Need directions to Concord Retreat? Plan on about an hour and a half driving time:

• Take I-66 WEST to I-81.
• Take I-81 NORTH toward Winchester.
• Take exit 310 for Rt. 37 (towards Rt. 522, 50, etc.).
• Turn LEFT at the light at the top of the ramp onto Rt. 37 NORTH.
• Take the 2nd exit onto Rt. 50 WEST.
• Travel about 11 miles through the town of Gore.
• Turn LEFT onto Rt. 259 (near a closed down gas station and store). NOTE: if you miss this turn, the road goes to from four lanes to two. Turn around at Whitacre Road.
• Travel about 5 miles to the West Virginia State Line. Go 4 miles past the State Line (that would be 9 miles total).
• Concord Retreat will be on your RIGHT. Look for the smallish yellow sign and the gravel driveway.
• Follow the driveway to the large white building with columns (Main Lodge). Don’t park on the grass!
• Enter through the black door.

Congratulations, you made it!

Categories: Retreat06, five15 blog
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Parents: I was thrilled to learn earlier this summer that Andre Yee has started a blog, bringing a God-centered, gospel-centered perspective to business. The Every Square Inch blog is devoted to conversations on the glory of Christ in business and culture.

I was especially interested to find that Andre took me up on the Summer Reading Challenge. If anything, Andre is even more excited about Paul Tripp’s Lost In The Middle than I am. If you’ve been reading Lost In The Middle, or if you’ve been considering reading it, you might be interested in Andre Yee’s comments over on this Every Square Inch blog. Andre explains why he likes Tripp’s manuscript on mid-life so much:

“Paul Tripp guides us through the challenges of midlife by bringing a gospel-centric view to this interesting period of life. As far as I know, it’s the first book of its kind written from a thoroughly biblical perspective… I’ve found that the strength of Tripp’s writings stems from his deeply insightful understanding of the human struggle matched with his commitment to bring biblical truth to bear on that struggle.

“What makes this book so engaging is the real life anecdotes interlaced through every chapter. I found myself identifying with the individuals in these stories and connecting those anecdotes to similar situations in my own life. I found that it made the advice dispensed in the book more memorable and applicable.

“One last point – don’t let the title fool you. I think “Lost in the Middle” has valuable lessons for readers of all ages. Many of the examples may be more applicable for those in midlife but the insightful interpretation of these life experiences and the biblically informed advice are lessons for a lifetime.”

Read the entire post here, or check out some of Andre’s more recent postings.

Categories: Thursday Thoughts For Parents, five15 blog
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Ashleigh sent me this a while back, and I just ran across it:

“My 7 year-old brother told my mom recently that he thought it would be great having a dad who is a pastor because:

• First, “he would be joyful all of the time”
• Second, “he would preach the Gospel all of the time”
• Third, “he would wave to me from the stage on Sunday”
• And finally, “he would only work 1 day a week…on Sunday!”

Categories: five15 blog
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Look backward to grace in order to move forward in obedience.

Mark had been talking about the book of Deuteronomy for about 5 minutes on Sunday when it occurred to me that this is a book of the Bible that may be particularly useful for teenagers. I think it was this sentence that sealed it for me: “Deuteronomy is an act of war against forgetfulness.”

Granted, there are many teens who remember a lot and many adults who are forgetful. But the point is that a knowledge of history prepares us for the future. Most teenagers stand to benefit from learning about God’s gracious dealings with his people, with his church, even with their own parents. And a knowledge of God’s gracious dealings with his people throughout history positions us to move forward through life in obedience.

Mark explained the basic outline of Deuteronomy:

1. Moses’ first speech: 1:1-4:43. Time to take the land.
2. Moses’ second speech: 4:44-28:68. Learn God’s commands and do them.
3. Moses’ third speech: 29-30. Renew the covenant.
4. Moses’ last days: 31-34. Prepare for life without Moses.

Mark also explained that we are to look back to God’s gracious rescue, gracious covenant, and gracious forgiveness. This will motivate us to move forward and love God, worship God’s way, and keep God’s commands.

Now, the whole Bible is about Jesus in some way, right? Where do we find Jesus in this? Mark elaborated:

• Moses was a great leader and gave Israel the law, but a greater mediator was needed.
• Israel was God’s people, but their story is about how they kept breaking God’s laws. A better covenant was needed.
• Jesus comes onto the scene and perfectly fulfills these two needs: He keep the commandments perfectly. He is the better mediator, and He makes the better covenant.

Mark left us with this simple question: Where is God calling you to move forward in obedience? Ask God for wisdom and illumination, and talk to your parents about where he is calling you to change.

Categories: Monday Matters, five15 blog
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Did you know that the PC turned 25 years old over the weekend? In this blog today, Al Mohler linked to an article in the Saturday London Times. He quotes the Times:

“On this day in 1981 — the year Ronald Reagan entered the White House and Margaret Thatcher stunned Britain by raising taxes — IBM launched the 5150, a machine boasting a 4.77Mhz processor (about 650 times slower than today’s PCs), up to 256kb of memory (about 8,000 times less than today’s PCs) and an optional floppy drive with 160kb of capacity (barely enough for a Word document).”

