The Entrepreneurship Initiative

The Entrepreneurship Initiative. Using business and entrepreneurship as a vessel through which the Gospel might renew and build culture anew. All I have to say is "Wow."

EI Overview from Redeemer Video on Vimeo.

The Four Holy Gospels

Wow! Makoto Fujimura discussing his work for the forthcoming illuminated manuscript The Four Holy Gospels.
ht Justin Taylor

Fujimura - 4 Holy Gospels from Crossway on Vimeo.

"We today have a language to celebrate waywardness but we do not have a language, a cultural language, to bring people back home. And so everything I do, my paintings, the International Arts Movement, everything has something to do with that." ~ Makoto Fujimura

The Reason for God DVD Series

Looking for a model of how to interact with non-believers over their questions regarding Christianity? Take a look below.
ht Tim Challies

The Reason for God Trailer from Redeemer City to City on Vimeo.

Who's Game?

I have mentioned Joe's Place in a previous post. Joe's Place is a collaboration between Crossroads Fellowship, a PCA congregation in Maplewood, MO, and the Maplewood Richmond Heights School District to address the very real issue of homelessness among the student population.

Click here to see an updated glimpse into their story.

I have also mentioned in a previous post that 12% of Birmingham City School students are listed as homeless. So who's game?

How did Jesus prayed for us to live?

Don't let the soft voice and the gentlemanly British accent disguise these powerful words encouraging us to live in light of how Jesus prayed for us to live from His High Priestly Prayer found in John 17.

What she said.

Art House Dallas from Charlie peacock on Vimeo.

More Context

On this past Tuesday, in response to reflecting upon my recent 20th year high school reunion, I mentioned that a subject, removed from its original context, has a much higher possibility of being misunderstood. This whole concept of a proper comprehension of context leading to a proper understanding of reality eventually got me to thinking about Western evangelicalism's representation of “the gospel”. (Completely logical tie-in, don’t you think?)

While I have linked a brief discussion on this subject before, it bears repeating that “the gospel” which many well-meaning, faithful saints define as “Jesus Christ died for my sins”, is in fact a statement removed from its larger, Biblical context. Because this statement of Gospel has been removed and separated from its greater context, a complete understanding of its proper interpretation and application runs the unnecessary risk of being hindered.

Tullian Tchividjian, senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, speaks to this idea of a larger context in a 2009 Christianity Today article where he states that,

"The gospel is not simply the story of Christ dying on the cross for sinners. It also involves Christ rising again as the first fruits that will eventually make all things new. There is a universal dimension to the gospel."

A similar sentiment is repeated from another corner of the Evangelical world by Soong-Chan Rah in his challenging book, “The Next Evangelicalism: Freeing the Church from Western Cultural Captivity”. In his chapter on individualism Rah says that,

“Our understanding of salvation is contingent upon how we view what we are being saved from, namely sin and it’s consequences. When sin is limited to the individual realm and does not extend to the corporate realm, our understanding of salvation is also limited to the individual realm. Sin, therefore, is found only in the individual, not in structures and systems. The possibility of redemption, therefore, is also limited exclusively to the individual. A relationship with God limited to the private and individual realm ultimately limits our experience with God.”

In other words, we need to look at a context much larger than the individual in order to properly understand the subject of the gospel. Again, a subject, removed from its original context, has a much higher possibility of being misunderstood.

The Gospel is not a “get out of Hell free” card lying upon the grand Monopoly board of life. As long as you pick up the card, you can then go on living however you want. If you ever do get into trouble, just whip out your handy card and all is good.

The Gospel is not simply something that sinful heathens need so that they can become “good Christians” like the rest of us “upstanding church folk”.

No, the Gospel is a story, with implications both for the believer as well as the non-believer. That is not to say that it is merely a story, in some diminutive sense, but it is a story nonetheless.

Michael Williams, author, theologian and Professor of Systematic Theology at Covenant Theological Seminary says it this way in his 2005 publication entitled “Far as the Curse is Found: The Covenant Story of Redemption”.

“The Bible as a whole is best understood as a story or drama. To be sure, the Bible does more than tell a story. Scripture includes psalms, proverbs, songs, prayers, moral instruction and doctrinal reflection. But what holds all of it together, what makes it a unified revelation is the storyline, what theologians often call the drama of redemption. The nonnarrative pieces fit into and make sense only within their appropriate contexts in the biblical storyline.”

