Monthly Archives: December 2011

Top Podcast Downloads of The Way Everlasting in 2011

Here are the most downloaded messages from The Way Everlasting Podcast.

Thank you to all the listeners for your prayers and support!

–


God Is The Point of Everything 1 – The Boss Who Loves Us
Romans 8. Dayspring Winter Retreat. Absolute love and authority. 3 of 4.”The bizarre world of X-Factor, the creepy girl who idolized me, in the passenger seat of life, and what it’s like to be the worst preacher in the history of preaching.” Dec. 20, 2011

–


Legends and Tales 10 – The Superhero’s Final Sacrifice
Mark 14-15. Series: Legends and Tales. God loves – period. 10 of 10. “How we know on no uncertain terms that God loves us, breaking free of approval and accomplishments, my dad’s Epic U-Turn on the highest hill, and How To Stop Trying.” July 31st, 2011

–


Holiness is Happiness 1 – The Glorious Bigness Of God
Isaiah 40. Preached at the Lake Yale Retreat. The infinite glory of God. 1 of 6. “Marie the Tae Kwon Do Terminator, the Cannon Ball of Glory, scaling out from the earth times septillion, and the only thing that can take your breath away.” July 4th, 2011.

–


Part 1 – Built Like A Rock
Matthew 7:24-27. How you think is who you are and where you go. Part 1. “When the honeymoon is over and you learn how their fart smells, eating at Thanksgiving until you want to die, and adjusting your sound board.” Nov. 27, 2011

–


Truth And Righteousness In A Liar’s World
John 17. Finding the truth in the lie. “The real you at 3am when you’ve stopped showing off, the fatal flaw of the Asian-American church, the zombie escaping reality, uncovering the false argument, and clarity in Heaven.” November 18th, 2011.

–

Continue reading →

The Best Christian Books of 2011

Here are my favorite books of 2011. These are not necessarily the best written, but the most personally impactful.

–

Erasing Hell
By Francis Chan

In response to Rob Bell’s Love Wins, Francis Chan writes a sobering and solemn appeal on the reality of hell. While largely criticized for its length and simplicity, I found it a near-perfect plea for those who do not consider our spiritual futures. My review here.

–

Book Review: Jesus + Nothing = Everything
By Tullian Tchividjian (pronounced “chu-vi-jin” like religion)

An engaging if at times over-wordy work on what it really means to be known by Jesus. Tullian is a great writer, cutting away years of idolatry and guilt-driven religion in just a few sentences. My review here.

–

Redemption
By Mike Wilkerson

One of the best works to arrive for breaking addictions and pains of the past, Mike Wilkerson of Mars Hill Church uses Exodus as a stirring challenge to overcome our shackles. Despite some structural problems, the book is a swift punch to the gut while a gentle embrace of new life. My review here.

–

Continue reading →

Book Review: Dug Down Deep


Dug Down Deep
By Joshua Harris

Summary:
Having largely known Joshua Harris from his books on dating (and having not read them, largely due to the maddening pop culture surrounding his ideas), I dug into Dug Down Deep with some trepidation. I was surprised to find that Pastor Josh sheds off much of this “Christian-Dating-Guru” image and conveys a warm personality here with great theological depth in everyday language. I ended up buying several copies for friends who were struggling or new to Jesus.

Strengths:
As both an autobiography and a statement of Christian doctrines, somehow Dug Down Deep succeeds at both. Joshua Harris’ treatise on the Christian faith is a highly readable work that will stir both the young believer and the church veteran. We do not often stop to think on what we actually believe, and as Harris writes, what we think of God determines everything else: feelings, choices, character, our fate.

Continue reading →

Book Review: Gospel Wakefulness

Summary:
Jared Wilson writes a stirring work with such a flawed premise that he continually detracts from his own passion and eloquence. Because of his elitist, New Age “Gospel Wakefulness” that he drills over and over, at times he appears insincere in marketing a new breed of religion that ascribes transcendental experience as orthodoxy. While he spends many pages protecting his own idea with reasonable disclaimers, this isn’t enough to ward off the uneasiness that this is his idea, an extrabiblical concept for a secret club of those who “get it.”

