Bible Reading Plans

OK... We talked about reading the Bible yesterday.

We discussed how to read and understand the Bible...

1) Context - Know who wrote, when, and why. What is larger context and the immediate context.

2) Observation - Write down what you see. Look for key words and themes. Become a detective.

3) Interpretation - What is the passage saying to the original hearers? What is the message? Do not look for what the passage means to you. That is wrong. You need to first know what it means.

4) Application - What is the principal for living that is found in this passage? How can you apply this passage? Where can you apply this passage.

Ready to get started? OK! Here is a link to a site that you can print and use the fancy check boxes. Reading Plan. Choose a plan and get started. Don't forget you can pick up a journal at the information booth and it also has plans and methods to help you begin to read the Bible.

TXT - Day Five Bible Reading

Necessity of Scripture

Some who like the idea of a god or “higher power” resist the message of Bible. They claim that it is outdated, narrow-minded, and not applicable to today. But many of these folks are quick to profess allegiance in God. They claim a deep relationship with him and try to live lives that align with his holy character. The Bible, they feel, may be helpful in some circumstances, but it is certainly not necessary to know God deeply.

In our third post we explored the role of the Holy Spirit in understanding the Scripture, and we discovered that the selfish lives we led before (and while) following Christ have made it difficult for us to understand the Bible. Scripture sometimes simply does not make sense to us unless God helps us understand.

Today we are going to explore a similar idea, but this time we are talking about more that the Bible. We are talking about God himself. Can we really know God without using the message he sent us? Read Romans 10:11-17 and answer the following questions:

1. What does Paul say must happen first before we can believe in Christ?

2. In light of what we have learned about ourselves in these posts, why do you think Paul says this?

3. What does Paul say must be preached for salvation?

4. The Scriptures are absolutely necessary for salvation because they give us both Jesus’ words and the accounts of those that followed him during his earthly ministry. How would you respond to someone that claimed they don’t need to Bible to know God? In other words, why is it important to take God the way he presents himself instead of the way our minds want him to be?

TXT - Day Four Bible Reading

Use of OT in NT

When people struggle with the Scriptures, the often have difficulty with some of the more sensational passages from the Old Testament. If they believe in Jesus and his resurrection, the New Testament is easier to swallow – at least until it is applied! But the Old Testament has accounts of the raining fire, giant fish, parting waters, floods and talking donkeys. Did this stuff really happen? In other words, are the accounts true?

One factor that confirms the Old Testament accounts is how they are handled in the New Testament. Read the following parings of Scripture, and take note of how the Jesus and the New Testament Apostles view the Old Testament:

Jonah 1:1-2:10 & Matthew 12:40-41
Genesis 19:1-29 & Luke 17:29
Exodus 14:15-31 & 1 Corinthians 10:1-2
Genesis 6:9-8:19 & 2 Peter 2:4-5
Numbers 22:22-35 & 2 Peter 2:15-16

1. How do you think Jesus and the New Testament Apostles viewed the Old Testament?
2. How does your answer to question 1 impact your view of the Old Testament?
3. What danger would there be in choosing to believe some parts of the Bible but not other parts?

TXT - Day Three Bible Reading

Day Three. Super Thanks to Ryan Allred... Awesome post.

Role of the Spirit

Many people have picked up the Bible with the best intentions, only to set it down in frustration a few pages later. If the Scriptures are God’s words of truth to us, why can they be so hard to understand?

Our message this Sunday will address some of the practical aspects to this, but at the end of the day we need God to help us understand what he is saying to us. We have wandered so far from him that his words can sometime seem like a foreign language. Fortunately God has not left us alone, but has promised that every believer would have in them exactly what they need to understand his Scripture.

Ephesians 1:13-14 states that when we believed in Christ we received the Holy Spirit. That means each one of us that follows Christ as Lord and Savior also has God’s indwelling Spirit. This Holy Spirit has many roles in our lives, and one is to help us understand the mind and words of God. To understand how this works a little better, answer the following questions on 1 Corinthians 2:6-13:

1. What “mystery” do you think Paul is referring to? (Hint: a mystery is a part of God’s plan that he has previously not revealed)

2. Paul quotes a couple of passages from Isaiah in verse 9 regarding our ability to imagine the things of God. How should these verses help us to approach things God says or allows that don’t seem to make sense?

3. The “spirit of this world” so influences us that it creates our default mode of thinking and acting. It’s what “makes sense” to everyone. Do you think this spirit will always understand the Bible the way God wants it understood?

4. How does knowing you have God’s Spirit in you affect your attitude toward the Bible?

5. Do you really believe that you now have the “mind of Christ?” If it does not seem like you do, remember that some aspects of our faith are promised and certain, but our growth and obedience temper how much we experience them. What could you do to better experience guidance from the Spirit that lives inside of you?

TXT - Day Two Bible Reading

Sorry about not posting this yesterday. Here is Day 2 Reading.


Monday we learned that our Scriptures are inspired or literally “God-breathed.” God has worked to ensure that the words we have in the Bible are exactly the way he wants them to be. They are in every sense his words.

Because the Scriptures as God’s words, they are also true because God is true. God cannot tell a lie, and therefore his words…the Scriptures…are always true. This means that when the Bible speaks on a subject, it’s principles and commands are always best. They are true and what should be – even if they don’t always point to the easiest or most comfortable way. They are best for us.

In 1 Peter 2:1-5, Peter calls us to desire the “unadulterated spiritual milk.” This literally could be translated, “the pure milk of the word.” This passage is calling us to walk away from who we used to be and long for what God wants us to be. To help explore how this plays out in our lives, answer the following questions on 1 Peter 2:1-5:

1. Why does Peter call us to pursue spiritual milk?

2. It what ways have you “tasted that the Lord is good?” Make a list, and use this as motivation to continue pursuing him in the Scriptures.

3. If you are honest with yourself, what is competing with the Scripture for attention in your life? How can you ensure that you don’t choose it over spiritual growth?

4. What do you think it means that Christians are being “built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood?” The basic job of a priest is to connect people with God. What people has God put in your life this week that need connecting with him? How are you going to help them take steps in that direction?

TXT - Day One Bible Reading

OK we started a new series yesterday called TXT. We are exploring the Bible. Asking questions like... Is the Bible Reliable? How Do I read it? Is it important? What is the major theme of the Bible? Yesterday we looked at some behind the scenes in making the Bible.

