1. Most days when I wear my Mizzou t-shirts people just think I'm wearing a Wichita State shirt.

2. Panera Bread. Chick-fil-a. Sonic. Starbucks. Chipotle. Jimmy John's. Repeat.

3. The best coffee in Wichita isn't at the place that claims to have the best coffee in Wichita.

4. Luther Burbank has no power over me here.

5. You should only be fearful of tornados when the locals go into the basements themselves.

6. Lots of people go to church. That doesn't mean lots of people love Jesus.

7. The "fresh" label on seafood in a landlocked state in the middle of the continent really means "days old."

8. When I tell people I'm from California they give me a look like I'm from a different country. Like Europe.

9. There is a reason some houses are over a hundred years old in Tornado Alley. Live in one of those homes.

10. Kansas isn't flat. Okay, yes it is.

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Over the last few years God has given me a passion for a couple of things:

• The advance of the gospel through small community groups.
• The advance of the gospel through church planting. 

As those passions grew we began to pray that God would either connect those two in our lives or remove the passion from us.  When “it just so happened” that a church plant I was familiar with in Wichita, KS made it known that they were looking for a pastor to lead their small groups we felt that God was answering our prayers and directing us to a new season of ministry.  To that end I've stepped down as the Adult Ministries Pastor at Santa Rosa Bible Church and as of April 1st I will begin working at Journey the Way in Wichita, KS to lead their Community Group Ministries with this church plant. 

Our time here at Santa Rosa Bible Church has been fruitful ministry for me and I am grateful to the Lord for allowing me and my family to serve Him by shepherding you.  We have set down deep roots with many of you and are the recipients of much grace in those relationships.  We will be praying for Santa Rosa Bible Church in the months and years ahead that God would continue to give this church a passion for His grace and an effectiveness in the city and the world. 

Please pray for our family as we make a big transition to Kansas as there are many logistics that we are working through.  Additionally please pray for the grace of God to be upon us as we minister in Kansas.  Pray that Christ would be exalted, that the gospel would spread and that we would see much fruitfulness from our ministry in Wichita. 

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Stephanie wrote the following on her blog last night.  The event was a vivid demonstration of the gospel to me and brought me to tears as I thought of the grace of God in my life.  Jesus paid it all. 

Last night was quite an adventure - another story all in itself - the short version - Ethan got sick several times, resulting in the car seat needing to be cleaned. I worked on that today and had it sitting there - waiting for all the drying parts to be returned. The car seat has this lovely piece of foam that is the head support. To a little four year old girl, this must have looked like a craft project waiting to happen. More than once I had said, Allison, don't touch the foam. While getting dinner ready I see Allison holding a piece of the foam and hear Jeremy asking her where it came from. Eventually she pointed to the broken foam in the living room. Yes, you guessed it, she decided to disobey and tear the foam so, as she put it, she could "make something." To say I was upset would be quite the understatement. I was not happy at all. Jeremy took her to her room, talked to her and we left her to stay on her bed while we discussed matters in the other room - trying to decide what to say, what the consequences were and cool down - all were needed. We talked about how she could pay for it (she had money from Christmas) but that seemed like something of little impact since she doesn't have a real concept of the amount of money. After a period of time Jeremy said he needed to go back and deal with her - I asked, "What are you going to say?" Jeremy's reply, "I don't know exactly, but talk to her about the gospel and forgiveness." 

When Jeremy came back and shared with me about the conversation, I realized that God used the broken car seat to teach us all a big lesson. Jeremy said that when he was talking to Allie, he told her she would have to pay for the repairs or replacement, no matter how much that was (and we had told her it could be lots of money). She looked up at him, feeling badly and said, "Daddy, I can't pay, I only have $2 from Uncle Adam and $1 from my bank, I don't have enough and I can't pay." Which made her sad. It was at that moment that Jeremy realized that this is EXACTLY what God has done for us - we come to Him completely unable to pay and he says to us, "I will pay."  Seeing Allison's despair Jeremy took her up in his arms, hugged her and cried, "It's okay, I'll pay! I'll pay!"

It was a wonderful opportunity to talk to her about how God did this for us, he paid for our sins which we could never pay for. Jeremy headed to a meeting and Allie brought it up again to me, telling me how special it was that Daddy was going to pay for something that she couldn't but should. When she prayed tonight she thanked God for paying for what we couldn't. 

I am beyond thankful above all that God did pay for what I couldn't! I am thankful for real lessons in life where he clearly reminds us of his love and grace. It may have been seemed like a broken car seat - but really it was a great reminder to all of us how God paid for what we couldn't. Allie knows tonight that her daddy loves her - that he is going to take care of what she can't. I pray that takes hold in her heart and that there comes a point where she sees exactly what God has done for her. So thankful for those moments when we so clearly see God at work - His glory - our good! My heart is smiling.

