Next Week: Mount Hermon Family Camp
One of my favorite places is Mount Hermon, located in the redwoods of Santa Cruz. Founded in 1906, it was the first Christian camp west of the Mississippi. My memories with Mount Hermon began back when I was a freshmen in high school and I attended my first camp there.
Next week I’m preaching in the evenings at Mount Hermon’s historic Summer Family Camp. I’ve been told I’m the youngest speaker they’ve ever had for a Family Camp. I’m honored to have been given this opportunity. It’s going to be a great time, especially as my wife and my boys will be enjoying the camp with me for the week.
I’d appreciate your prayers for my speaking sessions. I’ll be preaching from Genesis, a series I’m calling “Four Unforgettable Encounters with the God of Grace.”
If you’re not familiar with Mount Hermon, check out the links above and consider a visit. And, pastors, you should learn more about Mount Hermon’s Pastor Cabin Program.
Francis Chan is Stepping Out of the Boat
At least I’m not alone, Francis Chan is doing something crazy too:
After 16 years of serving as senior pastor for Cornerstone Church Francis is sensing the Lord leading him in a different direction. Despite not having complete clarity on what this means or exactly what is next Francis is stepping out in faith, something he has done for so much of his life. He announced this decision to the church yesterday no doubt solidifying the start of a huge transition for both the Chan family AND the Cornerstone Church family. The beauty of this announcement is that it comes in unified peace and hopeful harmony.
Francis Chan is stepping out in faith… from Catalyst on Vimeo.
HT: Catalyst
Commit Tonight
A great group of friends contributed to the second issue of Commit. Commit will be available tonight, for $5, at The Christ, Sex, & The City Conference with Peter Jones. If you haven’t made plans to come to the conference, do so immediately.
Now you can also purchase Commit online and read a sample article or two.
Commit, Issue 2
The newest issue of Commit magazine releases on Thursday.
Copies will first be available at Thursday night’s Christ, Sex, & The City conference. Cost: $5.
I’m excited about the content of this issue. We have a great lineup of contributors.
The Gospel Coalition: Bay Area. Christ, Sex, & The City Conference
I’m excited about what’s happening with The Gospel Coalition: Bay Area. My fellow TGC: Bay Area board members (Jeff Louie. Travis Marsh. Toby Kurth) and I have been working hard towards putting on our second regional conference. Below is all the information. I hope you can join us. Pastors/church leaders, I hope you can join us for the pre-conference. Get more information about this conference and about what we’re doing in the Bay Area at The Gospel Coalition Website.
Christ, Sex, and The City
Discussing the Vital Relationship Between Jesus Christ, Sex, and Our Cities
Join friends and make new friends from throughout the San Francisco Bay Area at our second regional conference. This will be a memorable evening of exploring and discussing truth together. Pastors and church leaders are invited to a special pre-conference session and dinner with Peter Jones.
Keynote Speaker
Peter Jones: B.A., University of Wales; B.D., Gordon Divinity School; Th.M., Harvard Divinity School; Ph.D., Princeton Theological Seminary. Peter Jones is Scholar in Residence and Adjunct Professor at Westminster Seminary California. He is Director of Christian Witness to a Pagan Planet, now truthXchange, a national and international teaching, preaching, and writing ministry for the church and the campus. Peter is author of many books, including The God of Sex: How Spirituality Defines your Sexuality. He and his wife, Rebecca, live in Escondido, CA.
Jeff Louie, a TGC Council member and founding member of our Bay Area chapter, will be attending. The conference will be hosted by Justin Buzzard.
Location
Central Peninsula Church
1005 Shell Blvd
Foster City, CA 94404
Get Directions
Pre-Registration Dinner
Pastors and church leaders are invited to join us for a pre-conference with Peter Jones, 4:30-6:00pm, dinner provided. Please RSVP for this event here.
Perspective on Haiti
The best biblical analysis I’ve read on Haiti comes from Al Mohler:
A faithful Christian cannot accept the claim that God is a bystander in world events. The Bible clearly claims the sovereign rule of God over all his creation, all of the time. We have no right to claim that God was surprised by the earthquake in Haiti, or to allow that God could not have prevented it from happening.
God’s rule over creation involves both direct and indirect acts, but his rule is constant. The universe, even after the consequences of the Fall, still demonstrates the character of God in all its dimensions, objects, and occurrences. And yet, we have no right to claim that we know why a disaster like the earthquake in Haiti happened at just that place and at just that moment.
The arrogance of human presumption is a real and present danger. We can trace the effects of a drunk driver to a car accident, but we cannot trace the effects of voodoo to an earthquake — at least not so directly. Will God judge Haiti for its spiritual darkness? Of course. Is the judgment of God something we can claim to understand in this sense — in the present? No, we are not given that knowledge. Jesus himself warned his disciples against this kind of presumption.
Why did no earthquake shake Nazi Germany? Why did no tsunami swallow up the killing fields of Cambodia? Why did Hurricane Katrina destroy far more evangelical churches than casinos? Why do so many murderous dictators live to old age while many missionaries die young?
…In the midst of this unspeakable tragedy, Christ would have us rush to aid the suffering people of Haiti, and rush to tell the Haitian people of his love, his cross, and salvation in his name alone.
If you have any doubts about this, take your Bible and turn to John 3:16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. That is God’s message to Haiti.
CPC Men’s Retreat: Tullian
As always, I’m looking forward to our church Men’s Retreat. This year we have Tullian Tchividjian as our speaker. Good times will be had by all.
Choose to Give Thanks
Happy Thanksgiving to all Buzzard Blog readers! I’m thankful for how you read and interact with what I write here. It’s a great blessing and help to me.
This Thanksgiving I’m meditating on and putting into action Psalm 9:1-2
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
Note the four-fold resolve in this Psalm:
I will give thanks
I will recount
I will be glad
I will sing
Giving thanks isn’t automatic for many of us, especially if our circumstances are difficult. Here we see the Psalmist resolving, choosing, to give thanks. This Thanksgiving, follow the four “I wills” of this Psalm: give thanks to the Lord, recount his wonderful deeds, be glad in God, and sing praises to his name.
Give thanks.
Recount.
Be glad.
Sing.
Why? Because God is God and he’s treated you better than you deserve.
Even if you’re not feeling particularly thankful or glad today, follow the ancient Psalm and soon your feelings will also follow.
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