So we've got folks driving to GraceSLO from as far away as San Miguel and Santa Maria.
Check out this awesome conversation between Mark Driscoll, Mark Dever and James MacDonald on the pros and cons of multi-site churches and church planting.
Sunday we kicked off our Fall Preaching Series, The Gospel is Worth It: Studies in 2 Timothy. (listen here!) As a fun intro, we worked on a "mind map". Here's a quick run through of the slide deck, for those of you who missed it . . . .especially helpful for missing Growth Group Shepherds.
The GOOD NEWS is people are understanding the priority of Growth Groups in our life together. So many who have never been involved before are jumping into Growth Groups this fall. It's exciting and encouraging.
The BAD NEWS is we don't have enough Shepherds. Groups are too full and there aren't enough of them. Here's a slice of our reality.
Here's my email today to the list of men on Thursday Morning Men's Study list. . . . Consider it an invite for all men at GraceSLO. I'm dying to see some older men join me in investing their lives in some younger men. Now is the time for men to step up into the roles to which God calls them! . . . .
Hey Men,
I'm looking forward to being with you Thursday morning.
Its a transitional morning, as we both wrap up our "Spiritual Leadership" study and lean into our new book, "The Reason for God" by Tim Keller. If you took the summer off and you're still getting these emails, I want to encourage you to jump back in for the spiritual encouragement, the accountability and the leadership challenge. I need it and so do you.
A reminder for the consistent crew: Finish those remaining Spiritual Leadership chapters and come ready to share 3 crisp takeaways from the those chapters or the book as a whole. We'll spend the first half sharing what we've learned and capping off Spiritual Leadership and spend the second half reading the intro to The Reason for God.
I know of at least one new guy who will be there. I hope there will be others. If you think of others who need the fellowship of men (who doesn't?) forward this email or give them a call and invite them.
See you tomorrow. . . . Tim
- Financial Peace University, September 26, 10:45 AM, Founders Hall B: We are once again hosting Dave Ramsey's 13 week Financial Peace University. Cost is $100 and space is limited, so register in the Courtyard on Sunday.
- Effective Parenting in a Defective World, 9:00 AM, Fireside Room: Hosted by our 2:42 ABF and facilitated by Donny & Stephanie Valliere, this 12 week class, utilizing a Chip Ingram film series, will tackle the ins and outs of Gospel-centered parenting in a busy, broken world.
- Living Out Loud, 9:00 AM Founder's Hall B: We all know we should share our faith in Jesus with others around us, but most of us are scared to death and don't know where to begin. Hosted by the Harvesters ABFs, this seminar co-lead by Ted Malley and Tim Arlen, will provide Biblical training and practical help for effectively sharing your faith in your God-given circle of influence. . . and with perfect strangers.
- Living Stones Adult Bible Fellowship, 9:00 AM, Founders Hall A: As the fall gets going, the Living Stones invite you to jump into their ongoing study of Acts. Living Stones are a warm, caring fellowship of adults, between the ages of 40 and 65.
- Bereans Senior Adult Bible Fellowship, 10:45 AM, Fireside Room: We love our senior adults here at GraceSLO! If you're a senior adult looking to connect with others your age, the Bereans is the class for you. Join them this fall as they continue in their study of Revelation and Proverbs.
- Financial Peace University, September 26, 10:45 AM, Founders Hall B: We are once again hosting Dave Ramsey's 13 week Financial Peace University. Cost is $100 and space is limited, so register in the Courtyard on Sunday.
- Effective Parenting in a Defective World, 9:00 AM, Fireside Room: Hosted by our 2:42 ABF and facilitated by Donny & Stephanie Valliere, this 12 week class, utilizing a Chip Ingram film series, will tackle the ins and outs of Gospel-centered parenting in a busy, broken world.
- Living Out Loud, 9:00 AM Founder's Hall B: We all know we should share our faith in Jesus with others around us, but most of us are scared to death and don't know where to begin. Hosted by the Harvesters ABFs, this seminar co-lead by Ted Malley and Tim Arlen, will provide Biblical training and practical help for effectively sharing your faith in your God-given circle of influence. . . and with perfect strangers.
