Daily Links 4-18-14

A roundup of links for your weekend reading pleasure. In this edition: Would Paul have used video, the coffee shop as your office, it's okay to fail, things healthy couples don't do, and more.

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Aaron Armstrong poses an interesting question:

If Paul were ministering today, would he use video? 

This is an important question, and it’s not one that is as clear cut as you might think. Many who have embraced video venue gatherings point to Paul as their example. Because he was all about becoming all things to all people in the hopes of winning some to the gospel, he would surely use any (non-sinful) means at his disposal to extend the reach of the gospel.

That’s generally how I’ve seen the argument go, anyway. (I realize I’m probably oversimplifying a bit.) 

The question of whether or not Paul would use video is an important one, but I wonder if it might also be the wrong one.

Would Paul use video to share the gospel? Probably, sure. But, more importantly, what would he use it for?

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Mr. Met was once threatened by the Secret Service. No, really. Just goes to show the lengths they would go to protect the President.

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Fun facts about one of the best baseball movies of all time, A League of Their Own.

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If you do a lot of work at the coffee shop, you should read this.

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Forget the bucket list. How to make moments that matter.

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Now this is what I call a cool tablet keyboard.

Hat tip: Book Riot

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8 things that healthy couples don't do. #3 is the toughest for me.

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10 productivity tips to make your life easier.

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The best thing about shopping at Ikea is that their furniture is cheap and can be repurposed for numerous other uses. The fact that there is a whole website devoted to Ikea Hacks should be a clue. Here are 20 of the best Ikea furniture hacks.

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Instead of a to-do list how about a done list? Harnessing the power of progress.

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Contrary to popular belief it's okay to fail.

Daily Links 3-18-14

In today's edition: evangelism is like baseball, how to get rid of a telemarketer, what you really need in marriage, and more.

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This is interesting: how evangelism is like baseball. It's a good analogy and one that I think we would do well to keep in mind. I will say that when I was being trained in evangelism I was basically told that anything less than a decision by the other person for Christ was failure. That's a huge mistake to think that way. At least this article helps correct some of that erroneous thinking.

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One minor league team decided to wear uniforms that look like ugly Christmas Sweaters. Not exactly sure what they were thinking.

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Advice on how to get rid of a telemarketer from a telemarketer.

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The story of Wendell Smith, the sportswriter who paved the way for Jackie Robinson's major league debut. Nice quote from my friend Brian Carroll who has written a book on this subject.

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Mark Altrogge shares what you really need in marriage.

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The story of the first person to play on the All-Star team of both the National and American Leagues. It's not who you are likely to think of.

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This is a fun list: 50 things that will turn 50 in 2014.

Daily Links 10-10-13

Build your own beverage station, whether testing measures educational accomplishment, Amazon destroying literature, and more in today's roundup of links.

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This is a cool idea:

The best part? The materials all came from Target.

Hat tip: Food Riot

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Is Amazon destroying serious literature? One novelist thinks so. I'm not so sure about that.

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10 Old English words you should be using. Personally, I'm fond of mugwump.

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What if Disney characters had Instagram accounts?

One common critique I hear of education reform is its heavy reliance on standardized tests to measure outcomes. But does testing really accomplish anything? I don't think so.

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Making the case for engaging the culture:

We, you and me and everyone else alive, do theological thinking every day. It’s just that some people do it more consciously than others. That doesn’t mean they do it better, but they are at least more intentional and aware of it.

We’re also all affected by culture, and unless you’re Amish and therefore I’m not entirely sure how or why you’re reading this right now, you interact with pop culture every single day of your life. Thus, it makes great sense for us to take these two everyday realties and acknowledge their deep and important connection. Notice I didn’t say bring them together. That’s important here. These are not two realities that need to be brought together. They already are overlapping, interacting, and informing each other all the time. Theology, spirituality, culture….they mingle as one. 

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An interesting list of 10 things you should know about goals.

Daily Links 8-27-13

Good morning. Here are a few links to start the day:

Why telling your story is NOT the best way to share the gospel:

The problem with this method is that it doesn’t work anymore. It might have worked 20 or 30 years ago,  but in 2013 any post-modern worth his salt will respond “that may be true for you, but it’s not true for me.” And well he should. If the person sharing his faith is saying that you should try this because it worked for him—if he is basing his argument for following Christ on his own experience—then it’s only fair that the person responding should be able to say that his experience is just as valid.

In a way, the Christian who uses only his own experience to tell non-Christians about Jesus is giving the post-modern the home-field advantage. He is implicitly agreeing that what matters most is personal experience, not truth.

