One of the things I enjoyed the most about living in the Bay Area in the late 90's was the energy of the tech industry. There were start-ups springing up everywhere. You'd meet guys at Starbucks (or Peet's!) who were writing their business plan on the back of a napkin. When I ventured into that world in 1999, I found myself attending networking events in San Francisco with other young guys looking to strike a deal, get a job, or just enjoy the food. Lots of free food. The idea was simple: you walk up to someone, introduce yourself, and ask what they did. Within a few minutes you knew if you needed to talk more or bow out gracefully and move to the next person. As a pastor, I was accustomed to meeting new people and loved every minute of it. Did I mention the free food? One of…
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In simple terms, the "gospel" refers to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Through his atoning death and the power of his resurrection, he is able to make wayward sinners friends of God. In short, he is able to do for us what we are unable to do for ourselves. As one called to preach, I've thought about how the gospel should infuse our preaching. Not every message must be an explicit explanation of the gospel. But every message should strike a note of hope, offering a bit of gospel to the topic at hand. Gospel-centered preaching recognizes that the true power of transformation lies with God, not within us. Reconciliation, forgiveness, patience, endurance -- and other godly virtues -- are the result of allowing God to work in our lives. When we give the impression that we are "three steps" from any life change without mentioning God's role,…
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One of the most daunting tasks a person can undertake is preaching. Every seven days you must stand before a group of people and offer a word from God to them. If you're week gets filled with appointments, Sunday is still on the way. A preacher must wrestle with the text before he can adequately present it. There are times when clarity unfolds slowly. Yet, the preacher must find the right words to describe The Word. Preaching is also one of the most fulfilling tasks a pastor can undertake. As one entrusted with the word of God and people's lives, we stand at a unique intersection. We have the opportunity to meet real people with real needs -- and do so in the power of the Holy Spirit. On any given weekend, we will stand before a variety of people, each expecting to hear from God. It's why no one…
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Over the last six weeks, I've begun playing racquetball again. The last time I played racquetball was in 1988 in Decatur, AL., and all I remember is drinking a Fresca afterwards. I've been playing with a few friends from Mountainview, including our newest pastor -- Mark Scott. He only seems like a nice guy when he preaches; get him on the racquetball court and he shows no mercy. To help improve and get in better shape, I've been playing what they call "lunch time shuttles." The idea is simple: you play to fifteen points or fifteen minutes, whichever comes first. Win and you move up a court. Lose and you move down a court. It's been a great way to get playing time while also meeting people from the community. On a typical shuttle day, at least twenty to twenty-five people show up. Not all my movement has been to…
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From Tim Keller: All in all, church planting helps an existing church the best when the new congregation is voluntarily 'birthed' by an older 'mother' congregation. Often the excitement and new leaders and new ministries and additional members and income 'washes back' into the mother church in various ways and strengthens and renews it. Though there is some pain in seeing good friends and some leaders go away to form a new church, the mother church usually experiences a surge of high self-esteem and an influx of new enthusiastic leaders and members. However, a new church in the community usually confronts churches with a major issue--the issue of 'kingdom-mindedness'. New churches, as we have seen, draw most of their new members (up to 80%) from the ranks of the unchurched, but they will always attract some people out of existing churches. That is inevitable. At this point, the existing churches,…
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