What we are talking about is an amazing, mind-blowing, borderline absurd grand narrative beginning in eternity past when God, within the wisdom of his own counsel and at the initiation of his own sovereign will decided to speak creation into being. He created all things in a set period of time and then pronounced over what he had created that it was good, very good even.

It was into this good creation that an Evil came and fractured what was good and right. In Genesis 3 we read the historical account of perfect creation, lost; perfect relational connection, lost; between man and woman, between humanity and its God.

Lost. Broken. Fallen.

Yet immediately following, we are introduced to the coming next chapter. In Genesis 3:15 we see the announced coming of One, referred to as the offspring or seed of the woman who will come and bruise the head of the serpent. Far beyond a mythical back story explaining why humans and snakes haven’t historically gotten along, what we witness here is the iron clad promise of One who is coming, this seed of the woman, who will ultimately defeat the serpent. This language of “offspring” is picked up again within a few short verses in Genesis 4:25 referring to the birth of Eve’s son, Seth.

Have you ever wondered why all of those genealogies are in the Bible? For example, you have Genesis 5, tracing the line of Adam and Seth through to Noah and his son Shem. Then picking up in Genesis 11 we trace Shem through to Terah, who was the father of Abram. Arriving much later at the New Testament, the very first thing we read in Matthew 1 is another genealogy! This time Matthew picks up with Abraham, who has had his name changed from Abram, and traces a direct link through 16 verses to Joseph, the husband of Mary.

So what’s the point? The point is that from the very beginning, we are heading towards Matthew 1:18, the birth of the long ago promised offspring of the woman as the cure for a disease which began in Genesis 3:15. The story we get from Genesis and the rest of the Pentateuch through the historical books, prophets and poetry of the Old Testament, point us towards that which is clearly articulated in the Gospels and subsequent pages of the New Testament. This Promised One is coming, not simply to give people a game board piece or to enable individuals who need a little extra push towards morality in order to be made fully whole. Rather, He is coming to defeat the serpent and to reverse, ultimately in its totality, the effects of that which was lost in the Fall.

This is a message far greater than the self help, Oprah spiritualism that masquerades as gospel in some communities of faith today.

What is God doing? He is telling us a story with one repetitive plotline. Things, people, creation, it’s all broken and He is about the business of restoring broken things to their proper, pre-fall places. Rather than an individualistic story of therapeutic feel-good, we are talking about nothing short of God’s reconciliation of all things to Himself through Jesus Christ.

In the next post in this series on context, we will seek to look at the “so what” implications of all of this and why it makes any difference at all in the way we live our lives.

Context is Everything

Over this past weekend I attended my 20th high school reunion. Honestly, it has placed me in a rather contemplative mood. There has been much taking stock and self-analyzing introspection, some of which I have had to toss and some of which has actually been pretty healthy.

To my wife (for whom I will not reveal which of her reunions we last attended, mainly because she knows where I sleep, unguarded and defenseless) this was one of the first times she had spent any extended time around this group of people with whom I shared much of my formative youth.

Afterwards, as we were driving away, having spent many hours reliving old war stories and laughing at tales of youth and immaturity (some of which I pray my children never, ever hear about) I asked her for her observations on the day.

“There was a lot of storytelling,” she replied. She went on to explain that at her last reunion (which shall remain numerically unidentified) she and her classmates spent much of their time catching up on life since graduation. They spoke of marriage, kids, careers, etc. With my class, however, we spent the majority of our time simply reliving the tales of a shared childhood, reflecting on a common heritage and experience.

5 random things my wife better understands about me after having attended my 20th reunion:

1. Why I like country music so much. (including why I know the words to every Hank Jr. song ever written.)
2. Why I have a serious aversion to certain beverages.
3. Why I can dance slightly better than the average (suburban, white, PCA) bear. (Thanks Roiant)
4. Why I should never, ever be trusted around unattended, classic muscle cars with keys in the ignition. (Sorry Lee. But, man, that car could fly.)
5. Why I still, after all these years, enjoy watching re-runs of “The Dukes of Hazzard”. (CMT, I owe you a debt of gratitude I could never repay. P.S. my wife hates you.)

What Susie received, as an outsider to this group, was a context which illuminated a greater understanding of the whole. In short, by taking in the greater context, she walked away with a greater understanding of her husband.

A subject, removed from its original context, has a much higher possibility of being misunderstood.

