Archive for the ‘From Luke’ Category
Links of the Week- 2.5.10
Something That Gave Me Hope.
If you haven’t seen it, amazing secular article about Matt Chandler & dealing with suffering.
Something That Said It Right.
The Hypocrisy of Feminists on the Tim Tebow Super Bowl Ad.
Something That Says It Just Right.
18 Min. Sermon on Relationship of The Church & Culture.
Something Important To Consider.
Preparing for Financial Difficulty.
Have a Great Weekend.
LMac.
Assorted Collected Posts From Other Places on the Internet (i.e. Links) of the Week.
Something Truly God-Sized.
The Preacher Bow.
Something Insanely Cool.
Mind-Blowing Stop Motion.
Something Scientifically Theological.
The Bible=Rainbow?
Something That Will Be My Last Conan/Leno Link Ever (I Hope.)
Detailed Explanation of WHY Conan’s Final Speech Was Great Leadership.
Something That Made Me Laugh.
Angry Pastor’s Kid.
Something Complex but Important.
Does Being Focused on Evangelism Necessarily Lead To Liberalism?
Links of the Week. 1.22.10
Something That Made Me Laugh
Avatar=Pocahontas?
Something I Really Enjoyed
Letterman DETROYING Leno.
Something Helpful
Excellent Thought On Explaining the Text In Preaching.
Something That Took Up My Entire Week
If You Somehow Haven’t Heard… churches helping churches.
Links of the Week—1.15.10
Something That Made Me Laugh
Mark Driscoll on Emergent Pastor Titles.
Something Really Creative
The Best Way To Look at Empty Chairs in Church.
Something Exceptionally Well Written
Conan O’Brien’s Statement On Moving The Tonight Show. (perfectly written)
(clips of Leno, Letterman, Conan, Kimmel monologue reactions can be found here)
Lastly if you have any interest in my family etc. check out my wife’s holiday re-cap blog.
Have a great week.
LMac
Links of the Week—-12.18.09
Something Interesting.
USA Today Article on Multi-Site Churches.
Something Kind of Surprising.
The Seven Sins of Contemporary Youth.
Something Important to Think About.
Important Lessons in Leveraging Social Networks.
Have a Great Week.
LMac
Links of the Week—- 12.11.09
Something Really Insightful.
When does something become excellent?
Somethings That Were Genius
Marketing Brilliance.
Something Very Troubling.
The problem with trying to seperate the Bible & Jesus.
Something Eye-Opening.
All Charities are Not Created Equal.
have a great week.
LMac
Links of the Week— 12.4.09
Something That Made Me Laugh.
Scientific Way To Decide Where To Eat.
Something Very Well Written.
A Perfect Characterization of the ‘New’ Gospel.
Nothing else much happening.
Happy Christmas Season.
Linx of the Week- 11.20.09
Something I Will Keep In Mind Next Time I Can’t Remember Someone’s Name
Survival Tips.
Something That Is A Glimpse Into The Future of Worship Music.
Electronic Worship.
Some Things To Think About.
Interesting Little Interview With Matt Chandler.
Something That Made Me Feel Dumber.
Google Interview Questions.
Have A Great Week.
LMac
Links of the Week… 11-13-09.
Something I Loved.
I think the pendulum has swung far enough.
Something So Well Said.
why is everyone so mad at Andre Agassi?
Something I Keep Watching.
My favorite worship song done in a super cool way.
(i mean drum-line, orchestra, choir, & 20,000 people usually help a song take off)
Peace Out.
Leeeeenks of the Week.
Something That Makes Me Laugh.
Beautifully Shallow Humor.
Something That Is Phenomenally Cute.
A Little Kid on Financial Management.
Something Fairly Problematic.
A Fun Seeker-Sensitive Apologetic.
Something Spot-On.
Pretentiousness Sucks.
have a great week.
Links of the Week — 9.30.09
Something that made me say hhhhmmm.
Small Groups are for White People?
Something That Made Me Take a Long Look In The Mirror
Have you gotten caught up in the V-Neck Revolution?
Something Well Said
The relationship between Art & the Church.
Something That Looks Amazing.
Hillsong United Movie.
Have A Great Week.
LMac
Links of the Week.
Something I Needed To Hear.
Does God Want To Heal?
Something That Made Me Laugh.
Saw this at a conference a few weeks ago & well, you will see.
Something That Is The Most Ironic Church Sign Ever.
Trust Me.
Something I Wish I Had Thought Of.
Post-It Note Art.