- Living Stones Adult Bible Fellowship, 9:00 AM, Founders Hall A: As the fall gets going, the Living Stones invite you to jump into their ongoing study of Acts. Living Stones are a warm, caring fellowship of adults, between the ages of 40 and 65.
- Bereans Senior Adult Bible Fellowship, 10:45 AM, Fireside Room: We love our senior adults here at GraceSLO! If you're a senior adult looking to connect with others your age, the Bereans is the class for you. Join them this fall as they continue in their study of Revelation and Proverbs.
Haak turns 5 today. Precious boy, fearfully and wonderfully made by God in His image.
Since he is absolutely obsessed with farms & animals, he got some bantam chicks for his birthday. . . and that cool hat made by his sister Sage. . . .
One of the neatest things for me to watch is how our 4 kids interact with and care for each other. I never thought about that before we had kids. I thought about the parent-child relationships, but not about their sibling relationships with one another. It brings me much joy to see how they love one another. . . most of the time! Haak loves his brother and sisters and they so love him.
It's a special time in our family. I'm wondering what trials lie around the next corner. . . . Some of you know better than I. I'm trying not to fear, but to trust God today and for tomorrow.
Sent to me by a friend and co-leader in our church. Love it. What do you think?
We were in desperate need of an updated congregational directory . . . . Thanks to the hard work of Sharon Ernstrom it's here . . . . finally.
If you haven't picked one up in the Courtyard, get 'em while they're hot!
I was pretty humbled and intimidated 7 years ago when I learned that the mayor of the city attended the church I was called to pastor.
I was humbled and intimidated again this morning when I read this New Times article noting Mayor Dave's contribution to our community over the years and his retirement announcement.
There he and Mary Belle sit every Sunday morning. Faithful, quiet, unassuming, approachable, personable and always, always encouraging to me. They both love God's Word and coming under its hearing. He calls me "Pastor." I call him "Mayor."
He's practiced his Christian faith in the faithful fulfillment of his family and civic callings. He's invested his life in our community and his impact and influence will be felt for many years to come. I respect that. Like all men, Dave Romero is not perfect, but he's loved and served our city with integrity for so many years and, in so doing, has served the Lord.
I respect and give thanks to the Lord for Dave Romero and wish him the best as he begins to serve the Lord in a new season of life.
I haven't surfed for a long, long time . . . I haven't been able to justify the time investment/return . . . .until recently. My daughter caught the bug, got a great starter board from Costco and we've been getting in the water a bit. So fun to see her stoke. So great to get in the water again, next to her.
Last evening was awesome. Warm air, warm water, rising south swell, sun set, moon rise, family on the beach, Zeke skim boarding, Mexican food take out. Took me back to earlier days in San Clemente at Sano. . . .
Sage is getting up regularly and we are working on getting past the dragging knee.
Surely, more good times to come. . . . .
The Church needs artists because without art we cannot reach the world. The simple fact is that the imagination 'gets you,' even when your reason is completely against the idea of God. "Imagination communicates," as Arthur Danto says, "indefinable but inescapable truth." Those who read a book or listen to music expose themselves to that inescapable truth. There is a sort of schizophrenia that occurs if you are listening to Bach and you hear the glory of God and yet your mind says there is no God and there is no meaning. You are committed to believing nothing means anything and yet the music comes in and takes you over with your imagination. When you listen to great music, you can't believe life is meaningless. Your heart knows what your mind is denying. We need Christian artists because we are never going to reach the world without great Christian art to go with great Christian talk.
--Tim Keller
This morning, in our men's study, we had a terrific conversation about technology and its slow encroachment on our lives. We fail to recognize how technology is affecting the shape of who we are and how we live. But it's happening to most of us. We are unknowingly conformed to the world in this area. It's alluring. It sucks us in with its obvious benefits, but we fail to see the hidden costs. Just because we can, doesn't mean we should.
I was definitely surprised in a recent staff meeting to discover I was the only one in the room who didn't have a Facebook account. Wow!
I believe that technology is both a tool to be used and a force to be resisted. We must examine our use of technology and intentionally look for ways to turn it off and tune it out and limit its influence on our lives. We must learn to ask. . .