I had a bunch of people yesterday asking for some more info on some of the things we discussed. There is one great place you can go for a ton of information that is similar to what we talked about yesterday... Starting Point. Hope that will help.

The following is Day One of our study of passages about the Bible. Special thanks to Ryan Allred our small group pastor put this together.

Inspiration

How do we find out what God is like? We can look out our window or inside the human body to see that something greater than us is out there, but we would struggle to know much more than that. What is this something like? Is he loving, mean, just, self-centered? Does he have our best interest in mind? Do we owe him anything, or visa-versa? We would still be searching for the answers to these questions if God has not worked to reveal himself to us. God’s actions and words have told us everything we need to know about him, and these are the things that the Scriptures speak of.

God so much wanted us to know about himself that he “breathed” the Scriptures into existence. God guaranteed that his words and actions were recorded for us the way he wants them recorded. And these words of Scripture were not given to us just to fulfill our curiosity about God, but rather they have some important purposes. To discover some of these purposes and their importance in our lives, answer the following questions in 2 Timothy 3:10-16.

In 2 Timothy an imprisoned Paul is giving vital instructions to his younger companion and friend Timothy.

1. Why does Paul encourage Timothy to “continue” in what he has learned from the Scriptures? How do similar dangers continue today?

2. Verse 15 literally says that the Scriptures are able to give “wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” Understanding wisdom as applied knowledge, how would time spent in the Scriptures help grow your faith in Christ? What kind of additional knowledge do you think you need? How are you going to go about getting it? What do you already know that you have not yet applied? How are you going to apply it?

3. Paul says that our training in righteousness has a purpose. What is this purpose?

4. Many of us struggle with long-term motivation to spend time in the Scriptures. How does our purpose in being trained for righteousness provide the motivation we need?

Obama, McCain, or Jesus?

I know you guys have been waiting with great anticipation for who I will be voting for on Tuesday Nov. 4th. Drum Roll please.....


I get asked all the time why I do not talk more about politics on Sunday morning. Why I don't publicly endorse candidates. That is a great question. I will answer it simply... I am voting for Jesus. I know corny... but it is true. My job is not to sell people who or who not to vote for. My job is talk about the power of Christ in our lives. I am to teach what Jesus says and encourage people to apply those principles to their lives. Some of you... like me will take that information and use it to decide who to vote for. I have voted in every presidential election since I was 18 years old. I have voted in most primaries. I have been a huge political buff in the past and love to discuss politics with people. The bottom line is that I believe we should vote... but when the church turns political... YUCK!

Let me just break it down for you... Some pastors have used their churches as a political theatre. Wasted incredible energy preaching the gospel of politics and placed their hope in some person running for political office. Who at their best still pales in comparison to the only person who can make a true difference in our personal lives, our community life, and our nations life. Heck... He can change the world... and has! Rather than the waste the precious time I have communicating on a public stage about the NEXT great hope for our country... I think I will talk about Jesus! Because that is who I am voting for...

Day Light Savings Time

This Sunday is Daylight Savings time... I hate darkness. That means it will be Dark 1 hour Earlier!!!!! Are you kiddin me? It gets dark too early now. Good news though... you get 1 more hour of sleep!!!!! Anyway... Don't forget to turn your clocks back this Saturday night before bed.

My Last Sermon...

Tomorrow will be my last sermon. Still working on the content... and probably will still be working on it when I preach it. See You In the Morning!

31 Days to Live - Stories

OK time for some stories. I will be putting in some stories that I am hearing about the 31 Days to Live. I gave you one of mine yesterday... today I begin giving some stories from other people.

This first comes from Janet Inkellar. She works with a local Hospice organization. This is the email she sent me.

"There is one story I would like to share that occurred with a nurse that I work with. We had a young male patient (30's) dying of AIDS. He was extremely restless and we were having difficulty in controlling his pain. We had tried multiple interventions, the nurse finally asked if she could pray with the patient. When she did he began to cry and said he was scared to die because God would never forgive him. The nurse adamantly prayed with patient and explained that it is never too late to ask for forgiveness. The patient accepted GOD that day and died a few days later with a calm acceptance and his pain and symptoms well controlled.

I have used my bracelet several times this week--talking with my patients about their impending death. It has been a good lead in. I asked one of my patients what he would do differently if he knew his time would have been this short--it was awesome to hear him say only to leave his family a little more prepared. I hope that will be my only regret!"

I would like to hear your stories. Please email me any stories at pastor@northrockhill.com.

What if my list kills me before the 31 days?

Last week I went fishing with a friend. (One of the things on my list.) When we got back it was late and dark and I went to my car and while in route I stepped in a hole and face planted on the concrete. Knocked me out cold. I woke up hearing a voice saying, "Call 911... I don't think he's breathing." I knew for some reason he was talking about me. Weird thoughts went through my head... "Wow! I am going to die before the 31 days to live is over." Fear came over me and I jumped up and told him I was OK... don't call 911. (I have a fear of needles and did not want to take a chance they would give me a shot.) I stumbled into his house and convinced them to not call 911. I was scratched up and bleeding. Dizzy and very sleepy. After a while we all decided it was best if I stay at there house and sleep it off. The bad thing was having to call Holly in the middle of the night and tell her what happened. I decided to not make a big deal about it. I did not want her to worry and I would give her details in the morning.

Well I am still alive and the wounds are finally starting to heal up. However, It did give me reason to pause. That happened in a flash and the consequences has impacted me for days. It is strange but it truly was a great reminder in the middle of the 31 days to live that things in our lives can change in a split second. The question is... am I making the most out of the other seconds?

Oct 26th - Final Sunday of 31 Days

You do not want to miss Oct. 26th which will be our final Sunday of our "31 Days to Live." We have some really cool stuff planned including doing Baptisms during the service. This should be a lot of fun. If you have not yet been baptized and are interested in participating make sure you contact the church office, fill out the response card, or see Ryan Allred at the Information Booth.

Hope your 31 Days to Live is going good... Are you meeting your goals? I know this has been harder than I ever expected. I will be sharing how my 31 Days to Live was almost cut in half... stay tuned.

31 Days to Live - What Would You Do?

We have completed two days of the 31 Days to live. How are you doing? I am still trying to make the most of each moment. Trying to stay on top of my goals. However, today I want to do something different. I want to include you in this blog discussion. I want to share with you a couple of the things on my list of things I want to do in my last 31 days. Also, I want to know what would you do?