Something That Could Make The Announcements/Welcome of Your Service More Purposeful.
I Like This.
Have a Great Week.
LMac
The Music You Need To Be Listening To (aka my current favorites)
This has been one of the best seasons for new music in recent memory.
If you are interested in some of my ‘must-haves’ from this season click through to my best of fall playlist over at itunes.
Tons of stuff to lift your heart from FEE, David Crowder*Band, Matt Redman, Leeland, and more…
Something Kind of Cool
We just finished a four week series in the high school ministry that I oversee on reflecting Christ in our lives.
II Corinthians 4.10 “…always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.”
We reflect Jesus by following him, believing him, and obeying him. As a tactile way to drive the point home we had the students write their commitments to Christ on these chairs in sharpie marker. Now they will sit in our room for the foreseeable future as a reminder of the choice our students made to Reflect.
Leenx of the Week.
Something That Made Terrel Owens and The Apostle Paul Seem Similar
Romans 7 anyone?
Something That Made Me Say HHHmmmm.
What would you do if your church had no place to meet for a while?
Something That is The Crowder is Pleasantly Crazy Article of The Week.
that is all for today… have a great week.
Links of the Week.
Something That is So True.
You can’t have it all.
Something Everyone Needs To Keep In Mind.
real humility vs. false humility.
Something That Shifted Some of My Perspectives.
a fascinating interview on ‘Christian’ art & ‘the man’ with Derek Webb.
Something That Made Me Say Hmmm.
The longer i think about this the less sure i am if i agree.
have a great weekend.
LMac
Growing Older with David Crowder…
so today is a very special holiday in the Christian world: David Crowder Album release day. As I have been listening to the new record all morning I came upon a classic pseudo-autographical angle. Each release in the history has mirrored the stage of my own life.
Pour Over Me (1998) & All I Can Say (1999) (I am a jr high student) – simple. promise better than current reality. glimpses of something cool.
Can You Hear Us (2002) (I am in high school starting to lead worship)– a start. not what it wants to be yet. some filler tracks. still finding identity.
Illuminate (2003) ( I am senior ready to leave the nest (or at least I think I am) — big. memorable. noticeable shift towards maturity. some of its best is starting to show.
A Collision (2005) (I am in college and sifting through millions of options to decide who/what I want to be) — epic. more memorable than great. complex on purpose. philosophical. deep. but not as deep it wants or seems to be.
Remedy (2007) (I am married, working full time, and an adult) – back to basics. simplicity layered with depth. my best. an obvious move to a new era.
Church Music (2009) (I am a father and more aware than ever of how I have left to go) – fun. deep. awareness of past success. not tied to how people think i need/should be. proud of reality.
so…um… if you REALLY know Crowder Band and me you may have followed that, but if not just go buy his new album out today ‘Church Music’.
Links of the Week…
Something Really Genius…
The future belongs to…??
Something I Needed To Hear…
What does it mean to trust fallible people?
Something Kind of Intriguing
Giving Kiosks?
Something Sloppy Wet Kiss Related.
Just trust me and click through.
Have an Amazing Weekend….
LMac
5 Things That Used To Be True About The American Church (So Can We Stop Pretending They Still Are) Part 1
Most Bloggers/Pastors today seem to carry a lot of baggage from the way church was when they were a kid. Whether they grew up in the legalistic 60’s and 70’s or the seeker obsessed 80’s and 90’s, lots of people seem to find their content from contrasting what they are doing in the present to the excesses of the past. That is fine I suppose, but what am I supposed to write about if I am proud of the church I grew up in and am not spending all my ministry effort on proving something about what was wrong with how my dad’s generation did things? Well that is a discussion for another day… but my thinking along these lines led to create a series where we will attempt to slay a few straw men arguments that I see out their today…
1. The Church has buried its head in the sand on the issue of sex.
(warning the following will contain no double-entendre, dirty limericks, sensual puns, or sketchy similes)
um… if that was ever true we seem to have corrected it. Is it an important to talk about sexual issues in order to help lead the people we serve toward Christ? Yes. Is using sensual material a good way to help people live clean lives? I think not.
I have a very difficult time believing that titillating preaching is the most helpful way to keep the average churchgoer from impurity. The last thing people need is the knowledge that ‘everyone is dealing with it. ‘
The most powerful message I ever heard on purity was delivered to a group of only men and used language I would have no problem using in front of my grandmother. Our minds seems to be fully out of the sand on the issue of sex and are now closer to being in the gutter.
what issues do you think should be part of this series…?
leave a comment… let’s talk.