Honestly, all of this may completely bore you to death. In reality, however, acknowledging the relationship between right context and right understanding is vital to our overall comprehension of, well, pretty much everything.

Coming up next: I will attempt the intellectual, acrobatic high-wire act of connecting the above, quasi-ridiculous article with a somewhat more serious discussion of how an inadequate comprehension of Biblical context has led to an incomplete understanding of and application of the Gospel.

Wedgwood Circle, a unique take on patronage

It has become increasingly popular (thankfully, in my humble opinion) in Christian circles to speak positively of creating Art and culture, and of doing so from a uniquely Christian perspective. From pastors such as Tim Keller, Andy Crouch, Scotty Smith and others who ultimately stand upon the towering shoulders of Francis Schaeffer to artists like Bono, Andrew Peterson, Michael Card, Charlie Peacock, Makoto Fujimura, etc., many are promoting creativity as a mimicry of the Divine and the creation of beauty as a valid avenue of bringing glory to the ultimate King of Glory.

There are also some who are beginning to address the issue of creating environments of creativity, caring not only about the end product, the art, but also caring well for the artists. Wrapped up in this larger discussion is the interesting aspect of caring for artists by purposefully developing a market for their art. In other words, if artists are to thrive and help us as a society “see” what few in our increasingly frantic culture have the time or trained eye to see, then we must think through the creation of avenues by which artists may earn an actual living wage for their work. In other words, we are talking about the revival of a system of patronage.

Wedgwood Circle is one particular group pursuing just this kind of endeavor. Check them out.

If you are anything like me, your reaction will probably follow a similar path. Mild confusion – elementary understanding – utter disbelief – growing excitement – an uncontrollable urge to initiate something similar – an uncomfortable reminder that I am not, nor do I know any “high net worth investors” – low level depression – reminder that it is ultimately God who is the Author of all good things – and then my final arrival at a place of dependence upon the Lord to do what He will.

(Why must I always go through such emotional gymnastics before I arrive at dependence upon and rest in Him? Oh well, yet more evidence that I have not yet arrived. Man, and I thought the whole seminary degree had taken care of that one.)

Deep thoughts about Puerto Rican food

I like arroz con gandules.

I know that sounds strange coming from a white guy who grew up in South-west Alabama, especially since most people don’t even know what arroz con gandules is. Basically it is a rice-based dish from Puerto Rico made with pigeon peas. Every family function or special occasion includes this, the unofficial national dish of the island. And it is heavenly. Mmmm.

I also particularly like mofongo and lechon, both traditional Puerto Rican dishes. There is actually much about Puerto Rican food and culture that I love dearly.

I love the island and its slower pace of life. I love the people with their celebratory lifestyles. Absolutely everything is an opportunity to throw a party. And the music! I am firmly convinced that the true, complete and pleasing worship of the Triune God will never be fully realized until we begin writing more worship music with merengue and salsa rhythms. (said tongue planted only partially in cheek)

So how does a slightly red-neckish guy from LA (that would be lower Alabama) come to love the food, culture and rhythms of a small Caribbean island like Puerto Rico?


Well, in short, I fell in love with all of these things because I love a Puerto Rican. My wife was born in San Juan and much of her family still lives both in Rio Piedras and Caguas. Though she grew up much of her life in the States, when you stepped through the front door of her family’s home, you were in Puerto Rico. It is because of my love and intense affection for a particular person that I have become enamored with and have begun to develop at least an elementary understanding of the culture of a particular people.

And this concept got me thinking. If there are particular cultures or people groups towards whom I display a lack of understanding or even affection, could at least part of the reason be because I have not loved particular people well?

Rather than the fault being with “them”, and you can fill in your own blank with whoever this might be for you. It may be a particular racial group (Hispanics for example or maybe African-Americans), a certain segment of society, (maybe the mentally ill), a specific socio-economic group (perhaps the poor or maybe even the very rich), a particular affinity group (artistic types or free thinkers). Whoever our specific group may be, rather than finding fault with “them” for not conforming to our standards of whatever is “normative”, perhaps the weight of the matter rests upon the sad fact that we simply have not loved well.

I love Puerto Rico because I love a Puerto Rican. And it is because of my love for a Puerto Rican that a more fully orbed picture of the true Kingdom of God has been opened before me. A Kingdom that includes God-glorifying things like arroz con gandules and Merengue.

