Archive for October, 2009
Preaching at Coram Deo
This Sunday I will be preaching at Coram Deo up in Omaha. Coram Deo is a Strategic Partner of Project 2 Pillars and a part of the Acts 29 Network. If you live in the Lincoln or Omaha area, Coram Deo meets at Suckau Chapel on the campus of Grace University at 9am and 11am – I would love to see you there. If you need directions, check out the ones provided on the Coram Deo website.
Recommended Resource – Tim Keller on Preaching
I have learned a lot from Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian in Manhattan, NY. One of the most helpful things I’ve learned from Keller is with regard to preaching Christ and the gospel from every text. Keller recently wrote a piece on preaching on The Gospel Coalition Blog titled Preachers-Only Aren’t Good Preachers. Below is a quote from the post:
“If you put in too much time in your study on your sermon you put in too little time being out with people as a shepherd and a leader. Ironically, this will make you a poorer preacher. It is only through doing people-work that you become the preacher you need to be–someone who knows sin, how the heart works, what people’s struggles are, and so on. Pastoral care and leadership (along with private prayer) are to a great degree sermon preparation. More accurately, it is preparing the preacher, not just the sermon. Through pastoral care and leadership you grow from being a Bible commentator into a flesh and blood preacher.”
If you are a pastor or an aspiring pastor, I’d encourage you to read and listen to anything you can by Keller regarding preaching. Start with the article mentioned above, but for the real bang, go out and try to find the lecture series he gave at Gordon Conwell titled Preaching to the Heart. It is worth every penny you might have to pay. (Sorry, I couldn’t locate the lectures online. If someone knows where to find them, please add a link in the comments section).
Meet Acts 29
Tim Challies (challies.com) recently started a series on his blog called “Meet the Ministries.” This past Monday he featured Acts 29 and an interview with Scott Thomas. Acts 29 is the church planting network of which we are a part and I would encourage you to read this excellent piece.
Below is a an especially compelling quote by Scott regarding being a movement:
“A movement is of God. We cannot control a movement anymore than we can control the wind. But we can fly our kites higher in the wind. We will continue to release more line into the wind through influence and we will subsequently have less control of the outcomes. But that’s where faith and mission collide and we are willing to take that risk for the glory of God and the expansion of His Kingdom.”
Haymarket Named a Great Neighborhood
The Haymarket in Lincoln recently made the “Great Places in America: Neighborhoods” list by the American Planning Association. As the target area for 2 Pillars Church, it is encouraging to see the Haymarket recognized among some other amazing neighborhoods across this country.
What makes a great neighborhood? According to the APA, characteristics of a Great Neighborhood include:
- Has a variety of functional attributes that contribute to a resident’s day-to-day living (i.e. residential, commercial, or mixed-uses).
- Accommodates multi-modal transportation (i.e. pedestrians, bicyclists, drivers).
- Has design and architectural features that are visually interesting.
- Encourages human contact and social activities.
- Promotes community involvement and maintains a secure environment.
- Promotes sustainability and responds to climatic demands.
- Has a memorable character.
Here is the short description the APA wrote of the Haymarket:
Haymarket owes its vitality as much to the variety of uses that permeate this former warehouse district as to the careful restoration of individual buildings. Haymarket draws on its railroading and wholesaling heritage to attract visitors from throughout the community and across the state. Haymarket also is home to several hundred residents, with housing ranging from luxury lofts to subsidized rental units. Residents and visitors appreciate the area’s numerous amenities including public art and a weekly farmers market.
Click here to read more about the Haymarket. Be sure to click on “Characteristics, Features, and Map” to get the full description.
Special Thanks
I wanted to take a moment to send out a special thanks to Sam Byers and our friends at Believer’s Church up in Hannibal who recently took up a special offering for us to help with the start-up costs of 2 Pillars Church.
I originally met Sam at the Acts 29 Bootcamp that we were assessed at here in St. Louis last October. Sam was on the team of assessors that approved us to plant within Acts 29. Since that time, I’ve had the priviledge of preaching at Believer’s Church three times this past year and each time I am encouraged by what God is doing in and through this community of believers. I count it a great joy to be a part of a network of churches focused on planting churches that plant churches.
Thank you, Believer’s Church for your committment to the spread of the gospel through church planting and thank you for your generosity.
