Mother’s Day: Redeeming Ruth

This Sunday, Mother’s Day, we begin Redeeming Ruth at LifePoint Church.  Our gathering times roll back a half hour as well, so from here on out our service times will be 9am and 11am. 

The first week of a book study always involves an intense amount of preparation.  Every week my sermon prep is an exciting journey, but when embarking on a new study there is a ton of groundwork that must take place.  For example, if you just pick up the book of Ruth and begin reading you’ll come upon this opening line:

Ruth 1:1  

In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.

To even begin to attempt to understand the book of Ruth, you have to comprehend the opening verse.  Right off the bat the original reader would have felt insecurity, judgment, betrayal, fear, and intrigue.  The “days when the judges ruled” were some of the most unstable years ofIsrael’s history.  There was no national leader and “everyone did what was right in their own eyes.”  God’s people experienced famine when they were far from God and under his judgment (Leviticus 26 and Psalm 105 speak to this).  A man from Bethlehem in Judah, in the heart ofIsrael, journeying southeast to live in Moab was also an indication of the lack of national stability and identity inIsrael.  To say this move was “politically incorrect” is a massive understatement. Moab was a hated, unclean, blasphemous enemy of Israel.  During the times when the judges ruled Moab was particularly volatile.  One of the first judges that God raised up (Judges 3) was Ehud, who worked to freeIsraelfrom the 18 year oppression of King Eglon and the Moabites.

The scene is set for this narrative to unfold right from the start.  As the curtain rises we see unclean Moab, erratic Israel, judgment from God, relativism at every turn, and tragedy looming. 

This week we’ll cover all of Ruth chapter 1.  The title of the message is “A Bitter Providence,” as the text focuses on the character of Naomi.  Worshipping together will be a great way to begin a wonderful Mother’s Day.  We will recognize the Mothers present and have a special gift for all the women in attendance. 

Join us at 9 or 11am.

The Sun Sets…But Everything It Touched Is Different

A 17 week journey ends this morning. 

On January 8 at LifePoint we began travelling through the book of Philippians.  Our expedition has taken us through all 104 verses of the “Epistle of Joy,” and it ends today with the final 14 verses, Philippians 4:10-23.  This passage, like every word we’ve seen in this book, is filled with hope, joy, peace, and a Christ-centered, gospel-advancing perspective.  But, like every other verse or set of verses, it’s not simply a picture on the wall that we gaze upon in admiration as we walk through a museum of ancient documents; strictly painted in some other time for some other people.  Like the rest of God’s word it is a living canvas, painted in a specific time and place for all times and places.  This morning we will see and experience the final brush strokes, skillfully executed by the Holy Spirit himself, precise, sufficient, efficacious, and piercing. 

In my preparation and execution of preaching my primary goal is faithful presentation of God’s word as it is written.  Education and experience are tools that I believe help in this craft, yet I don’t think they are intended simply as aids for me in molding a moving homily.  Learning history, context, languages, and the minds and styles of the biblical authors as they unfold the narrative of the biblical Author is helpful and vitally important.  Yet all of these things should rightly equip the preacher with the conviction and capacity to “become less and He becomes more.”  I think faithful biblical preaching is like operating a spotlight in a darkened theater, that which is illuminated (Christ as the gospel) is what stands out.  The operator of that spotlight is simply tasked with pointing in the direction of the Star, while the light itself is the gracious presence of the Holy Spirit.

Philippians has been really great.  I thought this beforehand, and now I’m probably even more convinced: I believe it is my favorite book of the Bible.  I have often said that I think I got saved reading the book of Philippians as a senior in high school.  Perhaps I knew Christ before I read it, yet after committing it to memory it was like the lights went on.  That Figure whose peaceful and steady presence I had known all my life was illuminated as Lord and God.  Philippians was my Damascus Road.

To my family at LifePoint, I hope the Epistle of Joy has been the same for you.  The sun sets this morning on this beautiful letter, but as it does my prayer is that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ would burn ever brighter in our lives.

A Week of Travels

This last week (April 23-May 1), Carissa and I had the privilege of travelling to a few different locations representing LifePoint Church.  We arrived home earlier this week, just in time for Sophia’s (our youngest daughter) 3^rd birthday.  This blog is a brief recap of our travels.     

