Six-Pack (49)

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Well, I missed the weekend deadline, but here is the most recent Six-Pack, all the same — a half-dozen of the best recent reads on faith, ministry, and who-knows-what! 

If six is too many, start with my two *Picks of the Week* as an easy entry point.

For a steady stream of such links, follow me on Twitter to the right of this post.  Sharp quotes and solid articles are tweeted 3-4 times daily.

Today’s edition:

1) Syrian Fight Focuses on Christian City that Still Speaks Jesus’ Language
My blog has had unusually high traffic recently, mostly due to a past post titled Malula and “The Passion”. In case you’ve not yet heard of this Syrian city, the link above will initiate you in one click.

2) Boobs on the Boob Tube
Whatever you expect this piece to be about, I’ll bet you’re not quite on target. I also bet that some of you will click the link just because this is the first time this blog has ever featured the provocative word above!

3) Remembering Robert Farrar Capon (*PICK OF THE WEEK*)
Sometimes I show up late. That appears to be have been the case with this fine life. Capon, an Episcopal priest, whose strikingly powerful thoughts on grace, Creation, and other spiritual truths have only recently been added to my world, passed away earlier this month. If you, like me, were  unaware of this man, it’s time to remedy that.

4) N.T. Wright Wants to Save the Best Worship Songs
Wright’s latest work is an effort to draw attention back to ancient Israel’s hymnal. Here is why he feels this is necessary and important.

5) I’m Rich Gelfond, CEO of IMAX, and This Is How I Work
Lifehacker presents this little post from a series called “This is How I Work”, a fascinating little peek into how leaders of all sorts go about their roles.

6) Superman Pastors are Bound to Fail (*PICK OF THE WEEK*)
Let’s just allow this title to speak for itself, shall we?

May the week ahead be filled with life, as the Father fills you with all you need!

YOUR TURN: Which link above was most intriguing–why that one? Direct others readers to the best of the bunch. Your input makes this post better!

[You can subscribe to this blog via RSS or email, in the upper right corner of this page.]

Can a Gum Commercial Make You Teary?

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This one might.

A Sermon Through A Child’s Ears

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hippoLast Sunday morning, our sermon at church focused on the story of Peter joining Jesus in walking on the water. In the midst of that section, I shared a passing story about my daughters and a cartoon hippopotamus. It turns out that these two portions were heard by my five-year-old nephew, who was uninterested in attending kids’ classes and was instead sitting in the back of the auditorium with an aunt.

After service, they recounted to me a conversation they had unfolded during my lesson:

Nephew: “I don’t think uncle Jason knows what he’s talking about.”

Auntie: “Well, I’m pretty sure he probably does.”

Nephew: “No, he definitely doesn’t.”

Brief Pause

Nephew: “Hippos do not walk on water.”

Is it fair to say that I’m hoping most in the room heard the message slightly differently than that?!

Six-Pack (48)

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Happy weekend, friends! Here is the latest Six-Pack of recent posts on faith, ministry, and who-knows-what!  I think it’s one of the best in a while.

If six is too many, start with my two *Picks of the Week* as an easy entry point.

For a steady stream of such links, follow me on Twitter ( @JasonBandura ) to the right of this post.  Sharp quotes and solid articles are tweeted 3-4 times daily.

Today’s edition:

1) 21 Skills of Great Preachers
There are few things I enjoy discussing more than preaching. Let’s start there with a lengthy quote I found on Josh Reich’s blog, though I’m unsure where it’s from.

2) The Most Overlooked Leadership Skill (*PICK OF THE WEEK*)
This short piece, from HBR, starts with Ultimate Frisbee and ends with a great reminder for anyone wanting to influence others, from kids to friends to whomever.

3) Alister McGrath, On Spiritual Transformation 
Scot McKnight shares some insights, from Alister McGrath, on what it takes for real transformation to happen in a life of faith.  If you don’t know McGrath, he was a prof at Oxford until 1998. Translation: He’s pretty sharp.

4) What is the Dark Night of the Soul?
This short TGC post strives to clear up some of the confusion, due to misuse, that swirls around this rich centuries-old and spiritually-rich phrase.

5) Can Noisetrade’s Free Downloads Still Save Music?
I’ve been discovering great music on Noisetrade for a couple years now. Here, CT tracks why the idea of giving away free music was birthed in the head of Derek Webb.

6) How to Focus: The Four Best Secrets to Unitasking (*PICK OF THE WEEK*)
I love A.J. Jacobs. He’s funny and curious, and that’s enough for me. In this post, he plays right into my long-held conviction that multitasking is a myth. And makes me laugh a couple times along the way.

There you go!

May your weekend be one of renewal as you rest and play and praise!

YOUR TURN: Which link above was most intriguing–why that one? Direct others readers to the best of the bunch. Your input makes this post better!

[You can subscribe to this blog via RSS or email, in the upper right corner of this page.]

Word and Spirit

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A pastor born in 1935, now with two doctoral degrees, views his life work in this way. You are in here somewhere.

Our premiss is this. It seems to us that there has been a ‘silent divorce’ in the church, speaking generally, between the Word and the Spirit. When there is a divorce, some children stay with the mother, some stay with the father.

In this divorce, there are those on the ‘word’ side and those on the ‘Spirit’ side. What is the difference?

Take those of us who represent the Word. Our message is this: we must earnestly contend for the faith ‘once delivered unto the saints’ (Jude 3), we need get back to expository preaching, sound doctrine such as justification by faith, the sovereignty of God and the internal testimony of the Spirit as taught by men like Martin Luther, John Calvin and Jonathan Edwards. What is wrong with this emphasis? Nothing. It is exactly right.

Take those whose emphasis has been on the Holy Spirit. What is the message? We need to rediscover the power that was manifested in the Book of Acts, there needs to be a demonstration of signs, wonders and miracles; we need to see the gifts of the Spirit operating in the church – that the world will once again take notice of the church so that people are left without excuse. What is wrong with this emphasis? Nothing. It is exactly right.

We believe that the need of the hour is not one or the other – but both! It is our view that this simultaneous combination will result in spontaneous combustion! And then, but almost certainly only then, will the world be shaken once again by the message of the church.

This was the message I have preached over the years at Westminster Chapel in London. This is what we are endeavoring to preach in America and around the world. This is not all we preach but it is certainly one of the main things we preach alongside the need for total forgiveness and learning to be sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

YOUR TURN: Where does your spiritual journey fit into this descriptions? What seems accurate about this assessment of Christianity and its message? What seems in accurate?

Leave a reply–your input betters this post!