 

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p120.mov Watch on Posterous

p122.mov Watch on Posterous

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So what is the proof that the Spirit is being poured out on us? The voice of the church rings with prophetic clarity. The people of God are no longer passive, intimidated, unresponsive, uncertain. They are no longer preoccupied with self, convenience, comfort.  They are no longer complaining, whining griping.  Instead they become outspoken in God's praise and gospel truth, 'declaring the wonders of God' (Acts 2:11).

From Ray Ortlund's book When God Comes To Church

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Father, 

By the power of the Holy Spirit enable us, whom you have appointed to this ministry of yours at all times and in all places to call on you without condemnation and without offense, with the testimony of a pure conscience; that you may hear us and be merciful to us, after the multitude of thy great goodness, for all glory, honor and worship befits you, the Father, the Son, and your Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and world without end.  Amen. 

John Chrysostom 

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Over the next few weeks I've decided to write a manifesto of sorts about a few convictions I've picked up lately about ministry and the vocation of a pastor.  Each one of these is an attempt to concretely state what I believe about being a pastor and how I will approach the ministry of the gospel God has called me to.  Some could call it a "philosophy of ministry" and if that's the case, fine, they are what I believe and how I will live and labor.  I will arrange each of these "articles" of my manifesto theologically.  I think you will see why in time.  

Article I: God 

The pastorate is no place to play around, no place to be glib or trite or foolish about God or what the stakes are in eternity or people's souls.  There is no room to waste time, goof off or seek to entertain people with my winsome personality or self-inflated ego. The pastorate is first and foremost about God.  If I read my Bible right that means I stand before a God who is absolute in His holiness.  I minister on behalf of a God who is a "consuming fire," a "warrior... majestic in battle," one who "comes in fire and His chariots like the whirlwind."  I display to the world the glory of God by my life and by my words.  I cannot be trite about God.  

And yet there is a pressure and preoccupation (or distraction as I prefer to think of it) in many people's minds not to treat ministry as that serious.  I'm not saying that because of God's transcendent and all-powerful glory that I should never have any fun or enjoy a good laugh with God's people or be lighthearted and joyful.  What I am saying however, is that I can't represent God as a goof-off.  I can't by the way I speak of Him, the way I minister, or the focus I have push Him to the peripheral in my work.  And yet that is the temptation that swings my way almost daily.  People want a pastor who first and foremost puts the people at the center. Many people have the idea that the pastor is paid to meet their social or spiritual needs. How many in our churches act like it is the pastor's job to keep their people happy and entertained and engaged and enthused?  We act as if the pastor is the one who should make sure we have something to do midweek, and of course on the weekends.  Oh, and the pastors have to keep our kids coming back... otherwise.... 

Yet the pastoral vocation first and foremost isn't about people; it's about God.  It's a man declaring with his words and displaying with his life and directing with his time people to God.  It's one who is made in the image of God, gifted by the Holy Spirit of God, called by the Word of God and burdened with the gospel of God to show and say who God is.  And if this is the case concerning pastoral ministry then the pastor, then I, must be attentive to and knowing God first and foremost.  My time should be with God.  My words from God.  My counsel, God's counsel.  My worship unto God.  My life fixed and devoted to God.  The pastorate is about God.  Any other center or focus is an idol, and God doesn't share glory.  

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Monday seems to be a good day for me to compile a little list of some interesting links and articles that I've come across in the week on the Internet.  Occasionally I might kick in a book or some sort of physical media that I've read but for the most part these will be articles and such that I can directly link to.  Enjoy reading

• It seems I'm not the only one thinking about the over-glorification of urban ministry.  Carl Trueman says it better however.  [See my post about the issue too].
• If the pastor's primary responsibility is to see to the preaching of the Scriptures why do we saddle them with so many other things?  Derek Thomas asks a provocative question. 
• Kevin DeYoung gives us some excellent principles for corporate singing in the church.  Check out Part 1 and Part 2.
• My friend Jeremiah is giving an airtight argument on why the Cubs should fire their general manager, Jim Hendry.  Exhibit A and Exhibit B are conclusive enough.   
• The most recent 9Marks journal on the pastor an his staff is excellent.  Here are two posts every lead pastor and associate pastor should read.  Actually, just read the whole journal.  Good stuff.

That should keep you busy this week.  Feel free to comment with your own articles or link that you think I would benefit from reading.  I'll try and keep this up each week as I come across helpful or interesting things.  

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Yesterday I posted about a trend I have noticed in the last few years of the major influencers in evangelical Christianity today sounding a call to return to the city and give yourself to its service and betterment.  In arguing against an idolatry of the city for the sake of its inherent bigness I committed the logical fallacy of moralizing two amoral positions.  The argument works like this;  if Proposition A is undesirable then its opposite, Proposition B is not only superior but morally upright as well.  I see this fallacy all over the place. 

