Bible Reading Plans

Select a Bible Reading plan for the New Year!!!

Bible Reading Plans

Favorite Books of 2010

Here is a list, in no particular order, of books that I enjoyed in 2010.  I recommend them all to you.

• John Adams, David McCullough
• The Jesus Storybook Bible, Sally Lloyd-Jones
• Desiring God, John Piper
• Church Planter, Darrin Patrick
• Making Ideas Happen, Scott Belsky
• Rescuing Ambition, Dave Harvey
• Hard Work, Roy Williams
• What Is The Gospel? Greg Gilbert
• The God of Promise and the Life of Faith, Scott Hafemann
• The Checklist Manifesto, Atul Gawande
• Leaders Who Last, Dave Kraft

Set a bold reading plan for 2011 and read!!!

Straight No Chaser - 12 Days (original from 1998)

North Point's iBand

Apple Music...pretty cool!

Be the Church: Parade Prep

Explore Church getting ready for tomorrow's Christmas parade.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Save the Date!

Be the Church: Christmas Edition

On December 5th Explore Church will be serving our community during the Fuquay-Varina Christmas Parade.  Make sure you sign up so you can help us:  "BE THE CHURCH!"

Carson: People Don’t Learn What I Teach Them; They Learn What I’m Excited About

D.A. Carson:

If I have learned anything in 35 or 40 years of teaching, it is that students don’t learn everything I teach them. What they learn is what I am excited about, the kinds of things I emphasize again and again and again and again. That had better be the gospel.

If the gospel—even when you are orthodox—becomes something which you primarily assume, but what you are excited about is what you are doing in some sort of social reconstruction, you will be teaching the people that you influence that the gospel really isn’t all that important. You won’t be saying that—you won’t even mean that—but that’s what you will be teaching. And then you are only half a generation away from losing the gospel.

Make sure that in your own practice and excitement, what you talk about, what you think about, what you pray over, what you exude confidence over, joy over, what you are enthusiastic about is Jesus, the gospel, the cross. And out of that framework, by all means, let the transformed life flow.

Carson: People Don’t Learn What I Teach Them; They Learn What I’m Excited About

Closing the Gap

On November 7th we started a new series:  "Closing the Gap."  There always seems to be a gap between where you are and where you want to be...a divide between your dream and your reality.  Many things can contribute to the creation of that gap.  It could be lack of opportunity, lack of education, lack of time or energy, or just a lack of ability.  The question remains:  How can you reach your potential if you can never close the gap from your current situation to your desired future?  What do you do?  Where do you start?  The world tells us to work harder, make adjustments, or get more training.  But these all focus on what we can do.

Take a pause and ask:  Is this even the gap that needs closing?  The bible points out a gap between us and God.  The problem though--we can't close it!  The one who can is Jesus Christ.  He is the closer!  He offers to take our place--be our substitute.  He offers to pay the price we cannot afford--be our redeemer.  Only by putting our faith and trust in Jesus can the gap between us and our Creator be closed.

This seven part series will take us through the book of First Thessalonians.  Each week we will explore a gap, that with God's help, can be closed so that we can reach our ultimate potential and be like Christ in our actions and attitude.

The book will be outlined as follows:

1. 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
2. 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12
3. 1 Thessalonians 2:13-20
4. 1 Thessalonians 3:1-13
5. 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12
6. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11
7. 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

For digging deeper--consider the following resources:

• The Message of 1 & 2 Thessalonians, John Stott
• 1-2 Thessalonians, G. K. Beale

The ESV

The ESV is the translation that is used and recommended at Explore Church. Here are some endorsements from some well-known Christian leaders. The ESV

Day in Downtown - Explore Church

Happy Reformation Day

Today is the anniversary of Martin Luther posting his 95 Theses which lead to the Protestant Reformation.  It changed the world!

Highlights From Day In Downtown!

Some photos above...

The stats below...

• Over 100 volunteer hours.
• 60 balloons to add excitement.
• 700 lbs of ice used to cool the water.
• 2,100 bottles of water given out.
• 4,000 pieces of candy given out.

Day In Downtown

This Saturday in Fuquay-Varina Explore Church has the opportunity to "Be The Church" in our community.  Join us from 10-4 in downtown!!!

On Mission

On Sunday we wrapped up our sermon series titled:  "GOT KEYS?"

The final key was:  "Faith in Jesus Christ is not about trying, it's about trusting."  Based on this truth we said that those who have moved from trying to trusting have a responsibility, an obligation, and an imperative to tell others about the one in whom they now trust.