Here are a few things on my list. I am not sharing everything. However, during month I will share different ones as I accomplish them. Here a couple of highlights:

1) Food: One thing I want to eat during my 31 days is a good steak and baked potato. I want to wash it down with a big glass of Dr. Pepper. (Mmmmmmm)

2) Going to hang out with my grandmother. I love her. She is 94 and she is very sick with Cancer. I am hoping she will help me understand better what it means to "number your days."

3) Laugh more with the people I care about. I have a lot under this category. Game time, dates with my wife and a date with my daughter, a party with family a couple of close friends, and quality time with each of my boys.

These are just a few of the things on my list. I want to know what is on your list. click on the comments button below and let's start sharing with one another what we would do if we only had 31 days to live.

30 Days to Live - "What are You Waiting For?" (DAY ONE)

This past Sunday we started a new series called "31 days to Live." We are challenging everyone to live as though October was their last 31 days. During the message we gave several challenges. Memorize Ps 139: 4-5, make a list of what you would do if you only had 31 days to live, live in the moment... not for the moment (there is a difference), and embrace Christ as Lord (That's what matters most.) You can check the message out here.

DAY ONE: How was your first day? Mine was not too good. Starting Sunday afternoon I got busy with meetings. I have been on a retreat Monday and Tuesday and did a poor job prepping for my first day. Then I spent most of the first day worn out, catching up, and unfocused. I still have made no progress toward my goals. Here is the kicker... I only have 30 days left! 720 hours! Wow! What am I waiting for? I have to truly determine what is most important. Today... I get back to work. I am determined to make this the best 30 days of my life. After Soccer tonight I think my family will play a game together. (Don't tell them. It is a suprise.) One of the things I want to do in my last 30 days is laugh more. Especially with those people I love the most. So even though I am busy training church planters today, planning meeting with some world changers late in the afternoon, and taking my kids to soccer... I still plan on laughing a lot. Nothing is more fun or funny than me whipping my family in a game.

If you did not start well... it is OK. Start NOW! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

40 Baptisms This Summer!

Wow! Sunday we had yet another great day at the Lake. It was a blast. 16 people took another step in their journey by being baptized. It was really awesome. Some really great stories. This summer we baptized 40 people. Also, don't be surprised but we are planning a special baptism this fall. I have an idea running around in my head. That is never good. Let's just say that I have an idea to do a baptism during Sunday Morning Services. You say, "no big deal." When you don't have a baptismal pool it is! Should be really cool... keep your eyes open.

Hope you enjoy the pics.

The Dark Knight - Movie Review

I know you have been waiting for me to give my rating before going to see this movie. If you have waited for this review then you are one of the few people in america who have not seen this Movie. (If you are new to the blog then check out the rating system here.)

Drum Roll Please... PRIME TIME. Give me a Large Drink, Popcorn, and some candy. (A long movie needs a little extra food.) I have seen this movie twice. That says a lot. I don't watch too many movies twice. This was Awesome!

A couple of thoughts. I went into this movie assuming that Heath Ledger had been over hyped. They were trying to build his legacy. So I was not expecting much. Opps. That was a huge mistake. I hate to say this... He was really amazing. I really thought there were very few problems with this movie. The acting was great. The story was amazing. The creative writing was a pleasant suprise.

Let me also say this movie ranks up there with Spider Man, The original Superman, and made Iron Man look average. (Which I thought was a good movie.) I really have been disappointed with the movies this summer... I have to say that this movie made up for a really bad summer movie lineup. It now ranks number 2 all time in how much money it has brought in. It is a little ways off the 600 million that the Titanic raked in... but let's be honest, it is too bad the movie Titanic did not go down with the ship... It was a nightmare to watch. It had so many bad elements... sappy romance, terrible actor, too long, suprise ending (yeah right), too long, boring, too long, and it simply was not good. Anyway, I digress.

Bottomline... The Dark Knight is a really great movie. Be careful with young children. Although it has little bad language, the violence is implied and not seen, but it is still a scary movie for small children.

Vacation Compromise - Cabin

OK... I know you might be wandering what ever happened to the big summer vacation. Great question. We decided to compromise. Since I could not get my wife to camp and since Gas is $50 a gallon and travel is a really bad idea. We decided to stay close and get a little cabin and hang out in Gatlinburg, TN. We did not spend much money on the cabin and trip... soooo it gave the boys a chance to spend some money on doing a lot of "fun" stuff in town. This also allowed us to bring Cadence, Holly go shopping, and me lay around the cabin and watch a couple of movies. :) Could anything be finer!

Thanks so much for all the ideas. I hope you had a great vacation this year too. Now... Back to work or School or whatever it is you do.

Where in the World is... Chris?

OK. I am back in the saddle. I have had a few weeks off from blogging. The summer caught up with me. I have been on 3 major trips. Getting over the burn out from building and moving into the building. Overwhelmed with what has to be done... RIGHT NOW! Wow. Anyway, I am Back ready to go. I have a lot of stuff on my mind. Let's get blogging!

Random Thoughts...

Here are a few thoughts going through my head.

• I have been on a mountain top with very little contact to the world. That was awesome. I stayed in a cabin with no running water but some basic stuff. It was a beautiful place and it reminded me that I can survive without Internet, emails, TV, cell phones, and chaos. :)
• Landscaping! I talked a little about the landscaping issues we have had during the construction process on Monday. It has been a nightmare. It has consumed a lot of our time and has been a major distraction from stuff that matters most. We are having a workday on Friday and Saturday. We as a church will need to step up and see if we can get the property in better shape. We cannot afford to hire someone to fix the mess that was made. If you can be there... it would be awesome!
• Batman... one word... AWESOME! My movie review is coming soon.
• My Daughter is walking! 10 months old and is walking everywhere. WoW! I have pictures coming soon. She is everywhere! Climbing, touching, eating, grabbing, and pulling.
• Panthers training camp... opens next week! Anyone ready for this? Don't bring up college football. It is the only sport that does not have a winner. It has Winners! Lots of them. Then a computer determines who is the champion. Give me a Break!

More to come...

Is There Hope for the Hopeless? Ask Josh Hamilton!

