Archive for June, 2007
five15 BIG MEETING on Saturday
June 6, 2007 1:01 pmThere are no not-so-big meetings in June or July, but we have BIG MEETINGS on July 7 and THIS Saturday night, June 9. Joe Lee is coming over from Covenant Life Church to speak to us about prayer! For those of you who remember Joe’s message on prayer three years ago, don’t be concerned, this is a different message. I’m confident that the Lord is going to meet us as we learn how to pray that God’s kingdom come and his will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
You know the drill: Pizza and Ping-Pong start at 5:15, and the meeting will get going at 6:30.
Please pray:
- that God will speak to us through his Word
- that we will worship in Spirit and truth
- for courage to reach out to people you don’t know
- for clear conviction and ways to apply this message
Most books have some stuff before and after the actual chapters of the book. Sadly, most people don’t even bother to read these parts of the book. But this is must-reading. If we want to understand what an author is trying to communicate to us, it is essential that we carefully read the Preface or the Introduction (or both). Here we’ll usually discover what the book is about, what the authors goals are in writing, and we may find some key vocabularly that will help us track along with the author. I always find it interesting to notice who has influenced and helped a writer on his way to completing his book.
In his Preface to The Gospel for Real Life, Jerry Bridges couldn’t be much more explicit about why he is writing:
So preaching the gospel to yourself every day is what this book is about. It is intended to answer three questions:
- What is the gospel we should preach to ourselves?
- Why do we, who are already believers, need to preach it to ourselves?
- How do we do it?
This book is not meant to be a theological treatise. To borrow an expression from the collegiate world, it is intended to be “Gospel 101.”
If you’ve been paying attention at five15 meetings or Sunday mornings, you might think you know the answers to these questions. And maybe you do… partly. But keep reading. We are all like leaky buckets: the gospel slowly drains out of us without our hardly noticing. We need to be reminded, and The Gospel for Real Life is that reminder.
Monday Matters, 06/04/07
June 4, 2007 9:15 pmMy New Favorite Album
8:52 amYesterday, new favorite food and books. Today, new favorite music.
Asleep in a Storm is the latest offering from Sovereign Grace Music. Jeremy White has produced a collection of remixed Sovereign Grace favorites, and I think this might be the best album yet from the mother ship. I love the rich truths communicated through the lyrics, joined to some sweet techno/dance grooves.
Here is how the New Attitude blog describes it:
We love the project because it represents much of what Na is about: old truth, with a new face. The lyrics are the same but the music will stretch your ears. We’re not even sure what to call the music on the album but we know we like it. The songs range from “aggressive” (It Was Your Grace) to “milkshake smooth” (In the Valley) to what we can only describe as “lying out in a grassy field on a summer night watching the stars overhead” (It Was Love).
Buy the CD at the Sovereign Grace Store for $10, or download it for a special $8 discount price (until June 15).
Listen for this album to be featured as the five15 Playlist Saturday night.
Steve Recommends…
June 3, 2007 8:41 pm
I heard a funny thing today. Haley V.’s mom told me earlier that Haley observed: “When Mr. Mullery preaches, he always has a new book he wants us to read. When Mr. Whitacre preaches he always has a new food or restaurant he wants us to try.”
True enough.
But I do have books I want you to read at great restaurants. Let me start with the food. My latest greatest discoveries:
Chipotle in Burke Center. I’ve already told you about about this.
Cold Stone in Burke Center. Not new, but always delicous. The night before Chippy’s opened, I discovered the incredible PB&C shake: peanut butter & chocolate. Then I dropped it on the sidewalk and lost most of it. Bummer.
Eggspectation in Chantilly. IHOP prices, but (unlike IHOP) amazingly delicious, creative food. Brace yourself for a lame plays on the word “egg”: Eggsileration, Eggstreme, etc. But it will be worth it. I recommend the Eggcitement.
So you’ll enjoy some great food, but take a book and read while you eat. If you’ve already finished the Summer Reading Challenge or you’re looking for something else to take to the beach, here are some eggseptional titles I’ve come across lately:
Doing Things Right In Matters of the Heart, by John Ensor. Biblical manhood and womanhood in real life. A very compelling and practical guide to pleasing God in a tricky area. Written for singles preparing for marriage, so not everything will apply, but still worth reading.
Chosen For Life, by Sam Storms. An introduction to election. Includes a great analysis of Romans 9, the doctrine of election motherlode.
Questioning Evangelism, by Randy Newman. Let’s keep ‘Each One Reach One’ alive. This is a manageable, doable guide to having real conversations with real people about the real Savior.
There it is. Yes, I have food recommendations. But I have books, too. Eat up. Read up. Have a great summer.
(Some) Things Come And (Don’t) Go
June 2, 2007 8:30 pmThings come and go. A year or so ago, I considered joining a gym near my house. I decided not to because it was pretty expensive (and I’m lazy). Now I’m glad I didn’t. Driving past today, I saw this sign on the sign of the building:
Things come and go. I saw this sign less than an hour after leaving the Home Ed graduation, another reminder of the constancy of change in this life.
I couldn’t help but think of Isaiah 40:8,
“The grass withers, the flower fades, [gymns close, and friends graduate,] but the word of our God will stand forever.“
Need some certainty in life? Want something you can depend on, that you know will last? Turn to God’s word and find an immovable rock, unshaken by tragedy, unsplit by the pressures of life, uneroded by the wearing effects of sin. Circumstances change, feelings are fickle, peers aren’t always dependable, but God’s word stands forever.
Some things come and don’t go.
five15 Calendar Updated
2:20 pmThe five15 Summer Schedule has been updated. Click Calendar above.
Just to be clear: dogs in the park means hot dogs, not canines. You can bring your canine if you want, but I’m thinking Hebrew Nationals on the grill.
If you haven’t bought your books yet, get them this weekend! I’m going to start posting next week on the Summer Reading Challenge.
