While walking from home to my office this morning, I kept thinking about an astonishing statement from last week’s sermon text. James 4:6 says: “But he gives us more grace.” It almost seems too good to be true! After calling us “adulterous people and reminding us about God’s jealousy for our affections (James 4:4-5), James shocks us with these words: “But he gives us more grace.” We deserve judgment. “But he gives us more grace.” Grace is favor that we do not deserve. Even though I fail God daily and fall far short of his glory, he gives me a grace that is greater than my sin! So when you get frustrated and discouraged with your failures, remember the truth. Sin happens, “but he gives us more grace.”

If you need encouragement today, think about how God is such a good shepherd. I know, the imagery is a bit foreign to our lives on Chicago’s north shore. But the image of a shepherd leading, protecting, feeding, and caring for his sheep provided a great picture of what ancient kings and leaders did when they ruled well. It is no wonder that God directed the writers of Scripture to use this image to describe Himself! The image first occurs in Genesis 48:15 where Jacob describes God as “the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day.” Later, Jacob combines this with another metaphor, calling God “the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel” (Genesis 49:24).

I keep hearing something that greatly encourages me about our church! What I keep hearing is people talking about the gospel. I hear people talk about it in our Adult Bridge groups, thanks to the fine lessons that Rick Schwartz, our pastoral intern, has been teaching. I hear our teens talking about it. A couple nights ago, four of our teens taught a lesson on what the gospel is. I heard one of our musicians talk recently about how important it is to make sure that the songs we sing on Sunday communicate the gospel. So what’s the big deal?

Welcome to July! I pray that it is a month of great opportunities for you. One of the great opportunities and responsibilities we have as God’s people is to proclaim his salvation day after day (Psalm 96:2). We proclaim the good news of God’s salvation to the world around us. We proclaim it to each other when we gather for worship or for LIFE group meetings. We also proclaim it to ourselves as we immerse ourselves in the riches of the gospel every day.

How are you doing at raising your sails? It’s time to re-evaluate your plan for engaging in spiritual disciplines. This year, our church family is on a quest to “raise our sails” (our image for engaging in spiritual disciplines) in order to grow together in love. To help us do this more effectively, I distributed a “Raising Our Sails” booklet at the beginning of the year and asked you to look at the year in quarters. It is time to look at the quarter which runs from July through September. You can continue the plan you have in place or make some adjustments. I took some time this morning to reflect on how well I am doing and to make some adjustments for the next 90 days. I encourage you to do the same. If you misplaced your booklet or never got one, you can pick one up at our Welcome Center. Make the last half of 2010 productive as you put yourself in position to catch the wind of God’s Spirit!

Music is an important element in our weekly worship services, so I’d like to think a bit about it with you today. As a church, we take music seriously because God does. Colossians 3:16 says: Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. According to this statement, music has at least two key functions in our worship. First, it has a teaching function. When we sing, we remind ourselves and others of the message of Christ. Second, it helps us express our gratitude to God. 

How about those Blackhawks! I can’t resist leading off today’s letter with a tip of the cap to the new Stanley Cup winners. This was the first championship for the Blackhawks since 1961! I watched as Patrick Kane scored the winning goal last night. But like most viewers – and even like most Blackhawk players! – I was not sure immediately if he had really scored the winning goal. But he did, and it will go down as a great moment in Chicago sports. At least one of our staff members was wearing his Blackhawks jersey this morning! By the way, if you’d like to read a thoughtful discussion about sports and how a Christian should keep sports in perspective, get a copy of The Reason For Sports by Ted Kluck (Moody Press). Kluck is the guy who co-authored Why We Love the church with Kevin DeYoung.

I am with my family today in central Illinois getting ready for Ben’s wedding! The rehearsal is tonight, and then the wedding is tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. We are happy for Ben and Nicole. They first met when they were between their junior and senior years of high school. They walked up the aisle together in my brother’s wedding – Ben as a groomsman for my brother, Kevin, and Nicole as a bridesmaid for my sister-in-law, Ellen. Ben and Nicole laugh now about hardly speaking to each other at the time. They really only had one conversation. Nicole told Ben he was walking too fast. Ben simply said: “OK.” But in the winter of 2008, my sister-in-law, Ellen, decided to play matchmaker. By this time, they were both in their third year of college. Ellen encouraged both Ben and Nicole to reconnect and get to know each other. They did, and that brings us to tomorrow night! I have the privilege of doing the second part of the wedding ceremony after Nicole’s pastor completes the first part. 

“The Lord is full of compassion and mercy” (James 5:11). That statement has been on my mind ever since I read through the book of James earlier this week. It is a promise to those who are suffering for Christ and struggling with life. I am so thankful we serve a God like this! I am praying for you to experience God’s compassion and mercy in whatever difficult situations you are facing.

I can’t wait for Sunday! It is my privilege to preach one of the great texts in the Bible – Isaiah 40:12-31. The title of the sermon is “God is Still Powerful,” and it is the second of three sermons in a series on Where is God When Life is Such a Struggle? Isaiah 40:12-31 is a passage to which I have returned again and again through the years for encouragement. It provides us with a fresh picture of God. 

Where is God when your life is such a struggle? We’re planning to take the final three Sundays in May to look to the Scriptures for an answer to this question. Whether the struggle is due to the economy, tension in the workplace, relationship problems, difficulty finding work, financial pressure, depression, or health issues, a lot of people are at wit’s end in their lives. They don’t know how they can cope with the pressure. Someone on our pastoral staff recently observed that “very few people are loving life right now.” It is not just the people facing major crises or tragedies who are struggling. All of us are struggling to some degree because life is so hard!

Our goal this year is for 700 people to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ from people in our church family. So far, 159 people in our church have shared the gospel with someone else. While this puts us on pace for 477 (223 less than our goal), it is still fantastic!   Think about it: 159 people have heard the gospel so far this year through folks in our church!

The more I learn about the way my Heavenly Father deals with his people, including me, the more I learn about parenting my own children. This conviction is behind our current sermon series on “Parenting Myths Exposed.” Our desire is to help you understand how the gospel informs and shapes the way that we bring up our children. 

Parenting is not for cowards! It is a great adventure full of fun and exhaustion, laughter and tears, pain and pleasure, ups and downs, twists and turns. As Eugene Peterson says, “We think God gives parents to children to bring up the children; but he gives children to parents to bring up the parents!” Who is equal to such a task?

Today I am enjoying a final day of fly-fishing in Montana. I sure look forward to returning home tomorrow evening, but I am hoping to make the most of this final day. It may seem like an odd time of year to do this, especially since the weather in Montana can be quite unpredictable. The late Ray Stedman, a long-time pastor and a former mentor of mine, grew up in Montana and used to call this time of year “sprinter.” He said that April was always a collision between winter and spring! But I have two reasons for fishing in Montana this time of year. First, flights are a lot cheaper than in the summer. I found a ticket out of Midway for just over $200.00! Second, some of the best trout fishing in Montana takes place in the spring when the rainbows are heading up the rivers to spawn. Rainy, snowy weather even makes the fishing better because it intensifies the insect hatches which send the fish into a feeding frenzy. Some of the best fishing I have experienced has been during spring snow storms!

What a great celebration we had on Easter Sunday! Later that day, I posted this on Face book: “We had one of the most moving, Christ-honoring Easter services I've attended in years. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!” I pray that God’s Spirit will continue to stir us as we think about all that God has provided for us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I pray that it will stir us to fulfill our mission. We exist to build a loving community of Christ-followers to reach a culture in need of God’s presence.

