern Faith Heroes. Make sure to give this a read. Mike Gunn, reflects during his summer months on the film-maker Spike Lee, What Would Spike Do?. Brian Thomas reviews the life of Billy Corgan in The Future Embrace.

Our son, Gideon, is now 2 1/2. Even before Gideon was born my wife and I have discussed Classical Christian Education. The debate has been one of responsible education of our (hopefully many) children, the missional opportunity of public/private school as well raising them with a Christian worldview. Many of you have children, what are your education plans for them?

Some links on Classical Christian Education:
Classical Christian Education History
Classical Christian Education Links Resource
Free Online Classical Christian Education
Escondido Classical Christian Tutorial Service

There is a group of people we have found in San Diego that want to do this collectively (with some already doing it in their homes). We’d love to start a co-op.

This week’s Sheep & Goats will deal with diversity in the church. Here is an article of 3 pastor’s discussing the issue of ethnic diversity in the church. A quote from Mark Driscoll:

I was recently late to my cousin’s funeral because I spent the better part of an hour lost in the woods driving around. I later realized that the directions were fine, but I had typed in the wrong address. Likewise, it is important for churches to not simply have good directions, but determine the correct destination. And, regarding diversity in the church there are really only two destinations: Babel or Pentecost.

Full Article: An Army of Ones - Does diversity in the church work?

(Heads-up from Robb Stankey who loves a good hotdog.)

A team of us are beginning to build an affordable Church based content management sytem. What are important features that a church system wouldt need? (We’re going to call it, Ekklesia Systems. )

Overview:
1. Built based on Web Standards
2. Powered by a Flexible Open Source Structure – Upgrade path.
-Separation of Content and Web Features (modify navigation and website tools without disrupting content.)
-Separation of Content and Presentation (maintain consistency in design for all new content created with style-based content authoring.)
3. Integrates powerful Technologies – (mp3, podcasting, rss)
4. Easy to Use Administration
5. Great Design

Features: (more…)

Ok, we’re two weeks from leading a group of couples through premarriage counseling here in San Diego. Let me know if you have any books you highly recommend. Here are three more I’m picking up:

1. Strengthening Your Marriage (Paperback) by Wayne A. Mack
2. Rocking the Roles: Building a Win-Win Marriage (Paperback) by Robert Lewis, William Hendricks
3. Your Family, God’s Way: Developing and Sustaining Relationships in the Home (Paperback) by Wayne A. MacK

This past year has been a busy and creative period for the former front man of the bands Smashing Pumkins and Zwan. After releasing his first book of poetry, “Blinking with Fists,” an ongoing extremely personal online autobiography on MySpace, Billy Corgan has just unleashed his first solo record: The Future Embrace.

Although not much of a departure from later Pumpkin albums, the Future Embrace relies more on synth textures and quiet reflective melodies than on the distorted guitar driven Goth-pop Corgan is famous for. If you haven’t liked his past bands, it is highly unlikely that you will embrace (pun intended) this album. He still has the same nasally voice and clichéd lyrics that have driven many listeners away. What has changed over the past few years is a burgeoning spirituality in Billy’s life and lyrics that reflect faith, hope and love. Although I won’t presume he is a Christian, because he has not outright confessed to be one - in recent interviews, online posts, and lyrical content, he seems to imply it.

Full Article: Billy Corgan: The Future Embrace
(Author Brian Thomas)

Mark Driscoll’s (of Mars Hill Church, the church that is planting our church Kaleo) book is reviewed by Challies Dot Com a popular blogger. Read the review and subsequent discussion about Radical Reformission, part 2 and part 3. It’s kind of funny to have all these strangers dissect Mark and his intentions. While I do appreciate Challies balanced approach, many of the (visitors) comments are way off. Having been at Mars Hill back when it was under 100 people where I attended for 5 years, including time in the Driscoll home, it seems people really miss the mark on his intentions. Their comments poke at the book in areas that it has zero intention to address (church discipline, etc.) Also, (reformed guys) all seem to want it to be primarily a theological treatise, which it isnt’. If an author had to unpack every single comment the minimum book size would be 2,000 pages. Ah, aren’t we all wonderful critics.

A Firm Nail
SteelerDirtFreak :: 21st Century Missional Redneck Geek (title really says it all)
21st Century Reformation
3:17
A Cognizant Discourse

I read an interesting quote from NT Wright, from an article titled: Faith can do what postmodernism can’t — ‘give life’ (found it while at A Cognizant Discourse). Here’s a quote that struck me:

“The whole New Testament is written from the point of view that new creation has already begun — that it began when Jesus of Nazareth came out of the tomb on Easter morning and that through His victory over sin and death there are indeed real possibilities which were not there before,” Wright said.