Following Paul's example of how to engage others with the Gospel in Acts 17:16-34, we should consider his strategy and apply it in our context.

1)  We must study our culture.  We should ask what are the barriers (idols) that are preventing our community from connecting with Jesus Christ.

In their book, Vintage Church, Driscoll and Breshears offer the following ideas for becoming a student of culture.

• Watch Television.
• Surf Talk Radio.
• Walk The Mall.
• Pay Attention At The Grocery Store.
• Hang Out At The Magazine Rack.
• Pay Attention To Kids.
• Talk To People.
• Go Online.
• Break Your Routine.

2)  We must be moved to action. Paul took the message of trusting Christ to the synagogue and the marketplace.  He intentionally went where the people were.  

3) We must contextualize the Gospel.

Driscoll and Breshears describe it this way:

"Too many churches are built solely to accommodate religious people, even though their culture and cultural methods of ministry are not welcoming or hospitable to those outside their Christian culture.  Contextualization is about making the church as culturally accessible as possible without compromising the truth of Christian belief.  In this, what is sought is timeless truth and timely methods.  In other words, contextualization is not making the gospel relevant, but showing the relevance of the gospel."

With this in mind, Darrin Patrick adds:

"We must literally consider everything we do through the lens of the unbeliever, always asking the question, "How does this come across to unbelievers?"

4) We must hold out a BIG God!  Paul informed them that there is a God who is not only big, but also near.  He is creator, sustainer, ruler, and judge.

5) We must call people to action.  Based on the fact that God is going to judge us through Jesus Christ we must repent and trust him as our substitute and stop trying to save ourselves.

6) We must trust God with the results.  We are not tasked to save people, just to tell people.  As with Paul, some will mock us, some will want to hear more, and others will believe.  It is for that last group that we must be busy proclaiming the good news about Jesus Christ.

Trust or Try...which way will you go?

Looking Back

This is not new news, but...time flies!  Here is a picture I found today from 5 years ago.  The Burgess Boys in battle armor in Jamestown, VA.

And here is a journal entry where I was doodling the logo and name for Explore Church.

And here is what that evolved into...

Good times.  Take pictures, write in your journal, and make memories!!!

Book Lovers Furniture

The chair...

and the desk!

Politics According To The Bible

Just got my copy of Wayne Grudem's new book...

This book has over 600 pages and covers a wide range of topics including worldview, the protection of life, marriage, family, economics, the environment, national defense, and foreign policy.  Additionally, he addresses many specific issues as well including abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, gun control, and taxes.  If you would like to view your political issue through the lens of Scripture then this is the source for you.

Grudem begins his book with what he considers five wrong views about Christians and Government.  I list them here:

1. Government should compel religion.
2. Government should exclude religion.
3. All government is evil and demonic.
4. Do evangelism, not politics.
5. Do politics, not evangelism.

I have found Grudem's previous writings to be clear and well thought out.  Based on that, I recommend this book as a source on understanding today's political issues in Light of Scripture.

Home Protection System

How good is your security system?  Does with come with aerial support?

If not, look into it.  Pretty cool!!!

Tests Of True Humility

In his book, Embracing Brokenness, Alan E. Nelson offers his thoughts on humility and several ways to spot a humble spirit.

1. Humility does not demand its own way.
2. Humility exudes an attitude of service.
3. Humility does not seek attention or credit.
4. Humility forgives when offended, but is hard to offend.
5. Humility does not criticize others.
6. Humility produces a teachable spirit.
7. Humility is gracious and thankful.

"Humility is the best soil test for showing us whether we've embraced brokenness."

The following is found in both James 4:6 and 1Peter 5:5:  God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

Are you humbling yourself?  Are you walking with humility?

End of Summer

Bake at the Lake--2010

Fall Sneak Peak

Looking ahead to the Fall preaching calendar...

On September 12th Explore Church will be celebrating its 8th birthday!

Beginning September 19th Explore Church will start this 5 week series.

Get Excited!

Review of Ruth

We recently concluded a series called "The Plan."  During this four week study we walked through the book of Ruth.  Below are some of the highlights and helps.

The Big Ideas:

• Week 1--"God's Plan Is The Best Plan."
• Week 2--"God Is Always Working To Rescue His People Through His Plan."
• Week 3--"God's Plan Is A Faith Plan And A Faith Plan Involves Taking Risks."
• Week 4--"Even When We Can't See It--God Is Still Working His Plan."