A few weeks ago I shared the story of Josh Hamilton as an illustration during our Happily Ever After Series. Great... Great Story! For those of you not familiar with his story check it out at ESPN. This is an article he wrote.



http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=2926447&type=story



WOW! What a great story and it only gets better! Josh Hamilton had a dream before coming back to baseball. In his dream he was at the All Star Game in Yankee stadium participating in the Home Run Derby. A lady asked him why he was there and he tells her that he was there to tell his story of how God saved him from drug addiction. That God had given him another chance in life. Fast forward 2 years... It is Yankee Stadium. He is in the All Star game. He is in the Home Run Derby. He is being interviewed by a female commentator with whom he shares his story. That is Really Cool! But it gets even better. During the Home Run Derby he starts hitting home runs. He keeps hitting home runs... As a matter of fact he hits a lot of home runs. 28 to be exact! In only the first round! The person closest to him hit only 8 home runs. While I was watching this unfold I could tell I was watching history. It was Amazing! My whole family sat around the TV pulling for him. The story gets even better... His 71 year old former batting practice pitching coach was selected to pitch to him. He threw 54 pitches and is 71 years old!


If you want to see more of the story about the Home Run Derby you can watch ESPN. ESPN.com or other sports sites will have more info on his story as well. What a great story. You cannot watch this story and not see God at work. Just like the commentator said during the derby... "It is a bad day to be an atheist at Yankee Stadium." However, it is a great day to be a follower of Christ. Josh is a reminder that no matter how bad it gets... There is Hope!

What is in a Name?

Got a thought running through my head. I thought I would share it with you.

Duet. 25:10
"And his family name in Israel will be called "The House of the Man whose sandal was removed."

This was something I read recently and reminded me of the culture in the Old Testament. People took their names very serious. It meant something. Both Literally and symbolically. They went to great lengths to not dishonor their names.

I remember when Holly and I were faced with our first son being born we had a lot of discussions on what to name our son. We both agreed that we wanted all our children to have names that meant something. We were not looking for something that just sounded good. (Although we were not going to name our son Barney no matter what it meant. We did have some limits.) My fist son was named after me, 2nd son was named after Holly's Dad and brother, 3rd son was named during time we started church and his name meant bold and faithful and he also was named after my best friend, and our little girls name represented the time when me and Holly met and her middle name was the name her birth mom gave her.

Names mean something. I remember when I read this verse... I was challenged with this thought. How hard do I work to make sure that I do not dishonor my family name? Even more importantly... How hard do I work to not dishonor the name of Christ. For I do bear the name of Christ as well... and Names mean something!

Marriage Resources

We wrapped up our series yesterday on Marriage. I thought it was a really great series. I have to admit that it has really challenged me personally. I have also heard a lot of folks talking about their own marriages and so I wanted to throw out a few resources that you might want to consider in your own marriage.

1) Read one or both of the following books. "Boundaries in Marriage" Which we have available at the information booth for $11. Also, another helpful book that went along with our series is "The Five Love Languages."

2) Begin a Regular date night. This should be weekly or worst case bi-weekly. Decide on the format. I suggest that you both take a turn planning on of the date nights per month. If you are dating weekly then the other two date nights can be more spontaneous.

3) If you have not done this already do it SOON! Meet and discuss each other needs. Understand what your spouses needs are and begin to meet them TODAY.

4) Also, consider going to counseling. I highly recommend Grace Life in Charlotte, NC. They are located on south side of town and right off I-77. Their website is http://www.glionline.com/

5) Start with you! The only person that you can change is yourself.

Help me Not Look Like a Dork!!!! Summer Vacation Help... Continued

I wanted to update everyone on my summer vacation ideas. I have several concerns... Why are more people not trying to help me out? Either you do not care about my potential disaster for summer vacation (which will result in my children being scarred for the rest of their lives) or maybe we simply do not have many creative people who read the blog. If you are wandering what I am talking about... click the following link and read my blog from last week.

http://www.chrisruppe.com/2008/06/help-my-summer-vacation-is-in-trouble.html

Here is where we stand... Camping or a trip to Houston. Both are great ideas.

Camping... It was cool to see my cousin Patrick reading my blog in Minnesota... and he gave great advice to help my prissy wife work through her fears of camping by staying in a pop up camper. I think this is a strong possibility. Our original plans for the summer were to go RVing but that got tossed with a new baby, no money, and gas prices. So this would be a nice compromise. My only hesitation is that I am taking Cameron (my middle child) camping for man talk. That may be too much of the wild for me. (Thanks Pat for the advice and reading my blog!)

Houston... This is a great offer!!!! By no other than our good friends who loved us so much they moved nearly 20 hours away!!!!! How awesome is that! We love Texas. We could stop and visit our other friends in Mississippi who also loved us so much they moved to Mississippi. (Come on... something has to be wrong if you willing move to Mississippi.) :) Anyway... this would be great. It would be a good road trip for the family. The downsides are... if my wife goes shopping I might as well go RVing. Do the Watson's really want to have 5 crazy Ruppes in their home? It might ruin the new friendships they are trying to develop. However, did I hear golf? That could change everything.

Where do I go from here? Here is the deal. I have decided I am going to pick our vacation based on some recommendation that we get on this blog. It will be fun. Before we choose I want to beg one more time for other ideas. So chime in. What cheap and creative ideas do you have to help me become the most popular dad ever!!! I will be using your ideas for my vacation so please help. Click on the link below or simply respond to this post. Thanks!

http://www.chrisruppe.com/2008/06/help-my-summer-vacation-is-in-trouble.html

Church Planter Intern

I wanted to introduce to you our Church Planting Intern. He will be hanging out at NRHC for the next 3 to 6 months. He is participating in our Church Planting Center. He is preparing to launch a new church in the Boiling Springs, SC area next Spring.

Details:

Church Planter: Ryan and Lisa Bishop

3 Children - Blake 11, Jaden 6 and Aubree 18months.

They are Originally from Lake City, Florida and Planted North Point Church in Gaffney almost 4 years ago.

He attended Florida State University Bachelor of Music Education and also attended SWBTS and Liberty University.

He Started serving in his first church @18.

His favorite hobbies are video and building and His wife Lisa works as a speech language therapist in two nursing homes.

The New Church will be called Threshold.

I hope you will be praying for Ryan and Lisa as they prepare to plant.

HELP... My Summer Vacation is in Trouble

OK... I am going out on a limb. I am going to see if I can actually get some people to cross the line from reader to participant. I NEED YOUR HELP. I am trying to decide what my family should do for a vacation this year. It is more complicated than you might think. Let me give you my parameters.

1) I have a new baby that we adopted last September.
2) She also cost me a lot of money. So I am looking for an economical vacation.
3) I am also looking for something a little creative.

