Archive - Books RSS Feed

“The Bible’s really not about you.” – Tim Keller

Confession: I love Tim Keller. (Ok, “man-crush” might be more accurate.) Tim Keller pastors Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, a traditional church in many ways, but one that under Keller’s leadership has planted hundreds of churches all over the world. As a gifted thinker, scholar, pastor and writer, Tim Keller is in a very real sense, a pastor to many pastors (myself included).

Below is a short video that I think you will will find typologically beautiful and personally challenging. Many of us who have spent any significant amount of time in the American Church have been taught to understand the gospel in a way that is all about us and our personal salvation. While that is important, we often miss God’s larger vision for the Kingdom and the part we are to play in ushering it in. This hugely influences the way we read the scriptures. If we’re not careful, we can begin to buy into the idea that somehow the bible is really about “me” and “you.” But as this video beautifully illustrates, the scriptures point the way to something far more beautiful than what we see in the mirror. Enjoy. Continue Reading…

Review: Red Letters Project

Red Letters Project We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming, for a review. I know you're thrilled. So am I. Here's the deal, I am a part of a viral bloggers network (which is more than a little ironic considering I am horrible at blogging regularly) in which I get free books and music in exchange for writing briefly about them.

Now I do my best to stay positive on here. By nature, I am a pretty positive, hopeful guy. But every now and then I come across something so awful that nothing positive can be said. (Considering that I have been told to be brutally honest in these reviews), I introduce to you The Red Letters Project. The Red Letters Project claims to be a "one-of-a-kind Rock and Pop tour-de-force built on the real Rock, Jesus…blending the timeless life-changing text with a musical medium resonant with a new generation." Doubtful.

In reality, the multiple cd set takes all of the "red letters' found in Matthew and sets them over poor, uninspired music. Think of taking the most powerful message in the history of mankind and then singing the words over the worst of Christian radio. It's unmelodic, void of style and originality, full of awkward vocal flow, without any sense of poetry or rhythm, and well, just plain bad.

I laughed. I cringed. I almost cried. I give it one out of five stars.

Church Planter: The Man, the Message, the Mission

Right now I am reading the book "Church Planter: The Man, the Message, the Mission" by Darrin Patrick, pastor of The Journey in St. Louis. The book is excellent and I can't recommend it highly enough to every man who desires to step up and become a leader in his family and church, and particularly to anyone considering church planting in the future. For more, check out the video below.

 

Theology in Film

Kingdom-of-heaven-6

"I
put no stock in religion. By the word religion I have seen the lunacy of
fanatics of every denomination be called the will of god. I have seen too much
religion in the eyes of too many murderers. Holiness is in right action, and
courage on behalf of those who cannot defend themselves, and goodness. What god
desires is here [points to head] and here [points to heart] and what you decide
to do every day…" - Kingdom of Heaven