I am loving the sunshine and the warmth on this first day of April! As I write this, I have my office window open and am enjoying a slight breeze. The shrubs just outside my window have exploded with green. Spring has sprung! While I love my work, I look forward to getting outside at the end of the day.

Are you ready for Holy Week? It begins three days from today on Palm Sunday when we remember Jesus’ final entry into the city of Jerusalem. Crowds gave Jesus a royal welcome by spreading garments and palm branches on the road before him. Are you ready for this most important week of the spring to begin? Last week, a close friend of mine, Dave Wyrtzen, expressed concern over whether or not he is really ready for Holy Week. He wrote: “Am I ready to join with Christians around the world to kneel at the foot of the cross on Good Friday and then to allow the shout of joy to burst from my lips on Easter morning because there is one tomb in history where death didn't win?”

Today is a good day to think about raising our sails. Why? There’s a more important reason than sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-60s. Today marks two weeks until the end of the year’s first quarter. As I said at the beginning of the year, I want everyone in the boat (our church) to review their progress in raising our sails (engaging in spiritual disciplines) so that we might make good progress towards our destination (growing together in love). 

One of the great privileges of serving as a pastor is the privilege of interacting daily with what I call “soul-stirring truth.” I thought I might share with you a sample of some of the ideas that have stirred me this week. Some of these ideas are direct quotes from Scripture; others come from Scripture through various pastors, writers, and teachers. Some of these ideas comfort me in my affliction; others afflict me in my comfort. Some of these ideas I have shared with some of you in my pastoral work this week, others I have simply reflected on in times of solitude. All of these ideas stir me, move me, and point me to the beauty and worth of Christ.   This is somewhat of a random list, but I hope that you find something here that stirs your soul!

What adjective is used most frequently in the Old Testament to qualify God’s name ‘Yahweh,’ the LORD? Make a guess! Bible scholar J. Alec Motyer claims that the adjective “holy” is used more often than all of the other qualifiers put together! Earlier this morning, I spent some time meditating on Isaiah 6:3. This is part of a magnificent vision Isaiah had of the Lord. In this vision, Isaiah sees the Lord seated on a throne with all of his majesty. Above the Lord, seraphs (angelic beings) call to one another:

Something I read this week in Fifty Reasons Why Christ Died by John Piper has been providing great encouragement: “There is no salvation by balancing the records. There is only salvation by canceling records” (p. 33). What wonderful news! Some people spend their lives trying to balance karma or outweigh their bad deeds with good ones. But the truth is, our sins are so bad that we can never compensate for them by doing good deeds. Thankfully, Christ suffered and died to cancel my sins! The record of debt that stood against us was cancelled when it was “nailed to the cross” (Colossians 2:14). 

“It was a breathtaking strategy, conceived even before creation, as God saw and planned the history of the world.” John Piper makes this observation about Christ’s suffering and death in our reading for today in Fifty Reasons Why Christ Died. Imagine that! Christ’s death on the cross was not an afterthought or “Plan B.” It was God’s plan from the very beginning – a plan rooted in God’s purpose and grace! As 2 Timothy 1:9 says, “This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.” Amazing! 

After two days of snow, the last two days of sunshine have been a welcome change! I have to say that I enjoyed both. But I slept through yesterday morning’s mild earthquake! Its epicenter was just west of Elgin, and it lasted about seven seconds beginning at about 4:00 a.m. This earthquake only reached a 3.8 magnitude as compared with the 7.1 magnitude of the earthquake in Haiti. Still, my mom called me last night and said that she was awake and felt it even though she lives in central Illinois, just north of Peoria.

The best-laid plans to read through the Bible often run into trouble in the book of Leviticus! Many readers find it tedious. But Leviticus stirred my heart when I read through it recently as part of a plan to read through the Bible in ninety days. Yes, I had to work hard to concentrate, and I found my mind drifting several times as I labored through the regulations about offerings, priests’ clothing, unclean foods, and skin diseases! Yet Leviticus gives us some profound insights about the God we worship.

As you near the end of January, how are you doing on your 90-day plan to “raise your sails”? Remember, we are “raising our sails” as a church to grow together in love in 2010. This is our image for practicing the spiritual disciplines which open us up to the life-changing power of God’s Holy Spirit. I encourage you to review your plan for January through March 2010. You’ll find this on pages 6-7 in the Raising Our Sails booklet. If you need a copy, you can pick one up at our Welcome Center. Simply put together a plan for the next 60 days and start on Monday, February 1!

Jesus’ church shines the brightest in the darkest times. We’re certainly seeing this right now as the church in Haiti and the church in North America mobilizes to help with the rescue, relief and rebuilding efforts following the recent earthquake near Port-au-Prince. The situation in Haiti is desperate. Missionary friends of mine in Les Cayes, a city in the southwest peninsula 120 miles from Port, say that homeless and wounded Haitians are pouring into their city looking for help! My friend, Dan Shoemaker, offers this report from Les Cayes: 

Like many of you, I have been stunned and saddened by the images of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The damage done by Tuesday’s earthquake is immense! I was especially shocked to see photos of the presidential palace in ruins, flattened as a result of the earthquake. I have stood in front of that palace a few times over the years. But most of all, my heart breaks to see pictures of the injured and dead, even pictures of people covered in cement dust who are wailing in grief or desperation.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! Since I have no place to go today, I’m not minding the snow at all – especially since it is falling at such a light pace. That means I may not have too much snow to shovel when I return home from my office tonight. Ironically, a verse on which I’ve been meditating this morning (and this week) uses the image of snow.

In a few hours, we will enter a new year and a new decade! As I think about 2010 and the decade it introduces, the word “opportunity” keeps coming to my mind. We have an opportunity to advance the gospel and to contribute to the growth of God’s kingdom. We have an opportunity to make progress in building a loving community of Christ-followers to reach a culture in need of God’s presence.

Merry Christmas Eve! On Christmas Eve in 1943, Americans and allies around the world found themselves in the throes of World War II. Thousands of soldiers were not home for Christmas. A few weeks earlier, Bing Crosby recorded a brand new Christmas song that became an instant success because it touched a tender place in the hearts of Americans. Its haunting melody and lyrics made it the most requested song at United Service Organization (USO) shows in Europe and the Pacific theater. The USO provided these shows for our troops to boost morale. The title of this most requested song was “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” You’ve likely heard or sung these haunting lines in the past week:

The calendar tells me that Christmas Eve is exactly one week away!  It always seems to sneak up on me. Perhaps that is because I thoroughly enjoy the Christmas season.  How about you?  I thought it might be fun to share with you what I like and dislike about the Christmas season.  You might try this exercise, too.  Send me an e-mail describing what you like and don’t like about the Christmas season.  It might help me get to know you better! 

What are we trying to accomplish in our worship services Sunday after Sunday? What are we trying to accomplish in our worship services during the Christmas season? The answer is right there in each question! The answer is “worship.” Our purpose is to worship God. Bob Kauflin, director of worship development for Sovereign Grace ministries, says, “Worship is about what we love. What we live for” (Worship Matters, p. 17). As followers of Jesus Christ, we live for God! In fact, worship is an active response to God in which we declare his worth. 

The gospel of Jesus Christ never gets old. It is the greatest gift we can ever receive and the greatest gift we can give others! I thought about this while reading and reflecting on a couple key Old Testament prophecies of Christ this week – Micah 5:1-5 and Isaiah 9:1-7. I thought about this while meeting with some guys from our church at Starbucks on Monday night and talking about the book of Romans. I thought about the gift of the gospel when I heard the news yesterday that a leader in the youth group I attended as a teen committed suicide. He was 53 and left a wife, two children, and three granddaughters. Why didn’t he turn to the gospel he knew so well for strength, encouragement, and hope?