Weaknesses:
There’s no doubt that Wilson is a great writer, but because of his blogging background, much of his work is strung together randomly as if he copied-and-pasted some old blog posts with tenuous transitions. Nothing flows evenly. He also uses distracting superlatives that are not grounded in the reality of everyday Christians. There is a ton of analogical language that sounds pretty but has no function in the gritty hurt of real life. I kept thinking Hallmark.

Continue reading →

The Top Ten Posts of 2011

These are the Top Ten Blog Posts of 2011. Thank you to every reader and supporter, your prayers and encouragement are welcomed and appreciated. Here’s to 2012!

–

10) A Christian Is Not Up To Your Damned Standard
An angry post that caused me to lose some followers, tick off some Reformed people, and indirectly caused a blogger to call me an “abortionist” and “witch whore.” I did apologize for my angry tone.

See also: I Love My Doctrine More Than Jesus: Why No One Cares About Your Theology
And: Gospel Idolatry
And: The Trend of the Gutless Gospel: How My Thoughts About The Gospel Have Changed Over Time, Part One

9) Movies That Christians Should See: The Truman Show
The most popular review of “Christians Should See” series, with perhaps my favorite film of all time.

8) Book Review: Erasing Hell
Francis Chan writes a succinct response to Rob Bell’s Love Wins, which I was also interviewed for by the local newspaper.

7) When Pastors Just Want To Quit
When your church is falling apart: no one’s listening, no one’s cares, no one’s convicted. But why it still matters.

6) It Would Be Easier If I Wasn’t A Christian – Part One
A four-part philosophical look into why we should consider being a Christian. Part Two here. Part Three here. Part Four here.

5) Why Is The Old Testament So Crazy? — Part One
A multi-part discussion about the insanity of the Old Testament. A straight reading of the OT is like a bad acid trip, with its supposedly misogynistic, slavery-endorsing, pagan-esque ways. Plus Part Two. More coming in this series.

Continue reading →

Quote: By-Product


“If the solar system was brought about by an accidental collision, then the appearance of organic life on this planet was also an accident, and the whole evolution of man was an accident too. If so, then all our present thoughts are mere accidents – the accidental by-product of the movement of atoms. And this holds for the thoughts of the materialists and astronomers as well as for anyone else’s. But if their thoughts – i.e., Materialism and Astronomy – are mere accidental by-products, why should we believe them to be true? I see no reason for believing that one accident should be able to give me a correct account of all the other accidents. It’s like expecting the accidental shape taken by the splash when you upset a milk-jug should give you a correct account of how the jug was made and why it was upset.”

– C.S. Lewis

–

Question: Terrified

Anonymous asked:
No one seems to be answering my anon message. Please help me. I love my sins. I can’t seem to stop. I have no desire to pray anymore, or read the bible. I tried today, and couldn’t even finish one chapter in Romans. I’m terrified, if I were to die, I’m pretty sure i’d go to hell. I hate where i’m at spiritually.

Want to know something, friend? You’re not the only one who feels like this.  The big Christian Secret is that many of us struggle daily, sometimes moment by moment, want to give in and give up, and have days where we want to throw the Bible in the trash.  But feeling that way hardly means it’s the end of it all. 

Walking with God is not a one-time, one-chance, one-shot attempt and then-it’s-over. I’ve learned that the hard way. Bad preachers convince you to climb uphill. But God gives grace upon grace even in the weakest crappiest moments.  And regardless of how you feel, the truth is that God is still there and still loves.  The sun don’t stop shining in a storm.

Please don’t determine the entire well-being of your soul based on a moody day, which very well could be the result of bad Chinese food or a hormonal explosion. Tell God exactly how you feel.  Tell Him you can’t talk to Him.  Tell Him you tried and it’s not working.  Tell Him anything, something, even just It’s me: help.

Continue reading →

Guest Q&A: Losing Faith In Guilt, Part 2

This is a follow-up to an email conversation I had with our awesome Unka Glen. It will make a bit more sense after the previous email. It’s about the religious guilt tactics used in preaching, why they work for altar calls, and why they don’t work in real life.