This new creation, he said, is most apparent in John’s Gospel.

He noted, for example:

– Mary Magdalene, the first human to encounter the risen Jesus, mistook Him to be a gardener, which echoes the Genesis 1 and 2 account of God in the Garden of Eden.

– Later in John 20, Jesus breathes on the disciples, thus reenacting the breath of life in Genesis 2.

– Jesus’ reinstating Peter and commissioning him to tend His sheep mirrors God’s commission to Adam in Genesis 2 to tend the animals.

“The whole chapter of John 21,” Wright continued, “has a sense of the disciples’ calling to live in a strange, unmapped, new land, in a world never previously imagined because it was never previously possible, in a world in which one can follow Jesus.”

It made me think of God’s original mandate for man to cultivate the garden until it filled the earth physically but now we are called to this same mandate spiritually.

Our church continues to focus on examing what exactly it means to be participants in the Kingdom of God. Part of it, is certainly a worldwide focus on evangelism and the concerns of the universal church. I recall one recent Sheep article I did, the quote was given to me that 96% of money given in American churches, is used for American church buildings, salaries, etc. Certainly this is not the model and call we receive from scripture, where it was common for money/resources to be given generously for impoverished/suffering people.

This week’s World Magazine reminded me, why American’s must wake from our self-centerdness. The cost of being a Christian in much of the world is severe. We need to help them as we have been put in a position of financial blessings (at the cost of spiritual focus?). Here is an excerpt from the article, Arrest First, ask questions later (requires free subscription):

The South China Church is the most severely persecuted house church in the country, said Mr. Fu. The main reason, he said, is the churches’ “strong emphasis on evangelism and cultural renewal, and of course a very strong leadership.”

In 2001, authorities arrested founding pastor Gong Shengliang. They initially handed death sentences to him and four other church leaders, but later commuted them. Mr. Gong is now serving a life sentence and reportedly suffers physical abuse in prison. Four female church members served three years in re-education camps for recanting forced statements saying Mr. Gong had raped them.

One of the women, 34-year-old Liu Xianzhi, spent six years altogether in a camp, her first stint ordered for illegally evangelizing. She made rugs and Christmas lights before her release in February 2004. A year later, she escaped to the United States and spoke tearfully at a Washington press conference about the torture used against her to extract a confession against Mr. Gong. Officers beat her with an electrical rod, hung her by her hair until she lost consciousness, and tore her clothes off.

Read an interesting article in this week’s World Magazine:

“Contemporary” churches aren’t attracting many contemporaries | by Gene Edward Veith

Quote:

Part of the problem is what sociologist and megachurch pastor Leith Anderson calls “generic Christianity.” He points out that today, one can go into a church (especially a megachurch) of nearly any denomination—Baptist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Wesleyan, Lutheran—and be unable to notice any difference among them. They all are likely to use the same praise songs and contemporary worship style. The sermons will tend to be about practical biblical tips for successful living, and go light on doctrine and sin. Also, all of these different denominations tend to use Sunday-school curriculum and other material from the same nondenominational publishers. These companies purposefully avoid all controversial issues and doctrinal distinctives, which would limit their market share.

Full Article: Packed, but still empty (Requires [free] Registration)

I have work for some writers who have been published on (at least) sites like Relevant, theOoze, NextWave, etc. and have a established blog presence.

Post your blog in a comment below for me to check out.

Ok people. Which ones of you have book ideas that you’d like to pitch? I’m going to be meeting with the Editor, 2 Division heads (emerging, christian living) and a couple others for dinner on September 9th. If you have a good book idea throw it past me.

Several months ago a telling question was asked in the sermon; “How many people feel like God is not pleased with you?” In a moment of honesty, about sixty-percent of the people in the room raised their hands. For those of you who were not there, I’d ask that you think about this question: Do you feel like God is not pleased with you?

I remember my thought process when this question was asked. My reaction was split between my mind and my feelings. I immediately thought through my Biblical understanding of being in Christ so I am not condemned but my feelings and my knowledge of my sinfulness betrayed this liberating knowledge. I don’t know what your reaction is but the biggest obstacle I imagine we face is confronting our feelings with right thinking. Let’s look at some of the errors that cause us to feel that God is not pleased with us.

Today, I would like us to consider this idea; is God pleased with you? How, if at all, can we please God? And what are the implications this answer has on our Christian walk?

Full Sermon Notes & MP3: How do I know if God is pleased with me?