The words of an old hymn point out the reason why “thanksgiving” is such an important discipline: “Count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.” So, on the day before our Thanksgiving holiday, I am devoting my weekly letter to naming my blessings one by one. You might be surprised when you consider all that God has done for you, too!

Today I am in New Orleans, Louisiana! I flew here yesterday to attend the 61st Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society. Hundreds will attend. A group of Bible scholars who specialize in the narrative (story) sections of the Old Testament invited me to present a paper on preaching the story of Jephthah’s vow (Judges 11:29-40). My paper will be the last of four papers on this passage. It ties in with the theme of this year’s annual meeting – “Personal and Social Ethics.” Please pray for me as I deliver this paper and field questions at 5:20 p.m. today! The organizers of this section of the annual meeting told me to expect between 60-80 scholars and students. At least three of them will be from our church family! George Kalantzis, a Wheaton College professor, as well as Daniel Doleys and Cooper Smith, students at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, told me they plan to attend! I’m sure we will have a good time together! Don Carson from our church family also arrives tonight. I will attend a lecture he is presenting on Friday morning.

The word “holiness” has fallen on some hard times lately. At least it does not seem to be as prominent in our vocabulary as it was in the past. “Holiness” conjures up thoughts of being perfect, beating ourselves up because we are not perfect, and wearing ourselves out trying to be perfect. No wonder we prefer words like “authentic,” as in “I’m trying to be a more authentic follower of Christ.” I suppose “authentic” is fine, as long as we use it to mean “holy.” As you can tell, I’m not ready to give up on the words “holiness” and “holy”! Let me explain why they are so important.

I invite you to think with me today about your vocation. Your vocation is your calling in life. It is what God has wired you to do. Now here is a question for you: “Are you in a vocation which allows you to glorify God and carry out his mission in the world?” I can answer that question for you without knowing exactly what vocation you are pursuing! The answer is “Yes!” Yes, you are in a vocation which allows you to glorify God and carry out his mission in the world! The only exception is if your vocation is jewelry theft, contract killing, or something else involving illegal activity. Otherwise, you are in a vocation which provides a great opportunity for you to glorify God and carry out his mission.

Thank you for praying for me while I taught last week at Northwest Baptist Seminary in Tacoma, WA. The class and the Saturday pastor’s seminar went very well. The week not only allowed me to build into the lives of some other pastors, but it also provided time and space to reflect on what God is doing here in our church and to reflect on how we can accomplish our mission more effectively.

I am writing from my third-floor apartment in the Weyerhauser mansion on the campus of Northwest Baptist Seminary in Tacoma, Washington. The panoramic view of Commencement Bay on the Puget Sound is incredible! This campus was originally the estate of the Weyerhauser family who owned one of the largest lumber companies in the Pacific Northwest. The mansion in which I am staying is on the National Registry of Historic places. 

I am so thankful for the reign of grace!  We looked at this reign last Sunday in Romans 5:12-21.  That section closes with the reminder that “where sin increased, grace super-increased” (5:20, my translation).  This is so that “grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (5:21, TNIV). 

How much progress are we making in our efforts to move people towards completeness in Christ (see Colossians 1:28-29)? The REVEAL Spiritual Life Survey will help us track our progress. Yesterday, we received a report that 36 of you have taken it so far. Our goal is at least 150! So please help us out with this! You have ten more days in which to take the survey before the responses are tallied and reported to me. The survey will take you about thirty minutes. To take the survey, simply copy this link and paste it in you web browser: http://www.revealnow.com/slsurvey?uid=5615 Thanks in advance for your help!

Here is a good thought for today: “Daily discipleship is not a new revolution each morning or an agent of global transformation every evening; it’s a long obedience in the same direction.” This thought comes from Why We Love The Church by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck (p. 225). It’s a response to those who are so frustrated with the church today that they are calling disciples – followers of Christ – to be radical revolutionaries and change agents who transform the world. 

Thank you for taking time to read my weekly letter. This is my attempt to provide you a window into my soul. As always, my goal is to help you get to know me better and to provide insights and encouragements which come out of my reading, study, and walk with Christ. Along the way, writing a weekly letter allows me to provide some additional direction and information related to our church. So thanks for taking a few minutes again this week to read and reflect on what I write.

Let me offer you two good words for today: “But now.” These words stand at the beginning of Romans 3:21 and mark a shift in the argument of the Apostle Paul’s letter. D. Martyn Lloyd Jones, the great British preacher, wrote: “There are no more wonderful words in the whole of the Scripture than just these two words.” These words introduce the solution to life’s greatest problem – our guilt before God because of our sin and our inability to do anything about it. But God has provided the solution! We will explore the solution this Sunday, September 20, as we work through Romans 3:21-26. This is one of the most important paragraphs in all of the Bible!

What stirs your affections for Jesus Christ? What robs you of those affections? These are questions which Matt Chandler, lead pastor of The Village Church in Highland Park, Texas, encourages believers to ask. In a recent interview, Chandler explains why these questions are so critical for Christ-followers who want to experience spiritual growth:

Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens (Psalm 119:89). 

Thank God for his eternal, unchanging word! We can never improve upon it or change it. Yet we must constantly work to translate it as effectively as we can into languages that change over time. This is why I am excited about Tuesday’s announcement that the New International Version (NIV) is being revised for 2011! 

“We proclaim him [Christ], admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ” (Colossians 1:28, TNIV). I love that statement! The Apostle Paul wrote it, but it expresses my heart for you! I want to help you and everyone else in our church grow spiritually. 

I can hardly wait until Sunday to begin taking us through the book of Romans!  It is truly a magnificent book of Scripture, and I am praying that God will use it to transform our church.  Romans gives us “good news from God.”  This good news is that God has a solution to the biggest problem we face in life.  We will begin exploring the problem and God’s solution this Sunday as we work through Romans 1:1-17.  The title of my sermon is: “Why God’s Good News Is So Exciting.”

The closing session of the Willow Leadership Summit last Friday was an interview with Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Blair’s message to leaders was simple but powerful: “There are some things we must stand for and must not compromise.” He referred to this as “your irreducible core.”

We’re back! My family and I arrived back in Libertyville yesterday late afternoon after a good but long trip to Montana and beyond. The odometer read 5679 miles for the entire trip! We’re grateful for safety and a good time together. Yes, it’s good to be home! Here are a few highlights from the trip.

What criteria should we use when we evaluate our church? Over the years, pastors and leaders have created various lists of “marks” or “characteristics” or “qualities” which attempt to summarize what the Bible says about effective churches. One of the most helpful lists has been produced by The Gospel Coalition. I am going to encourage all of us – including elders and staff – to assess the effectiveness of our church’s ministry by these five characteristics of gospel ministry.

For the next four Sundays, we are going to turn our attention to the book of Psalms. I like to think of Psalms as the hymnal for ancient Israel. Yes, the Psalms are songs. In the words of one of my mentors, Ronald B. Allen, the psalms express “our deepest thoughts of reverence for God, our most excited joy in knowing Him, and our darkest terror in those moments we feel cut off from Him” (And I Will Praise Him, p. 17). What fascinates me about the Psalms is that they are God’s word for us, yet their form is our expression of praise or complaint to God! 