Our first destination was the annual Northwest Ministry Network Conference located at New Life Church in Renton, WA (April 23-25).  This is a conference where representatives from Assemblies of God churches throughout the Northwest Network (AG affiliated churches in Washington and Northern Idaho) gather for worship, connection, networking, business, and vision-casting for the coming year.  It was a great time to reconnect with a lot of old friends and colleagues from around the region.  The conference theme was “Multiplication,” and the major emphasis was the establishment of church planting and mission-advancing objectives in the coming decade. 

Our Network Team Leader, Les Welk, opened the conference with a multiplication challenge. 

Here are a couple of quotes from Les:

“In God’s Multiplication Movement we are asked to lead people to places God is already leading them.” 

“Successful multiplication of God’s Kingdom requires that we abandon a spirit of poverty and embrace a spirit of generosity.”

“We are all multiplying in one way or another … which begs the question, ‘What am I reproducing?”

It was a really refreshing, challenging, and inspiring three days.  The second day of the conference an offering was received for a major need (a $20,000 immediate fire-code renovation) that Hope of the City Church had recently been burdened with.  This is a church that was planted in South Center Mall in Tukwila, WA a few years back.  The pastors and church representatives present gave over $30,000 in the offering, a massive blessing to this new work that is advancing the gospel in the city. 

After a day or so at home, we travelled to Denver and Fort Collins, CO with a group of 13 other pastors and their wives from the Northwest Network.  It was part of a “leadership journey” that we’ve been on with this group of pastors for the last year.  It was a really amazing time.  We visited Sox Place on Friday morning, an inner-city ministry in downtown Denver that is 10 years old.  Sox Place’s vision is to bring the Father’s heart to the fatherless, through physical, spiritual, emotional and social provision to urban youth subcultures.  It started in 1999 when Doyle Robinson, a long-time suburban youth pastor, moved his family toDenverand started handing out socks to street kids in downtown Denver.  Over 10 years later Doyle and his son Jordan run Sox Place out of a storefront in Denver where they provide meals, socks, clothing, hygiene products, internet access, mentoring, crisis intervention, and referrals to homeless or struggling youth in the city. 

We spent over an hour with Jordan and Doyle, hearing their burden for what God has called them to do, and the stories of God’s grace and love in the lives of over 6,000 street youth they’ve impacted in the last decade.  There weren’t many dry eyes in that room. 

On Sunday we attended Timberline Church in Fort Collins, a church that averages over 6,200 people week to week.  This is one of the great Assemblies of God churches in the nation, and we were able to spend several hours getting to know the Lead Pastor Dary Northrop and his executive leadership team.  In addition to attending three services in the morning, we stayed after for lunch and discussion with Dary and his staff.  Dary became the Lead Pastor at Timberline at age 26 (26 years ago), a church that at the time was around 250 people.  He had never been a Senior Pastor before.  What really struck me were the numerous stories of lives changed through the power of the gospel, as Dary and his team bled vision on us all afternoon.

It was a great week, but there is no place like home.  I’m looking forward to this weekend at LPC.  Join us tomorrow morning (Saturday) from 9am-Noon for the seminar “Sex, Porn, and Protecting Your Kids.”  And Sunday at 9:30am and 11:30am we’ll finish Philippians with the 17^th instalment of Surprised by Joy: Philippians 4:10-23.  It’s going to be a life changing weekend for LifePoint Church!

The Last Battle

I have formed a new habit in my reading ventures.  I’ve traditionally been a non-fiction guy.  Over the last 6 years since graduating from seminary (at which point I was liberated to start reading what I wanted to read), my reading has stayed pretty narrowly aligned to subjects related to my vocational calling.  Until the last year or so I was reading books on theology, leadership, pastoral ministry, spiritual disciplines, and apologetics almost exclusively.  I would depart from these subjects occasionally for a good biography, but that was about it.  I never felt like I had time to read fiction.  My thought was that it would be a waste of the little valuable reading time I had.  Sometime in 2010 that began to change.  I picked up the Chronicles of Narnia series (which I’m sure I read as a kid), and I’ve been working through them here and there for the last 18 months or so. 

