Video Blog: Garden Tomb
March 30, 2010 Leave a Comment
Video Blog: Church of the Holy Sepulcher
March 30, 2010 Leave a Comment
Video Blog: The Empty Tomb Part 2
March 30, 2010 Leave a Comment
Video Blog: Jesus’ Jerusalem
March 30, 2010 Leave a Comment
Video Blog: Elijah and the Prophets on Mt. Carmel
March 29, 2010 Leave a Comment
Video Blog: The Dead Sea
March 29, 2010 1 Comment
On the Blue Med
March 17, 2010 2 Comments
Our tour group arrived safely in Israel. Easy 9 hour flight.
Spent the night in a beachfront hotel on the great Blue Med in a city called Netanya, about 20 miles north of Tel Aviv. You could hear the ocean crash all night long. The vastness of the great ocean that Jesus saw most often is a refreshing reminder of God’s big-ness. When you look out over the coast line, you can not see anything but more and more water. Your eyes try to imagine the next piece of land, but it is incomprehensible to fathom.
God’s love is much like the big, blue med. It is vast and never ending. It is deep and replenishing. It is powerful and continuous. As I watch the sunrise on the big blue med this morning, I will reflect on the song by John Mark McMillian, and made famous by the Dave Crowder band…
He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.
And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all
We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
So Heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…
Best of Israel
March 15, 2010 Leave a Comment
Here is my travel schedule for the Campbellsville University Best of Israel tour. See Piligrim Tours for more info.
Day 2: Arrive Israel – We travel northward to our hotel for one night in the coastal area near Tel Aviv. The remainder of the day is free to walk along the Mediterranean, relax, and have dinner.
Day 3: Caesarea, Megiddo & Nazareth – After breakfast, we travel along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea to Caesarea, where Gentiles first heard the Good News from Peter and were baptized. We’ll see the Roman Amphitheatre and aqueduct, and then journey on to Mt. Carmel, where Elijah challenged King Ahab and the prophets of Baal. Next we travel through the Jezreel Valley to Megiddo, the Armageddon Battlefield. We drive through the area of Cana and Nazareth, the boyhood home of Jesus.
Day 4: Capernaum, Dan, Caesarea Philippi & Mount of Beatitudes – Dan is where the children of Israel fell to the depths of pagan worship and Caesarea Philippi which is also the site of Peter’s Confession. In Capernaum we will visit the ruins of an ancient synagogue and Peter’s home. Then we travel on to the site of the multiplication of loaves and fishes and the Mount of the Beatitudes overlooking the Sea. After viewing the ancient Fisherman Boat at an operating Kibbutz, we enjoy a relaxing cruise on the Sea of Galilee.
Day 5: Jordan River Baptism Site, Beth Shean & Dead Sea – We begin our day with a visit to the Jordan River Baptismal site. Next we travel southward to Beit-Shean/Scythopolis, the most magnificent archeological site in Israel, located at the strategic juncture of the Jezreel and Jordan valleys. We pass ancient Jericho, view from a distance this city famed as the oldest in the world, before coming to our lodging for the evening at the Dead Sea.
Day 6: Masada, Ein Gedi, Dead Sea Scrolls, Abraham’s Tent – Our day begins with a cable car ride to the mountain top fortress of Masada. Afterwards we proceed to Ein Gedi, “Spring of the Goat,” an oasis on the western shore of the Dead Sea. This is where King David hid from Saul, and where God defeated the enemies of the Israelites by praise and worship led by King Jehoshaphat. Next, we visit Qumran Caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.
Day 7: Around Jerusalem, Bible Times, Holocaust Museum - Passing by the Protestant Cemetery, we visit the “Upper Room” just outside the Zion Gate where the disciple whom Jesus loved laid his head on His breast and where later Thomas cried, “my Lord & my God.” An interesting and educational time awaits us at the Israeli Museum. Walk through collections of centuries old Israeli artifacts including the Dead Sea Scrolls, and a then a guided walk through an accurately detailed model of Biblical Jerusalem will help to prepare you for what you will experience in the following days. We conclude the day with a visit to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum.
Day 8: Jesus’ Steps, the Last Days – Today we walk where Jesus walked; beginning the day with a panoramic view of the city, Mount Moriah and the Dome of the Rock from atop the Mount of Olives and then the Garden of Gethsemane. Next we visit the House of Caiaphas where Jesus was beaten and spit upon. See a pit where he may have been held for the evening and the ancient hillside steps he walked as he was taken to be condemned. On our way into the city we will visit the Wailing Wall and then the fascinating Rabbinical Tunnels leading us through the Second Temple era. We move on to the Judgment Hall of Pilate, hear of those who conspired against Him and are reminded of His brutal beating and humiliation. From here we will also be able to see the Pool of Bethesda, Stephen’s Gate and St. Ann’s Church.
Day 9: Way of Suffering, Garden Tomb, Pentecost, Bethlehem – While walking along the Via Dolorosa, we are reminded of His way of suffering along with a visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Our climax of the day is the area of Golgotha (place of the skull) and the Garden Tomb, where we celebrate the resurrection with communion and a time of praise.
Day 10: Home – A very early morning departure for the Tel Aviv Airport for our flight homeward will allow for arrival home by early afternoon.
Finding IT at Columbia BC
March 12, 2010 Leave a Comment
Section taken from Western Recorder – March 12, 2010. By Drew Nichter. Full Article
Columbia Baptist kicked off Find It Here this past Sunday with a revival service that runs through Wednesday. KBC President Don Mathis is serving as evangelist.