I rejoice over the ways in which the gospel is being preached in our community. This week, our church is holding a pre-school Vacation Bible School. According to Irene Kalantzis, our Director of Early Childhood Ministries, over fifty pre-schoolers show up every morning. Some of them are from families who do not have a church home.   A couple days ago, the mom of an attender shared an interesting story with one of our teachers. This mom said, “Our three-year old asked us to pray at a meal last night. So we let him pray. That was the first time I remember anyone in our home praying.” I love it! A three-year old has heard the good news about Jesus Christ wants to pray at a meal. He has his parents’ attention, and this is leading to further conversations about Jesus. 

Saint Francis of Assisi once said: “Preach the gospel at all times; when necessary use words.” Yes, our daily acts of kindness and integrity are necessary for preaching the gospel. But as Mark Mittelberg points out in The Unexpected Adventure, “God’s Word completes the truth of what St. Francis said by reminding us that words are necessary.” Mittelberg is referring to Romans 10:14, which says: “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”

“You can begin to transform the culture of your church by first seeking God’s revival in your own soul, reinstating in your own heart his vision for reaching this lost and dying world.” These words seemed to leap off of the page when I read them in The Unexpected Adventure by Lee Strobel and Mark Mittelberg (p. 23). They were part of yesterday’s reading for ‘Day 1' of our 42-day adventure of taking everyday risks to talk with people about Jesus.

“Guard yourself in your spirit.” Events of the past week have prompted me to reflect again on this instruction which appears twice in Malachi 2:15-16 – last Sunday’s sermon text. This text came to mind when I heard about South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford admitting to an affair with another woman. Like so many affairs, this one began “very innocently” according to Sanford. He said he met the woman eight years ago during an economic development trip. Their friendship developed as he began advising her to reconcile with her estranged husband. Much of their early conversation took place through e-mail. But, according to Sanford, the e-mail relationship “sparked into something more” about a year ago.

This coming Sunday has the potential to be a significant, powerful day in the life of our church! Let me explain why I think this way about Sunday, June 21.

Let’s go on a summer adventure together! The adventure I’m talking about is “taking everyday risks to talk with people about Jesus.” That last line is the subtitle of The Unexpected Adventure, a new book by Lee Strobel and Mark Mittelberg. The book contains 42 days of brief readings (4-5 pages a day) which encourage followers of Jesus to share the gospel with others. I’m encouraging everyone in our church to begin reading this book on July 1. We will complete it on August 11.

You and I were made to worship! Worship is the ultimate goal of the church because God is ultimate.   Worship is an active response to God in which we declare God’s worth. It is both a lifestyle and something we do when we gather each week to praise God and to study His Word.

Eugene Peterson says that a “pastor’s responsibility is to keep the community attentive to God.” I take this responsibility seriously. I want to keep our church attentive to what God wants from us and what he is doing through us. This has drawn me to think a lot recently about worship. Worship is our highest calling! God created us to adore him and honor him in ways that declare his worth. 

You will not be surprised to learn what is on my mind this week! Tomorrow is Erin and Manny’s wedding, and we are completely in the “wedding mode.” Yesterday, we made five separate runs to O’Hare to pick up family and friends. We made the first one at noon and the last one at 11:00 p.m.! Today will be full of last-minute preparations. We love having so many family members and friends here, and it will go by all too quickly.

“Christians are judgmental and negative!”   People outside the church often direct this criticism to followers of Jesus Christ. To some extent, this is to be expected and accepted. After all, Jesus said, “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:20). But sadly, this criticism is sometimes accurate. Christians do come across as judgmental and negative. We are often known more for what we are against than for what we stand. This Sunday, May 17, we will consider this objection in our “Six Obstacles to Faith” sermon series. I will address this objection by preaching a sermon from Acts 17:16-34. This story of Paul’s missionary work in Athens shows us, I believe, how we can communicate the gospel effectively to our culture in a way that is firm and bold but not judgmental and negative. 

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone–for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” The Apostle Paul writes these words in 2 Timothy 2:1-2. They are appropriate words on this day which has been designated as a National Day of Prayer. Paul’s concern is for the civil peace in which godly living may flourish. If you read the next few verses, you see this prayer tied to God’s desire for all people to be saved.

Today’s headlines are rather startling. Here is a sample from today’s New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and USA Today:

·         Swine Flu Alert Nears Pandemic Level

·         25,000 More Forced Into Poverty in Chicago Area

·         Chrysler Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

·         Woman Claims Father Was Infamous Zodiac Killer

I just returned to the office this afternoon after spending three great days at The Gospel Coalition (TGC) conference in Rosemont. Rick Chalupnik, Clay Edens, and I attended from our pastoral staff. Perry Cliburn, Barry Cooper, and Don Carson from our church family were also there. Don, of course, is one of the founders and leaders of TGC. About 3300 people attended the conference.

As your pastor, my desire is to share with you not only the gospel of God but my life as well (see 1 Thessalonians 2:8). This letter is one of the ways I share my life with you. Thank you for taking the time to read it – this week and every week.

The weekend is here! It’s not just any weekend, but the weekend of Holy Week! Take a moment to think about the significance of these weekend days during which we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

John Piper asks: “Where are the churches today where the dominant experience is the precious weight of the glory of God? May God restore a passion for his majesty in our day.” John Stott expresses a similar concern: “We [the church] seem to have little sense of the greatness and the glory of almighty God.” Instead, he laments, our attempts at worship are boring or frivolous. 

What is your only comfort in life and in death? That is the first question in the Heidelberg Catechism, a document created in 1563 in Germany for the purpose of teaching the basics of the Christian faith. It is a question our family had to wrestle with for a couple days last week when it appeared that one of our children might have cancer. As it turned out, the potential malignancy turned out to be a benign cyst. By the way, we didn’t walk through this alone. We informed the elders and the church staff and asked them to pray. We decided to wait on notifying the entire church family until we knew more information. Then, it turned out to be nothing.

Studying the Bible is such a joy and privilege! After all, what Moses said about God’s Law applies to the entire Bible: “These are not just idle words for you – they are your life” (Deuteronomy 32:47). I thought of this yesterday when I met with Pastors Rick Chalupnik and Clay Edens for our weekly ‘Preaching Planning Meeting.’ Yes, the three of us meet each Wednesday to discuss the sermon for the following Sunday. We also discuss ideas for future sermon series. Our time together in God’s Word is always energizing. I always walk away with a clearer vision of what God is calling us to be and to do.

I have been reflecting this week on how God’s judgment is a cause for gladness and joy. That’s the claim made at the end of Psalms 96 and 98. These psalms call creation to rejoice over God’s coming judgment. I must admit that the connection between joy and judgment has sometimes escaped me. Shouldn’t judgment cause sorrow? There is a sense in which this is true. But God’s judgment is truly a reason for celebration.

Our sermon series in the book of Philippians on “The Jesus-Driven Life” brings us this Sunday to one of the most profound passages in the Bible. I’m referring to Philippians 3:1-16. A couple of weeks ago, I suggested that Philippians 2:5-11 is to the entire Bible what the Sears Tower is to the Chicago skyline. To use that analogy, I guess that Philippians 3:1-16 resembles the John Hancock Center! I hope you take some time to read and reflect on this magnificent passage before I preach it on Sunday. The title is “Our Most Valuable Asset.”

I hope you are doing well on this rather gray, rainy day! I hope you are finding joy in the good work that God is doing in your life and in our life as a church. This is a key theme in the book of Philippians. Isn’t this a great book?! I’m so glad we’re working through it together as a church family. This week, Joe Giovanetto, one of our elders, will continue our series with a message from Philippians 2:19-30. 

I’m beginning to hear some great stories about our Share 1000 initiative. This initiative is our goal as a church to share the gospel with 1000 people in 2009. We can reach this goal if 250 people in our church share the gospel once a quarter. I hope you are one of people who have accepted this challenge! In future worship services, you will hear some stories from people in our church who have shared the gospel with friends or co-workers.