We are told in Scripture that there is coming A Day when we will all see this carried out to it’s fullest conclusion, when the King of Glory returns and people…

“from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages [stand] before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and [cry] out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

And when I picture this scene from Revelation 7, with no intended irreverence at all, I can’t help but hear the multitudes sing with a slightly Latin-infused rhythm. Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Oak Mountain and La Quemada in the news

Oak Mountain Church is part of a larger community of people seeking to bring the light of the gospel into a world darkened by drugs, gangs, prostitution and abject poverty. And one of the coolest parts? This is not simply a one-time event motivated by a particular populations appeasement of their "affluent guilt" complex. There are a group of passionate, long-term committed, relational, sold-out-for-the-sake-of-the-nations type of people who are down here on a regular basis meeting the needs, not of "poor, helpless people" but of individuals created in the image of God, fellow image bearers.

Check out local news coverage of one recent event here.

Loving Well

Scott and Alison Herron are friends that Susie and I got to know during our time in St. Louis. The Herron's currently live in Bentonville, Arkansas where Scott teaches high school. They have jobs, kids, responsibilities, in short, they have a full plate.

Not too long ago, Alison felt the Lord leading her to invite Marie, a young woman having a tough time, into their home and to provide her with stability, mentoring, friendship, a shoulder to cry on (and with). In short, Scott and Alison decided to love well.

This is a snapshot of the story from Marie's point of view.

Art House America

Begun by Andi Ashworth and Charlie Peacock in Nashville, TN, Art House America seeks to "cultivate creative community for the common good". The following quote from Charlie's article Creative Community for the Common Good sums up their vision fairly nicely.

Like a farm that nurtures good health, Art House America is in the business of cultivating creative people who bring good health to people and planet. Sometimes these creative people are artists in the most traditional sense — makers of music, theater, films, dance, paintings, and metalwork. You know the kind. With the word “art” in our name you know we take this seriously. Just as important, though, is our work of encouraging everyone, in everything, to live imaginative and meaningful lives. We really do believe that every human being is made to be a creative contributor, to play his or her role in the artful, meaningful life of caring for people and planet. We really do believe, along with C.S. Lewis, that the imagination is the “organ of meaning,” and that its fruit is creativity of every kind.

This is also similar to what many here at Oak Mountain Church have begun to see manifested within our local context with The REnaissance Project. It is encouraging to see a broader movement throughout the church at large towards such a movement where beauty and creativity are not only accepted, but purposefully developed and encouraged to flourish. May God continue to bring glory to himself through the continued expansion of such a movement.

The REnaissance Project part 4

part 1 A Transitional Movement
part 2 A Revival of Classical Influence
part 3 A Flowering of the Arts and Literature

So how will The Renaissance Project seek to practically carry out this vision?

II. Structural framework (borrowing from Redeemer PCA's Center for Faith and Work)

The REnaissance Project seeks to:

• Build communities of artists where they can know and be known by God and by one another (Seeking GRACE from God)

• Provide opportunities for artists to create in a safe, nurturing and grace-centered community, for the benefit of the church and the city of Birmingham
  (Sharing GRACE in community)

• Lead the community of faith at Oak Mountain Church to engage with the art and artistic communities in and around Birmingham
  (Showing GRACE to all)

The REnaissance Project part 3

So what is the REnaissance Project?

I. Philisophical Framework (in 3 parts)

(part 1 of 3) A Transitional Movement: a re-structuring of priorities
(part 2 of 3) A Revival of Classical Influence: a re-discovery of ancient inspiration

(part 3 of 3)
A Flowering of the Arts and Literature: a re-birth of creativity

During the Renaissance there was an explosion of creativity and beauty which brought glory to the ultimate Author of creativity and beauty. This was not the first time in human history when such a movement took place. We have seen how in God’s creative act in Genesis 1 that he set the paradigm for creating and highlighting beauty. We also saw from Exodus 31 and in David’s serving as a poet, a songwriter and a musician how creativity flourished among God’s people.

As we look at the Bible itself we see varied genres of literature displayed highlighting the diversity and creativity even within specific areas of the Arts. We witness everything from History to Poetry and music to Prophecy. We see the creative use of language as the author’s own personalities and artistic gifts are used and even highlighted by the Holy Spirit.

The Renaissance Project also desires to assist, encourage, and participate in yet another God inspired explosion of creativity and beauty which brings glory to the God of all creation.

The REnaissance Project part 2

So what is The Renaissance Project?