Key Thoughts:

• We tend to plan so that we can organize a series of decisions toward a desired outcome.
• Just because we plan doesn't mean that we will achieve our desired outcome.
• Events outside our control and sin can derail our plan.
• God is sovereign, faithful, and in control.
• God is always at work.
• What are you risking that if God does not show up...will fail miserably?
• What are you willing to risk?
• God's plan is the best plan because His plan is a rescue plan...that involves faith and risk taking.
• God uses dark circumstances and suffering to draw us closer to Him.

Key Verses To Consider:

• Acts 2:22-24
• Ephesians 3:20
• Philippians 1:6
• Romans 8:28
• Proverbs 3:5-6
• Matthew 1:21
• Luke 19:10
• Revelation 21:4

Books And Commentaries That Were Helpful:

• A Sweet & Bitter Providence, John Piper

• Atkinson, David.  The Message of Ruth, in the Bible Speaks Today series.
• Block, Daniel I.  Judges, Ruth, in the NAC series.
• Duguid, Iain M.  Esther & Ruth, in the REC series.
• Cundall, Arthur E. and Leon Morris.  Judges and Ruth, in the TOTC series.

God continues to work His plan through the ordinary events of our lives for our good and His glory.

John Adams and Books

I am currently reading John Adams by David McCullough.  He is a great writer and I recommend his books Truman and 1776.

"I want to see my wife and children every day," he would write while away on the court circuit.  "I want to see my grass and blossoms and corn....But above all, except the wife and children, I want to see my books."

I can totally identify with John Adams' sentiment.  Love some books!

Rework

New book by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, the founders of 37Signals.

Some of my favorite quotes:

"Unless you're a fortune-teller, long-term business planning is a fantasy.  There are just too many factors that are out of your hands:...Writing a plan makes you feel in control of things you can't actually control."

"Why don't we just call plans what they really are:  guesses."  (page 19)

"If you're going to do something, do something that matters."  (page 32)

NO TIME IS NO EXCUSE--  "...the perfect time never arrives.  You're always too young or old or busy or broke or something else.  If you constantly fret about timing things perfectly, they'll never happen."  (page 40-41)

"When you don't know what you believe, everything becomes an argument.  Everything is debatable.  But when you stand for something, decisions are obvious."  (page 44)

"Standing for something isn't just about writing it down.  It's about believing it and living it."  (page 48)

EMBRACE CONSTRAINTS--"I don't have enough time/money/people/experience."  Stop whining.  Less is a good thing.  Constraints are advantages in disguise.  Limited resources force you to make do with what you've got.  There's no room for waste.  And that forces you to be creative."  (page 67)

"Creativity is one of the first things to go when you lose sleep."  (page 121)

WELCOME OBSCURITY--"Use this time to make mistakes without the whole world hearing about them.  Keep tweaking.  Work out the kinks.  Test random ideas.  Try new things.  No one knows you, so it's no big deal if you mess up.  Obscurity helps protect your ego and preserve your confidence."

"It makes no sense to tell everyone to look at you if you're not ready to be looked at yet.  (page 167)

"Clear writing is a sign of clear thinking."

"Writing is today's currency for good ideas."  (page 222)

"A good apology accepts responsibility.  It has no conditional if phrase attached."  (page 238)

And my favorite...

"You don't create a culture.  It happens....Culture is the by-product of consistent behavior.  ....Culture is action, not words."  (page 249)

How to Love One Another

Check out this link:

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2010/07/24/how-to-love-one-another-affirm-share-and-serve/

Being Liked

"If you set out to be liked, you would be prepared to compromise on anything at anytime, and you would achieve nothing."        --Margaret Thatcher

The Plan

We start a new series Sunday at Explore Church.  "The Plan" is a 4 week study of the book of Ruth.

Join us Sundays at 9:30 and 11:00!

Prayer & Providence

The following is from David Atkinson in his commentary on the book of Ruth.

Prayer is, as it were, the flip side to the doctrine of providence.  Prayer is the acknowledgment, not of the psychological benefit of some mythological exercise, but of the fact that we believe that God is there, God cares, God rules and God provides, and believe it in such a way that we are ready to do something on that basis, namely speak to him.  Providence reminds us of our creatureliness and dependence on God, and that together with all men, we stand under God's lordship; prayer is an activity by which we acknowledge that we cannot be our own lord.  Providence reminds us that everything is not ultimately absurd or meaningless; prayer is our way of expressing our 'yes' to the conviction that God is working his purposes out in nature, in men, in history.  Providence is a reminder that the Lord is a God of grace and generosity; prayer is our way of responding to his invitation to be a member of his covenant family, his son or daughter, his co-worker in this world.  Providence reminds us that the living God is not an irresistible fate before whom we can only keep silent and passive; prayer is our response to God's invitation to share fellowship with him, an expression of our union with him.