For instance, when it comes to educational choices, I've seen some argue in favor of public schooling because of the missional impact it can have.  In demonstrating the superiority of their position they moralize the discussion and in so doing make everyone who doesn't send their kids to public school to be people who don't care about the lost.  The home-schoolers do the exact same thing.  In showing how much better it is to homeschool your children the issue becomes a moral one (usually centered around a misinterpretation of Deuteronomy 6), and anyone who doesn't homeschool their children is "feeding them to the wolves", or so the argument goes. 

How does this apply to my post yesterday? Well, I realized about 2:45pm yesterday that I had played the ultimate trump card in my attempt to illuminate the idol of urban ministry being better ministry.  I moralized the issue in Jesus' name.  Basically I argued that because Jesus didn't predominately hang out in the cities the implication that I brought to out is that our missional strategy should reflect that.  Jesus didn't start there, neither should we.  

However this is silly and wrong on my part.  We need both.  We need strong, robust urban ministry and a deep influx of church planters and churches in the heart of the urban core.  Many missiologist are right, the Bible ends in a city, the City of God.  However we need the same strong, robust rural and suburban ministry as well.  We need a movement of church planters and gospel-centered churches in the small towns, villages and outskirts of the cities.  Much of the Bible takes place in the little places.  Simply put we need both, and we can't and shouldn't make villains out of the other side.  Those who have an idolatry of the big city and think that God only (or most powerfully) works in the city need to repent and recognize God's grace in the little places.  Those who have an idolatry of the small town and think that purity and holiness are preserved only in them need to repent and rejoin their brothers' efforts at the advance of the gospel in the city.  In either case we cannot reject the other.  

I'm not going to redact my post yesterday.  I think it is still helpful for us to be careful not to forget the little places and hopefully that post will serve as a reminder of that.  I do, however, want to call your attention to how you logically argue for a position that is amoral, or without inherent morality assigned to it.  If it is not an issue of right and wrong, do not make it one that is.  Educational choice, music styles, what you wear to church, or issues like urban vs. rural in no way need to be argued from a position of "moral rightness."  Why?  Because they are all right, and they can all be wrong too.  Grow in wisdom and you'll be able to figure out which is which.  

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These are some shots from last nights firework show. The ones of Allison are my favorite.

See the full gallery on Posterous

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There has been a lot of talk these days about the church being influential in the midst of a large urban core.  Instead of evangelicals abandoning the city centers and moving out to the suburban and rural areas of our country the predominate thinking is that the river should flow the other way.  Plunge into the city — that is where the people are.  Dive into the heart of a city — that is where the cultural influencers are.  All for the city! That is where the artist who will make it all beautiful live. Run into the city! Everything else runs the other way. 

Now, in no way am I against the city and the efforts of many today to go into the hearts of the city and reach the lost with the gospel.  I am grateful that actually there is a renewed interest in urban mission.  While I lived in inner-city Chicago I knew there was a place and people that desperately needed the gospel.  The elite rich lived to the east of me.  The destitute, ghetto poor lived directly to the west of me.  The cities need a gospel advance in a deep way. 

However there seems to be a growing idolatry of the city.  Maybe it has to do with American value of "big equals success" and therefore big churches equals big success and the sure-fire way to get that influence, prominence and notoriety is to be around a city.  But was that Jesus' methodology?  As I read the Gospels this week I'm noticing something about Jesus.  Unless he absolutely had to, he avoided the cities.  Jerusalem was the primary city in his region and it seems like He couldn't stand to be there.  If you look up the places where Jesus ministered they were the rural villages and towns of the Northern country.  Places of agrarian and pastoral life.  Nazareth probably wasn't more than a couple hundred people.  Capernaum, the largest town in Galilee and the regional base of Jesus' ministry was by best estimates no more than a thousand folks.  In fact most of Jesus' three and a half years of ministry was not spent in the cities hanging out with the influencers and financiers while reaching the artist and "culture-makers."  The bulk of Jesus ministry was spent with fishermen, shepherds, towns people in small and seemingly insignificant places.

The city wasn't a refuge or strategic center for Jesus.  His strategy wasn't to reach the wise, strong, rich, proud, or famous.  He lived amongst the forgotten, weak, marginalized, poor, every-day-man.  Instead of the river flowing from city to village, Jesus turned it backward.  He worked through the little and river flowed the other way.  By influencing the small and powerless the river went upstream and the large and influential cities of Jerusalem and Corinth and Rome were impacted by the gospel.  Shouldn't our mission strategy reflect the same?  My recollection of the book of Acts tells me the apostles continued working from the small up to the city.  Maybe the river flows the other way?  Maybe we've forgotten.  

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