Incredibly proud that my alma mater, Baylor University,
is home to the 2011 Heisman Trophy Winner:
Robert Griffin III
That good old Baylor line!
That good old Baylor line!
We’ll march forever down the years,
As long as stars shall shine.
We’ll fling our green and gold afar
To light the ways of time,
And guide us as we onward go;
That good old Baylor line!
It’s December and that means Christmas music filling the air. It also means a plethora of new holiday albums to choose from – ranging from the awe-full to the awful. Here are my favorite new Christmas albums this year.
Advent Christmas EP, Vol. 2 by Future of Forestry. Led by lead singer Eric Owyoung, FOF’s offering is an eclectic mix of electronic, symphonic, and rock which effortlessly blends into a beautiful collection of holiday songs. Technically, this isn’t a ‘new’ album since it debuted in 2010, but I only recently discovered it – so it counts. It also contains my favorite song this Christmas: The Earth Stood Still. Haunting. Evocative. Stunning.
Come Let Us Adore Him by The Lower Lights. This is where folk meets bluegrass and the product is one of the most unique carol arrangements you can find. Think of it as where “O Brother Where Art Thou” meets Christmas. It’s Old World good. Also, don’t let their Mormon-background keep you away from the music (think of it as ironic). The songs are traditional and their talent is undeniable.
A Child Is Born by Sojourn. Sojourn is one of the few churches who produce some of the finest music around. An oft-heard critique of their music is that in striving for artistry they tend to produce songs that are easy to listen to but hard to sing corporately, which is a critical component of congregational music. I think it a fair observation. It holds true for this album as well, one more performance than participatory. But if you want a Christmas album with a fantastic folk-rock, indie-esque sound, look no further than A Child Is Born.
These are the new albums to go into heavy rotation with my other Christmas standards:
What would you add?
In preparation for my doctoral dissertation I’ve been asked to read William Strunk and E.B. White’s classic little book The Elements of Style. Needless to say, it only confirmed what I knew to be true: I’m not a writer. Correction. I am a writer, but a poor one. Elements also gave insightful tips about writing with greater proficiency. One point in particular stood out: Put statements in positive form. The authors believe:
[There is a] weakness inherent in the word not. Consciously or unconsciously, the reader is dissatisfied with being told only what is not; he wishes to be told what is. (19-20)
What holds for good writing also holds for good churches. Unfortunately, too many a congregation defines itself only by what it’s against instead of proclaiming what that congregation is actually for. Consequently, churches can easily be mislabeled by outsiders as narrow-minded fundamentalists saddled with whatever-phobic leanings that only reinforce the public’s illusion of them. Primarily defining oneself by what one is against is especially tempting for young church planters; many of who entered planting because they were dissatisfied with the status quo of their prior church experience.
That’s why in listening to them describe their church plant, ministry philosophy, or even weekly sermons, a person tends to hear information framed more in the negative than positive. From “We’re not a seeker church,” to “We’re not a pipe organ-playing, choir-singing, suit-wearing type fellowship,” pastors limit the impact they so desperately desire by reducing what they think or do to only the negative. Why? Like readers, listeners are “dissatisfied with being told only what is not, [they] want to be told what is.” Pastors may needless turn off countless numbers of people who walk through their doors each Sunday not because those people didn’t want want something different but because they never heard what that difference was.
Maturing churches (and the maturing pastors who lead them) spend more time clearly explaining what they are for (e.g., gospel, forgiveness, holiness) than what they are against.
Do you define yourself more by what you’re against or what you’re for?
*As to the lapse of posts in the last month, read this. Now, to the review. But first, a story…
In the summer of 2010 I published my first book. Highly influenced by Puritan John Owen’s understanding of mortification (“Be killing sin or it will be killing you.”), the book centered around a sanctification rooted in the gospel. I thought it apropos for many reasons, not the least of which is that often what is presented as a strategy for growing in Jesus is little more than an overly burdensome, soul-crushing attempt to win God’s favor by our sweat equity. Instead of enjoying the freedom to serve God, following Christ devolves into merely duty without delight. I was tired of and tired by books (and sermons, songs, etc.) with that message. As a result, not only did I write a book to add what little weight I could to the gospel-centered side in the spiritual formation tug-of-war, I sought to deepen myself in grace-oriented discipleship. It was for that exact reason I chose to get my doctorate at Covenant Theological Seminary.
There are many fine seminaries around the world. I considered many of them in my search for a Doctor of Ministry program. With that said, for me, there was no doubt Covenant would be my ultimate choice. Their emphasis on gospel-centered sanctification stood out above the rest. Covenant’s President, Dr. Bryan Chapell, had written several books and articles on grace-centric spiritual growth. His book Christ-Centered Preaching was known as somewhat of a classic in preaching circles. It only took a few days in my initial two-week doctoral seminars to know (again, for me) I had made right choice. In those two weeks I heard three different seminars dealing with gospel-oriented approaches to ministry. In fact, one of the sessions Dr. Chapell led himself. It dealt primarily with preaching but ended with a brief purview of grace-based sanctification. I was blown away! It was exactly what I was looking for and presented in a way I could grasp. I thought to myself as I frantically took notes, “Don’t miss a thing here Yancey! This stuff will impact your personal growth and public ministry for the rest of your days!”