I have found reading fiction to be extremely liberating.  It helps me to decompress.  My new reading habit is to intersperse fiction into my schedule on weeks leading up to Sunday’s where I am not preaching (like this last Sunday).  Reading books that deal with the issues I deal with week after week as a pastor only tends to stress me out when I’m looking for some intellectual down-time. 

My fiction book of the week this last week was the seventh and final book of the Chronicles of Narnia series: The Last Battle.  I loved it.  This is a classic series, and if you haven’t read them or read them to your children, I’d encourage you to do both.  I am going to buy a new set of paperbacks and begin working my way back through the series, specifically highlighting the theological undercurrents Lewis weaves throughout.  The Last Battle was one of the best of the series, a fitting end (or beginning—depending on how you look at it) to the world of Narnia. 

Is this series worth the read?  Well, it was written for children, but it has also been the subject of many a doctoral dissertation.  I don’t know of too many books that can stake that claim.  I don’t have much a review here–just an encouragement to pick up these great books and read them.

 

Sex, Porn, and Protecting Your Kids

This Saturday from 9am to Noon at LifePoint Church we are putting on a seminar called Sex, Porn, and Protecting Your Kids. 

We’re going to take on 3 myths that accompany the issues of sexual deviance and the Christian community.  These myths are:

1) It’s not here…

2) It’s harmless…

3) It’s hopeless…

Four of us will be presenting on the subject.  Here is a basic outline:

“It’s Not Here…” [Pastor Andrew]

• Cultural realities
• Church realities
• Culture’s lies and Scripture’s truths

“It’s Harmless…” [Christian Psycologist Krystal Mathis]

• Porn/Sexual activity and effects on kids
• Warning signs your child may be engaged in porn/sexual activity
• The role of therapy

“It’s Hopeless…” [Pastor Andrew, Pastor Jeff Miles, LPC ElderJimConnett]

• Prevention: Developing a Parenting Plan  
• Intervention: What to do if your child is already engaged in porn/sex
• Faith community standards and guidelines
• Technology tools and controls

There will also be a time of questions and answers at the close of the morning. 

This is a vital seminar for all parents, grand-parents, or anyone affected by these issues.  We will offer child-care for birth up through age 12 during the seminar.  Please pray for us, and please join us if you can.

Redeeming Ruth

Multiplication (and personal application!)

I’m writing from a hotel room in Kent, WA this morning.  Carissa and I are attending the Northwest Ministry Network Conference which is located at New Life Church of Renton this week.  This conference offers a great couple of days in the spring of every year to reconnect with old friends and get refreshed and inspired with fellow Assemblies of God pastors and leaders. 

Our network superintendant, Les Welk, spoke at the opening session last night on the conference theme “Multiplication.”  The Northwest University Choralons provided the music.  It was an excellent kickoff.  The theme of the opening message, and really of the entire conference, is the biblical mandate for multiplication.  Les traced this theme from Abraham through the Great Commission, into the explosive growth of the church in the book of Acts.  When God is at work multiplication happens, new life is birthed, and fresh vision expands.  The specific application for our network is a renewed vision of initiating church plants and satellites throughout the Northwest in the coming years.  We planted 381 churches nationally in 2011, and the goal for the next few years is even greater.   

Les did a cool thing in the introduction to his message.  He talked about his children, two sons and a daughter, and then his grand-children.  He actually had his grandson, probably around a year a half old, brought up on the platform (in front of the packed auditorium of around 1500 people) where he held him as he talked for a few minutes.  It was a cool moment.  He then announced that his other son and daughter-in-law were pregnant with twins.  Multiplication…  

Multiplication is a good thing.  We believe in it.  Les’s introduction inspired me to take this opportunity to personally illustrate this.  I’ve been given permission by Carissa to officially announce our own multiplication plans. 

Carissa is 16 weeks pregnant with our 3^rd child! (cue: !!!!!)   

We’re due around the beginning of October.  Another Murch will soon be running the halls of LifePoint Church.  We thank God for his grace and the blessing of new life.