I know this might be pushing it... baby, little money, and creative. However, I thought some of you might be brilliant. So I am putting myself out here. I NEED YOUR HELP.

Two things... What are you doing for a vacation and What suggestions do you have for me. HELP! No really... I need your help. Click on the comments tab below. :)

Prime Time Comedies!

Time for more Prime Time movies... If you are new to the blog follow this link and it will explain Why I decided to look at some movies. It explains my Rating System as well.

http://www.chrisruppe.com/2008/05/movie-preview-iron-man.html

Comedies... I don't know why but I am very picky about comedies. It is hard to make me laugh sometimes when it comes to movies. Here are some of my Prime Time Favorite Comedies.

Meet The Parents

It is hard to find decent movies. This is one movie that usually classic comedy techniques and goes down as one of the greatest comedies ever. Great Movie!


Christmas Vacation

Come on! This is a much watch every year to get into the Christmas Spirit.

Dumb and Dumber

I have no idea... but this was really funny to me. It has some crude stuff... but overall is a really good movie.

The Wedding Singer

The 80's Rock! This was the greatest decade. This movie brought back such great memories... It makes my Prime Time List.

Monty Python and The Holy Grail

Listen... I know what some of you are saying. You think I have lost my mind. However, when I was in college and watching a movie at 2 am with a bunch of friends... This was a Great Movie. Stupid? Absolutely! Funny? Absolutely! Just make sure you watch very late at night with a bunch of really dumb friends.

Honorable Mention...

Napoleon Dynamite

I have no idea how this makes my list. But I have watched it 5 or 6 times. I hate watching most movies more than 1 or 2 times... it has to make the list. It is a cultural classic. Just make one note... you have to watch it at least twice. The first time is not near as funny as the 2nd time. Every time after the 2nd you find yourself quoting the lines with the characters. Very Funny to watch others do this.

This is my list... What is yours?

A Biblical Man... What is that?

As you might have noticed I took a week off of blogging. Three reasons... 1) no time 2) I got sick last week 3) I don't want this to become a job. It is suppose to be a fun tool.

Anyway, I want to blog today building on the series we are doing on Sunday's. We are talking about marriage and yesterday we talked about sex... That was really cool! Just think I got paid to talk about sex. :) Wow! What a great job. Today I want to talk about Men. What in the world does a Biblical Man look like? If we ever get that figured out and start acting like Biblical Men... then our homes will be really awesome!

Let me give you three keys to a Biblical Man: (Not sure where I got these... but I have used them a lot. So I am not able to give credit. But just for the record. I did not come up with these titles.)

1. Cultivator - Men like to build things with the purpose of improving them. (Ex. cars)

Here is the basics for men. Get a job, Get Married, and then make babies. For men we often get things out of order. Men need to figure out what God is calling them to do and be doing it. For a living. Our jobs should not be random but based on who we are and what God is calling us to do. This then allows a woman to see that we are able to care for them and that we are pursuing God's plan for our life. This is very attractive and a woman likes this. They get married and have babies.

How do we pervert God's plan: Avoidance

We don't work. We find ways to avoid working. We are lazy. Boys would rather be distracted with video games and silliness. Men work and find meaning and purpose in it.

Bottom line: Work is really good. When you find the sweet spot in God's will... It is awesome! Work hard with the purpose of improving whatever God has given you to do.

2. Warrior - Protector. Warring against injustice.

Men are to fight for what matters. It is wired in us. However, we waste much of our warrior spirit on things that might be ok but don't matter in the big picture... sports, hunting, etc... However, we are to wage war against injustice and evil. What does that mean? We need to know the truth. Wage war against injustice.

How do we pervert this? Abuse

This happens one of two ways: Being Passive... Not fighting.
This is good stuff. Adam was given instructions before Eve was ever created to not eat of the one tree. Why did Adam not step in and protect her when she started to eat? He was perverting His calling as a man by being passive and allowing her to commit this evil. It was his responsibility to protect her. He did not. WHAT A WUSS!

The Second way we Abuse is by force. Using our strength intended to war against evil for evil. We intimidate, bully, and cause fear in those we say that we love.

Bottom line: We are to wage war against evil... not use our strength for evil.

3. Sage - Gaining wisdom from God and passing it along.

We are responsible as men to pass along our learned wisdom first and foremost to our children and then to those who are fatherless. Our young men are looking for someone to look up to and will learn from us if we will take the time to mentor them and share with them our learned wisdom.

How do we pervert this? Abandonment

Before you get all excited and feel like you have won a medal for not leaving your wife and kids like many have in this culture. Don't pat yourself too quickly. The worse form of abandonment is the "Man" (used loosely) who lives at home and has no time for his family.

Bottom line: Your greatest legacy will not be what you accomplish at your job or carrier... It will be your children. Shame on you if you gain great success in every area of life but fail as a Husband and a father.

You can now see why in culture we have perverted God's plan and have a bunch of lazy, abusive, and deadbeat men. However, let me challenge everyone us who are striving to be Men. Are you a Biblical Man? If not, Why not?

Random Thoughts...

It is Friday and I have several random thoughts that I want to toss out.

**Started a series on Marriage. Week 1 focused on the key to a successful marriage... The husband and wife should submit to Christ. Then they will have no problem Loving and Respecting one another. The Hammer for Last Sunday = If you have a problem respecting your husband or if you have a problem loving your wife... then your problem is not your relationship with your spouse but your relationship with Christ. Wow! That is good stuff.

**I have a lot of people asking me... "What about people who are single?" That is a good question. This Sunday we will discuss that... so don't miss it.

** Yesterday we had "The Cypress Project" at NRHC. If you are wandering what that is... it is our Church Planting Center we started in January. We are currently training 7 Church Planters. What are we training them to do? To find a city and become a missionary to a city. We have some really awesome guys that God is allowing us to partner with. I cannot wait to see what God is going to do in the churches these guys start.

** School is out. Now all my kids are at home. This should be fun.

** Cadence (my 8 month old daughter) had a doctor visit and had 3 shots. Not good! She screamed. :) Just like her Daddy!

** We have 4 interns for the summer. They are working with our church plants. However, I gave them a summer project that we all can look forward to. Movies in the Park. Coming at the end of the summer. Should be fun! Hey... they are looking for meals... anyone interested in feeding poor college interns? Let me know.

