Went to Shreveport/Bossier City, LA for vacation the first half of this week and had a wonderful time. Between the Boardwalk, Barksdale AFB and Youree Drive I think I packed a lot into four days, and on a low budget too. To see some of the pics, click here.

Also, if you haven’t yet seen Inception, what are you waiting for? Definitely the best movie of the Summer to date.

Anyways, here’s some of the posts I came across in the last seven days that really stood out.

People of the Second Chance have cranked out a few new desktop & iPhone backgrounds.

Thomas Nelson CEO Michael Hyatt with some great advice – Don’t Wrestle With Pigs.

Tired of churches that try to sell you on the “Jesus makes everything better” idea (as if Jesus were some sort of condiment)? Instead of McDonalds, try McJesus!

How important is The Virgin Birth to the Christian faith?

I’ll admit, I’m torn on this post. Both parents are retired Marines, so I was raised to be grateful that I live in America. While far from perfect, I truly believe there is no better place to live. BUT…… it’s those imperfections which cause me to at least agree in part with Celeste in her post on why national flags don’t belong in church.

A very moving post from Carole Turner that epitomizes what being missional is all about - Sharon Is A Prostitute.

John Piper answers the question: When Should You Confront Someone About Their Sin?

Paul Allen on how having a vision statement doesn’t mean you have vision.

Jesus commanded us to “love one another”, yet, at times, that command is very difficult to obey. Jo Hilder breaks down why it’s so hard to love others.

“It’s always easier to call fear something other than ‘fear’.” – Scott Hodge on Spiritualizing Fear

Jared Wilson asks, “Could persecution, should it come, be the best thing to happen to the American church?” in his post The Blessing of Persecution.

When’s the last time you were talking to someone face-to-face and, at the same time, texting, Twittering or on Facebook? A very, very insightful post from Tim Stevens advising us that wherever you are… be fully there.

“Most of us have said (or at least thought) at some point, ‘I wish God would just show up and speak.’ The truth is, he has.” – Jamie Munson on Everything God Wanted To Say.

Bryan Roberts discusses the dangers of thinking your church is the best church.

Sometimes I like what Glenn Beck has to say. Other times…… well, let’s just say this is one of those other times. Julie Clawson on Glenn Beck and A Neighborless Christianity.

Heading out to Shreveport/Bossier today for a few days just to get away from town. Thought I might have to save this post for later this evening and hotel WiFi, but I’ve been an insomniac the past several days and last night was no different. Went to bed at 1:30 AM and woke up at 7:00 AM, so here goes. Another week has passed and it’s time for me to share my favorite blog posts from the past seven days.

Ray Ortlund (lead pastor, Immanuel Church in Nashville, TN) shares his thoughts on why Church Should Feel Good and Men With a Whole Heart.

Steven Furtick (lead pastor, Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC) shares a few Bonus Tracks from last weekend’s services.

“For us, our future isn’t really our future. Our future is our perceived future. An imagined future. A possibility. For God, the future isn’t really the future either. But that’s because He is not in time so the future is right now. Present. Happening.” – Steven Furtick on The Present Future.

Andy Stanley (lead pastor, North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, GA) makes his debut at The Resurgence with In the Wake of Leadership.

“When pastors and church leaders read Acts 2:42-46, they get nostalgic for something they never had. The mistake we make is thinking we can recreate the early church by pursuing the things they did.” The Early Church Killed Jesus.

Ever read a book that, in some passages makes you want to throw it across the room, and in others convicts you to your core? Pete Wilson (lead pastor, Cross Point Community Church in Nashville, TN) discusses that in This Book Ticks Me Off.

“When is the last time church leaders re-imagined the fundamental part of their “business”?” Tim Stevens asks what would happen if we started Re-imagining Church.

Along the same vein, Tony Morgan discusses 5 Attributes of A Church In Decline and Frank Turk discusses big churches and BIG CHURCH in 9 Minutes With Frank Turk.

How to have a spiritually competent conversation…… or at least the impression of it.

Tullian Tchividjian (lead pastor, Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, FL) on The Ongoing Need for the Gospel.

Is there ever a time man can judge another man? What about being critical of Christian authors, filmmakers, songwriters, etc.? Stephen McGarvey discusses this topic in Why So Critical?

Donald Miller’s dog Lucy is back with three more posts; on on sleep, one on learning right from wrong and one on having a body.

Perry Noble with Three Convictions About Children’s Ministry. This is one area that I believe most churches don’t stress enough.

One of the Worst Verses In the Bible. It’s amazing what a little context can do for scripture.