Holiness by Grace: Delighting in the Joy That Is Our Strength is that session with so much more!
First printed in 2001, but reprinted (with a new cover) this past September, Chapell introduces the reader to the fundamental truth of Christ-centered growth in reflecting on John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, “Our holiness is not so much a matter of what we achieve as it is the grace our God provides.” (8) The following chapters, which feel like extended sermons than merely didactic discourse, seek to expound, clarify, and deepen one’s understanding of grace-oriented sanctification. Indeed, it’s this sermonic quality which strengthens Chapell’s work as key principles and abstract thoughts are placed on the “bottom shelf” via insightful stories, helpful analogies, and pithy word crafting. Chapell also takes time to answer critiques to those who challenge the notion our sanctification is rooted in our justification, yet does it in irenic fashion.
I think Holiness by Grace would be worth the price if it only included the chapters on the believer’s union with Christ (“United for Life”) and joy-driven motivation (“The Power of Mercy”). It is in these wonderful sections that Chapell uncovers truths of sanctification that have, in many church traditions, either been obscured or neglected altogether. Throughout it all, the reader will likely find himself sensing a greater joy in his heart to obey in light of seeing again and again what God has done for him in Christ. This is a book about grace in us, for us, and through us!
While some might feel the chapters have more length in them than necessary (such is the plight of the modern reader), Holiness by Grace is an incredibly accessible, eminently readable book which should be a fundamental text in every disciple’s library. It will be a book I not only keep close by but one I shall refer to repeatedly in my life and ministry. I cannot recommend it highly enough!
This weekend we had our first service of Clear Creek Community Church’s third campus, the Clear Lake Campus (currently meeting at a local high school). What was amazing about the weekend was over 300 people attended this inaugural service with little to no publicity whatsoever. Today, I interviewed Clear Lake Campus Pastor Karl Garcia to see if he had any learnings or insights on leading his campus team to such a hopeful beginning.
Karl, what is your responsibility as Campus Pastor and how did that role play itself out in building the Core for the Clear Lake campus?
My three primary responsibilities are: building teams; pastoral care; and being the ‘face of the place.’ In the building phase of this campus, team building was key in that it was structured and we followed the model of: Identify>Assess>Train>Evaluate. This set a great standard to follow in that we continue to utilize this model and it creates opportunities to have a culture of continual improvement.
Campus Pastor Karl Garcia
The pastoral care component of my responsibilities seemed to naturally unfold in that my team know they are deeply loved by me. In this time of team building, one of our team members died of cancer. This man was actually at a team meeting on a Sunday and within 24 hours went to be with Jesus. It only made sense that I would be the officiant and share the message at his memorial service.
Being the ‘face of the place’ played itself out through presence. Not only presence to my team, but also through all communication, promotion, and church-wide announcements. We creatively used different forms of communication to achieve this.
What steps did you take to develop the Core?
I started by identifying people that lived in the area we were trying to reach and then I sat down with them to cast vision. I shared our church’s vision, data to support why and where we were going, Scripture that calls us to go, the story of what Jesus did in my heart and the radical transformation of my life, and Christ’s call on their lives to be missionaries.
What leadership insights did you gain as you developed the Core?
1) Action determines core, not words. Not everyone that says they want to be a part of this, actually does. So, we dance with them as opposed to kicking them off the dance floor.
2) Let your leaders lead. The age old axiom will always play out: there is not one of us as smart as all of us (or even two or three).
3) Enjoy the journey. Stories of God at work is the fuel that drives the engine and if you’re too busy/stressed/self-absorbed/self-reliant/prideful, you’ll not only burn out quickly, no one will want to follow you.
3) Use the experts. Leaders are learners so never assume you’re the best at anything. Humble yourself and ask lots of questions.
First service at Clear Lake campus
What was your biggest struggle throughout this entire process? How did you seek to address it?
Everything I read, heard, and discussed pointed to somewhat rigid requirement for core team members. As I looked at this process I discovered that there were actually three buckets of people that were in “The Core”. They were: Core (those who were prepared to do whatever it took to make this happen); Serve (those who thought they were prepared to be part of the core, yet really just wanted to serve in an area); and Attend (those who one way or another came to the realization this was just going to be their church). My epiphany came as I sat back and looked at this information and came to the realization that this was the church! My job, along with those I knew were part of the core, would be to take responsibility for walking those in any bucket to the next level.
Why did you think the Core-development strategy you chose was so particularly effective?
It was clearly laid out, methodical, flexible, inclusive, celebratory and it was never about anyone other than Jesus.
Is there anything you would have done differently? If so, what?
I think time will tell. As we go on I anticipate seeing gaps that could have or should have been addressed.
With such a fortuitous opening, what are you focusing on currently?
Celebrating, and strategizing on how to harness the energy and fan the influence of our team to attract those far from Jesus.
Thanks Karl! What Karl didn’t say (but I will) is that he also is from the Clear Lake area. In fact, Karl graduated from the high school where his new campus currently meets. One of the great stories we get to see unfold at CCCC concerns our wonderful campus pastor. When Karl left the Clear Lake area he pursued a life aimed in a different direction than to glorify God. Now, years later, God’s grace has so radically rescued him that he returns home (and to his school) as a pastor of a young congregation willing to do whatever it takes to see Jesus for the city. Amazing grace indeed!
