Pastor_David's blog

Nobody wants to be a hypocrite, but I’m not sure we always understand what that word means. (Read more.)

We've been studying the Gospel of Mark and, as the book progresses, we see increasing conflict between Jesus and religious people. Why is this? Because the good news of Christ is diametrically opposed to all the underlying assumptions of human religious systems. Mars Hill Church (Seattle) has a well-written statement on their website that explains the difference between the gospel and religion. To read what they've written click here.

In one of his books, author Donald Miller tells of a time he was walking with a friend through a large chain record store. To prove a point he pointed toward the aisles containing 1,000’s of compact disks and challenged his friend “to go into the racks and find one ugly person on the cover of a record.” (Read more)

Jazz singer Billie Holiday once said, “You’ve got to have something to eat and a little love in your life before you can hold still for any d - - n body’s sermon on how to behave.” That is a common sentiment. Many people feel that the Church really has no right to preach the gospel to the world unless Christians show active concern for the physical and social needs of their neighbors.(Read more)

For some time, my wife and I have enjoyed listening to sermon podcasts from Mars Hill Church (Seattle.) The other day I discovered that they also offer lots of free music downloads on their website -- songs from different bands connected with their church. If your musical taste leans toward easy listening, you may not like it. But I am really enjoying it. (So far, my favorite group is Ghost Ship.) To hear the music click here.

Pastor Darcy has been attending the Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization in Cape Town, South Africa. This is a gathering of over 4000 participants from 198 countries, meeting to explore ways the church can more effectively take the gospel to the world. Darcy plans to be back in NY later this week. He just sent me an email with some highlights from the Congress. To read what he said click here.

Pastor Darcy is attending the Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization in Cape Town, South Africa. This is a gathering of 4200 participants from 198 countries, meeting to explore ways the church can more effectively take the gospel to the world. To help cover the costs of Darcy's trip, you can send a check payable to "A.C.C." with the note "Lausanne." To read more about this event click here.

Earlier this month at our Sunday services, Yi-Fang Lee shared a fantastic testimony of God's grace in her life. To read what she said click here.

I just finished Eric Metaxas' biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It was a really good book. (Thanks Danny A. for loaning it to me.) Boenhoffer was a Lutheran pastor in Nazi Germany, executed by the Gestapo for his involvement in a plot to assassinate Adolph Hitler. He is the author of two books that I really love – The Cost of Discipleship and Life Together. Here are a few things I learned from the book. (Read more.)

A couple of people asked me for the name of the hymn I quoted in church yesterday. It's "All my life long I had panted," also sometimes called "Satisfied." It was a favorite hymn of my grandmother Dolores Ellis. She truly was a person who found satisfaction in Jesus. To read the lyrics click here