I don't know what you're doing Friday night. I do know what you should be doing. You should be coming to The Covenant School to see wonderful art and hear a great concert. About a year and a half ago I attended a Derek Webb concert where a guy named Andrew Osenga opened for Derek Webb. I wasn't excited. A lot of Nashville shows feature a lot of 'friends' of the people you want to see perform. It is really common for performers to bring their 'friends' on stage during Nashville concerts. This would probably be amazing in any other city, but here it gets old, quick.
Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised that night when Andrew Osenga opened and then played guitar during the show. A few months later, I attended one of his shows and found out I liked his music. I began listening to his music and through him learned about Andrew Peterson and Andy Gullahorn. These three singer/songwriters have become my personal favorites. I am thrilled that they are performing at Covenant this Friday.
The concert will be great and here is some proof.
In addition to the concert, which begins at 7:15, we will be holding an art show starting at 6:00. The artists are Christian artists who create art that isn't necessarily overtly Christian. The goal of the evening is for the community to better understand how the gospel manifests itself through the arts. Our goal at The Covenant School is to train students to think biblically and hopefully someday make art that is shaped by their biblical worldview.
We'd love to have you visit us Friday night.
Let me know if you have any questions.
It's free. There will be some food.
1/28/09
1/25/09
Refusal ... Good Idea?
I refuse to teach my kids to address adults as sir or mam. I just can't do it. I moved to Nashville in 1993 and immediately learned a new custom. A teacher asked me a yes or no question. I responded, "Yes." He said, "Yes, what?" I said, "Yes, I will do what you asked me to do." He replied, "But, yes, what?" I didn't figure it out until he told me I needed to end answers with sir or mam. I wasn't convinced.
A few Christmases ago I was at a family party and one of the cousins was having a little trouble being kind to the rest of the family. When asked to participate in the holiday festivities, the child would respond with an emphatic, "NO!" Her father corrected her telling her to say, "NO, SIR!"
I've been teaching elementary school for nine years now. I see no correlation between respect and kids who say sir when I ask them a question.
So, I'm making my stand. I'm teaching Joshua about obedience and trying to come up with what he should say when I tell him to do something. It's kind of tough when sir isn't an option.
I've enjoyed your responses the last few weeks. So, I'm asking for some more. What do you think about the refusal?
And please remember to address me as sir.
A few Christmases ago I was at a family party and one of the cousins was having a little trouble being kind to the rest of the family. When asked to participate in the holiday festivities, the child would respond with an emphatic, "NO!" Her father corrected her telling her to say, "NO, SIR!"
I've been teaching elementary school for nine years now. I see no correlation between respect and kids who say sir when I ask them a question.
So, I'm making my stand. I'm teaching Joshua about obedience and trying to come up with what he should say when I tell him to do something. It's kind of tough when sir isn't an option.
I've enjoyed your responses the last few weeks. So, I'm asking for some more. What do you think about the refusal?
And please remember to address me as sir.
1/23/09
1/22/09
1/20/09
1/16/09
Gospel Reminders
I'm adding a link to a website recommended by my good friend Karen Fentress. It's called, 'Gospel Reminders.'
Here is a quote I found there from Anselm. I once took one of those twenty question internet quizzes to find out which theologian I would be. I tied between Anselm and Luther. Not that that matters at all, but I do like a good Anselm quote now and then.
Here is a quote I found there from Anselm. I once took one of those twenty question internet quizzes to find out which theologian I would be. I tied between Anselm and Luther. Not that that matters at all, but I do like a good Anselm quote now and then.
Q: “Who has truly pondered the weight of sin?”
A: “The one who has truly pondered the weight of the cross.”
- Anselm of Canterbury
1/12/09
There is a Reason
Some of you were able to come to the 'There is a Reason' event last year at Covenant. We're having it again this year with some new artists. The art show begins at 6:00 and features Carrie Buell, Kierstin Casella, Amanda Conley, Tiffany Dupree, Ginny Elder, June Kern, Keely Scott, Lynne Thompson, and possibly a few more. The concert will feature Andy and the Andy's. The band is made up of Andy Gullahorn, Andrew Osenga, and Andrew Peterson. It is going to be a great event and it's free!!! Please come and bring friends.
1/10/09
Question
Okay, I got thirteen comments in the Name My Band contest. Let's see what we can do here.
Today at the YMCA I was running and watching Fox News. The US Navy was dedicating a warship to President G.H.W. Bush.
Here's my question. Would you want something made for war named after you?
Today at the YMCA I was running and watching Fox News. The US Navy was dedicating a warship to President G.H.W. Bush.
Here's my question. Would you want something made for war named after you?
1/5/09
Name My Band Contest
One of my favorite high school memories took place in Bible class my junior year of high school. I still ponder the amazing lineup of students in that class. I don't think I've ever laughed more. On one particular day the teacher was teaching us about demons and hell. He talked about hell and referred to the 'souls of the wicked dead.' My friend James looked at me and said, "We've got our band name."
Rebecca and I got Guitar Hero: World Tour for Christmas and now we need to name our band. James hasn't let me know if I can use Souls of the Wicked Dead, so I'm asking for your help.
Please leave band names in the comment section. The winner can name my band and maybe even come over and rock.
Rebecca and I got Guitar Hero: World Tour for Christmas and now we need to name our band. James hasn't let me know if I can use Souls of the Wicked Dead, so I'm asking for your help.
Please leave band names in the comment section. The winner can name my band and maybe even come over and rock.