Vanity it is, to wish to live long, and to be careless to live well.

Thomas à Kempis wrote these words near the beginning of his classic, Of The Imitation of Christ. As the title of his book suggests, the person who wishes to live well must “conform his or her life wholly to the life of Christ.” This Sunday, February 15, we will look at two threats to our well-being as a church and as individuals within the church. Christ’s example guides us through both of these. The title of this Sunday’s sermon is “How to Overcome Suffering and Selfishness through the Imitation of Christ.” The passage we will explore together is Philippians 1:27-2:11. I want to focus especially on Philippians 2:5-11. This text is to Philippians (and even to the entire Bible) what the Sears Tower is to the Chicago skyline! It towers over and gives definition to everything else within sight! Please take time to read the entire passage. But slow down and savor Philippians 2:5-11. Read it in a couple different translations if you have them available. We are called to live out the story contained in this incredible text!

Who cares about lost people? God does! According to Jesus’ three parables in Luke 15, lost people matter to God. So, they should matter to us, members of Jesus’ church, as well. This is why our goal in 2009 is to share the good news of Jesus Christ with 1000 people! We are calling this Share 1000. We can reach this goal if 250 people in our church share the gospel once a quarter!

When the Apostle Paul responded to God’s call to preach the gospel in Macedonia, his first stop was a city and Roman colony named Philippi (see Acts 16:11-12).  Twelve years or so after founding a church there, Paul wrote the Philippians a letter which is part of our Bibles.  We are going to explore this book and unpack it over the next two months of Sundays.

I have high hopes for our church in 2009.  My prayer is that our church, through its connection to Jesus Christ, will grow and build itself up in love, as each part does its work (see Ephesians 4:15-16).  This means renewing our commitment to our mission.  Remember, our mission is to build a loving community of Christ-followers to reach a culture in need of God’s presence.  Like the apostle Paul, we want to present everyone fully mature in Christ (Colossians 1:28). 

Martin Luther King Jr. was born eighty years ago on this date, and his birthday is now a national holiday. What should followers of Jesus think of King’s legacy?  I was only six years old when King was assassinated, but I still remember how the Christian community criticized him instead of celebrating him in the years following his death. 

The Bible may be the most read book of all time, but it is certainly not the most well-read book.  Like playing the saxophone, reading the Bible is easy to do poorly!  For this reason, I plan to speak this Sunday on “How Do I Read the Bible With Understanding?”  Technically, this will not be a sermon!  As you know, my usual practice is to take a passage of Scripture and unpack it and apply it to our lives.  But this Sunday will be different.  We will definitely open the Bible, but I want to present a process you can use to discover the meaning of a text.  I will begin, though, with a brief reflection on 2 Peter 3:15-16.

Happy new year . . . almost!  I’m writing my weekly letter a day early since tomorrow is New Year’s Day.  Our family had a great holiday season together, but now we’re starting to scatter.  We left the house at 4:00 this morning to take Anna to the Milwaukee airport.  She is back to work today at ACR Homes in the Minneapolis area.  Tomorrow, Erin flies to southern California to spend a week with Manny, her fiancée, and his family.  We will get to ‘sleep in’ an extra hour, though, since we don’t have to leave for O’Hare until 5:00 a.m.!  Last night, our kids took Priscilla and I to Texas Roadhouse in Kenosha for my birthday.  Tonight, we plan to have a quiet New Year’s Eve and stay home.

Merry Christmas Eve!  I don’t think I need to explain why you are receiving my weekly letter a day early (smile).  As you wrap up your preparations for Christmas, take time to enjoy the surprising story behind a Christmas carol which celebrates the birth of our Savior.

Hanukkah is coming!  Yes, Christmas is coming, too, but Hanukkah will arrive first.  Hanukkah begins at sundown this Sunday, December 21.  This Jewish festival runs for eight days, and the 261,000 Jewish people who live in the Chicago area will be celebrating.  There are at least two reasons why we should be aware of it.  But before we think about these two reasons, let’s review the meaning of this festival.  Hanukkah, the Hebrew term for “dedication,” is an eight-day celebration which began between the Old and New Testaments.  In 167 B.C., the Syrian ruler, Antiochus Epiphanes, overran Jerusalem and set up a pagan altar in the temple.  To the horror of Jewish people, Antiochus Epiphanes tired to make them worship Greek gods and even sacrificed pigs on the altar!  But Judas Maccabeus led the Jewish people in revolt, taking control of the temple and rededicating it in 165 B.C.  When Judas Maccabeus prepared to light the ‘menorah,’ a lamp which symbolized God’s presence, there was only one day’s supply of fuel.  It would take eight days to prepare a new batch of olive oil.  But miraculously, that one day’s supply of olive oil lasted eight days!  This is the reason why the festival of Hanukkah, or Dedication, lasts eight days.  It also explains why a Hanukkah menorah with eight candles is part of the celebration.

Christmas is two weeks from today!  I never grow tired of emphasizing the reason for the season.  What we celebrate is the incarnation – the coming of God to this earth in human flesh!  Jesus came as “Immanuel” (God with us) to save God’s people from their sins.  But in our culture, the spotlight shines on Santa Claus more than it does on Jesus.  Families with young children sometimes ask me how they should handle the “Santa Claus thing.”  I usually frame my answer by telling them the story of Santa Claus.  Yes, Virginia, there really was a Santa Claus!

“Always needing grace.”   Those words stirred me when I saw them at the close of a letter written by John Piper in the December issue of Christianity Today.  “Always needing grace.”  Yes, that’s me, too!  I need God’s grace to help me in my times of need and weakness (Hebrews 4:16, 2 Corinthians 12:9).  I need God’s grace to help me carry out the work of ministry he has assigned to me (Acts 14:26).  I need God’s grace when I sin.  Although I have been justified freely by his grace which came through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus (Romans 3:24), I need God’s grace again and again (1 John 1:7-2:2).

Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day, I am sending my weekly letter a day early.  I pray that you and your family will have a great day together.  Our family plans to enjoy the holiday at my Mom’s home in Lacon, about 25 miles north of Peoria.  We are looking forward to this, but my sons and my future sons-in-law are sorry to miss the Turkey Bowl on Thanksgiving morning!  If you are new to our church, the Turkey Bowl is our annual Thanksgiving football game at 9:00 a.m. at Highland School, just a block north of our church facility.  You can play or watch! 

Thanksgiving is still a week away, but I’m feeling especially thankful today!  Specifically, I thank God for YOU!  What a privilege is it to be partners together in the gospel (Philippians 1:4)!  After all, the gospel is the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16-17).  It is the ultimate solution to peoples’ deepest needs.  If I didn’t believe this with all my heart, I would do something else with my life.  But I love serving as your pastor – even though it’s a hard task at times – because we share in something so powerful and so life-transforming!

I hope you are all adjusting to the shorter days, cooler weather, and grayer skies which November brings! The change in seasons brings some great opportunities, though.  As we get closer to Thanksgiving and then move into the Advent (Christmas) season, new people often show up at our services.  Recently, Rick Chalupnik, our Adult Ministry pastor, commented on this in a class he taught about following up on newcomers.  Rick said: “New people are coming and will continue to come to our church on a weekly basis.  We need to expect this, anticipate this, and pray for this.  We believe that God is at work in peoples’ lives and that His Spirit is prompting people to visit a church this Sunday, possibly our church.”