My reply:

Thanks for the awesome response. Though I may not say it out loud, I do often treat the Christian life as “this one shot or fail.”

I do feel though that it’s perhaps disingenuous to oppose two sides: I still think there is some merit in what the religious people say, even if they’re skipping a lot of stuff to get there. And I’m not sure they’re even consciously aware of pushing guilt/fear/shame buttons. Maybe they saw it worked once, so like a lab rat they kept pushing the trigger.

I’m also interested in the “tools of change.” I know it’s more than rules and brute force and self-maintenance, but I also get foggy when I think “love and grace call me to this.” Sorry if that’s ignorant but I’m not always sure how that works. I’ve been used to white-knuckling it and somehow thinking that was the Spirit.


–

Glen’s reply:

You’re totally right, I think the fear, shame, and guilt thing can be a reflex (it may even be the way they were taught as well), and certainly they’re doing it with good intentions. And I agree, it’s less of a two-sided thing as it is (in my mind anyway) an immature versus mature understanding of the discipleship process.

All that doesn’t change that fact that an incomplete, immature, reflexive, and non-grace oriented preaching does real and lasting damage, and that someone somewhere will have to undo this wrong thinking in order to get these people into a healthy relationship with God. But I think you’re right to avoid the process of thinking of all this as a style or a school of thought or a paradigm. At some point all that academic thinking needs to be set aside and it just boils down to the example that Jesus set before us.

Here is a woman caught in the act of adultery, you’re preaching all this grace Jesus, but here is a sin that MUST be condemned. You CAN’T ignore the weight of this wrongness. This moment is about sin and how it must be treated, and nothing else. But Jesus wasn’t backed into that corner. He made that moment about grace. Here is a sinner, caught sinning, and here is Jesus saying “I don’t condemn you, I exhort you to just please stop this way of life that has brought you to this painful end.”

Fear of condemnation seems to be a powerful thing, what with it’s emotional gravity and all, the way those emotions literally change us physiologically (heart beats faster, gut clenches, break out in a cold sweat), but is it powerful? How long can you be afraid before you just start to overload and go nuts? And what do you turn to then? Well you can’t go to an angry condemning God, that’s for sure. I know, I can turn to sex, or drugs, or alcohol for a release!

Continue reading →

Us Vs. Them: A Church of Religious Superiority

In church we love to distinguish between Good and Bad, the Legalist and Lawless, the one who gets it and the one who doesn’t. If we can attack laziness and anger and drugs and “you-know-that-guy” long enough, then apparently we will not become like them.

Except Jesus died for them too.

A common practice in church is to demonize the Pharisee so that we do our best to anger the religious folk, and then we call that innovation. You don’t want to be a legalist, do you? You also don’t want to be a bad husband, an abusive father, an un-tithing criminal, a cheating wife, a rebellious child, a dirty college kid. So the preacher pounds this into the ground — don’t be like this, that, and all the in between — hoping to land a missile down your throat. Everyone walks away and says, “Wow, that was convicting.” And every week, it’s like someone keeps throwing your nasty drawers on the wall as an exhibition of your poor hygiene. This passes for brilliant preaching.

Continue reading →

Winter Retreat 2011 Sermons: God Is The Point of Everything



The Winter Retreat Sermons: God Is The Point of Everything

The four sermons from the Dayspring Winter Retreat are now posted!



God Is The Point of Everything – Winter Retreat, Part 1

Isaiah 55. Simply knowing and embracing God. 1 of 4. “Saving the four year old child in traffic, Psychological-Advantage-Theology, planking for God, and Jacob the bass guitar player.” Dec. 19 2011



Me, The Point of Everything – Winter Retreat, Part 2

Phil 2:1-18. The lies we buy. 2 of 4. “The most opportunistic generation for selfishness, having Chick-Fil-A withdrawal, and a dance floor where everybody’s doing the robot by themselves.” Dec. 20, 2011



The Boss Who Loves Us – Winter Retreat, Part 3

Romans 8. Absolute love and authority. 3 of 4.”The bizarre world of X-Factor, the creepy girl who idolized me, in the passenger seat of life, and what it’s like to be the worst preacher in the history of preaching.” Dec. 20, 2011



