The Redemption Blog

Boot Camp Update #7

Here's my notes from Driscoll's final Session: The Call to Endure

The call to endure biblically: Matt 28:20; 1 Cor 13:15; Gal 6:9; Eph 6:18; Col 4:2; 2 Thes 3:13; 1 Tim 6; 1 Tim 4:18; James 5:7-8; 1 Pet 5:12; 2 Pet 3:17; Jude 24-25

• Peterson on Endurance: “Long obedience in the same direction”

Life and Doctrine

• As you age your personality will calcify, so deal with sanctification issues early

Areas to Watch for and Pursue Endurance

Endure Spiritually

• I need silence and solitude
• Minister from your life, don’t make ministry your life
• Do not allow ministry to become your idol
• Jesus’ name may be on the door, but is He in the heart of the man leading the church
• LOVE Jesus, don’t USE Him

Endure Physically

• Take your Sabbath or you will receive an involuntary Sabbath
• Take your day off with your famil
• Take a vacation
• Watch what you eat and Exercise
• Get a good doctor and take vitamins

Endure Maritally

• “If you take care of the church God will take care of your family” – DEMONIC LIE
• Keep your priorities strait – Christian, Husband, Daddy, Pastor
• Define your wife’s role and protect it – you wife and kids need to do whatever they would do if they were not with you
• Sync up your life with your wife
• Your wife will want to be your helper, so clarify for her how she can do that

Endure Parentally

• The Goal for your Children = MATURE CHRISTIANS

Endure Theologically

• Don’t cave into liberals or fundamentalist because they’re both wrong
• You have two groups in your church – Sinners and Religious People
• If all you’re into is innovation and new you will be by definition a heretic
• We have to CONTEND and CONTEXTUALIZE

Endure Financially

• Don’t raise too much or too little money
• It’s not the job of your wife to pay for your church plant. That’s your job!

Endure Emotionally

• Church planting is about energy management
• Schedule your week for your energy
• The hardest thing will be critics and you will have critics if you preach the gospel
• Problem with Communication Now - Instant, constant, global, permanent
• Turn critics into coaches – never engage critics on their terms
• Know the size of your plate and fill it with things that are priorities

Endure Relationally

• Lots of fans and foes and very few foes
• If you get a mentor you are bless
• Build a bullpen – if I call them they will help

To endure is to be an ongoing sanctified version of yourself...

I know I didn't get all the notes posted, but here's a link to where you can see notes from all the sessions...

Boot Camp Update #6

Our Internet is still a nightmare so here is another quick update via the iPhone... The assessment went great today! God was incredibly gracious to us and gave us great courage and strength, even with little sleep. The A29 guys who assessed us were amazing and can't say enough good things about them or the network. My greatest prayer for this whole thing has been that it would be a healing experience for Tami and it was just that! They were so encouraging of her and by God's grace instilled and new confidence in her to be who God made her to be. We should find out the results of the assesament in the next 2 weeks. I'm so thankful for all your prayers and God's grace, goodness and strength through this week. We're ready to get home and get Ava back to a normal sleeping schedule... We love you guys and thanks again!!

Boot Camp Update #5

We had an amazing day today! I was hoping to post my notes but the Internet at our hotel is slower than dial up so this post comes via my iPhone...thank you Jesus for Mac! Hopefully tomorrow I can find a place to jump on and post the notes and a longer update. Our assessment is from 10:15-12:15 pst so pray your face tomorrow! We love you and I'll let you all know how it goes! Thanks again for all your prayer..

Boot Camp Update #4

We had an amazing day today! I was hoping to post my notes but the Internet at our hotel is slower than dial up so this post comes via my iPhone...thank you Jesus for Mac!

Hopefully tomorrow I can find a place to jump on and post the notes and a longer update. Our assessment is from 10:15-12:15 pst so pray your face tomorrow! We love you and I'll let you all know how it goes! Thanks again for all your prayer..

Boot Camp Update #3

We had a long but great first day. I didn't get to take many notes from the last two sessions because I was standing in the back with Ava, but I'll post a link as soon as there is audio...

We finished the day getting to meet with the A29 guys who are assessing us and that was great! They were very gracious to Tami and I and made us feel much more comfortable about the assessment on Wednesday.

Most importantly Ava and Tami both got to take a nap today! Ava finally settled down and slept for a couple hours which gave Tami some much needed rest! I can't thank you enough for all your prayers...keep them coming! We love you guys!