I. Philosophical framework (in 3 parts)

Part 1) A Transitional Movement: a restructuring of priorities

Part 2) A Revival of Classical Influence: a re-discovery of ancient inspiration

After 400 years of slavery and oppression in the land of Egypt, the Lord brings the people of Israel through the Red Sea to the foot of Mt. Sinai in order to introduce himself to a people who were only vaguely aware that they were a people. Through the giving of Genesis by the divinely inspired pen of their divinely appointed leader Moses, we see a record of God’s introduction of himself to this recently freed group of slaves. People, meet Yahweh, your God. The first recorded act that a sovereign and purposeful God chooses to record, the first characteristic of himself revealed to this people is as Creator. Genesis 1:1 states that, “In the beginning, God created…” God as Creator. Creativity is a divine attribute. The very act of participating in the creative process is a mimicry of the Divine.

As we look around at the results of this divine act of creation, even in its fallen state our breath is taken away by jagged, snow-capped peaks, by vast, sparkling oceans, by the heart stopping beauty of a sunset, by the panorama of colors revealed upon a canvas of Fall leaves. Even in the amazing diversity and creativity displayed within the countless flora and fauna found across the globe, God’s creative nature screams to us in a symphony of varied revelations.

In Exodus 31 we see in the commissioning of Oholiab and Bezalel as craftsmen and artisans for the Tabernacle the importance which God places upon the creation of beauty for His own Glory. In the creation of beautiful things, whether that be a carefully built piece of furniture, a well constructed story, a beautiful painting, a spectacularly designed landscape or a finely crafted song, not only are we bearing and reflecting the image of God by mimicking the divine attribute of His creativity, we are also bringing glory to God by the creation of beauty.

Historically, particularly during the middle ages, much of the finest art in the area of music, sculpture, painting, calligraphy, etc was produced for and commissioned by the church. Where would Michelangelo or Da Vinci been without the church as a patron? Where would Handel have been without the body of Christ supporting his composing music for God’s own glory? It could even be argued that David in his composition and performance of music at the request of King Saul was a beneficiary of Saul’s (admittedly schizophrenic) patronage.

The Renaissance Project desires to encourage and work towards a return to the churches broader involvement in and support of the arts community.

An Introduction to The REnaissance Project

So what is The REnaissance Project?

I. Philosophical framework

Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word “renaissance” as the following:

1 the transitional movement in Europe between medieval and modern times beginning in the 14th century in Italy, lasting into the 17th century, and marked by a humanistic revival of classical influence expressed in a flowering of the arts and literature and by the beginnings of modern science b : the period of the Renaissance c : the neoclassic style of architecture prevailing during the Renaissance 2 often capitalized : a movement or period of vigorous artistic and intellectual activity 3 : rebirth, revival

In the coming days we will look briefly at each of the following three elements.

• A transitional movement
  
• A revival of classical influence
  
• A flowering of the arts and literature
  

A Transitional Movement: a re-structuring of priorities

We, as a Reformed denomination founded upon the importance of sola scriptura, have historically and correctly placed a very high degree of importance upon the hearing and teaching and preaching of God’s Holy Word. Whatever we do, whatever we teach, we do so because those things are found within the pages of the Bible. This is good. This is right. This is true.

However, as imperfect, fallen individuals, fractured by the Fall in ways beyond our full comprehension, we have at times failed to apply the high degree of importance found within the pages of Scripture to the full spectrum of life in the same ways which Scripture does.

All of life is under the Lordship of Christ. Where we have rightly placed importance upon the faithful preaching of God’s Word and holy living, we shall say “Amen”. However, in areas where we have not historically appropriated the Lordship of Christ, we must repent for our incomplete application of gospel Lordship and seek, under the authority and motivation of Scripture, to move forward in the reclaiming of those areas.

The Arts is one such area that has historically been neglected within the larger Reformed community of believers. In seeking to raise the importance of this particular area of life, we do not in any way seek to de-value areas where we have historically been strong. The Renaissance Project seeks to reclaim and champion an important and vital area of God’s good creation by emphasizing the Lordship of Christ over all areas of the Arts and claiming them for His glory.

The Power of a Mentor

I read an interesting article over on CNN earlier today about Donald Miller and David Gentiles (pictured above). Never heard of Gentiles? Well, if it weren't for Gentiles you probably would never have heard of Miller. Regardless of what you think about Miller's personality, theological positions or political affections, this article is a great testimony to the power of mentoring.

One life being poured into another for the sake, not just of that individual, but for the sake of the broader kingdom.