And the church has invited the entire town—literally.
On the Friday and Saturday prior, several ladies in the church called every name in the Columbia phone book, inviting them to the church’s Find It Here revival. “That’s pretty aggressive outreach for a little town in Kentucky,” Taylor said.
They also have gotten the word out over the airwaves. Columbia Baptist’s Find It Here lay leader Kevin Jenkins used his disc jockey experience to put together a couple of 60-second radio spots which have been running regularly. He also has been making the rounds doing interviews at local stations.
Taylor said the church is pushing Find It Here so hard because “if we don’t take the gospel to the whole community, who’s going to do it?”
Columbia Baptist even has brought in a consultant to evaluate the church’s Sunday school classes “to position (them) for growth after Find It Here,” Taylor noted.
Campbellsville University School of Theology Professor Shane Garrison has been working with the church for several weeks now observing Sunday school to determine “what we need to do to reorganize and kind of get us unstuck so that we can follow up Find It Here with Sunday school growth,” noted Taylor, who also teaches at Campbellsville’s theology school.
Noting that Kentucky Baptists are in need of such an aggressive evangelistic effort as Find It Here, Taylor said he wants to see Columbia Baptist and others do everything they can to make the campaign a success.
My Office Tour
March 11, 2010 1 Comment
Kids on Mission Trips
March 11, 2010 2 Comments
Should children (gradeschool and below) be taken on serious, even dangerous, mission trips? Are children capable of sustained ministry over a period of 7 to 10 days? Do they help the overall ministry efforts or impeded them? Are parents distracted in ministry if they need to care for their children as well?
More and more churches are allowing, better yet sending, children out on mission trips. 30 years ago, the youth group mission trip became a mainstay in youth ministry competing for summer dates right along with youth camp. Will kids on mission find its way to the ranks of VBS?
There are several issues here to consider such as the general safety and stamina of children on mission. The Christian maturity level of gradeschool age children is another hot topic. Team leaders must evaluate what the ministry objective is (i.e., what are you going to do) and determine if children could be helpful to that overall mission. Leaders will additionally have to deal with homesickness and parental oversight. (Interestingly enough, I have heard these exact same issues applied to middle and high school students on mission trips.)
Each of these issues must be considered before taking children on mission. But I think you must go back to the story of the boy with the loaves and fish (John 6). He offered what he had and Jesus multiplied it to feed thousands. A child’s heart is so very tender. If they seek to serve God kingdom at a young age, how can we restrain that desire. Admittedly different accommodation will have to be made to bring young ones on the trip, but is the blessing not so much more.
How amazed and energized would your mission team be if an 8 year old led someone to Christ? What if a 6 year old worked alongside her father for a week building a house for the poor, would that not form a memorable bond? Children give freely of what they have and I know Jesus multiplies their gift every time.
My boys are still preschool age, but as they get older we will look for more and more opportunities to TEACH them about missions and TAKE them on missions.
Small Group World Article
March 8, 2010 Leave a Comment
Rick
Rick Howerton, LifeWay Small Group Specialist, came to my Small Group class today. He did an outstanding job encouraging my students in leading their small groups.
Here is the blog post he wrote about our little class. I am honored to call Rick a friend and mentor in ministry.
Changing Shape of Preaching
March 1, 2010 2 Comments
Preaching found at the end of the 19th century is far more alike with preaching found at the beginning of the 21st century.
Sermons in the late 1800′s were longer, more academic, more expositional and apologetic. Preachers in the major churches of America were trained theologians who were also writers, scholars, and orators. Their congregations may not be able to read, but they preached to them with the same intensity as if they were on a college campus. Going to church to hear a sermon, in many ways, was like receiving a formal education.
During the revivalism of the 2oth century (1900′s), there was a major shift in preaching format and function. Shorter, more fiery sermons became common place. “Turn or burn” preaching was popularized with the advent of radio broadcasting which offered a pastor a chance to get on the radio and reach souls for Christ. This translated into the methods at church as well. Preachers felt the need to make their sermons more emotional, heart-bending, and persuasive in order for people to make decisions during the response time. If decisions were up, baptisms up, conversions up, your tenure in the pastorate was safe.
This preaching style slowly started to give way in the 70′s and 80′s to application-oriented preaching. Former youth ministers became senior pastors and brought with them sermons designed to be applied to every day living. Four Steps to a Better Marriage. Five Steps to a Financial Freedom. The “sermon series” became all the rage as more and more congregations wove sermon topics into worship themes and experiences. Advertising and marketing these sermons series to non-believers was an essential part of the seeker-sensitive movement.
And now at the beginning of the 21st century there is yet another shift taking place in many churches. There is a stylistic move back to the late 1800′s as more and more pastors return to expository preaching. Doctrinally sound sermons taking verse-by-verse or chapter-by-chapter in reaching a highly educated congregation. Teaching the full counsel of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation is considered “edgy.” Sermons are getting longer, more intellectual and theological, designed to prepare believers to be counter-cultural in a postmodern world.
There is one particular movement that shifts preaching even another degree. The Emergent Movement has sought to create a dialogue in preaching, not merely a monologue. Could this be the next shape preaching will take on? Could the congregation actively participate in “real time” with the preaching ministry of the pastor? Could a collective conversation replace a singular voice?
Preaching styles and methods are constantly changing. There is not necessarily only one “right” way to communicate the Gospel and encourage believers in their faith.
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