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Why we need better young adult fiction:

This is why good taste matters so much when it comes to books for children and young adults. Books tell children what to expect, what life is, what culture is, how we are expected to behave—what the spectrum is. Books don’t just cater to tastes. They form tastes. They create norms—and as the examples above show, the norms young people take away are not necessarily the norms adults intend. This is why I am skeptical of the social utility of so-called “problem novels”—books that have a troubled main character, such as a girl with a father who started raping her when she was a toddler and anonymously provides her with knives when she is a teenager hoping that she will cut herself to death. (This scenario is from Cheryl Rainfield’s 2010 Young Adult novel,  Scars which School Library Journal hailed as “one heck of a good book.”) The argument in favor of such books is that they validate the real and terrible experiences of teenagers who have been abused, addicted, or raped—among other things. The problem is that the very act of detailing these pathologies, not just in one book but in many, normalizes them. And teenagers are all about identifying norms and adhering to them.

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Audience member gets to sing For Good with Kristen Chenoweth, video goes viral.

Read the full story here. 

Friday Tweet Recap 8-9-13

Here's a roundup of interesting things that I found on the web and tweeted this week. Quite a boatload of links in today's edition. Be sure to follow me on Twitter for the latest:

A historian makes a case for examining the forgotten presidents.

10 signs you might be a Jane Austen addict. This link should in no way imply that I think any of the women in my household should be classified as addicts.

Two different stories on finding love and both of them are unusual: From Wrong Number to Wedded Bliss and From Hashtags to Holy Matrimony.

For some, college is not worth the debt. More and more, this is something that families have to consider before sending their kids off to school.

"How did you like the sermon?" is the wrong question to ask because sermons are not for liking.

6 Commonly Held Misconceptions about Introverts.

10 reasons parents need a date night (with helpful explanations for the kids).

A fascinating survey of book lovers. Some the stats in this survey are really surprising.

I was sorry to hear this news. I hope they will change their minds.

10 things that "Yahweh" means. I honestly didn't know this.

What strengthens and weakens integrity - it's the small choices that count.

Eric Metaxas argues that cultural elites are the next great unreached people group. He makes a very compelling case.

A controversy has arisen over the word "wrath" in a hymn. Timothy George explains the problem. And Thom Rainer has some insight on what this says about evangelism and the church.

A surprisingly positive New York Times profile of the business practices of Christian companies.

Dispelling 12 common myths about Calvinism.

In honor of the announcement of the 12th doctor, 8 pieces of Doctor Who tea swag.

This is one of the rarest things you will see in baseball: a one pitch strikeout.

Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees received a well-deserved 211 game suspension from Major League Baseball. For those unfamiliar with the story, Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan has an excellent timeline of how this came to pass.

More on Rodriguez: the reason why MLB needs to enforce the rules regarding drug use.

Here's one of the best baseball promos I have ever seen: Vin Scully for ESPN Sunday Night Baseball.

It's been 25 years since the first night game at Wrigley Field. Some recollections from those who were there.

Reclaiming excellence as a Christian virtue.

Some wonderful and weird places for bookstores.

Here's a great case of suburban renewal: abandoned Wal-Mart turned into America's largest library.

That's it. Have a great weekend!

Ten Trends Evangelicalism Could Do Without

Joe Carter of Culture11 and formerly of The Evangelical Outpost has compiled a list of the Ten Deadly Trappings of Evangelicalism. These are ten trends that Joe has identified that evangelicalism could just as well do without. All I can say is a hearty "Amen" to Joe's remarks. Take time to read through each post as there is a lot of great food for thought.

#1 The Sinner's Prayer and #2 Making Converts

#3 "Do You Know Jesus As...."

#4 Tribulationism and #5 Testimonies

#6 The Altar Call

#7 Witnessing and #8 Protestant Prayers

#9 The Church Growth Movement and #10 Chick Tracts

Thoughts on the Great Commission

Author's note: I am recycling this post from 2004. As opportunities have been presented this week to meet people's needs where they are the truths contained in this post came to mind.

The Great Commission - Matthew 28:16-20

16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

If there is a single passage of Scripture that would serve as a "mission statement" for Christians then the case could be made that Matthew 28:16-20 is it. It is the passage that most Christians would cite as the passage that explains our primary purpose here on earth. It is also a passage that is probably one of the most easily misunderstood. I've observed many churches that focus their ministry on reaching non-Christians. The predominant theme running through most of the sermons is the Gospel. In other words, the focus is on salvation instead of discipleship.