** Finally, What a week... I got quoted in someones blog. Check it out. It might not be glamorous but it is true! :) http://dinosenesi.blogspot.com/2008/05/boxer-briefs-thank-you-points-and-g.html

What A Weekend! One Word... WOW!

I was so tired Monday that I decided to wait til today to blog about the weekend. I am left with just one word... WOW!

It all began Friday when we had a bunch of our folks volunteer at India Hook Elementary School. We had a great opportunity to love on the kids there during their field day.

Then we spent the weekend cleaning, moving, and preparing the new building to meet on Sunday. I am still overwhelmed by how many people showed up to help us move. All week it was just awesome. I truly cannot say Thank You enough to everyone that helped make this weekend such a success.

Then Sunday we moved into the new building. We ran out of parking and felt like we were at the old building parking in the dirt, grass, and anywhere we could find a spot. We had more people show up for our 9:45 am service than we had in all three of our services the week before. A capacity crowd. The second service was just awesome. We had 670 people at our first service! Wow! Just overwhelming.

However, The highlight of the day was not the new building. It was not even on our new campus. It was at Bowater Park... at the Lake. We had hundreds of people show up and we baptized 24 people. This is what being the "Church" is all about! We got to see people profess their faith and commitment to Christ through baptism. It was so inspiring to see some really awesome stories. We had fathers baptizing their children, a uncle who had a big impact on his nephew baptize him, we had someone baptize their brother, and one guy gets baptized and turns around and baptizes a close friend that he had a tremendous influence in coming to Christ. These are just a few of the 24 stories that played out on Sunday.

There are many days that it is tough being a pastor... but this is not one of them.

Our Largest Baptism Tomorrow

Tomorrow we move into a new building... but moving into the building will not be the highlight of my day. It will be baptizing over 20 people. I am not 100% sure on how many but I think it is pushing over 25 people. This will be our largest single day baptism. I CANNOT WAIT!!!! Let me tell you a secret... baptism is what I call "Payday!" It is the day we celebrate life change. Life Change is the culmination of our missional call. Thus... it is payday!

Over the last couple weeks I have been in awe of the stories of what God is doing the lives of the people that will be baptized. Don't miss this event. For more info go to http://www.northrockhill.com/ or go to the baptism link here.

Moving to New Location

Wow! What a week. We have been working hard this week to get a "Certificate of Occupancy." It was down to the wire... But we got it! Therefore, this Sunday will be our first service in our new building. It should be really cool. We will finally have much needed space. Ceilings for our preschool, parking, breakout "rooms" not dividers for children, twice space in auditorium, a real sound system, and a Lobby (at least one big enough for more than 10 people)... this is most exciting because everyone actually seems to like each other and likes to hang out and talk.

However, I do feel obligated to mention... it is just a building. I think NRHC has been successful not because of buildings... as a matter of fact you could argue in spite of buildings. I hope we do not get distracted from the main "Thang."

Kudos to everyone who has put in a ton of effort to make this a success. Special kudos to Ryan Allred is the Man! He has worked so hard and faced some really tough situations. I could never say thanks enough. It has taken a ton of pressure off me... even though I keep sticking my nose in everything. (We all know how big my nose is.) Again, Thanks to everyone.

Hope to be back to normal blogging soon. Got some really cool stuff stirring. Can't wait to share. With that said... I am going to bed... it has been a reallllllly long week. Hope to see you Sunday!

Suprise Prime Time Movies

Now Let's talk about Surprise Prime Time Movies. This is a list of some movies that you might be surprised that I think are Prime Time.

The Fisher King - 1991
Great Movie! Did not get a lot of public attention. However, Mercedes Ruehl won a Oscar for Best supporting Actress. It also had Robin Williams. It is a Drama. Why Prime Time? It was a complex movie that worked. It had a surprise ending. I remember when I first watched this movie with my best Friend I was impacted by it.
Warning: This is Rated R and not for everyone. Bad Language and very disturbing images.

Momento - 2000
This was a real surprise for me. This movie picked up a lot of attention over time and did pretty well at the box office on word of mouth. I missed it. However, I did rent it later. WOW! Great Movie. Why Prime Time? It also was a complex movie with a unique development of the story line. It went backwards. No words can explain... you just have to see it.
Warning: I hate that the first two are both Rated R. This has some very violent images. Use Caution if you watch.

Princess Bride - 1987
This is truly a classic. Great Fairy Tale for Entire Family. Great Cast. Why Prime Time? I watched this for the first time in college. I had never heard of movie and a bunch of my friends watched the movie one night and I had a blast! I have never forgotten this movie and have shared it with my family on many occasions. You cannot go wrong with this movie.

The Patriot - 2000
A Really good movie. Great Epic Adventure. Rooted in our History. (Especially those living in South Carolina.) Why Prime Time? I AM IN IT! I was one of the solders and was trained to use the rifles and everything. Need I say more!
Warning: Again... Rated R. Has some really graphic war scenes.

My Surprise movies that are Prime Time. What are yours? Chime in. You never know you might give me a great movie to watch.

Good Bye Old Friend

Yesterday was our last day in the Domes. It seems strange that we will no longer have such a unique building to identify our location. However, we will gain much needed space.

There have been some really great memories at the Domes. We have seen God do some really cool stuff. Lots of lives have been changed. I know that we have complained a lot over the years about the domes... but we must always remember they were a blessing. God used those buildings to develop us as a church. They will serve as a reminder of the time when we refined our vision. I think they prepared us for where we are now... and where we are going.

So I say... Good Bye Old Friend.

Just for fun... What do you call them? Let's see how many unique names we can come up with.

Prince Caspian Movie Review

It's Tuesday which means my weekly rant on movies. I know that I said we would look at Prime Time Movies that would suprise you. However, I went to see the new Chronicles of Narnia. I feel like I should share my insights. :) We will get to those surprise movies next week.

If you are just joining my blog you can check out my movie rating system here.

Me and my youngest son Caleb went to see Prince Caspian which is the next installment in the Chronicles of Narnia. Drum Roll Please...

Prince Caspian = Matinee

Unlike the first Chronicles of Narnia which got a Prime Time rating this was still a great movie. Why Matinee? Simple... slow start. It took a while for me to "get into the movie" but when I did... it was really good.

Couple of quick thoughts.