It is what Atlanta business-man Regi Campbell in a 2009 book titled "Mentor Like Jesus" calls "intentionally investing in the next generation .... for God's glory." It is a process patterned by Jesus and commanded by Jesus. And it is an area in which many modern evangelical churches, for all of our technological know-how and theological precision are amazingly anemic.

So read about Gentiles' impact on Miller. Consider the books not written, the initiatives not begun and ask yourself, who are those in the next generation into whom you are pouring your life?

Then join me in repentance over our failure to give away what we have been so freely given, namely our lives and the grace by which to live them through faith in the unmerited favor and blessing of a Savior greater than we could ever imagine. Then, and only then, in light of this amazing grace shown to us, let us move forward into the amazing and humbling challenge of pouring what we have been given into the lives of others. For the glory of God.

For hospitality or for narcissism?

The average North American consumer spends between 30 – 40 percent of their monthly income on home related expenses. Much of that same group rarely experiences any social interaction at all within that home with the exception of their immediate family.

We often justify the purchase of homes and lifestyles so that we will have enough space to have friends over, to “entertain”, or within the evangelical community to “use for ministry”. However, too often we end up working so much to pay for our financial over-extension that we never have the time or energy left over to engage in actually entertaining or “ministering” in our neighborhoods.

So if this significant investment of such a large portion of our financial resources is not truly being used for the sake of loving others well through acts of service and hospitality, thereby expanding the influence of the gospel within our immediate communities, are we then not doing so simply for the sake of narcissism and personal comfort?

May we see our sin and negligence towards Christ’s command to love neighbors well.

May we be grieved.

May we be driven in desperation to the compassion and mercy that only the cross of Christ provides.

And may we then, from that place of forgiveness and assurance of the Fathers good pleasure towards us, move forward into our communities, throwing open our arms as well as our front doors and love well those whom God has sovereignly placed in our path.

A Church for the Non-khaki Crowd?

This past weekend was a festival filled extravaganza around the Birmingham area. There was The Preserve Jazz Festival in Hoover, the 8th annual Art in the Gardens at Aldridge Gardens, also in Hoover, and then there was the Magic City Brewfest held at Sloss Furnaces. Basically, if you weren’t out and about in and around Birmingham this weekend, you missed some amazing opportunities.

For my wife and I, the appointment on the calendar was for the Magic City Brewfest. Some friends of ours had extra tickets to this sold out event and invited us to tag along. While this may not necessarily have been a “normal” outing for us, the free tickets fit very nicely into our family budget and we really do enjoy spending time with the couple who invited us, so we gladly accepted.

There were several things that struck me about the day. First of all, contrary to popular belief, Birmingham and its residents are in no way shape or form an “over-churched” city. This is not to say that there are not segments or cultural pockets of our city that are not saturated. There seems to be no shortage of churches seeking to grow Christ’s kingdom by reaching people who dress like them, eat like them, smell like them, speak like them and agree with every conceivable point of doctrine and theology.

And of course, there is certainly a place for this. After all, men in khakis, loafers and golf shirts need the gospel too. However, if we only surround ourselves with echoes of what we already are convinced is “normal”, it becomes all too easy to slip into a continually shrinking community of individuals who simply “amen” our ever narrowing perspective.

Which, I guess, leads me to a second realization. Many within the churched culture do not spend time outside of our circles of social comfort very often. In short, we do not deal with “different” very well.

But what I witnessed on Saturday afternoon at a beer festival in downtown Birmingham was a church plant waiting to happen. The people there struck me as a crowd Jesus would have felt very much at home with. And those whom I had the opportunity to spend time with struck me, somewhat surprisingly I must confess, as a somewhat Jesus friendly crowd. (Of course they were a generally friendly crowd to begin with and became even “friendlier” as the day went on.)

About half way through the afternoon, I looked at my wife and wondered aloud, Where is the body of Christ followers pursuing this particular group of people? People like the guy with one argyle sock permanently tattooed from ankle to mid-calf on one leg. People like the young couple gently pulling their two toddlers behind them in their Radio Flyer wagon as they went from booth to booth sampling the various products on display. People like the molecular biologist who has a guitar case full of half finished verses and partial choruses at home, never bringing them out for public display because he wasn’t a “real” musician. People like the band member from one of the bands performing that day, who loves his wife and kids, faithfully shows up at work every day and spends all his free time playing multiple stringed instruments and perfecting his own home brew.