If you're a comment reader, you've discovered in the post below that a few have expressed shock and disappointment over my signing the Manhattan Declaration. Apparently, there's even some watchdog org that's jumped into the fray.
The Manhattan Declaration: A Statement from Ligon Duncan
Article by December 2009The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals has received a number of requests for comment upon the Manhattan Declaration, a recent public statement on the sanctity of life, marriage and sexuality, and religious liberty, signed by a number of leaders from the evangelical, Anglican, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions.
The Alliance has not historically weighed in on social ethical issues, not because they are unimportant, nor because it is inappropriate for Christians to do so, but because of the mission of the Alliance which is "to call the twenty-first century church to reformation, according to Scripture, so that it recovers clarity and conviction about the great evangelical truths of the gospel and thus proclaims these truths powerfully in our contemporary context." Specifically, we are an alliance of confessional Protestants (and heirs of the historic Reformed Confessions) who work together to "promote the reform of the church according to Scripture, and to call the church to be faithful to the Scriptures, by embracing and practicing the teaching of Scripture concerning doctrine, life and worship."
However, a number of Alliance Council members were invited to participate in the meeting that resulted in the production of the Manhattan Declaration, and/or to sign the final document. These Council members did so as individuals, not as representatives of the Alliance.
While neither the Board nor the Council of the Alliance has taken a position on the document, some Alliance Council members subsequently decided to sign the document, while others decided not to sign. Some Council members have also offered public statements explaining why or why they did not sign the document.
Those who did not sign the document believe that it is a lamentable example of the confused sort of ecumenical theology, on display in the ECT (Evangelicals and Catholics Together) statements, and that it implicitly commits its signers to acknowledge a commonality between evangelicals, Roman Catholics and Orthodox on the gospel, who is a true Christian and what is a true church. They rightly point out that the Alliance has always been and remains unanimously critical of the presuppositions and products of ECT.
Those who did sign the document believe that it is a statement of solidarity, not of ecumenism, and that it represents the kind of principled co-belligerency advocated by, for instance, Francis Schaeffer and James Boice. These signers believe that document actually helps clarify their concerns with the whole ECT project, because the Manhattan Declaration only asks evangelicals, Catholics and Orthodox to agree on matters on which we actually agree (marriage and sexuality, the sanctity of life, and religious liberty), rather than purporting an agreement in vital matters on which we do not agree (the Gospel, what is a Christian, what is a true Church).
It should be made clear that those Council members who did not sign the document agree with what the document says about the social issues it addresses. Their concern is that the document implies an agreement between evangelicals and Catholics on the Gospel where there is in fact not an agreement. Conversely, those Council members who signed the document fully understand the agreement on the documents' statement on social issues that they share with those who didn't sign, and also fully appreciate the non-signers' concerns for Gospel clarity and fidelity. However, the Council members who signed do not believe that the document commits them to an agreement with Roman Catholics or Eastern Orthodox on the nature of the Gospel, the Church or who is a true Christian.
The issue boils down to a matter of judgment, not a disagreement in principle, between those Council members who signed and didn't sign. The non-signers believe that the content of the document and the associations of the primary authors imply an ECT-like confusion about the Gospel. The signers believe that the explicit assertions and emphasis of the documents relate only to areas of principled social-ethical agreement between evangelicals and non-evangelicals. Further, they believe that it is important for individuals from the major quadrants of the historic Christian tradition to speak on these pressing matters in solidarity.
The Council members have had good, robust discussions on these things among ourselves about this whole matter. We continue to love and respect one another, and we all want to continue to serve and work with one another. The bonds of our fellowship are unbroken. Our commitment to the mission of the Alliance is unchanged. Our unity in the Gospel, and in the great solas of the Reformation is stronger than ever.
Ligon Duncan is president of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals.
The Manhattan Declaration . . . .a statement affirming life, traditional marriage, religious freedom.
I was moved, challenged, encouraged and informed as I read it. Its well written, compelling and deals thoughtfully and Biblically with issues that we've recently considered together.