1. Great Spiritual Metaphors. (I think better than the first in that respect.)
2. Great movie for most ages. It might be a little dark for younger children. However, ovreall it is really entertaining with very good humor and action. Me and my son Caleb talked about the spiritual themes all the way home. He seemed to pick up on most of the messages and he is only 10 years old.
3. Epic in nature.
4. And finally, A Great movie to go and support. Here is a thought... why don't we communicate to the movie industry that solid movies like this will do well. I think we should support quality movies. Especially when they are written by people who have a passion for Christ.

So what are you waiting for? Head for the movie theater and get a Big Tub of Popcorn and a large Drink and enjoy yet another good summer movie.

Does God Change His Mind?

During the sermon yesterday we skipped over a frequently debated text.

Exodus 32:14
So the LORD changed His mind about the disaster He said He would bring on His people.

Often when you read this text it seems so confusing. While planning the sermon we discussed the difficulty in this text and how it might create some questions. Due to the time constraints and the intent of the sermon, we felt dealing with this topic would only be a distraction from the Big Idea. Therefore, I wanted to invite a guest to blog on this topic. I have asked Dr. Richard Tompkins to write today. He is an apologist, a former staff member, and a part of our planning team. (Our Resident Theologian) Here is his comments on the issue of God Changing His Mind... This is also known as Open Theism.

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What is Open Theism?

Essentially those who call themselves “open theists” believe that God is a temporal being in that He exists within time rather then outside of time and as a result He does not have exhaustive knowledge of the future. Therefore, He must adjust His plans to the free choices of human beings since human decisions are utterly undetermined and unpredictable and so He does not know what choices they will make. As a result, God then is forced to change His mind at times, He is influenced by events that occur in the future, and He sometimes regrets actions that He has performed. Open theists find support in several passages in the Bible where it appears that God changes His mind or regrets actions He has taken. The most often quoted passages in support of this position are Exodus 32:7-10, Isaiah 38:1-5, and Jonah 3-4.

The Problem with Open Theism

The major problem with open theism is that it undervalues the sovereign control of God. Open theists overlook the vast evidence in Scripture that point to God’s sovereignty. The Bible is replete with passages that detail the sovereign power of God to control the world and His exhaustive knowledge of past, present, and future events. This includes control of human will and decision making (Is. 10:5-12; 14:24; 44:28; Acts 17:26; Gen. 45:5-8; Ex. 4:21; Jdg. 14:4; 2 Sam. 24; Lk. 22:22; Acts 2:23-24; Rev. 17:17; Rom. 9:17). Therefore, human freedom is not as indeterminate as open theists proclaim. As James 4:13-16 illustrates, we may think we are free to make decisions but there is a greater power and plan that overrides it.

Putting it all together

Here’s the truth: God really does control everything either directly or indirectly. Everything that happens, in the end, works in concert with His sovereign will (Eph. 1:11; Rom 8:28; 11:33-36). The Bible is clear that God does not fail in anything that He chooses to do (Ps. 33:11; 115:3; 135:6; Pr. 21:30; Is. 14:27; 43:13; Rev. 3:7). God knows the future and often predicted what will happen centuries before they happened including the decisions of people and how they would behave (1 Sam. 10:1-7; 1 Kg. 13:1-4; Is. 44-28-45:13; Jr. 37:6-10; Mt. 26:34).

If it is true that God really does know and in fact exercises control of the future, then what about those passages which the open theists quote that make it seem that God changes His mind? First, God has always provided a means for repentance that will cause Him to relent from exercising the judgment He has already prescribed (Jeremiah 18:5-10). Second, God has always relented in extending His promised blessings when people sin against Him. There is a major difference between God changing His mind and His relenting in the exercising of judgment or providing blessings. Relenting has always been a part of God’s sovereign and unchanging plan. It is not forced upon Him because He does not know what will happen. In truth it is a tool He uses to bring about His plan. Since God actively interacts with people as they live out their lives, He pronounces curses on them at times and blesses them at other times but all within and to bring about His greater eternal plan for humanity. This greater plan has not changed and can not ever change. God is working to bring it about both within time and outside of time, on earth and in heaven.

Looking for A Coach?

I am looking for a coach... and not for a sport. (My sporting days are behind me.) I am looking for a life coach. Sounds weird I know... but I am beginning to see the value in learning from someone who has went before me. I am always telling my kids that there are two ways to learn... from my mistakes or from your own mistakes. One seems less painful for them. Which begs the question for myself, "Why then not learn from others mistakes and good choices?"

I now have some new "handles" on communicating this big idea. While reading "The Divine Mentor" by Wayne Cordero I had some clarity on this topic. Our decisions come down to Wisdom or Consequences. That we will either learn from the wisdom of others or through our own consequences. One cost a lot more than the other.

I have been trying to figure out why I keep putting it off... Pride! I don't want anyone thinking I need someone else's help. Looking back that has been very costly and painful. Like I said in my sermon last week, "I am making a choice to be desperate. I don't want to wait until I become so desperate that I have to look for help."

So, I am looking for a coach. How about you?

My Top 10 Movies of All Time

The big summer hits are getting ready to hit the big screen. Iron Man was good. I am looking forward to Indiana Jones, The Dark Knight, The Hulk, and Prince Caspian. So let's get into the movie season by talking about Movies. I will use Tuesday's for the next few weeks to talk about Prime Time Movies. I will start with my Top 10 List. However, it is really hard to narrow down... but I will try. Here goes in no particular order:

The Matrix
Silence of the Lambs
Lord of the Rings (All Three)
God Father
Star Wars
Shawshank Redemption
To Kill a Mocking Bird (Older Classic)
The Count of Monte Cristo
Les Misérables (This may be a Surprise to many people... but this was a great movie that got little respect. Great cast, Great story, Great message, Great Epic, Great Movie.)

Tough to pick the Last one so let's look at some that are close:
Unforgiven
Braveheart
Rocky
Bourne Identity

This is my list... what is your list. Give your thoughts on my list and give your top 10. I will look at some other prime time movies in the weeks to come... so keep checking back. Next week I will look at movies that might surprise you that I consider Prime Time Movies.

THE BIG QUESTION

Let's dialogue on a really important topic. I was reading Bryan Plyler's Blog on Saturday and WoW! He presents a really great challenge for those of us who are planters or leaders in the "bible belt." I would also think that there is a lot of great application that will come to anyone. I thought I would share it and throw in my 2 cents and get your thoughts as well.

Here was his post and you can go to his blog and check out more great thoughts as well.