You and I have just witnessed a defining moment in American history.  With the election of Barack Obama as the 44^th President of the United States, an African-American will hold the highest office in the land.  I was struck by the response to Obama’s victory.  Politics aside, the sight of Jesse Jackson weeping as he stood in the crowd at Grant Park on Tuesday night was moving.  So were the tears of joy on the faces of young Americans – both white and black.  When I drove Luke to school on Wednesday morning, he and I listened to callers on talk radio expressing hope and excitement.  Yet another segment expressed dismay and even anger.  Some bloggers predict the demise of our country.  A few friends on Facebook lamented the election of leader who does not champion the protection of unborn human lives.  I, too, am deeply troubled by President-elect Obama’s intention to sign the Freedom of Choice Act into law. 

Where do we need to focus our efforts next year to advance the mission God has given to us?  Yes, it’s still October, but January is coming!  What, then, should our priorities be for 2009 when it comes to our mission?  Remember, we exist to develop a loving community of Christ-followers to reach a culture in need of God’s presence.  Our “Growing Together In Love” plan has identified some specific practices in which we will engage to grow in our worship (loving God), community (loving each other), and mission (loving our neighbors).   So where should we concentrate our efforts in the coming year?

I spent yesterday at The Chapel in St. Joseph, Michigan attending the Great Lakes District Conference. The Great Lakes District consists of 200 Evangelical Free Churches in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio.  There were close to 300 pastors and church leaders who gathered for the conference.  Farrel Fort from our church was there representing Christian Cancer Survivors.  Several people stopped by his display to find out how they could offer this ministry in their churches.

Is our church ‘mission-driven’ or ‘me-driven’?  Our elders spent significant time discussing this question at our last meeting.  We recognize how easy it is to let personal preferences overshadow a commitment to the mission Jesus has given to us.  Like you, I have personal preferences when it comes to musical style, programming, and even color of carpet!  But I hope that we will all do our best to put the mission first.  Jesus did this. He looked out for the interests of others rather than his own (see Philippians 2:5-11).

Today is Yom Kippur, “the Day of Atonement.”  What an important day!  You can read about Yom Kippur in your Bible by turning to Leviticus 16.  Take some time this afternoon or evening to read it. Each year on this day, the high priest made atonement for “all the sins” of God’s people (see Leviticus 16:34).  According to Richard Averbeck at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, the basic meaning of the term “atonement” in the Old Testament is “wipe away.”  On the Day of Atonement, this wiping away was accomplished in a ceremony involving the high priest and two goats.  Each goat represents an aspect of atonement.  Also, each goat points forward to Jesus Christ, “our sacrifice of atonement” (see Romans 3:25 and 1 John 2:2).  The high priest, as well, points forward to the work of Jesus as a merciful and faithful high priest who made atonement for the sins of the people (see Hebrews 2:17).

Are you satisfied with the quality of your life?  Think about that question for a moment.  What would make your life better?  For the next two months, our Sunday sermons will come from the book of Deuteronomy and will teach us what “living the good life” really means.  Deuteronomy 30:19-20 calls us to “choose life,” and it reminds us that “the LORD is your life.”  So then, the “good life” is all about living in the presence of God – a God who, according to Deuteronomy, showers his grace upon his people!

Effectiveness, progress, and Christ-likeness do not happen by chance.  They have a lot to do with what goes on behind the scenes.  Take your life, for example.  God comes near people who make the effort to come near him (James 4:7).  To put it another way, godliness happens as a result of training (1 Timothy 4:7).  Of course, effectiveness, progress, and Christ-likeness ultimately happen because of God’s work in us (Philippians 1:6).  But God calls us to participate in that work (Philippians 2:12-13; Romans 12:2).

Do you consider yourself “stalled spiritually” in your journey of faith and growth in Christ?  Are you frustrated because you do not seem to be growing closer to Jesus?  If so, how can you get back on track? A recent four-year study by Willow Creek Community Church of 80,000 people in 200 churches reveals some insights that are touted as “breakthrough findings.”  Quite frankly, I’m not sure these are breakthrough findings!  Rather, they confirm what Scripture has claimed all along! 

Seven years ago today, our country experienced an unprecedented terrorist attack.  Who can ever forget the horrible images of the twin towers burning and then collapsing?!  On September 11, 2001, I was far from harm’s way, attending a pastor’s conference at a camp in the hills of southeastern Montana.  I remember walking from my cabin to the dining hall for breakfast and hearing a radio broadcast on the camp’s outside speaker system.  I caught bits and pieces about some kind of disaster and word that air travel would never be the same.  Then, when I entered the dining hall, one of the pastors ran up to me and filled me in on the details.  Later in the day, I gathered with others around a television and watched the awful footage of the tragedy.

Come on, let’s celebrate!  This Sunday, September 7, is our Celebration Sunday.  We will have one worship service at 10:30 a.m., and our Hispanic congregation will be joining us for this.  Pastor Roberto Cambrany will lead communion, and I will preach on Psalm 98.  This uplifting psalm tells us how to celebrate and why we should celebrate.  Then, our Celebration Picnic will begin at noon.  Based on the sign-ups, we expect about 400 people to attend the picnic. 

If you need to be encouraged or challenged in your walk with Christ, then I encourage you to read The Weight of Glory, an essay by C. S. Lewis.  It is available online (just do a ‘Google’ search), or you can buy a paperback copy at almost any bookstore.  You can read it in less than an hour, but you will be thinking about it for weeks!  I re-read it every year, and yesterday happened to be the day that I pulled it off the shelf.

Here is an encouraging thought for today: God is at work in your life!  Whether you are aware of it or not, God is changing you to make you more like His Son, Jesus Christ.  So, you and I are works in progress.  We can be confident, too, that God will complete the process.  The Bible is very clear on this:

I am back in the office today after two weeks of vacation!  I feel refreshed and ready to get back on task.  Although I arrived home Monday evening, I spent the past two mornings at University of St. Mary by the Lake (Mundelein Seminary) praying, studying, and preparing for the fall.  Now I have to go through dozens of e-mails which piled up while I was gone!

I am beginning a second week of vacation today.  Our family plans to spend the next few days together in central Illinois with my Mom and my brother, Kevin, and his family.  For the last few days, Ben and Luke and I spent some time camping and back-packing in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.  We had a great time together enjoying God’s creation.  It’s hard to describe in words the sight of a meadow blanketed with red Indian Paint Brush flowers, the fragrance of a Ponderosa pine tree, or the alpenglow on the mountain peaks at dusk.  All of these aspects of God’s creation offer him praise. 

Today I am beginning a couple of weeks of vacation.  I would appreciate your prayers for a refreshing time for our family.  Ben and Luke and I are planning on a few days of camping.  Then, our whole family will spend some time with my Mom in central Illinois.  My first day back in the office will be on Thursday, August 14.

Today I am in Columbus, Ohio with Rick Chalupnik attending the Xenos Summer Institute.  Brett Gleason, our district’s church planting director, is with us, too.  The Xenos Summer Institute is a conference for church leaders on being true to Scripture and true to our mission.  The speakers we will hear today include Don Carson (from our church!) and Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle.  I will also attend break-out sessions lead by Gerry Breshears, professor of theology at Western Seminary.

Where is God at work in your life?  Forty-five guys spent some time discussing this question at the Men’s Cook-Out last Friday night.  I encourage you to reflect on this question, too.  Get in the habit of raising it in your LIFE group or in conversations over coffee with other church family members.  Philippians 1:6 expresses confidence that he (God) who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.  Sometimes that work is visible and dramatic.  More often, though, it is subtle and gradual and easy to miss.  But God is at work in your life! 