(If you've been reading along for any length of time or know me at all, your aware that I have strange, but deep, convictions about the church and politics and the necessity of keeping our nationalism and our Gospel calling separate. . . . so aren't you curious to know why I'm so passionate about the Manhattan Declaration?)
So earmark 1/2 hour in your busy life and take the time to read it slowly and carefully. Read it with your spouse and your children. Join me in signing it, if you feel led.
I've included the Preamble below to prime your pump . . . it alone fired me up and reminded me of our rich Christian history and Biblical calling . . .
PREAMBLE
Christians are heirs of a 2,000-year tradition of proclaiming God's word, seeking justice in our societies, resisting tyranny, and reaching out with compassion to the poor, oppressed and suffering.
While fully acknowledging the imperfections and shortcomings of Christian institutions and communities in all ages, we claim the heritage of those Christians who defended innocent life by rescuing discarded babies from trash heaps in Roman cities and publicly denouncing the Empire's sanctioning of infanticide. We remember with reverence those believers who sacrificed their lives by remaining in Roman cities to tend the sick and dying during the plagues, and who died bravely in the coliseums rather than deny their Lord.
After the barbarian tribes overran Europe, Christian monasteries preserved not only the Bible but also the literature and art of Western culture. It was Christians who combated the evil of slavery: Papal edicts in the 16th and 17th centuries decried the practice of slavery and first excommunicated anyone involved in the slave trade; evangelical Christians in England, led by John Wesley and William Wilberforce, put an end to the slave trade in that country. Christians under Wilberforce's leadership also formed hundreds of societies for helping the poor, the imprisoned, and child laborers chained to machines.
In Europe, Christians challenged the divine claims of kings and successfully fought to establish the rule of law and balance of governmental powers, which made modern democracy possible. And in America, Christian women stood at the vanguard of the suffrage movement. The great civil rights crusades of the 1950s and 60s were led by Christians claiming the Scriptures and asserting the glory of the image of God in every human being regardless of race, religion, age or class.
This same devotion to human dignity has led Christians in the last decade to work to end the dehumanizing scourge of human trafficking and sexual slavery, bring compassionate care to AIDS sufferers in Africa, and assist in a myriad of other human rights causes – from providing clean water in developing nations to providing homes for tens of thousands of children orphaned by war, disease and gender discrimination.
Like those who have gone before us in the faith, Christians today are called to proclaim the Gospel of costly grace, to protect the intrinsic dignity of the human person and to stand for the common good. In being true to its own calling, the call to discipleship, the church through service to others can make a profound contribution to the public good.
It's not my age. I'm way beyond that. I'm 42.
No, 40 is the number of Growth Groups we are hoping for, praying for and working toward this Fall.
I had lunch with a friend today at Nois, out in Baywood. Can you believe I've never had Thai food? WOW! So, so good. I'm definitely going back, but I digress . . . .
This friend, without my prompting,out of the blue says, "That Growth Group thing is the best thing you you guys have done. Its not about the message (I didn't take it personally!), but about connecting with others midweek who share your values and are trying to live by faith in Jesus like you are."
Bingo. I really don't think I could have said it any better myself. That fired me up! So he's involved in this rockin' diverse Growth Group in Los Osos and their living life together. He's building relationships. He's processing the Gospel beyond Sunday morning. He's feeling connected and dialed in.
Are you? Don't you want to be? This is what Growth Groups are all about. Not a cold, dead, plastic rehash of the sermon, but people doing life together, trying to figure out what it means to follow Jesus in the real world.
So we don't know what God is going to do, but we're praying for, trusting Him for 40. We think the Lord would be pleased with 40, even 50 Growth Groups at GraceSLO this Fall.
We need at least 40. We had some Growth Groups that were almost 20 people. Too big. We need to break that size down to the 6-12 range.
Childcare is a challenge for many. It was a challenge for us. Last Spring several Family-Style Growth Groups began to emerge. For these Groups, kids were not a hassle to be shipped off, but a joy to be embraced. Definitely makes the group a little crazier, but it makes it so much more fun (funner!) as well. The kids in our Growth Groups loved gathering together and they were catching the idea of families doing life together.
In others words, some Growth Groups look like this. . .