1/3/09
Benefit of the Doubt - What's at Stake?
I'm still coming off the sadness of my grandma's funeral this week. My cousins sang a song she wrote called, "Jesus is Sounding Me Out." The song was written about a sermon my grandma heard about a tree cutter who could tell if the tree was good or not based on pounding it. My grandma's song began -"Jesus is sounding me out - What kind of tree will I be?" My grandma had played the song for Rebecca and me the last time we visited her. We actually wondered if that song would be part of the funeral.
I knew the service would be old school bad theology. When I left the cult several years ago, a pastor friend of mine told me the group would begin to change their terms and concepts to fit the things they were hearing from people who were leaving. Most of the congregations in the group that fellowships with my former cult haven't had the mass exodus that mine has. They haven't had the motivation to change words and concepts to fit into a new box. Rebecca and I anticipated hearing the old message without any of the newfound buzzwords. It lived up to our expectations.
Several years ago a member of the group asked if he could explain some of the things God had opened up to him. He told me about not sinning in this life and how it has to be done by the Spirit instead of by our own will. It wasn't new. It was the same perfection doctrine with a few new twists. It wasn't salvation by faith alone in Jesus. The group also believes a believer doesn't actually have the Spirit unless they've spoken in tongues, so faith alone isn't even on the map.
When I first left, I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt when they talked about change. I wanted it to be true so badly, that I'd believe them when they told me there had been new light shown on their old doctrine. I had several conversations where I would listen to them describe their new beliefs. Most of the time I would ask, "So, it hasn't really changed, right?" And they would usually admit it was no different. The hardest and longest conversation I had was with a man who kept trying to end the conversation by telling me we basically agreed. I was finished with the conversation four or five times before we actually ended, but everytime I had a chance to exit he would repeat what he had said and tell me we were in basic agreement. I rehashed why we weren't over and over again.
I've been thinking a lot about those conversations this week. I've been thinking about my reaction to discovering the true gospel and the freedom of God's grace. I immediately thought of people I needed to repent to for spreading my false gospel. I had an overwhelming sense of grief for the lies I had spread. There were no sublte changes or new lights shed on old beliefs. I had to renounce all I had believed and stand on the grace of Jesus. My foundation had to be exposed and obliterated, not reorganized.
The reason I cannot give them the benefit of the doubt when I hear about new lights and new words is because I love the people still there. I believe with all my heart the most loving thing I can do for those I long to see delivered is take a hard-lined stand. I heard a line a few years ago about Christians being against the world for the world. I feel the same call for those I love still in the bondage of false-religion.
What's a stake is the souls of people who have put their faith in another gospel which is no gospel at all. Pray with me for their salvation. Pray with me for their foundation to be destroyed so the Lord of love and grace can be their rock.
As I listened to my grandma's tree song I thought about the songs we sing about Jesus and trees at our church. We sing about a tree and a Savior being hung on that tree. He wasn't there proving my goodness or my love. He was keeping the covenant in my place. He is the God who saves, and that makes all the difference.
I knew the service would be old school bad theology. When I left the cult several years ago, a pastor friend of mine told me the group would begin to change their terms and concepts to fit the things they were hearing from people who were leaving. Most of the congregations in the group that fellowships with my former cult haven't had the mass exodus that mine has. They haven't had the motivation to change words and concepts to fit into a new box. Rebecca and I anticipated hearing the old message without any of the newfound buzzwords. It lived up to our expectations.
Several years ago a member of the group asked if he could explain some of the things God had opened up to him. He told me about not sinning in this life and how it has to be done by the Spirit instead of by our own will. It wasn't new. It was the same perfection doctrine with a few new twists. It wasn't salvation by faith alone in Jesus. The group also believes a believer doesn't actually have the Spirit unless they've spoken in tongues, so faith alone isn't even on the map.
When I first left, I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt when they talked about change. I wanted it to be true so badly, that I'd believe them when they told me there had been new light shown on their old doctrine. I had several conversations where I would listen to them describe their new beliefs. Most of the time I would ask, "So, it hasn't really changed, right?" And they would usually admit it was no different. The hardest and longest conversation I had was with a man who kept trying to end the conversation by telling me we basically agreed. I was finished with the conversation four or five times before we actually ended, but everytime I had a chance to exit he would repeat what he had said and tell me we were in basic agreement. I rehashed why we weren't over and over again.
I've been thinking a lot about those conversations this week. I've been thinking about my reaction to discovering the true gospel and the freedom of God's grace. I immediately thought of people I needed to repent to for spreading my false gospel. I had an overwhelming sense of grief for the lies I had spread. There were no sublte changes or new lights shed on old beliefs. I had to renounce all I had believed and stand on the grace of Jesus. My foundation had to be exposed and obliterated, not reorganized.
The reason I cannot give them the benefit of the doubt when I hear about new lights and new words is because I love the people still there. I believe with all my heart the most loving thing I can do for those I long to see delivered is take a hard-lined stand. I heard a line a few years ago about Christians being against the world for the world. I feel the same call for those I love still in the bondage of false-religion.
What's a stake is the souls of people who have put their faith in another gospel which is no gospel at all. Pray with me for their salvation. Pray with me for their foundation to be destroyed so the Lord of love and grace can be their rock.
As I listened to my grandma's tree song I thought about the songs we sing about Jesus and trees at our church. We sing about a tree and a Savior being hung on that tree. He wasn't there proving my goodness or my love. He was keeping the covenant in my place. He is the God who saves, and that makes all the difference.
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