It seems like the key to reading the one-chapter “postcard” Epistle of St. Jude is the word “keep” (or “kept”). God will keep His people by the one true message, the Gospel, which has been delivered once and for all to the saints (His chosen people, v. 3). But, this message is not just for us. It is to propel us forward in a mission towards others (vv. 22-23). The readers can understand the falling away and false teaching of their age (and ours) through Jude’s quick-but-thorough analysis. He bridges the OT and NT epochs under the one message of Jesus, the...

“So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. \\nGod is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”— 1 John 4:16 Being loved changes people. How do we know God loves us? What is His love like? “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.“— 1 John 4:10 God treated Jesus like He was us, so He could treat us like we are Jesus: His beloved, obedient, awesome Son. How can we know God’s love? God’s love takes action; compelled by love,...

“By becoming a Christian, I belong to God and I belong to my brothers and sisters. It is not that I belong to God and then make a decision to join a local church. My being in Christ means being in Christ with those others who are in Christ. This is my identity. This is our identity. . . . If the church is the body of Christ, then we should not live as disembodied Christians.” —Tim Chester and Steve Timmis, Total Church: A Radical Reshaping around Gospel and community, 41. Reminds me of Romans 12:1-8, especially vv. 3ff: 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present...

The documentary Collision comes out Oct. 27th. In it noted atheist Christopher Hitchens debates with pastor/theologian Douglas Wilson. Actually, it’s a series of debates around the U.S., as they seek to answer the question, “Is Christianity good for the world?” Watch the trailer below to see why it’s called “collision.” I’ve been looking forward to this release for months. A group of us are gathering to watch in Friday night the 30th. Let me know if you want to join in for the fun and discussion. Here’s a quick teaser trailer: SHARETHIS.addEntry({...

I’m still sorting out what I’ll blog next, and seeing how a rhythm of life will allow me to do so. In the meantime, here are some of my favorite articles from the last year or so: Happy Tensions: What, Why, How … + Who // my favorite article on seeing all things through the lens of Jesus. We need a Redeemer, not a system of redemption (how-to’s). I was pastoral intern at a purpose-driven church at the time Gospel-distorting approaches to change // perhaps another way of saying that all sin is idolatry, and since we worshiped our way to sin, we must worship our way out Happy...

With a full schedule of life, I will be unplugging for a while. No blog posts or Twitter updates for a while. \n\nSeeking to recapture the joy of being amazed and astonished by the Gospel. I talk of this continually, but am I swimming in the depths of all of who God is for us in Jesus? Instead of only pushing others in the deep end, I’m diving back in. So that when I’m soaking wet I can compel others to join us. SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Unplugging for a bit", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2009/09/08/unplugging-for-a-bit/" });

What does the album “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” by Wilco have to do with the Bible? Watch for a great description of both: A Wilco Review & the Bible from Rethink Mission on Vimeo. What’s in it? Pretty stuff. Hard stuff. An abrasion. It’s all there. Also amazingly beautiful. “You have to sit with it. You have to allow yourself the time to get something out of it.” // Message by Jonathan McIntosh, rethinkmission.org. SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "The Bible: allow yourself the time to get something out of it", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2009/09/04/the-bible-allow-yourself-the-time-to-get-something-out-of-it/"...

May sound like a strange project to undertake, but I actually have a “blog” that no one else can read. It’s private but online, no one else with access but me. It is a Web Blog in the truest sense: a list of sources, thoughts, ideas, quotes and illustrations from around the web (a log) and from reading good books. Thoughts on leadership, Scripture, messages to preach, quotes to share, the pile is getting higher. Why write a blog no one else can read? Because it is so easy to search it later. Wordpress is the prime content management system for such a project. Another reason: given...

I have a special aversion for the concept of “balance” when it comes to thinking about God and the Christian life. I’m not against balanced lives, just that balance is not the end goal. Devotion is. Giving our lives for Jesus’ fame is a worthy goal. Balance as a mindset has a self-focus. Yet, the purpose of our lives transcends self, for through Christ we can bearing for God. No one can stay “balanced” while being thoroughly God-centered and others-directed. To plant ourselves like a seed in this world, dying for Jesus, means our khakis will get dirty, our lives...

Here’s the 200-word pastor’s essay I recently wrote for a local paper, Wilsonville Statesman. Lots to say, but I figured I would make my first one theological, and move to the practical from there. (Doesn’t work so well, it seems to me, to go the other way around.) Not sure if it can be called an “essay” at 200 words. Living Our True Identity “Church” in our culture has come to mean an event or a building. “Worship” is thought of as the singing that takes place inside that building. Yet, Scripture teaches that the church is not merely an event or physical...