5 from GraceSLO will be traveling to the Czech Republic on July 26. . . . from the left. . . Donna, Sarah, Annie, Eli and Jim. They will be partnering with a church in Litvinov and the missions organization Josiah Venture to put on an English Camp for 8 days. Here's how they describe their trip . . .The needs are great in Czech. Still feeling the aftermath of the fall of communism, there is a tremendous need to build up churches and reach the Czech youth. Our team from Grace has a great opportunity to come alongside the local ministry of Josiah Venture (www.josiahventure.com) to help build local youth ministries and develop youth leaders to reach their country. One of the effective strategies has been to have the churches and Josiah Venture Missionaries invite students from the community and schools to English camps. At the camp they experience a youth camp environment along with 3 hours of English class. Through building relationships with the Czech students, discussion groups, evening talks, sports times, hiking, and a lot of fun, many of the students are exposed to genuine, Biblical Christianity for the first time. But the outreach doesn’t stop when camp is over. After the students return to their hometown, they are invited to the church youth group events and continue the relationships built at camp with students from the church youth group. It makes for great follow-up.
The Chech Team has set up a blog so you can follow their trip at http://czech-ers.blogspot.com/
Let's purpose to pray for them together from July 26 until their return on August 12.
Written more than 100 years ago and now considered a classic, Sienkiewicz won the Nobel Prize for Literature for the work.
Quo Vadis is set in Nero's Rome and tells the story of Vinicius and his conversion to Christ through the Christ-like love of Lygia. Its a great story.
First century Christianity came alive for me in reading Quo Vadis. I was so challenged by the contrast between the indulgent, sin-soaked Roman culture and the emerging, selfless, radically sacrificial, willing-to-suffer Christian community. The Christian worldview is utterly other-worldly and compelling in comparison to the empty, pleasure-focused Roman culture.
Our culture is definitely heading in the direction of Roman culture. And what about today's Christianity? Are we living otherworldly, counter-cultural lives, sacrificial lives in midst of a wicked, worldly culture. . . . or have we become conformed to it?
How can we, as those who believe the radical world changing Gospel challenge the lies of contemporary culture? How are we called to live in opposition to the cultural trends? How are we called to serve our neighbors and community in radical sacrificial ways today?
These are the questions I'm still asking after having finished Quo Vadis a couple weeks back.
Its 600 pages, but definitely worth the read! Let me know if you pick it up.
Perhaps you've noticed some of these few new faces on the platform at GraceSLO this summer and perhaps you happened to be away on the Sundays when they were introduced. What's going on? Who are these guys?
Glad you asked.
When Pastor Steve announced his resignation to pursue other callings last spring, our Ministry Staff and Elders began to seek the Lord and discuss together how we might fill the many areas of ministry Steve oversaw and lead. As we explored options and ideas, we were surprised and delighted to see the Lord lead us in an unexpected direction.
We decided together to split the Adult Ministries Pastor position into three new part time positions to address what we perceived as current needs of our ministry. Given the continuing economic uncertainty, we established these positions as one year positions, renewable on an annual basis depending on funding and the current needs of the ministry. This gives us great financial and ministry flexibility as we move ahead.
What was even more unexpected was to see how the Lord quickly provided qualified and gifted men to fill these positions. Here are those new positions and the men (pictured above) who fill them:
Adult Ministries Director: Tim Arlen (left in pic)
With a great heart and passion for ministry, Tim A. has been a key and right hand volunteer with Pastor Steve throughout the areas of Adult Ministry for nearly the last 5 years. He has also been the lead on our Adopt-A-People team.
Beyond Grace, Tim works as an in home/in hospital teacher for laid up students unable to make to the classroom. He also serves as a missionary/teacher/trainer with BEE World international which is focused on Biblical and theological education for pastors around the world. Tim goes on 2-3 mission trips with BEE each year. Tim and his wife Tammy have 6 children.
Tim will be focusing his energy and time in the area of Growth Groups as we continue to develop this priority "big rock" ministry, but will also be helping in the areas of Adult Bible Fellowships/Sunday Morning Seminars and Missions as we move toward the adoption of an unreached people. We're excited about Tim's next step with us.