LMac
Links of The Week..
Something That Reminded Me Not To Be Cliche.
Excellent thoughts on fresh ways of saying God’s truth.
Something That Sharpened My Thinking.
Is there another place between a heretic and a ministry partner?
Something I Wish Was On My Wall.
Amazing Scripture Mural.
Something I Hope Could Be True of Me.
A beautiful story about grace.
Someone Who Needs To Be Heard.
Spoken word poetry that will tear you up.
(the re-introduction of the true Jesus Christ)
Have a Great Week.
Luke
Links of the Week… Aug 21.
Something Every Worship Leader Can Resonate With
Nothing better than embarassing yourself trying to awaken a sleepy crowd.
Something That Really Ministered To Me
Fresh perspective on the Lord’s Table.
Something That Rocked.
Coolest worship event opening I have seen in a while.
Nothing Else Really Seemed Worth Sharing…
have a great week.
Authenticity is Overrated.
One of the hallmarks of the moment in many movements in the evangelical church is a huge push for authenticity. Pastors not acting like they have it all together. Church-goers getting honest in relationships about the true struggles in their lives. A push against the overly perfect acting caricature of the previous generation’s church experience. I love the concept of creating a environment where everyone is moving towards heaven still works-in-progress. There is massive freedom in knowing all those around you are still struggling with sin.
<<HOWEVER>>
That struggle MUST be going somewhere. Victory must be increasing. Honesty is not an end in itself. Extending grace towards an admission of sin is important, but so is living out Romans 6.
1What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. Authenticity is an amazing starting point. However, if our honesty is not converted into increasing obedience to Christ, it is merely cheap grace exulting in sin.
Authentic: yes. but Increasing Holiness: YES YES.
–Links of the Week–
Something I Needed To Hear.
The power of the reality of Jesus.
Something That Looks Interesting.
The future of video teaching?
Something That Made Me Remember Why I Don’t Really Like Math.
Some really interesting stats and thoughts on the size of churches.
Something That Is A Great Story
The story behind the anthem ‘Revelation Song.’
Something Good Think About.
Ten Things not-to-do in a worship ministry.
Have a Great Week.
LMac
Mount Rushmore of Preachers…
James MacDonald —- Spending your whole life under a preacher week after week while growing up in his house and counting him one of your best friends makes it a bit hard to calibrate his influence as every other influence seems trite by comparison. Let me take a second in this public setting to say that humanly if there is anything worthwhile in me, it is because of my dad’s influence in my life. He has been the biggest ongoing evidence of God’s grace and the gentle shaper of my thinking. As far as his preaching goes, it brings glory to word of God and the Son of God not the messenger. He preaches it simply, clearly, and honestly. Pretension is not anywhere in the formula. He preaches for the common everyday follower of Christ in a way that changes their lives. He is so big, he counts for two of the four heads on Mt. Rushmore.
As I went to college to explore some things for myself these other main influences started to emerge.
so here are other two on my Mount Rushmore of Preachers.
Louie Giglio —- Through his old bible study 7.22 and the Passion Conferences, Louie has made a massive impact on my life. His creativity in preaching is astounding, his passion undeniable, his centrality of focus inspiring. God’s glory is almost always the theme. Louie never gives half an effort. His messages have continually inspired me to have a bigger view of who God is.
Francis Chan —- I have found an anti-dote for the overwhelmingly soft preaching in our day. Francis always challenges way past my point of comfort. This message (click here.) was a massive turning point in my life. Never one to take an easy answer or go with the flow of American Christianity, Francis Chan has pushed me towards more full followership of Jesus Christ.
links of the week…
Something Very Well Written
Two very interesting pieces on Sarah Palin. 1. 2.
Something To Keep In Mind
You are what you tweet.
Something That Made Me Smarter
The most compelling and understandable explanation of the economic collapse I have read yet.
That’s it for this week…
LMac
Links of The Week- Holiday Edition.
Something That Was a Question That Needed To Be Asked
Why is Complementarianism such a key issue to the New Calvinists?
Something Thought Provoking.
What is a “Biblical” Model for Youth Ministry?
Something I am Really Excited About
Something That Was Very Helpful
5 keys to speech preparation.
that is all for now.
happy 4th
LMac
Mount Rushmore: Part 1 – Writers.