Will these individuals be reached by a community of believers who often pride themselves in a devotion to traditionalism and conformity to cultural norms over and above a devotion to Christ and a conformity to Biblical norms? Or will it take a return journey, past a church who often still pines for the “golden age” of the 1950’s, beyond the revivalism of the 18th and the 19th centuries, through the 16th century and all of the glory that was the Protestant Reformation, going all the way back to the 1st century and a wandering Palestinian preacher who made it a point to pursue those not welcomed within the acceptable circles of established religion of the day?

My brain is churning, my heart is enflamed, and my prayer is for Christ to invade and move among a people who do not yet know that they are a people. May the glory of the Lord illumine eyes that are dark and warm hearts that are cold, wherever they may be found.

Extreme Giftedness; Dedication to Craft; Desire to Glorify God

What do you get when you mix an extreme giftedness, and dedication to craft with a desire to glorify God by forming and impacting culture?


Makoto Fujimura is an artist who creates beauty from a place of deep theological understanding. And he does so to wide critical acclaim as well.

What if all of Christendom lived out the inescapable call to bear the Creator's image in each of our uniquely assigned realms? There is only one possible outcome of such a movement...

REVIVAL.

A Former Monastic, An Actor, A Pastor

(image by John L. White P/D)

Several years back, when I was a student at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, MO, I was fortunate enough to be able to work in the seminary's admissions office. As a full-time student, and a full-time father and husband, being able to have a job where I could walk straight out of class and into a setting where I was immediately applying practical ministry skills was an incredibly valuable part of my preparation for being a shepherd of God's people.

And the opportunities to shepherd were numerous and varied, like the guy who was investigating seminary because his boss at Taco Bell said he couldn't really do anything else worthwhile, so he might as well be a pastor. (We decided that seminary probably wasn't the most appropriate path for him, by the way.)

And then there was the evening a guy named Jim Butz walked in and asked to talk to someone about applying to seminary. There were several things that stood out about Jim. For one, he had spent some time living in a monastic community. A real live monk. You don't meet many monks in real life, so when you do you kind of want to take advantage of the opportunity.

Another thing that stood out about Jim was his passion for life and his respect for the image of God in people. This conviction of a persons intrinsic value manifested itself early in Jim's marriage when he met a homeless guy downtown in Forest Park and invited him to come home and sleep on the couch until the guy could get back on his feet. Did I mention that Jim and his bride had barely been married a year at this point? This was no ordinary guy (or ordinary bride for that matter).

Jim was also an actor. A real live, honest to goodness, Shakespeare-in-the-park kind of actor. It was actually after one of his performances of Shakespeare in the Park where Jim met his homeless roommate. Just met him and brought him home.

I have remembered my conversations with Jim often. It was one of many opportunities God has taken to introduce me to individuals who pursue art, craft and beauty to the glory of a creative God.

I was excited recently to discover this April 2010 article in the St. Louis Post Dispatch about Jim and the relationship between his craft and his faith. Imagine, a man living out in his God-given, creative spirit what it means to be both an artist and a pastor.

I, for one, pray for many more "Jims" to be called by a God who creates and ordains beauty; a beauty which sings of His own great Glory.

Being morally and spiritually distinct without being culturally segregated

An excerpt from Tullian Tchividjian's Unfashionable: making a difference in the world by being different.

Martin Luther was once approached by a man who enthusiastically announced that he’d recently become a Christian. Wanting desperately to serve the Lord, he asked Luther, “What should I do now?” As if to say, should he become a minister or perhaps a traveling evangelist?

Luther asked him, “What is your work now?”

“I’m a shoemaker.”

Much to the cobbler’s surprise, Luther replied, “Then make a good shoe and sell it at a fair price.”

In becoming Christians, we don’t need to retreat from the vocational calling we already have. Nor do we need to justify that calling, whatever it is, in terms of its “spiritual” value or evangelistic usefulness. We simply exercise whatever our calling is with new God-glorifying motives, goals, and standards—and with a renewed commitment to performing our calling with greater excellence and higher objectives.

One way we reflect our Creator is by being creative right where we are with the talents and gifts he has given us. As Paul says, “Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. . . . So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God” (1 Corinthians 7:20, 24). As we do this, we fulfill our God-given mandate to reform, to beautify, our various “stations” for God’s glory.

