Buzzard Blog

Are You Care-Free?

For the past two weeks, in addition to my morning Bible reading and time of prayer, I've been working my way through the chapters of Dear Timothy: Letters on Pastoral Ministry. This morning I read through most of chapter 7, entitled "Cultivate Humility," written by C.J. Mahaney. I was convicted and encouraged by this paragraph:

...all day long, at the moment you become aware of burdensome cares, cast them upon the Lord, who cares for you. Where there is worry and anxiety; there is the pride of self-reliance. The humble man, though he may be responsible for many things, is free of care--he is care-free. His life is characterized by joy and peace, for it is impossible to be worried while trusting the Sovereign One.

Saturday Shot

BART station in Berkeley.

12 Ways to Super-Charge Your Brain

I found helpful and interesting a few of the "12 Ways to Super-Charge Your Brain" articles from this month's Wired magazine.

The Large-Hearted Pastor

"A man must have a great heart if he would have a great congregation. When a man has a large, loving heart, men go to him as ships to a haven, and feel at peace when they have anchored under the lee of his friendship. Such a man is hearty in private as well as in public; his blood is not cold and fishy, but he is as warm as your own fireside."

-Charles Spurgeon, quoted in Dear Timothy, p. 75

Be Strengthened

A few mornings ago I was filled with fresh strength by meditating on 2 Timothy 2:1

You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus...

This verse led me to think about the infinite, always-in-stock grace warehouse that we have in Christ Jesus. Jesus has extended to me great grace in the past. He is extending great grace to me this very day. And he is loaded with future grace that he has promised to send my way when I need it.

Young Pastors and Their Families

"There are many seasons to life. You are in the season of new ministry and the cares and concerns of a new family. There will be other seasons of life as you and your family mature and even grow old. It is important that you are a predictable, stable leader with integrity. Your wife and family will draw strength from seeing you live as a man who is dazzled by God and who is, therefore, full of joy and confidence in all the seasons of life."

-Tedd Tripp, Love Your Family. Chapter 3, p. 61, in Dear Timothy: Letters on Pastoral Ministry.

New Attitude 2008 Conference

Today is the last day to register for the New Attitude Conference. You should go. This will be my first year at Na. The Na peeps are flying me out and putting me up in Louisville in order for me to live blog the conference.

Saturday Shot

A bus in San Francisco

Strike A Pose

My kid strikes a very odd pose in the latest Mervyns Ad.

Dwell Conference Text Message Update #4

The final text message update from my friend Toby, from Tim Keller''s session at Dwell:

The Gospel is Manger, Cross, and Crown. 1) In the person of Jesus God emptied himself of his glory and became human. 2) Through the work of Jesus God substituted himself for us and atoned for our sin, by grace bringing us into fellowship with him in the church. 3) At the return of Jesus God will restore creation and make a new world in which we can enjoy our new life together with him forever.

Dwell Conference Text Message Update #3

The latest text message update from my friend Toby, from Darrin Patrick's session at Dwell:

"Be fishers of men, not hunters of men."

"This is an investment. This is a sacrifice...Sacrificial investment. What non-Christians need to see is that we are like them, but they also need to see is that we are like them, but they also need to see that we are not like them. This comes as you are hanging out with them...People need to see the gospel at work in your life."

"The gospel erodes our self-righteousness. The gospel empowers our evangelism."

Dwell Conference Text Message Update #2

The latest text message Dwell Conference updates from my friend Toby:

Driscoll is up now. He said he will not be angry tonight because he spent the day with his wife and he is happy. He is preaching "Dwelling in the Text." All great. Particularly challenging was his encouragement to fast from media and meetings 2 days per month to dwell in the Word.

Some Driscoll quotes:

"Don't be excited about church planting. Be excited about Jesus and you will have a church."

"If Jesus is not the reason you go to the Scriptures, he will oppose you in all you do...Jesus does not want to be used...He was you to go to the Bible and meet with him and trust him to do whatever he has called you to do."

Dwell Conference Text Message Update #1

The latest text message Dwell Conference update from my friend Toby:

C.J., Stetzer, and Eric Mason so far. All outstanding. Stetzer knows all. C.J. preached his "watch your life and doctrine" message. Great and always good. Eric Mason of Epiphany in Philly is in the middle of a message on Incarnational Ministry. Very solid and engaging so far. "If your people have not been with Jesus you are not incarnating anything..."

Dwell Conference

The Dwell Conference is underway in New York City. My buddy Toby is there and is sending me updates via text message. So far the update is:

"Sweet conference! Wish you could be here."

Books Sent To Me For Review...

Recently, a larger number and variety of authors/publishers have begun sending me books in hopes of me reviewing them on my blog. I'm cataloging these books on my sidebar under the heading: "Books Sent To Me For Review..." I hope to eventually carve out the time to read and review these books.

Cities of God

"Early Christianity was primarily an urban movement."

-p. 2, Rodney Stark, Cities of God: The Real Story Of How Christianity Became An Urban Movement And Conquered Rome

Motorcycle License

I passed my motorcycle safety class this weekend and now have my motorcycle license!

Saturday Shot

Construction in SOMA San Francisco.

Gordon Fee, Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God

This week I finished working through Gordon Fee's excellent book, Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God. This 203 page book is a condensed, re-packaged version of Fee's 992 page tome, God's Empowering Presence.

Perhaps someday I'll work through the 992 page version. But for now, Fee's 203 page work will receive a prominent place on my shelf, replacing J.I. Packer's Keep In Step With The Spirit as my favorite, most helpful read on the person and work of the Holy Spirit.

From the opening pages:

If the church is going to be effective in our postmodern world, we need to stop paying mere lip service to the Spirit and to recapture Paul's perspective: the Spirit as the experienced, empowering return of God's own personal presence in and among us, who enables us to live as a radically eschatological people in the present world while we await the consummation. All the rest, including fruit and gifts, serve to that end.

Romans 3:11, My Problem with The Seeker Sensitive Movement

My problem with the theology and methodology behind the seeker sensitive church:

...no one seeks for God
Romans 3:11b

Contrary to those who believe the seeker sensitive church model is a thing of the past, a fad of the 80's and 90's, I think this movement is alive and well in 21st century America. I'm all for audience sensitivity and contextualization, but let's not misunderstand the nature of the human heart as seeker-sensitivism does.