Worshipper or critic?

Well, it isn't quite the leading title of a sermon a day, but a sermon a week is what it will probably be for a while while I am here in Zambia . But I heard a great sermon last night by a guy who you may never have heard of, but you will someday, soon, like now.

Jayson Turner is an amazing preacher, a father of five girls and he has been through his share of trials and fire to get to where he is and to be who he is. He has also had the greatest impact on me a friend can have over the past 20years that we have been best 0f buddies. So, yeah, maybe I am little bit biased, but you can hear for yourself... This sermon is on worship, the account of the woman who anoints Jesus with perfume. Listen for an insightful telling of this familiar story that will both bless and convict you and reveal if you are a worshipper or a critic...

Here is the link!

I am coming back...

My cousin in the states is sending over a dvd full of ton of sermons, and so I should be able to resume this site in some capacity. Until then, can I encourage you to buy this sermons series. My friend Calin Popa sent me this 12 CD sermon series called the Pineapple Story. Wow, talk about life changing... I wouldn't recommend this if I didn't covet this for everyone to listen to... It cost $26 dollars but it will reap riches to come... This amazing missionary story teller is funny, touching, convicting, and encouraging... He talks about surrendering your rights to God which is the story of the Pineapples. It is worth it just for that. Than I just finished one on rejoicing. You have to buy this!!! It will change your life!!! It is great for the whole family. This might be the most important sermon series you have ever heard. Here is the link!!

Let me know if you take me up on this!!!

An Indefinate Time of Leave...

Having moved to Zambia to serve pastors and leaders has put a few obstacles in keeping this blog alive. First, our internet is average to slow, and unreliable at best. It is difficult to download sermons. I am downloading an audio sermon of Mark Driscoll right now and it is showing me that it will take 2 hours. Second, well, actually, there is no second. This blog is internet-challenged and will be so in the unforseen future. So, saying that, I will keep this blog alive because I am still seeing a steady stream of people using the resource of sermons. My hope was to get some different people to volunteer weeks at time to keep it alive, but I have yet to find anyone who will commit to this. Until then, may I give you a few links:

Actually, here is just one: Reforming My Mind

This will keep you busy for a long time!

Also, if you haven't bought the LOGOS Piper Manuscript, you are missing out. I got it, love it, use it almost every time I study for different references and thoughts and clarifications. It is amazing, especially for those of us who are internet challenged.

Thanks again for being a part of this blog!
My best to you from Zambia!
Steve

A week in review...

Thanks to Pete Williamson for guest blogging last week!!!! This week we are going to bring back a few favorites...

I was listening to C.J. Mahaney on pride the last few days. Such a personal, practical, exhorting message that everyone should listen to over and over again...

So here it is again, kicking off the week!

John Piper - Treasuring Christ and the Call to Suffer

Believe me, I'd like to have another preacher to recommend, but there are so few that are as consistently good and speak to both the heart and mind with the passion Piper brings to it. Apologies again for this being a series of conference messages rather than a sermon, but this is a really rich set of messages, given at Wheaton College just a few weeks ago. And don't cheat yourselves by skipping over the Q & A...the students at Wheaton bring some great questions out and I think you'll be edified by Piper's response. Here's the list of messages:

• Treasuring Christ and the Call to Suffer, Part 1
• Treasuring Christ and the Call to Suffer, Part 2
• Treasuring Christ and the Call to Suffer, Part 3
• Treasuring Christ and the Call to Suffer, Part 4
• Q & A
  

And with that, I'm done. Thanks Steve for the privilege of sharing these with others, I hope that you all were as helped and fed by these as I was.

Until next time...

Mark Dever - Evangelism, Pastors, and Churches

I can't recall how I first came across Mark Dever, but since that time this man has profoundly affected my thinking about ecclesiology and pastoring. His books The Nine Marks of a Healthy Church and The Deliberate Church are something no pastor or church leadership should be without. Also not to be missed are the fantastic collection of interviews and articles over at the 9 Marks website. A lot of good material here for the benefit of the church.

I'm fudging a bit today with the purpose of this blog: this is neither a sermon nor is it a single one. Instead this is a series of talks given by Dever at the Sovereign Grace Pastors College back in February of last year. I hope the content of these talks will encourage you to extend grace to me. Here's the list:

• What is Evangelism?
• A Biblical Theology of Evangelism and the Gospel
• Evangelism for the Pastor or Preacher
• The Church Practice of Evangelism

I've found this to be a very helpful series personally. As a pastor/church planter, I've found it increasingly difficult to work engagement with unbelievers into a schedule filled with church-related items and it's something I very badly want to change.

Bob Kauflin - Corporate Worship as Pastoral Care

Bob Kauflin is someone that I've been exposed to more recently through listening to Sovereign Grace material. Bob was at one point a member of the a capella group GLAD and has now been involved in pastoral ministry at several SGM churches. Most recently, he is the Director of Worship Development at Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, MD (where Josh Harris pastors). I've found Bob's combination of experiences as a professional musician and a pastor really helpful in thinking through what worship - especially at the congregational level - should be about and look like.

Today's audio comes from a seminar Bob taught at SGM's Worship '06 conference.