Scott Chapman has an interesting article on the question of what people really want when they ask for “deeper preaching.” The answer may be more complex than what one would guess. He breaks it down to five issues: biblical depth, intellectual depth, experiential depth, cultural depth, and applicational depth. [READ]
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I’ve been working this week on one of my favorite passages from the Old Testament, Proverbs 8. In this book of wisdom, a voice is given to wisdom itself. A voice that summons us to lives of discernment, prudence, humility, but also prosperity and power. Wisdom is the repudiation of the ugliest side of our
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No 21st century image consultant would ever think to say this: you were created in God’s image, in his likeness. That means that to find your true self you should not just look inside yourself. The key to what is inside you is actually found outside you. You didn’t just develop. You were made–shaped by
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You press a button and the television screen pops to brightness. What was a dead grey screen now projects a cool-blue background, a multi-colored logo in the upper right corner, and a head-and-shoulders shot of a newscaster whose skin shows no blemish, whose hair is sculpted, whose voice flows, and whose eyes lock on your
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In an interview in the May 8, 2010, issue of World, Tim Keller (Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian in New York City) explains how his pastoral service in a small Virginia town helped shape his preaching: “In a small town your pastoring sets up your preaching. In a big town your preaching sets up your pastoring.
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by Thomas Keppeler, Ph.D., Pastor of Global Outreach, Elmbrook Church Last week a group of about 20 leaders from in and around Elmbrook Church spent a few hours interacting with John Seel of The Clapham Institute and James Davison Hunter, the author of To Change the World – The Irony, Tragedy and Possibility of Christianity
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It’s all about grace. Of all the stirring phrases of Katharine Lee Bates’ famous song, “America the Beautiful,” there is one that jumps up and shouts at me: “America, America, God shed His grace on Thee.” The enduring value of the phenomenon in world history called America is the grace of God. It is more
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On this fourth of July weekend, thinking about freedom… We cherish freedom as a gift from God, but why is it that we have such a difficult time handling freedom when we have it? A young man turns 21 and now has new freedom—legal rights that should be seen as privilege and honor—but he turns
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It was great to listen to and watch the interactions earlier this week during our first event sponsored by The Brook Network. Almost a hundred pastors, worship leaders, and other leaders converged on the theme of “Spirit and Truth: Preaching and Creativity in Worship Today.” It was particularly encouraging to listen to the ideas and
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Today at the Brook Dialogue called “Spirit and Truth” I’ll be sharing some thoughts on preaching, and taking in a lot from the pastors and worship leaders gathered at Elmbrook, from special speaker Scot McKnight and our worship staff, and then, later in the evening, a special presentation by Professor James Davison Hunter. It should
What is preaching? Read More »
A Christianity Today editorial.
The end of religious freedom? Read More »
The first event sponsored by The Brook Network happens next week Tuesday here at Elmbrook Church. It is a one-day conference for pastors and/or worship leaders on the topic of “Spirit and Truth: Preaching and Creativity in Worship Today.” Dr. Scot McKnight from North Park University, author of Jesus Creed
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Today is the summer solstice. It marks the start of summer for some; for others, it is the highpoint of neo-pagan celebration. Worship of the sun has an ancient history (Stonehenge this morning). Think about it. If a person does not believe in an all-powerful, transcendent God, then one of the likely alternatives for people
For Fathers’ Day, check out the initiative called The Mentoring Project which author Donald Miller founded. Don grew up in a fatherless home, and this organization is doing constructive things to deal with the problem of fatherlessness in our country. Pastor Mark Buchanan has an excellent article: Thy Kingdom Come, Why repentance is always good news. An
It is just 11 days until we gather at Elmbrook Church for our one-day seminar for pastors and worship leaders called “Spirit and Truth: Preaching and Creativity in Worship Today.” Here are 12 reasons I think this is going to be a very rich time…
Just 11 days until “Spirit and Truth” Read More »