To Struggle Joyfully – Winter Retreat, Part 4

1 Kings 2:1-4. Joy and pain with God. 4 of 4. “The wonderfully weird life of David, the secret sinful lives of our Bible heroes, the Starfox barrel roll, how sin makes you stupid, and the abusive love of parents.” Dec. 21, 2011



The Way Everlasting Podcast
From New Light Church

Quote: Acceptance


Abiding in Jesus means understanding that His acceptance of us is the same regardless of the amount of fruit we have produced. Ironically, it is only when we understand that His love is not conditioned on our spiritual fruitfulness that we gain the power to become truly fruitful. … In other words, those people who get better are those who understand that God’s approval of them is not dependent on their getting better.

– J.D. Greear

–

Sermon Series: The Crazy You Secured In Christ



How To Deal With Yourself: The Crazy You Secured In Christ

The four part series is now completely posted!



Part 1 – Built Like A Rock

Matthew 7:24-27. How you think is who you are and where you go. Part 1. “When the honeymoon is over and you learn how their fart smells, eating at Thanksgiving until you want to die, and adjusting your sound board.” Nov. 27, 2011



Part 2 – Deep Roots For Real Fruits

Luke 8:1-15. How God grows you. Part 2. “Diet Coke versus Real Coca Cola, accidentally eating all the cookies, a giant spider the size of your head, and the disciples who were called morons.” Dec. 4, 2011 – Combined children’s service



Part 3 – Everything’s Going To Be All Right

John 16:33. The stable anchor in a world of instability. Part 3. “The Earthly Story versus the Heavenly Story, when the pressure of the moment feels permanent, cutting the line at Disney World, and the bitter blog.” Dec. 11, 2011



Part 4 – Don’t Worry About It

Matt. 6:25-34. Series: The Crazy You Secured In Christ. Worry is a bad theology. Part 4. “Worrying about trying not to worry, the journey of a hamster named Dexter, cleaning out the buffet, and a Metaphorical (or) Supernatural Promise.” Dec. 18, 2011



The Way Everlasting Podcast
From New Light Church

Question: Youth Ministry Struggles

My friend recently asked me for wisdom regarding his difficult youth ministry, particularly in dealing with hyper-demanding parents. He works in a Korean church so there is a cultural element. Here is my response.

–

I’d pull back — way back — and consider your vision and goals for this ministry. Even write out your thoughts. See what God is telling you.

I can guarantee you one thing: God will not tell you that your job is to make the parents happy. To make every parent or student or church elder “happy” is impossible. Parents will leave anyway, even if you don’t make a single mistake. Everyone finds a reason to stir up conflict even if it’s unreasonable.

If you think in terms of “Am I doing enough” — it will never be enough. No one including yourself will ever be fully satisfied with your effort.

Continue reading →

Quote: Need


I think the reason we sometimes have the false sense that God is so far away is because that is where we have put him. We have kept him at a distance, and then when we are in need and call on him in prayer, we wonder where he is. He is exactly where we left him.

– Ravi Zacharias

–

I Love My Doctrine More Than Jesus: Why No One Cares About Your Theology

Scholars, theologians, bloggers, pastors, Calvinists: I love scholarly stuff because it’s a fascinating dig of brilliant minds into every branched minutia of knowledge, but no one in the real world cares about it as much as you do.

Your specific-sliced doctrine does not have a flag in the warzone. My army friend who served two years in a heated Iraq: double election and TULIP did not get him through the explosions and fellow injured soldiers. No doctor or athlete or janitor or convicted killer geeks out over predestination and Gospel Centrality. No matter how much you convince yourself that deeper doctrine brightens your Sunday people, the fine print doesn’t work in the grimy filth of the everyday world. If you’re dead honest with yourself, it doesn’t work for you, either.

I appreciate the Gospel Coalition and other Reformed sites like it because they return to sound theology. Except more and more, that theology forgets Jesus. It points to Jesus for a better life and faithful faith and informed Bible knowledge and self-validation, but hardly ever to Him. It’s disturbing that we Reformed drown so much in semantics (like I’m doing now) and forget to encourage our beat down brethren.