The question of the hour for this "post bible belt" missionary:

How do we relate to / deal with the "innoculated"?When you get a measles shot, they inject into you a weakened, dead version of the measles bug. Your body develops
antibodies so that when you encounter the full strength, "real" measles you aren't impacted by it. You have been innoculated against measles.

So many in the Southeast have been innoculated against the Gospel. They've had just enough of a dead, dying, weak version of the Gospel that they are oblivious to the real, full strength version. They see themselves as Christ followers but are missing the transformation that follows an encounter with the "real" Gospel--a Gospel full of Christ. They've had their shot of religion.

The folks I'm particularly concerned about are not antagonists--like the antagonistic religious leaders that Jesus faced. They are merely apathetic for anything more than nominal Christianity. As a missionary in the Bible Belt, what do we do with these people? I don't have the answers...yet...but I know it's a question that we Bible-belt missionaries, church planters, and church leaders have to wrestle with. What do you think?

I told you it was good. That is what we preachers call a "hammer." It is heavy and it hurts if it hits you. Here is my thoughts for what it is worth. I am diving into dangerous territory... why? because I am going to think out loud which may mean that some of these thoughts may be way off base. However, I want to learn so I will risk sharing to learn from you guys. So... don't hold me to this... yet... I am processing as well.

IF you have missionary minded core people/ key leaders... then I don't mind some "Innoculated," religious, church going people. Why? Well a couple reasons... 1) They might see those who are infected with the full gospel and want some. :) 2) They can still help resource (even if it is limited) the greater vision of a church.

I would say the key is that the innoculated cannot be allowed to have great influence or else they might innoculate those who are infected. In other words the apathetic if allowed could cause apathy to spread. This appears to be the great challenge. I certainly would not give those people a seat at the table of leadership. I would certainly not allow them any level of influence. However, the gospel is big enough and powerful enough to raise the most dead person to life.

Your turn... chime in with your comments.

"Encounters" Begins Tommorrow

Brand New Series Begins Tomorrow. Here is the website Blurb:

"What if you could have one face to face meeting with God? What would you say? What would He say? Would you even want the chance if you had it? Moses didn't have just one such chance, in fact he had several. His life was a string of amazing personal encounters with God that found him as a fugitive shepherd in the desert and molded him into the leader of a nation and, more importantly, the man with whom God spoke as a one speaks to his friend. Beginning May 11, look closer with us at 3 of Moses' encounters with God and discover with us how we too can become God's friend. "

If you are a NRHCer then I hope to see you Sunday. BTW Don't forget to come with a good ATTITUDE.

Attitudes Impact Outcomes

I have been ruminating on something the last two weeks. It began on my trip to Orlando with some other Church Planters. We were discussing a future sermon and we found some really amazing big ideas in the text. It was funny because all of a sudden someone would break out into Pentecostal preacher mode to deliver the big idea... Wow! I have to admit it was really good. It did cause us all to laugh (a lot) but it was amazing how much I really learned. The next thing you know I was looking for big Ideas. What happened? My attitude changed. Attitudes impact Outcomes.

So the next time I am wandering why I am not getting much out of my Bible reading, the pastors sermon, a good book, or a small group discussion... maybe the problem is not the object but my attitude.

Jeremiah 29:13
"You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart."

Movie Review - Iron Man

A Secret Dream I have always had is to be a movie critic. So when I watch a movie that I think is worth talking about I will blog about that too...

Here is my Rating System:

- Prime Time Movie

- Matinee Movie

- Dollar Movie

- DVD Rental

- Made For Television

I will tell you the truth... Prime time rating is rare for me to give. I think something has to be really great for me to spend my maximum dollars. Keep that in mind.

Iron Man - Matinee

Friday I went to see the opening of the new Iron Man movie and had very low Expectations. I do not like Robert Downey Jr. Therefore, I had low expectations... The Movie was really good. It is differently a Matinee and worth going and seeing on the big screen with a tub of popcorn and a large drink. It is in my opinion one of the better SuperHero Movies after SpiderMan 1 and 2, and after Batman Begins. It is really good and if you like movies this is one worth seeing.

Warnings: This movie does have two things that you should note before going and seeing. There is a intimate scene that goes too far in my opinion. It also has some violence that pushes the limits and will be a concern for some children.

Overall a pretty decent movie and should not disappoint.

What Movies are you looking forward to this summer?

Be A Missionary?

Today is my Birthday! The Big 38. I am running out of these things (B-days) so I thought I would try something different... Blogging! Have I lost my mind?

Why Blog? Great question. With thousands of people blogging that are far more intellegent than I am... why should I blog? I want to blog for several reasons:

1. For Myself. This will challenge me to think on paper. I have a hard time thinking period because I am so ADD... so maybe this will help me think more clearly.
   
2. For North Rock Hill Church. I want to also "leak" vision. I want to share thoughts and stories that will help our church to catch the bigger vision that God has called us to.
   
3. Finally, For Church Planters. I also want to share my thoughts on being Missionary. I think this will benefit others who are crazy enough to venture into the world of church planting.
   What is this Blog? Another Great Question. I will write here what I wrote in my link Why Blog?
   

This Blog is about being a Missionary. The question is not whether or not we are called to be missionary... the question is where are we called to be missionary? I want to explore ways that we as individuals can be more intentional in being missionary in our neighborhoods and communities.

I also want to explore the idea of the church being missionary. What would it look like if the church saw itself as a missionary to a city rather than a haven from the pagans.

Finally, this blog will explore the need for the missionary church to plant other missionary churches in other cities and nations. It should be our goal to give every man, woman, and child repeated opportunities to both hear and see the gospel.

This Blog will also be very random (ADD). I will think outloud about movies, music, my family, and "Stuff." What else would you expect from me?

Ultimately, I hope this blog will challenge us to obsess over what God obsesses over (Luke 15)... Which is the one who is lost.

Let the Journey begin!

Why Blog?

This Blog is about being a Missionary. The question is not whether or not we are called to be missionary... the question is where are we called to be missionary? I want to explore ways that we as individuals can be more intentional in being missionary in our neighborhoods and communities.


I also want to explore the idea of the church being missionary. What would it look like if the church saw itself as a missionary to a city rather than a haven from the pagans.
Finally, this blog will explore the need for the missionary church to plant other missionary churches in other cities and nations. It should be our goal to give every man, woman, and child repeated opportunities to both hear and see the gospel.


This Blog will also be very random (ADD). I will think outloud about movies, music, my family, and "Stuff." What else would you expect from me?