Boot Camp Update #2...

Mark Driscoll gave a great talk this morning on "The Calling of the Church Planter". Here are my notes from the talk:

Session #1: The Calling of the Church Planter

12 Ways God calls men to plant churches...
1.  Have I responded to the gospel call and received the Holy Spirit? - Regeneration

2.  Is the Holy Spirit out ahead of me planting this church?

3.  Is my church planting calling obvious to Godly leaders?

4.  Has God confirmed my church plant by showing up in miraculous power?

5.  Am I reaching lost people with my start?

6.  Has Jesus shown up and told me to plant?

7.  Has God called me to plant through a vision?

8.  Has God providentially relocated me to plant?

9.  Is God sending me to plant because my church does not need me?

10.  Am I called to be a catalytic church planter, or a catalytic church planting center?

11.  Has God called me to plant by giving me a deep burden for a city or a people?

12.  Has God called me to plant by giving me a core group?

I'll link to the audio when it's posted...keep praying for us!

Boot Camp Update #1

I know lots of you are praying for us this week so I'm going to do my best to post regulary and update you on what's going on and thank you again so much to all of you who are praying and fasting on or behalf this week!

We started the day around 5am yesterday and our flight left at 8:30. Everything was on time and the flight was half empty so we had plenty of space to let Ava play. Unfortunatey she didn't really sleep so she was pretty tired. We arrived in Seattle at 11am, picked up our rental car and grabbed some lunch.

After lunch our hotel was really gracious and let us check in early so Ava could get a nap before the 5pm service at Mars Hill. Unfortunately, Ava didn't think a nap was a good idea so she refused to sleep...this would become a trend for the day:-)

We headed to Mars Hill and had a great service. Driscoll has been sick so they played video of his message from the am so he could rest up for this week. 5 minutes before we got to the church Ava fell asleep...great timing...

After service we took Tami and Ava back to the hotel so Tami could put her to bed while Scott and I went to find dinner.

Upon my return what do I find? Ava still awake! I ate real quick and then put Ava back in the car and drove around North Seattle until she fell asleep...

Ava woke up at 5 am so we had an early breakfast this morning and found a great little coffee house a ways from our hotel...no not Starbucks...

It's not 8:18am (pacific time) and Ava is down for a nap (and all Gods people said, "Amen"). Driscoll opens the boot camp in two hours talking about the call of the church planter. Check back later for my notes...

Here's how you can pray today:

- pray Ava gets the rest she needs

- pray Tami and I stay encouraged, energized, and engaged in spite of being tired

- pray God would speak to Tami and I through the boot camp

- pray God would inspire a vision for what could be in Tami, Scott, Becky and I's hearts

- just in case you missed it...pray that Ava sleeps

How We're Feeling About Assessment

Everyone keeps asking how Tami and I are feeling about the Acts 29 assessment next week, so I thought I would process that a bit for the world to see on the Internet. Nothing like publicly processing your emotions...

So, how are we feeling? In a word, NERVOUS!

First, it’s just an awkward thing to open your life to strangers. We’re going to have to talk about our marriage, sex life, finances, and spiritual lives.  It’s good and I think it will be extremely healthy and beneficial for Tami and I both, but it’s still awkward and bit nerve racking.

Second, I deeply respect the Acts 29 network and the men that pastor these churches. In my humble opinion Acts 29 is the absolute best network in the country and we deeply desire to be in relationship with and resourced by this network more than any other. While they are not perfect, I do believe that as a network they do the best job of planting theologically driven and missionally focused churches, which is what we want to do at as Redemption. 

All that to say that we covet your prayers this week! Here’s how you can pray for us...

• Pray that everyone would have safe and smooth travel to and from Seattle

• Pray that Ava would sleep well and enjoy the trip

• Pray that God would encourage Ryan and Tami and calm any nerves they may have concerning the assessment

• Pray that Ryan and Tami would be rested and ready for the week to come

• Pray for God's blessing on Scott and Becky for their willingness to serve Ryan and Tami in Seattle

• Pray that God's will would be done and that He would grant wisdom to those assessing Ryan and Tami

Thanks for all your prayers!

Links...

• A great interview Mark Dever did with D.A. Carson on books

• U2's new album for download at Amazon for $3.99

• Driscoll's list of good theology and Bible study books

• Mahaney's interview series with Ligon Duncan: part 1, part 2, part 3

• Free access to the ESV Study Bible online for 1 month here...

6 Days...