When you think about our church’s efforts to grow together in love, what is God stirring in your heart these days?  I believe that God is at work in our church, moving us to deepen our commitment to loving Him, loving each other, and loving our neighbor.  Let me explain how I see this happening in all three areas.

Tomorrow is Independence Day.  As I think about my country on its 232nd birthday, I am aware of the need for balance and discernment.  After all, I have dual citizenship.  I am both a citizen of the United States of America and a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20).  So how do the two relate, especially since my ultimate identity and destiny is connected to my citizenship in heaven?  As a citizen of heaven, what am I to think about the American Revolution – the movement which culminated in the Declaration of Independence?  Let me offer my perspective.

The following words from Deuteronomy 4:7 captured my attention this morning as I was reading Deuteronomy 4:  What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him?  What strikes me is the way that God’s presence is tied to prayer.  I have had the privilege this week of praying with several people in our church who are facing some tough stretches in their lives.  What an encouragement to know that we have a God who is near us whenever we pray to him!

The kingdom of God is one of my favorite subjects to study in the Bible.  What a future hope we have!  But how incredible to realize that the kingdom of God has arrived in advance!  We began exploring this subject last Sunday as we began a study of Jesus parables.  These stories Jesus told were all about life in God’s kingdom. 

It’s Thursday, but Sunday’s coming, and so are some new opportunities.  One opportunity is to begin studying the stories that Jesus told.  This summer, we’ll work through several of Jesus’ parables in the gospel of Matthew.  These parables tell us about life in the kingdom of God.  This Sunday, June 15, we’ll focus on “the parable of the soils” in Matthew 13:1-23.  The title for my sermon is: “A Story for Fathers and Others who Wonder if Our Hope is Real.”  As the sermon title suggests, this Sunday is Father’s Day – an opportunity for you to honor your Dad for the impact he made in your life.

Today we are exactly one month into our renewed efforts to grow together in love as a church!  I look forward to hearing stories of how God works through the commitments that almost 200 of you made after last month’s dinner.  For example, seventeen people made the commitment to sell a possession and give the proceeds to the poor through a compassion ministry.  I wonder how God will use that effort to reach out in love?!

Our church is all about the gospel of Jesus Christ.  At least it should be.  This week, I’ve been reflecting on a recent article about the gospel by Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in NYC.  The article is titled “The Gospel In All Its Forms.”  If you want to read it for yourself, you can access it for free online through the following link:  http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2008/002/9.74.html

I’ve been thinking today about the incredible privileges we have as God’s people.  1 Peter 2:9 reminds us: You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful life.  What an identity!  What a calling! 

I am attending a preaching retreat this week in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.  The participants are pastors from all over the United States.  All of us graduated from the doctoral program in preaching at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.  Dr. Haddon Robinson is our mentor, and he graciously offers this opportunity each year.  This year, we’re studying the book of Deuteronomy together and thinking through how to preach it to our congregations.

Thanks to all of you who participated in the Growing Together in Love Dinner last Sunday night! The food, the mood, and the response was terrific.  We had over 250 adults in attendance, and we received 184 “First Steps” response cards!  If you chose to take your card home to give yourself more time to think and pray about how to respond, please turn it in this Sunday at our Welcome Center.  If you misplaced your card, you can pick up an extra at the Welcome center.  By the way, everyone who filled out a card will be contacted in the next two weeks.  I’m reviewing each card personally and will pray for each respondent and for their ability to fulfill the commitments they made.

Welcome to May!  I’m trying to “work” outside as much as possible on this beautiful day.  Todd Ronne, our Board Chairman, and I just had lunch in Vernon Hills at On the Border’s outside patio.  Earlier, I spent my morning prayer time outside, walking the neighborhoods surrounding our church facility while praying for the needs of our church.  So if you saw me between 7:15 and 8:15 a.m. and wondered why I was wandering the streets of Libertyville, now you know!  I was not lost!

I love the church.  The church is the hope of the world because its head, Jesus Christ, is the hope of the world.  In particular, I love our church, the local slice of Jesus’ church which we call the Evangelical Free Church of Libertyville.  Yes, I’m well aware that the church has its problems.  That includes ours, too.  As Katie Galli points out in the most recent issue of Christianity Today, “the church can be bureaucratic, inefficient, and, at times, hopelessly outdated.”  But I still love the church!

I am on vacation this week in Montana!  Usually, we save most of our vacation time for the summer.  But it worked out best to take a couple weeks this spring.  My friend from Wheaton, Dave Goetz, and I have been fly-fishing here since Monday.  Temperatures have been in the mid-60s.  Tomorrow, Dave flies home, and then Priscilla and Luke will join me.  We’ll return home on Tuesday, April 22.  We figured that this would be a good time to use some frequent flyer miles and visit friends.  Once Luke begins high school, it will be much harder to make trips like this together.

“Love is the lifeblood of this body, and therefore, the ultimate criterion for the assessment of the Church’s growth will be how far it is characterized by love.”  Andrew Lincoln made this observation about the church in his comments on Ephesians 4:16.  He’s right!  When we evaluate the health of our church, we need to ask: Are we growing together in love for God?  Are we growing together in love for each other?  Are we growing in love for our neighbors?

What a beautiful day!  The morning sun reminds me of the closing lines in the song of Deborah: 

            So may all your enemies perish, LORD!

            But may all who love you be like the sun

            when it rises in its strength. (Judges 5:31)

That’s my vision for our church as we resume our journey through the book of Judges.  I pray that we will love God and experience sun-like strength in our lives.  Our challenge, then, is: Love God, Live strong!  This Sunday, I’m preaching from Judges 6:1-32 on “God’s Recovery Program.”

What a great celebration we had together last Sunday as we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus! I’m still rejoicing in it and thinking about the difference which Christ’s resurrection makes for the world, for our church, and for my life. 1 Corinthians 15:58 continues to encourage me and challenge me. I realize that we can’t experience the same level of enthusiasm every Sunday that we experienced on Easter Sunday. But I pray that we can experience that same spirit of joy and hope and unity week after week.

I hope you are taking time this week – Holy Week! – to reflect on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Reading through Matthew 21-28 this week has helped me center my thoughts on Jesus’ mission.  I’ve been blogging daily about the readings, and others from our church family have added their observations and questions.  You can check this out by going to our web-site (www.lefc.com) and clicking on the yellow “One Week” tab in the upper right corner.  This will take you to a screen where you can log-in to the blog.  Note that the login is “LEFC,” and the password is “Matthew.”  Even if you have not participated until now, you can join us by reading Matthew 26 tomorrow, Matthew 27 on Saturday, and Matthew 28 on Easter Sunday.

So much happened all in one week.  Between Palm Sunday and Easter, Jesus entered Jerusalem as king, cleared the temple, cursed a fig tree, told stories about God’s kingdom, argued with religious leaders,  celebrated Passover with his disciples, experienced betrayal and arrest, stood trial, received a death sentence, died by crucifixion, received an honorable burial, and was raised on the third day!  It happened all in one week!

Today I’m going to meet with a group of leaders and pastors from the Great Lakes District to pray for our district and its churches.  I’d like to share with you how I’ve been praying for our church and how I’m going to ask the participants at today’s meeting to pray for our church.  I believe with all my heart that God wants to use us to advance His kingdom here in the north shore area and around the world.  Will you join me in praying?  Here are my requests:

So far, the highlight of this week has been attending our Hispanic congregation’s twelfth anniversary dinner on Sunday afternoon.  Priscilla and I joined the Johnsons (Steve and Carol) and the Hoyles (Glenn and Linda) as representatives from our Anglo congregation.  Attendance at the Hispanic worship service usually runs about 100, but there were over 150 people there on Sunday.  I was so excited to see all the young families!  Pastor Roberto and I will continue to explore ways for our Hispanic and Anglo congregations to interact together.