Mark D. Roberts, a pastor and blogger, has posted a sermon entitled "Sent to a People Beyond Ourselves" that analyzed this passage and presented some applications for the church today. A couple of points he makes really stood out as I read it. He focuses on the phrase "Go and make disciples" in verse 19. He asks whether we need to "get up and go somewhere"? His answer:

"Thus, not only do we not have to go elsewhere to fulfill the Great Commission, but in fact our primary mission is here, right on our doorstep, right across the street, right in our schools, neighborhoods, and offices. "

Opportunities to share Christ are all around us: co-workers, neighbors, friends, family members, and anyone else we encounter through the course of daily living. That is not to say that going out is not important and there certainly is a place for sending out missions workers into the world. But we should not be focused on ministering to the world at large that we miss opportunities much closer to home.

Roberts then turns his attention to another key part of verse 19: make disciples.

Notice, Jesus didn't say, "Make believers," though believing in him is an essential part of discipleship. Nor did Jesus say, "Get people to clean up their lives," though genuine disciples become more holy as they grow in Christ. Jesus didn't say, "Get people to go to church," though faithful participation in the community of Jesus is absolutely crucial to discipleship. Rather, Jesus said, "Make disciples." To paraphrase, this means, "Make people who enter into an intentional, intimate relationship with me and with my other disciples, in which they put their trust in me as Savior, in which they submit their life to me as Lord, in which they allow me to teach them both how to live and how to serve me in the world."

So our mission in this community is not merely to make converts, but to make genuine disciples of Jesus Christ.

I am persuaded that this is what is missing from most of what passes for evangelism in the church today. We have become too focused on salvation and have not focused on discipleship.

I was discussing this topic with my former pastor this weekend who observed that when you have a church that is focused primarily on salvation (and often on increasing the number of people coming to church) that the believers in the congregation tire of hearing a salvation message over and over again. As a result, they become frustrated because they are not growing deeper in their relationship with Christ.

Roberts then moves on to this application for the church:

We cannot make disciples in this community unless we are living as a community of disciples, loving one another, bearing one another's burdens, teaching each other, forgiving each other, worshipping together. There is no discipleship without genuine community. And, in our day, there's no effective evangelism without genuine community. Our neighbors, those to whom we have been sent, won't believe the good news about Jesus unless they see this good news fleshed out in our fellowship together. Then, if they accept this good news and become believers, they won't live as disciples unless they can join a community of disciples.

This reflects what the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:4-5:

4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

The power of the Holy Spirit is demonstrated in how we live our lives. If we are truly living our lives under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, perfect strangers should be able to see a difference in us. My wife often tells me of the story of the kid who said that if Jesus was living in him He would be "sticking out all over". I remember once in college sitting in one the main areas of campus talking with a friend of mine when someone I did not know came up to me and asked if I was a Christian. I said that I was. He said "I could see it in your eyes". The church should be all about developing a community of disciples who will have Jesus "sticking out all over".

Too often the church falls into the trap of believing that there is a need for more ministries or programs to draw people into the church. What we really need to focus on building the community of disciples, intentionally being involved in each others lives, to hold others accountable so that we can "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." 1 Peter 3:15

ADDENDUM: I was discussing this idea with a friend of mine this morning who believes that the majority of churches overemphasize discipleship and do not emphasize evangelism enough. I believe that each church is going to have different needs and be at a different place. We both agreed that the important thing is for churches to be able to strike the right balance between discipleship and evangelism, and like seeking balance in our own lives, it's a constant process.

Is Our Gospel Too Big?

Marshall Shelley, editor of Leadership Magazine, shares some observations from this week's Together For The Gospel conference. He focuses on Mark Dever's address on evangelism that raises some questions work considering.



Also, Justin Taylor links to the audio streams from the conference.

Book Review: The Gospel and Personal Evangelism

If you ask the average Christian what it means to evangelize, who should evangelize or even why evangelize, you're likely to get a wide range of answers that may or may not line up with what Scripture has to say. it's a safe bet that many Christians don't fully understand what evangelism is or what role they play in spreading the Gospel.

Thankfully, there is a terrific new resource available that will help churches, pastors, and individual Christians better understand what evangelism is all about. It is a new book by Mark Dever called The Gospel and Personal Evangelism.

In this slender volume, Dr. Mark Dever seeks to answer the most basic questions about evangelism that most Christians are likely to ask. His answers are clear, concise, and, most importantly, based on Scripture.

As I was reading this book I was both challenged and convicted as I realized that many of the assumptions I had made about evangelism were false. I also realized that my past efforts at evangelism simply didn't match up to what Scripture requires. Dr. Dever methodically addresses our misconceptions and points us to the New Testament truths that will help us develop a lifestyle of evangelism.

The Gospel and Personal Evangelism is a tremendous resource. If you are a church leader or simply someone who wants to have a better grasp of what Scripture requires of you in evangelism, be sure to pick up this book.