Dr. Mohler then goes on to explain:

“This anniversary also challenges Christians to think anew about the role of technology in our own lives, churches, and ministries. There may be a fine line between the eager embrace of a technology and a form of technocratic idolatry. On the other hand, the PC revolution has also opened incredible doors for witness, teaching, and publication. After all, the Internet now penetrates even those in the grip of totalitarian regimes.

The late Jacques Ellul warned that modern persons find technology irresistable, and that the motivation to embrace all new technolgies was written into the very fiber of modern societies. As he noted, “Modern technology has become a total phenomenon for civilization, the defining force of a new social order in which efficiency is no longer an option but a necessity imposed on all human activity.”

In Ellul’s view, this was a profound dehumanization that was particularly dangerous for Christians. This is perhaps a good warning as we mark the anniversary of the PC –and read about it on the Internet.”

This is one of the reasons I love learning from Al Mohler’s commentary and blog. Reading his article leaves me no less thankful for the technology perched on my lap, but I consider myself warned again about it’s dangers and pitfalls.

Read the article and see for yourself.

Or click here to find out why Macs are better than PCs.

Categories: five15 blog
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In The Holiness of God, R.C. Sproul explains that one of the benefits of justification is peace with God.

“When God signs a peace treaty, it is signed for perpetuity. The war is over, for ever and ever. Of course we still sin; we still rebel; we still commit acts of hostility toward God. But God is not a cobelligerent. He will not be drawn into warfare with us. We have an advocate with the Father. We have a mediator who keeps the peace. He rules over the peace because He is both the Prince of Peace and He is our peace.” (pp. 150-151)

What wonderful news: God is not a cobelligerent.  He never fails to keep his end of the peace treaty, as we so often do.  The peace with God that we now enjoy is both permanent and profound.  May this truth bring joy to your soul today!

Categories: five15 blog
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I had a great time Wednesday night and Thursday morning at WorshipGod06. What a feast: I got to hear Jeff Purswell provide a biblical theological overview of the presence of God, and then our own Mark Mullery spoke from Hebrews 10 about how Christ is our access. I know that there have been and will be more great messages that I missed. I might see if I can get up there tomorrow morning to hear Randy Alcorn.

Add to all that the release of the new Valley Of Vision CD and the inimitable Mark Altrogge doing announcements, and you’ve got one amazing conference.

If you didn’t get to go, let me recommend three next steps:

1. Buy the messages as soon as they become available.
2. Read all about the conference on the official conference blog or read Tim Challies’ live blog play-by-play.
3. Buy the Valley of Vision CD. Because humility is never outdated, and hunger for God is never passé.

For those of you who went, how did you enjoy it?

Categories: five15 blog
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Two weeks from today, 136 of us will head west, to Concord Retreat in West Virginia. Our five15 Retreat will begin Wednesday night, and we’ll enjoy three and a half days of meeting with God, fellowship together, and fun stuff.

Over the next two weeks, I’ll be posting ways that we can prepare for the retreat.

In the mean time, what are you looking forward to? For those of you who have been to five15 Retreats before, what can the first-timers expect?

Categories: Retreat06, five15 blog
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What is the greatest, most crying need in the church today?

How you answer this question will determine much of how you live the Christian life. Yesterday, Mark sought to answer this question as he brought our ‘Connect’ series from 1 Corinthians to a close.

Mark shared with us Mike Bullmore’s answer to this all-important question:

“What is the greatest, most crying need in the church today? Not just a biblical/theological literacy but a functioning biblical/theological literacy, especially a functioning gospel.”

He had more to say than just that, but let’s keep it simple, right? The bottom line is that the gospel has to work for us in daily life. That means that the fact that Christ died for our sins must change the way we work, study, play, and relate to others. The implications of this truth are vast and far reaching.

Even though the Connect series is now over, don’t be too quick to let this truth leave you. Find ways to keep this in front of you. For instance, remember the concentric circles. As you read Scripture, try to determine: is any given verse a statement of the gospel itself, a truth that is true because of the gospel, or a behavior that flows from the gospel?

While you’re thinking about that, tell us: what was your favorite message from the Connect series? What lessons do you remember, and have you been trying to apply?

Categories: Monday Matters, five15 blog
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Change of plans, folks! Our guest speaker fell through, and it was too late to schedule someone else. So we’re going to make the best of it.

There will be no Pizza & Ping-Pong, so the meeting will start at 6:30pm. We’ll be serving hot dogs off the grill with lemonade, and the usual assortment of snacks. Flavo-Ice to help with the heat wave, and I’ll be challenging all comers to a watermelon-seed spitting contest. For more fun, we’ve got the soccer fields and the new volleyball nets to break in!

See you Saturday night!

Categories: Announcements, five15 blog
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