The Day America Went to Church, Part 2

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I remember that week very well.? It seemed that everyone spent hour upon hour watching the tragedy.? Praying that people would be found.? Praying for those who hadn’t heard from loved ones.? Watching the dedication and honor of the rescue workers.? I can remember one of my first statements in my sermon on 9.16.2007.? I said that I feel totally exhausted from watching the horror over and over.? It was amazing that we would stay up until the early hours in the morning just shocked with the pictures and video.

I remember using Isaiah 25 as the text of my message.? An unbelievably powerful message of restoration and hope.? Here are some excerpts: Read more

The Mission by Darrin Patrick

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Came across this by a fellow planter in St. Louis at The Journey.? We actually went through a church planting “boot camp” together before we planted.? God is really blessing their church and I think it is because of Darrin’s heart and passion for this mission.? Here is a great essay on “the mission” that we are all called to.? He does a much better job of explaining the frustration and the passion that God has put in our hearts as church planters.

“Oh, so you hate the church “

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One of the four people that read this thing said that to me in jest the other day. I have read over my entries over the last little bit here and listened (yes, I do do that) to some people close to me in my life about the “tone” of the entries.

If they sound as if they are full of frustration–they are. If they sound as if we are losing the race to reach the world for Christ–I think we are. BUT, I hope you could hear my heart–they are full of passion for the “called out ones,” the Church! I believe that the Church of Jesus Christ is THE ONLY way we are going to “fix” our world. If I didn’t believe that, I would be doing something else for a living! As Bill Hybels says in Courageous Leadership and has said for years, the “Church is the hope of the world!”

I am not anti-building or anti-program–unless the building or program draws our eyes and focus off of Jesus! How foolish for us to be anti-building all the while meeting in a building! However, it is also foolish to simply dismiss the lack of focus on Jesus as “just the way it is.” Maybe that is part of the problem. We aren’t concerned that we have lost our focus on Jesus. Read more