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Basil the Great

Basil the Great, a bishop of Caesarea, and one of the “Great Cappadocian Fathers,” responds to Modestus, Roman Emperor Valens’ representative:

“All that I have that you can confiscate are these rags and a few books. Nor can you exile me, for wherever you send me, I shall be God’s guest. As to tortures you should know that my body is already in Christ. And death would be a great boon to me, leading me sooner to God.”

Surprised at Basil’s response, he told Basil no one had ever spoken to him like that. Basil answered, “Perhaps that is because you never met a true bishop.”

(From The Story of Christianity, Vol. 1by Justo L. Gonzalez)

Pastors, how do you respond to adversity? Are you standing true to the One who called you?

(image from http://www.saintbasilacademy.org/about_us/saint_basil_the_great)

I came across this in some of my reading last night.

When we study the life and work of past generations, and when we interpret it, we are doing history. But we must remember that future generations will read about our times as past history. In that sense, like it or not, both by our action and by our inaction, we are making history.
- Justo L. Gonzalez (The Story of Christianity, Vol. 1)

In fifty years, what we’re doing right now and what we’re not doing right now, for the cause of Jesus Christ, will be examined by that generation as our history. What history are you making right now? And, how will future generations see our inaction of today?

Catalyst has posted a video interview of Eugene Peterson, who brought us The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language. While The Message might be his better known work, he has also written many books geared toward pastors. He has a passion for pastors, as you can see in this video.

The video was recorded during the 2011 Catalyst West event, as Rick McKinley asked the questions. It’s 30 minutes long, so find the time and listen to Bro. Peterson. It’s worth your time.

As I sit here in my office and look at my bookshelves, I count 22 copies of the Bible in various translations and languages. I love the Word of God. But I probably sometimes take my access to the Bible for granted. Not these people in the following video. This is a MUST WATCH!

Wow, right? What’s your reaction to the joy you see in the Kimyal people as they get the New Testament in their language for the first time?

[HT: Phillip Nation via Ed Stetzer]

From the book of Acts:

“These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also…”
(Acts 17:6, ESV)

This verse brings some questions to mind:

• Are you a threat to turn your world upside down?
• Are the people of your community talking about your impact?
• Are you doing anything that will disturb your community?
• Is your presence leading people to make eternal decisions?

When looking at the man, Paul, all answers shout loudly, “Yes!” When looking at myself, well …

How about you? What might be said of you?

A friend of mine sent me this link. If you haven’t seen this, it’s worth a look.

What do you think of what he says about the so-called Prosperity Gospel? What’s your feelings about this teaching?

Frank Viola has posted a list of books he calls “a list of exceptional Christian books. I deem them to be “the core” books in my library. They are all game-changers in their own right.” Here’s the link:

Must-Have-In-Your-Library Book List

What do you think of his list? Are there any books you would add?

Late last summer, we had a phenomenal day at LifePointe Church, when we baptized almost 30 people. Some were baptized in our baptistry (read: cattle trough) and others were baptized in the Buttahatchie River. I was looking back over the photos today and was moved all over again. So I thought I’d share those photos with you. Here’s the link:

LifePointe Church Baptisms, August 15, 2010

Take a look.

After Sunday’s service at LifePointe Church I put this on my Twitter Feed:

Don’t just go to church, be the church. Church is not something we do, church is who we are. Be the church tomorrow as much as today.

We’re doing a message series called FRESH, where we’re looking at ways to begin again fresh in our Christian life. Sunday’s topic was “ReFresh Your Mission,” where we thought about our call as missionaries in the context we find ourselves everyday.

In much of our southern culture, church is a place, a time, and events. One of the challenges of any pastor or church in the Bible Belt is moving our people’s thinking from “doing church” to “being the church.” Our emphasis is on the missionary or “missional” aspect of our lives, where we’re always looking and praying, “Lord, let me see what you see.”

What are some ways you’ve found that help you understand and practice your missionary calling? Are you still wrestling with the idea that church is more than an event?

Mark Batterson, pastor of National Community Church, in Washington, D.C. is one of those guys that just seizes my attention. His books, like Soul Print and Primal really speak to me and my circumstances. Here’s a video of Mark talking about thinking long.

What do you think of what Mark said? Are you willing to “think long?”