This morning’s chill felt colder than usual because I spent the last three days in 60-degree weather!  I was in Charlotte, North Carolina to attend a gathering of senior pastors in EFCA churches with 500-1000 people.  From Monday noon through Wednesday noon, we discussed the issues we’re facing and how we can more effectively carry out the mission God has given to the church.  It was a great time!  Steve Hudson from the EFCA national office facilitated the discussion.  He invited three senior pastors from larger EFCA churches to participate.  One of them, Jim Kallam, hosted the event at his church, the Church at Charlotte.  I loved these three guys because they are shepherds at heart!

Winter snow highlights the beauty of God’s creation in a unique way.  That’s evident from the photo taken by our own Marty Engel.  Marty’s photo (below) appeared last week in the Chicago Sun-Times!  I love the beautiful contrast between the red cardinals and the white snow.  By the way, I’m not trying to deliver a subliminal message here by showing a picture of Cardinals instead of Cubs!

By now you’ve probably dug your way out of yesterday’s snow.  I spent all of yesterday afternoon and evening clearing our driveway, clearing a neighbor’s driveway, and helping three people on our street get their vehicles ‘unstuck.’  Believe it or not, I remember only four times in two decades of living in Montana when a foot of snow fell in one storm!

I’ve been thinking a lot this week about the privilege of living in community with other followers of Christ.  Our church exists to build a loving community of Christ-followers to reach a culture in need of God’s presence.  That’s our mission!

I can see the sun rising as I write today’s letter.  It’s shining brightly through the distant trees and through the blinds in my office window.  It reminds me of the closing line of Deborah’s Song in Judges 5:  So may all your enemies perish, O LORD! But may they who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength.  That’s my prayer for our church family.

One of the challenges we face in carrying out our mission is religious pluralism.  By now, you should be familiar with our church’s mission: To develop a loving community of Christ-followers to reach a culture in need of God’s presence.  You should also be familiar with religious pluralism because this philosophy has a real problem with our mission.  I’m grateful that two members of our congregation have written significant books which help us understand the challenge which religious pluralism presents.

Sometimes, church life seems too complex.  Our church offers unending choices, challenges, and opportunities which relate to our mission.  For example, there are fourteen ‘upcoming events’ in the next week listed on our church’s web-site.  Also, the ‘ministries’ section lists twelve different ministries, and each one offers its own events and requires volunteer help.  This is all good.  It can also be complicated. 

There’s something energizing about a new year!  It’s a fresh start.  It’s a new opportunity to raise the level of our commitment and service to Christ.  I’m praying that 2008 will be a year in which our church makes significant gains for the kingdom of God to the glory of God!  I’m praying that we will make solid progress in our mission – to build a loving community of Christ-followers to reach a culture in need of God’s presence.  This requires a commitment to worship (loving God), to community (loving each other), and mission (loving our neighbor).

I hope you and your family had a merry Christmas!  Our family did.  We spent the first part of Christmas Day at my Mom’s house in Lacon, IL (about 25 miles north of Peoria) with my Mom and my brother, Dave, and his family from the Boston area.  Then, we hurried through our Christmas dinner so we could drive to St. Francis Hospital in Peoria to spend the rest of Christmas Day with my brother, Kevin, and his wife, Ellen.  Ellen was hospitalized last week after going into premature labor.  We exchanged a few gifts between her contractions!

“Home For Christmas.”  That’s the title of Sunday’s sermon from Revelation 22:1-5.  This text is the third major movement in Revelation 21:1-22:5.  Please read this remarkable end to the Bible’s story in preparation for Sunday.  Dr. Grant Osborne of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School makes this observation about Revelation 21:1-22:5: “Not just the Book of Revelation but the whole Bible has pointed to this moment.”  Yes!  What a moment that will be!

God’s Word is so powerful!  The Holy Spirit stirred my heart and challenged me again this morning as I continued preparing for Sunday’s sermon on Revelation 19:6-21.  This text calls us, I believe, to respond to the Christ’s second coming in the same way that the shepherds responded to Christ’s first coming (see Luke 2:17-20).  I’ll explain this response on Sunday.  See if you can figure out what it is!  You might also spend some time reading and reflecting on Isaiah 25:6-9 and 61:10 – texts behind the wedding supper in Revelation 19.

Last week I promised to comment on The Golden Compass, a movie which opens in theaters tomorrow, December 7.  The movie is based on the first book of ‘His Dark Materials,’ a fantasy trilogy by British atheist Phillip Pullman.  A BBC News story last week states that Pullman’s trilogy “tells us of a battle against the church and a fight to overthrow God.”

No imagination comes close to God’s imagination.  Mark Labberton writes: “The greatest evidence of this is the incarnation, life, death and resurrection of God. . . . Only God’s imagination could dream such an end or fashion such a means.”  That’s why the Advent or Christmas season is so important in the life of the church.  It is a time to explore the wonder of God coming to this earth in human flesh. 

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day, so I’m getting my weekly letter to you a day early.  How should your family celebrate tomorrow’s holiday?

Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love

            and his wonderful deeds for humankind. [Psalm 107:15, 21, 31]

On my way to lunch today, I listened to “Stained Glass Masquerade,” a song by Casting Crowns.  Someone in our church family gave me a copy of it recently.  Every time I listen to it, I’m reminded of how challenging it is for our church to become a more loving community...

Paul’s words in Ephesians 5:20 have been on my mind ever since we looked at them last Sunday:  Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The words “always” and “for everything” make this a challenge.  But our identification with Christ makes this possible.

What a beautiful day!  The morning sunlight is streaming through my office as I write.  I had early morning appointments today, so I’m planning on taking a half hour or so over lunch to trim some bushes in my back yard and enjoy the sunshine. 

What is the ‘one thing’ you want most from God today?  As I read Psalm 27 this morning, I was reminded that God’s greatest gift is His presence. 

Today is the second and final day of the Great Lakes District conference in Naperville.  This is an annual opportunity for Evangelical Free Church pastors and leaders in our district to meet for fellowship and learning.  Ernie Manges and I drove down together this morning.  The theme is “Multiplying the Ministry of Jesus.”

“Baptism is the discarded jewel of Christian churches today,” writes Mark Dever.  This is surprising since baptism “is a foundational matter for a congregation that would be healthy, sound, and growing.”  I agree, and I’m grateful that our church has the privilege of baptizing several believers this Sunday.  By being baptized, these individuals are making a public statement that they have identified with Jesus Christ.  Their baptism displays their participation by faith in Christ’s death and resurrection.

Today I’m delivering the “Expository Preaching Lecture” at Heritage Seminary in Cambridge, Ontario –  about an hour southwest of Toronto.  This is an annual event, and about 150 pastors and seminary students have registered.  My topic is “Preaching Old Testament Stories to a Story-Driven Culture.”  Speaking at an event like this gives me a chance to serve the gospel by building into the lives of other pastors.  I learn, too, as I interact with pastors and Christian leaders who are trying to serve the gospel in their unique settings.

Thursday, September 27

Today, I’m seeing yellow.  As you read this, I’m standing in the Yellowstone River with my fly rod, and I’m looking up at the cliffs that the French Canadian trappers called “Roche Jaune” or “Yellow stone.”  Below these cliffs, the leaves on the aspen trees have turned from green to bright yellow.  Yes, I’m in Yellowstone National Park with my friend, Dave Goetz, from Wheaton!  We found cheap airline tickets a few weeks ago and planned a three-day fly-fishing trip....