I love college students. Absolutely love them. Perhaps it was because while at college Christ rescued me. Then we were able to invest our remaining undergrad years and the next three to serving on the campus full-time. (I saw “us,” because that’s where Kari and I met, serving side-by-side.) A long-time friend from childhood, Peter Dusan, now serves with his family as campus missionaries in Texas — to and with college students. In the short video below he encapsulates what it means to work with the next generation, as they explore identity, meaning, truth, intimacy, pleasure...

This weekend our church had a “spontaneous” baptism. A few people had signed up to be baptized, and the whole thing was not exactly spontaneous — the teaching at all three services was about baptism, in fact. We wrestled with the truths of baptism; particularly repentance and identification. We repent from trusting in our selves, turning from sin to embrace Jesus as Savior and Master, committing to follow Him for the rest of our lives and beyond into the next life. We repent from false views of God (Acts 20:28), to begin learning who the self-revealing God of the Scriptures is, and...

Download an e-book (PDF) version of Fight Clubs: Gospel-Centered Discipleship by pastor Jonathan Dodson. I’ve mentioned it before, and am eager to dig in myself. (Note: this isn’t a book built for just one person. You won’t be able to “fight” alone. So, send the link to a friend, read it together and fight for one another, together, through the Gospel.) Here’s the table of contents of Fight Clubs: Introduction 1. Why Fight?: The Call to Fight 2. Fighting for the Church: The Failure of Accountability 3. How to Fight: Motivations for Discipleship 4. Fighting with...

I’m very excited to soon see a finalized e-book version of Fight Club: Gospel-Centered Discipleship by Jonathan Dodson. Jonathan is Lead Pastor of Austin City Life in Austin, Texas. His gospel-centered emphases are water for my soul, always pointing past himself to the One who is our only Hope. A couple years ago I ran across his writings/articles on Boundless and was hooked. Fight Club looks to be a synthesis of both seeing our true enemies, and Gospel-motivated tactics. There are three simple rules for the fight clubs: Know your sin Fight your sin (together) Trust the Savior The church...

Every week I interact with teenagers. It’s more rewarding (and challenging) than I anticipate, every time. I tell whoever will listen that the greatest danger facing our youth is being swept away in a sea of triviality . There are endless waves of nonsense competing for their attention, and we must teach them to know a few things so well they are gripped (or anchored) by them. By God. By the Gospel. By God-centered and others-directed love which compels us to give our lives away (2 Cor. 5:9-21). I contend that adults are essentially junior high students, past the changing-everything-stage,...

Last Fall Ed Stetzer of LifeWay research co-wrote an article entitled "Simply Missional " in the inaugural issue of Neue Quarterly . The article is worth a read. Here’s the intro to whet your appetite: Simply Missional Ed Stetzer and Eric Geiger Dell Computers has shattered the warehouse myth. Most companies love big warehouses. They feel safe with lots of inventory on large shelves in massive warehouses, always ready for that next order. In their minds, the well-stocked warehouse confirms the belief they will always be able to meet customer demands and customer expectations. Dell...

The Gospel is not only the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ, it is the good news of a whole Life (here, now, and for all eternity) lived in His hands. Jesus is not only the starting point, He is the beginning, end and middle of life. There is never a second that we don’t need Jesus. Disciples need Jesus as much as sinners do. He is the only way to recapture true humanity, to become our best self, and to live for a vision beyond ourselves — giving our lives away. In Jesus we are moving from our former identity (sinners) to embracing the fullness of our new identity (disciples)....

(Over the weekend I preached on "The Devoted Church," from the text Acts 2:36-47. A few have asked to hear it, and I’m humbled by the request. Find the audio here .) We are all devoted to something. In fact, we are each devoted to many things. It’s what we talk about, think about, give time and money to. We will sacrifice anything and everything for what we consider most valuable, what we are devoted to. Acts 2:42-47 shows us what the early Christian church was devoted to: 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking...

“True spirituality is not a superhuman religiosity; it is simply true humanity released from bondage to sin and renewed by the Holy Spirit. This is given to us as we grasp by faith the full content of Christ’s redemptive work: freedom from the guilt and power of sin, and newness of life through the indwelling and outpouring of his Spirit.” - Richard Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiritual Life (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1979), 19-20. [HT: Of First Importance ] SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "True humanity + the Spirit", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2009/05/20/true-humanity-the-spirit/"...

Why are we so prone to lay down and grab the balance beam? Why are we content to hold on tight and do nothing? Watch as pastor Francis Chan illustrates the normal pattern of Christians in our culture, just wanting a safe, easy life. In the end, do we expect God — the Judge — to reward us and say “well done!” [HT: RevReav + the NewLife blog] SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "A safe, easy life", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2009/04/08/a-safe-easy-life/" });