Spurgeon Sabbatical

Here are some highlights from my recent trip to Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary to participate in the Spurgeon Sabbatical, a ten day study with pastors from around the world.

Great seafood.  Here, fish and chips from day one!

The moon over campus.  My room was probably the third window from the left.

Dr. Scott Hafemann led our discussions.  He is the one without the hat.

Mornings in the classroom.

Surprise lunch guest, Robert Coleman.  He is the author of The Master Plan of Evangelism.  At 81 years of age he is still on fire for the Lord!  Inspiring!

Discovered this great book in the library.  It is available for check out if you are interested!

Cool picture from a local harbor.

Sunset over the same harbor.

Finally--I did some studying, resting, reflecting, and praying.  Overall--a great time!  It was a honor and privilege to be a part of this year's group!

Is Your Church Dying?

James Emery White gives 10 signs of a dying church.  Check them out...

http://www.churchandculture.org/Blog.asp?ID=122

What Is The Gospel?

Check out this great video from Southern Seminary.

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2010/06/14/what-is-the-gospel-3/

Waiting

Waiting can reveal some interesting truths about our lives.  Here are 7 that I mentioned Sunday morning.

Waiting can...

1. expose a skewed perspective.
2. challenge your resolve (will to continue).
3. question your faith (cause us to doubt and 2nd guess God and ourselves).
4. leave you weary, fatigued, and tired.
5. lead to frustration and confusion.
6. make you feel anxious and urgent.
7. make you think nothing is happening.

The text was Habakkuk 2 and the challenge of what to do while waiting was...

1. Listen (Hab 2:1).  What is God trying to teach you.  Waiting is often God's reorientation program.
2. Write (Hab 2:2).  Journal and document what God reveals to you...so you will remember.
3. WAIT (Hab 2:3).  Consider Psalm 27:14.  Wait for the Lord and trust by faith that He is in control and that His time is the right time.

Jesus, Leading Transformation

In their new book, Transformational Church, Ed Stetzer and Thom Rainer argue that Jesus displayed the following traits as a transformational leader.  Consider how you compare as a leader.

1. Jesus invested in people.
2. Jesus saw long and far.
3. Jesus sent people away from Him on mission.
4. Jesus grieved for communities.
5. Jesus led a balanced life.
6. Jesus embraced other cultures.
7. Jesus gave up His will.
8. Jesus surrounded Himself with lost people.
9. Jesus' harvest vision was leveraged by prayer.
10. Jesus felt the needs of people.

You can find Stetzer and Rainer's expanded thoughts on these traits on pages 90-93.

How to Listen to a Sermon

From George Whitefield:

1. Come to hear them, not out of curiosity, but from a sincere desire to know and do your duty.
2. Give diligent heed to the things that are spoken from the Word of God.
3. Do not entertain even the least prejudice against the minister.
4. Be careful not to depend too much on a preacher, or think more highly of him than you ought to think.
5. Make particular application to your own hearts of everything that is delivered.
6. Pray to the Lord, before, during, and after every sermon.

Check out the full article here:

http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/howtolisten.html

Why A Church Covenant?

Check out this link regarding this topic.

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2010/06/09/why-a-church-covenant/

Here is a brief excerpt:

John Piper explains why it’s good to have a church covenant even if church covenants aren’t in the Bible:

The Bible does not say explicitly, “Thou shalt have a written church covenant,” any more than it says, “Thou shalt have marriage licenses,” or, “Thou shalt have wedding rings.” . . .

One way to look at it is that a church without a covenant is like a marriage without vows. Marriage vows are not spelled out in the Bible just like church covenants aren’t. Both follow necessarily from the nature of the relationships.

When NOT Preaching

A question I get when I am out of the pulpit is:  "What do you do when you are not preaching?"

So here are a few of the activities that I do when out of the pulpit:

     1.  Rest, Relax, & Recover

Preaching and Sermon Preparation are both mentally and physically draining.  In order to present well, breaks are needed to refresh and refill the soul.  This break includes a week at the beach.  A Burgess family favorite!

     2.  Read & Plan

I often use the time to read and plan for future sermon series.

     3.  Meetings

I maximize meetings with people that I can't otherwise do during preaching runs.

     4.  Write

Well...good intentions, right?

     5.  Study

Along with reading and planning, I study theology and books of the Bible.

     6.  Play with and spend time with my family.

This includes movies, backyard baseball, cornhole, etc...