I once heard Os Guinness speak about what such reform will require. He said the main reason Christians aren’t making more of a difference in our world is not that they aren’t where they should be. There are, in other words, plenty of artists, lawyers, doctors, and business owners that are Christians. Rather, the main reason is that Christians aren’t who they should be right where they are.

Outwardly, there may be no clearly discernible difference between a non-Christian’s work and that of a Christian. Many have noted that a transformational approach to culture doesn’t mean every human activity practiced by a Christian (designing computers, repairing cars, selling insurance, or whatever) must be obviously and externally different from the same activities practiced by non-Christians. Rather, the difference is found in “the motive, goal, and standard.” John Frame writes, “The Christian seeks to change his tires to the glory of God and the non-Christian does not. But that’s a difference that couldn’t be captured in a photograph. When changing tires, a Christian and non-Christian may look very much alike.”

Not only is Christ the Lord of the church; he’s also supreme over the family, the arts, the sciences, and human society at large. In the famous words of Abraham Kuyper, “There is not one square inch in the entire domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, ‘Mine!’”

That’s why we must not withdraw from the world but rather bring the standards of God’s Word to bear on every dimension of human culture. Making a difference for Christ means bringing every area of our lives under his lordship. We must live in passionate devotion to him at all times and in all circumstances. As we do this, God’s renewing power is unleashed through us.

So, while Christians are to separate from the self-glorifying motives, God-ignoring goals, and subpar work standards of the world (our spiritual separation), we’re not to separate from the peoples, places, and things in the world (a spatial separation). We’re to be morally and spiritually distinct without being culturally segregated.

In Luke 16:9, Jesus encourages his disciples to match the resourcefulness of worldly people in reaching goals, but he specifies that the goals Christians pursue are different. We’re to focus on the glory of the age to come, not on the worldly pursuits of pleasure, profit, and position. The old saying that Christians shouldn’t be so heavenly minded that they’re of no earthly good is true as far as it goes, but in today’s world Christians’ earthly good depends on our heavenly mindedness. This reminds me of C. S. Lewis’s remark that the Christians who did the most for the present age were those who thought the most of the next.

One artist's interaction with the book of John

Seth Conley is an artist in East Nashville, TN. This is a snapshot from his story.

Can your back yard impact the Kingdom?

Were you aware that the state of Alabama has the 12^th highest rate of food insecurity out of all 50 States?

What about the fact that we rank 48^th according to the United Health Foundation America’s Health Rankings in national health status due to the high rates of obesity (28.4%) and diabetes (8.7%), increasing rates of children in poverty, and high premature death rate?

According to other recent studies addressing our specific area of the state, “over a third of Birmingham city children live in families below the poverty level. Younger generations, especially among the lower income communities have been shown to be becoming increasingly reliant on lesser nutritious convenience and fast foods. In conjunction with the tendency for Alabama children to eat the fewest fruits and vegetables of other states surveyed, Alabama children living in poverty are at even greater risk for health complications that can be easily prevented by dietary improvements and educational intervention.”

For many of us, this type of information is the equivalent of watching TV news reports of large scale African famines complete with swollen bellies and swarming gnats and flies. We would honestly rather just change the channel.

And we have.

Rather than seeing what is there, we would rather hang out at The Summit or Patton Creek. It’s pretty easy actually. As long as you never cross Red Mountain, one could easily go on indefinitely without ever stopping to contemplate the crisis that exists 15 minutes to the north of us.

But what if someone cared enough to move past the “I wouldn’t even know where to start!” stage? What if we began to contemplate the grace shown to us in our own relative economic blessing? What if there were a small handful of people who decided to apply for a Hope for the ‘Ham grant and walk into a downtown elementary school to do something like this? Or this? Or perhaps this?

Or what if a church decided to challenge its members to tap unused backyard space to produce, well…. produce? Each Friday, whatever is harvested for that week is then transported to an adopted downtown school where a small scale farmers market is erected. As children leave school for the weekend, they leave with a small sampling of fresh produce to take home to their families. Students families could also sign up for a “garden mentor” to spend one Saturday a month during the gardening season visiting with the family and laying out a home garden space, aiding them in becoming self-sufficient gardeners.

How long can we continue to simply change the channel? How long before God’s people are moved to see this dilemma, not as a welfare issue, but as a spiritual issue, an issue of our inadequate understanding of the grace shown to us by a merciful Father?

May God grant His people the eyes to see, the heart to care, and the will to address the issues that grieve His heart.

Matthew 25:35 – 40

35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’