When Tim Tebow talks about Jesus but doesn’t precisely point to the bloody gospel, that’s not a reason to doubt his faith or to accuse him of poor witnessing. So we don’t know that he’s Calvinist or Arminian. He’s already proclaiming his love for Jesus amidst a ridiculous amount of mockery: then the inner-Pharisee must also enslave him with the burden to preach a better gospel. To criticize his Jesus-love and then point fingers at his “vague non-contextual faith claims” would only stumble up Tebow worse than it is. Imagine his anxiety over professing Jesus plus stressing out over inserting the correct gospel.

Continue reading →

Happy There

I meet with my counselor. He’s the pastor of a four-hundred-plus college ministry and one of the most Spirit-led men I know. For him to even make time for me is ridiculous.

I walk in and he’s on hold with an airline over the office speaker phone. He’s on his cell phone too, an urgent call. There’s a roll of one-hundred dollar bills on his desk. I don’t ask. He’s looking through his drawers for something. He tells me he’s so sorry to be distracted. As a pastor who just suffered a breakdown from anxiety, I totally understand.

I needed his counsel because soon I’d be in a meeting to re-negotiate how I do the ministry. But I was nervous: I wanted to be humble with them while authoritative, demanding yet firm. I was also afraid that I’d be rejected, shot down, or fired.

While my counselor rummaged through his drawers, I shared my fears. The airline music was playing in the background. I must have said “What if” a dozen times. Suddenly he stopped, slammed the drawer shut, smiled, and looked right at me.

“You know, Joon, do me a favor. Will you stop being such a sh_tless wonder? I’ve been dealing with death all morning in and out of hospitals and funerals and I can’t find my wallet which has everything in it and you’re scared to be yourself. If you can’t say what you want to them, maybe that’s not the right place for you. Shouldn’t you just be happy there?”

He apologized for being so short with me. The airline person came on. He took the call and went right back to looking for his wallet.

We talked some more. He walked me out and hugged me and told me he loved me. He asked me to pray about his wallet. I got in my car and prayed.

“I’ve been dealing with death all morning . . . Shouldn’t you just be happy there?”

Of course, he was right.

–

Guest Q&A: Losing Faith in Guilt

I asked this question to my very favorite Unka Glen, who has one of the best blogs in the universe.

Here is Part Two of this question.

My question:
Hey brother, I had a strange question. It’s basically to re-affirm that I’m not crazy.

Lately when I hear other sermons, I’m feeling absolutely disillusioned by the “good/bad” religious overtones and the one-way never-return guilt trips. Like you said, it’s driving me nuts.

Yet after these sermons (that bore me to death and induce cringing), people respond. Even in droves.

Am I missing something here? Am I being too judgmental? Am I somehow totally wrong about the Gospel and are they in a sense correct?

I just feel crazy. People really respond to these religious sermons (that are actually saying some good things despite my overall unease) and I feel perhaps I am being hard-hearted or elitist or just plain stupid.

–

Glen’s Answer:

Awesome question and good observation. Fear, shame, and guilt are used as tools of the enemy to ultimately drive us farther from the Lord, but they’re also emotion-based, not spirit based. (Ya know, like courage, zeal, and conviction). You can use emotions to stir people up and get them to do anything.

This is the first trick that weak, insecure, unprofessional preachers learn. Push that guilt button, they’ll all come forward in prayer. You count the heads of those who came forward, and BANG, I’m an amazing preacher.

But here’s the thing about emotion: it burns off. Think about it. Try to maintain the exact same emotional state, any emotion for, say, an entire day. Now try to have that exact same emotional state for three days, a week… It just doesn’t work that way. Life keeps rolling along, other things grab our attention.

Continue reading →

Quote: Leading


I struggle to always and actually keep in step with the Spirit moment by moment. To submit and give up everything truly is radical and terrifying. However, when I think deeply about it, walking in my own wisdom, contrary to the Spirit’s leading, is even more frightful. Though I struggle, I know that ultimately I want nothing more than to live in total surrender and abandonment to the Spirit every moment I have left on this earth.

– Francis Chan

–