As referenced yesterday, the faces on Mount Rushmore are the ‘best’ Presidents but rather the most influential. These writers have influenced my writing, communicating, and thoughts more than any others. It may be of note that several of them are ’secular’ but I decided it would be better to be forthcoming about the truth rather than try to make you believe that I curl up on the couch every night with some Kierkegaard. I believe that each one of these writers had a fundamental part in shaping my character, communication ability, and my way of looking at the world.
My Mount Rushmore of Writers…
Wayne Grudem – His work in Systematic Theology and Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood have set the standard for thorough evangelical theology. I once spent about fifteen minutes in my college library arguing that I would take Grudem’s work by itself over the thousands of volumes in the library. Grudems work is powerful both because of WHAT he says and HOW he says it. Certainty and humility do not have to be mutually exclusive in the theological world. Grudem has shown this again and again in his work with an ability to convey compellingly what he believes the Bible teaches, while also correctly calibrating the importance of each issue (ie. no burning at the stake over the timing of the rapture). Thank God for Wayne Grudem.
Malcolm Gladwell – In The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers, and dozens of amazing articles in the New Yorker Malcolm Gladwell does the same thing: persuade and teach me in a crisp and smart way. Sadly, scholarship has gone one of two ways in church world today. Either dumbed down to a sad extreme or brained up away from the average persons understanding. Gladwell finds a way in ALL of his work to explain complex concepts and ideas in a way that is perfectly calibrated to find the widest audience without sacrificing complexity.
The Apostle John – A bit cliche perhaps… but I have spent the last month studying the Gospel of John for a sermon series at my summer camp at the end of July and John is an AMAZING writer. The way he accents the synoptics bring some beautiful facets of Jesus character to life. He organizes his story in a way that is both organic and organized. The details are insightful.
Chuck Klosterman – The task of teaching the Bible is to take a big truth and convert it to compel a normal life. Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs takes the opposite approach to the same conclusion (without the Bible part). In espousing his view on the world Klosterman takes on the minutae of life (reality tv, a first date, ‘cover’ bands) driving to interesting and observant takes on modern society. His chapter on the “Left Behind” is one of the more eye opening windows into an outsiders perspective on the Christian sub-culture that I have ever read. All of his books remain near my bedside regularly because Klosterman has mastered the uses the non-threatening modes of self-deprecation, humor and observation of common experience to convince the readers to change.
thoughts?
Summer Blog Filler Fun… Part 1…
If you have ever watched Sportscenter on ESPN through the sports-light summer months you know that to fill the time in the program they come up uber-cheesy gimmicks. One year they tried to find the best ’sports town’ in America. Other times have been endless countdowns of the ten best this or 5 worst that. My all time favorite was a feature where they unveiled the “Mount Rushmore” of sports for each state. I am going to piggy-back that idea over the next few weeks on the blog.
Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, and Teddy Roosevelt aren’t recognized in this way because they were the ‘best’ or ‘most successful’ presidents. Rather their influence has woven into the very fabric of our society. My personal Mt. Rushmore of writers, preachers, musicians, quotes, experiences, and scripture verses will be posted over the next few weeks probably more for myself than anything, but maybe will be of some interest to you. I am officially lay down a challenge for my dad and Gerald (my fellow posters at this here blog) to join me on this (possibly) great journey.
July 1 – Writers
July 8 – Quotes
July 15 – Preachers
July 22 – Musicians
July 29 – Influences
August 5 – Scripture Verses
Sometimes Risks Work Out
A year and a half ago I met a new friend named J-Griff. He has become part of our church and has an amazing gift.
He speaks a different musical language than most of our congregation and I have wanted to use him as part of our worship experiences for a long time, but could never quite muster up the courage. Then I read this post and decided that just because something might fail I have no an excuse not to go for it.
So for your viewing pleasure J-Griff, myself, Tara, Rochelle, Carolyn, Kevin, Dave and Steve’s rendition of One Way (inspired by Soul Survivor 2008).
Links of The Week…
Something That Inspired Me.
How Compelling Would a Talk Have To Be To Get You To Love Classical Music??
Something That Is Really True
Ever Get Sick of Being Told It Isn’t Okay To Be Normal?
Something I Wish I Didn’t Have To Post About.
Some Really Good Thoughts About Another Public Moral Failure.
Somethings That Made For A Really Needed Laugh.
What if Mario Bros. Was Like Real Life?
Has God Ever Changed Your Sermon At The Last Minute?
Something That I Have Seen To Be True.
Leadership Is Different at Different Stages Of Ministry.
Something That Was A Reminder Of How Great My Childhood Was.
Zack Morris in the flesh on the Jimmy Fallon Show.
