The Gospel in 3D - A Brief Review

I recently preached a three-part sermon series at Central Baptist Church in Sioux Falls. The topic was evangelism (aka Extending the Gospel) and the title was "The Gospel in 3D."

The concept, borrowed from my friend Ryan Berg, was that we extend the gospel by displaying, demonstrating and declaring (hence the 3D).

Central's Worship Arts team made the series really fun, creating a movie theater environment (complete with a concessions stand, movie tickets and 3D glasses) and greatly enhancing my preaching with relevant videos, fun 3D images, and other creative elements.

Curious? Check out a sample here.

Stuff My Son Says - #5

I recently got an iPad.  Let me clarify - my work got an iPad that I'm allowed to keep for professional and personal use.  Yesterday, Cameron and Liam were playing a couple of games on it, with the understanding that they wouldn't download any new apps without my permission.  A few minutes after they had disappeared with the iPad, Cameron approached me with this gem:

"Dad, I'm not saying that we downloaded anything inappropriate...but how do you delete stuff from an iPad?"

Stuff My Son Says - #4

This week, our local grocery store had all their Quaker products on sale for 50% off, so we loaded up on cereal and granola bars.  We hadn't purchased Quaker granola bars for a long time - evidenced by a couple of facts: 1) My shock at their puny size (When did granola bars become granola sticks?) and 2) Cameron's amazement at how tasty they are.  Here's what he said while eating his first one:

"I can't believe how good this is!  Thank you Quaker!  All those wasted years without you!"

Yes, he's a little dramatic, but very effective.  He really made me want to try one!  I'm convinced he should be the next Quaker Granola Sticks Bars spokeskid.

Theology in the Blogosphere

As part of my role with CruPress, I manage our Digital Ministry Resource website (crupressgreen.com), which includes a blog.  Our blog features contributions from good communicators within the US Campus Ministry.  I've always thought it was a lofty goal of our blog to stir the theological pot - to get people thinking and talking about relevant and sometimes controversial issues.  But, after reading this article, I may have to re-think my priorities.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/marchweb-only/bloggers.html

Give it a quick read and tell me what you think.

The Gospel in 3D: Week 1 - Declare

I'm currently preaching a three-part sermon series at my church.  Yesterday was the first installment, involving a broken tooth and a pillow pet.  Check it out here.

Stuff My Son Says - #3

Last week, Cameron and I were standing on the sidewalk, waiting to cross the street. He was looking to the right to see if it was safe to cross when he spotted a white car with a black hood bra, prompting this gem:

"We can go right after this car with the mustache."

I love that kid!

Introducing...

...a book!  (Sorry if that was a bit of a letdown.)

A couple of years ago, I started writing a book.  No, it doesn't have a title yet.  And yes, I've been rejected by more publishers than I care to remember.  But I think the topic is important enough and the content is good enough that I'm not willing to give up seeing this thing in print.

The story of how this book came to be is kinda long, so here's an excerpt from the actual Introduction that helps explain things.

The Project

In August of 2008, when I learned that I would be mentoring five dudes who were student leaders of a local campus ministry, I realized a couple of things:  1) I needed to make the gospel the focal point of discipleship. 2) I wasn’t cool enough, smart enough or experienced enough to pull this off. I also knew that I wanted to do more than just read and discuss the latest books.  I wanted these guys to get real gospel input from real gospel-loving people.

So over the course of a semester, I asked a different question each month via e-mail to a group of people who have influenced my faith over the years (pastors, mentors, professors, current church friends and old college buddies).  The actual questions touched on very practical aspects of experiencing and interacting with the reality of the gospel, generating some remarkable conversations.

As you’ll see shortly, the results of our little cyber-dialogue were much more than I bargained for.  The answers I received from these godly men were so rich and insightful that I not only wanted to share them with a few college students, but with as many people as possible. 

Sizable portions of what you’re about to read are simply honest and well thought-out answers to my questions.  Because of space limitations, I have only included answers from eight of the original sixteen participants. In addition to these answers, I’ve incorporated thought-provoking quotes from theologians, challenging passages of scripture, relevant song lyrics and my own (somewhat rambling, somewhat random) extended commentary on various facets of the gospel.

I hope that by reading, reflecting on, and discussing the following chapters, you can glean a deeper understanding and appreciation of the gospel’s magnificence and relevance.  And that you’ll laugh a few times along the way.