College Ministry Director: Tim Fox (middle in pic)
We've had our eye on Tim for the last year, hoping to bring him on as a College Ministry Assistant next to Pastor Steve, but felt constrained because of some financial uncertainties. When Pastor Steve resigned, we immediately looked to Tim.
After graduating from Cal Poly, Tim spent a year oversees serving with Campus Crusade and then a year as intern staff at Cal Poly. Tim currently attends Western Seminary and previously has worshiped, with his wife Marijke, just across town at CalvarySLO.
Steve has made a commitment to help Tim transition in and take the reins of our vital College Ministry. We're excited to see how the Lord is going to use and develop Tim here at GraceSLO as he moves toward full-time pastoral ministry.
Worship Ministries Assistant: Scott Head (right in pic)
As our culture continues to change and our congregation continues to broaden across the generational spectrum, we face the continual challenge of worshiping together. At GraceSLO, we're committed to worshiping together, rather then splitting and segmenting our services, because we're committed to living the Gospel together . . . considering and serving the interests and preferences of others before our own. Its not the easy way in our consumeristic "have it your way" culture, but we continue to think its the right way for us.
We want to do what we do well, with excellence, unto the Lord. We believe Scott is uniquely gifted to help us do what we do better on the contemporary front, making sure we continue to connect with and involve younger generations.
Scott and his wife Carly have attended Grace for the last 5 years as Cal Poly students and, last year, after getting married, experienced the joy and connection of a Growth Group. Scott has a background in classical music, but for the last 5 years has been a member of the Pat Little Band and also lead worship at the Campus Crusade weekly meeting. Scott works almost full time in SLO at a local computer services company called iFixIt. We think Scott and Pastor Al make a great team as we continue to move forward and grow our Worship Ministries.
After preaching on the laughter of Sarah a couple weeks back, I stumbled upon a couple of quotes related to humor as an essential quality of leaders in Oswald Sander's Spiritual Leadership.
(I'm reading and discussing Spiritual Leadership with a group of Grace men on Thursday mornings. We're having a great time and we'd love to have you join us . . . if you're a man, that is . . .)
From Helmut Thielecke . . .
Should we not see the lines of laughter about the eyes are just as much marks of faith as are the lines of care and seriousness? Is it only earnestness that is baptized? Is laughter pagan? . . . A church is in a bad way when it banishes laughter from the sanctuary and leaves it to the cabaret, the nightclub and the toastmasters.
I have never met leadership without a sense of humor; this ability to stand outside oneself and one's circumstances, to see things in perspective and laugh. It is a great safety valve! You will never lead others far without the joy of the Lord and its concomitant, a sense of humor.
The last few years we've been able to make a gift to the SLO County Food Bank's Hunger Awareness Day. We see this as a way to live the Gospel and be a Gospel presence in our community. This year we gave almost $2300 to the project. Here are a couple of thank you notes I received in return. These are not notes to me, but to the family of Grace for your generous giving to our community. . . be encouraged and blessed today . . .
Dear Pastor Tim,
A little thank you note seems wholly inadequate to thank you & your congregation for the amazing generosity that supported Hunger Awareness Day, but it's the best I've got! Thank you so much, not just for your contributions and your on-going care & concern for so many community issues, but also for the easy "yes" you extend to us. Your ready hearts & willing generosity are powerful guides to all of us- and I know that starts at the top, Pastor.
Thank you for every bit of it
Maggie Cox
Barnet Cox & Associates
Dear Pastor Tim and all our Friends at Grace Church,
Thank you so much for your support of Hunger Awareness Day! An official receipt will follow, but I want to say what an inspiration you are to us and a great encouragement to those whom we serve with healthy food. While we fell short of our goal, we raised $70,000! Your partnership is a blessing to us
Carl
Executive Director
Food Bank Coalition of SLO County
Our family has been enjoying the music of Brandon Heath these days. I was listening this weekend and stumbled on to "Wait and See", which fit so well with our Mother's Day message yesterday from the life of Sarah. . .
I'm so glad God's not finished with me yet, aren't you? (not me, you!)
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