Do you REALLY want people to be honest, authentic and real? Matthew Paul Turner with Nothing But the Truth… So Help Me Blog.

“Doubt is God’s way of tearing down the private fantasy we have constructed about him—where what we think about God is without further need of reflection, no longer open to growth. Doubt does not mean that God is “dying” for us. Doubt signals that we are beginning to die to ourselves, and that can be very painful—dying usually is.” – from The Benefit of Doubt
HT: William Guice

“None of your achievements are so big that they can’t be torn down in an instant by a lapse in judgment.” – Steven Furtick with It’s Coming Back

Speaking of lapses in judgment, here’s Paul Steinbrueck with 7 Leadership Lessons Learned from Cleveland Cavaliers Owner Dan Gilbert’s Embarrassing Letter About LeBron James.

Has the Church made an idol of marriage?

Pastor Artie Davis wrote, “I was reading a business blog the other day, called 15-signs your business sucks! As I read it, it became apparent these signs apply to the church. I have no intention of equalizing the church with any type of business. But rather passionate about finding another missing piece to help my fellow gladiators who are fighting for the Kingdom and serious about making an eternal impact. So it is in that spirit I ask you this question, does your church have any of these signs?” - Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 of Artie’s post.

“Being wounded is far better than never experiencing life with people.” – Tyler Braun on being Wounded.

Bible Quotation FAIL. This was just too funny – assuming, of course, that it’s real.

What We Can Learn From Michael Jackson

Tim Smith with Practical Ideas for Family Worship. Some pretty good stuff here.

Donald Miller’s lab Lucy is filling in for him at his blog for the next few days and I must say, her first post is pretty deep.

If I Don’t Become A Christian, Can We Still Be Friends?

Thoughts on Revival from my good friend John.

Be Careful What You Worship On the Fourth of July
HT: Tyler Braun

Every Life Has A Story

“Great sermons will get you pats on the back. Savvy leadership skills will win you admiration from your colleagues. Hard work will catch peoples eyes as you separate from the pack. But if you don’t love you’re nothing more than a noisy gong, or a clanging cymbal. If you don’t love the people God has placed in your life nothing else really matters.” – Pete Wilson on Finishing Well

“Without obstacles, nothing grows.” Blaine Hogan on The Gift of Obstacles

The Power of Love

“What most Christians can’t do is have transparent, authentic relationships with non-Christians.”

Should Christians Be Concerned for the Environment?

“For a long time now, I’ve been convinced that the way most Christians think about redemption is influenced more by ancient Greek philosophy than by the Bible. We think of ultimate redemption as being redemption from the body, not of the body; redemption from the world, not of the world; redemption from the material, not of the material. This, however, goes against what the Bible clearly teaches about redemption.” – Tullian Tchividjian on Making All Things New

8 Ways to Spot a Manipulating Leader

Spiritual Pride Smells of Hell

You’ve Got Vision… Big Deal!, and a bit of a follow-up.

Many of us spend our lives waiting for opportunity to come knocking at our front door. But Proverbs 18:16 says “A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men.”

Have you ever wondered why the Bible seems to be guilty of double-talk when speaking of “the world”? John 3:16 tells us God loves “the world” and Jesus, in Mark 16:15 commands his disciples to “go into all the world”, yet 1 John 2:15‑17 tells us not to love the world, James, in James 4:4, tells us that “a friend of the world” is “an enemy of God” and Paul says in 2 Corinthians 6:17 to be separate from the world and to “go out from” unbelievers. So, what do we do? Well, it all depends on which sense of the word “world” you mean. Tullian Tchividjian gives a great explanation of these scriptures and the complexities of the original language in which they were written, in this post.

You Can’t Build A Reputation On What You Are Going To Do

Something we can all benefit from – the art of apologizing well.

Before Apple sold 2 million iPads in just 2 months, they first had to fail at the Newton. Instead of ignoring our failures, maybe we should learn from them. Mike Foster tackles that in a post for Catalyst, Snuggle Up With Failure.

What is a joyful mind?

I’ve touched on this issue before, but over 90% of Americans claim to believe in God, yet less than half of that number are part of a church community. Perry Noble addresses this issue in a two-part post, It’s Not the Product, It’s the Service (Part 1) and
(Part 2)

In a similar post to Perry’s, Jarrett Stevens talks about a recent hospital visit and that the church could learn from it.

It’s one thing to worship with passion and excellence when the room is full and all eyes are on us. The real test of worship comes when your auditorium is empty and the only people remaining are the staff who now have no responsibilities but to stand before God and still give Him everything they’ve got. – Steven Furtick on The Real Test of Worship

So what makes a city manly? Apparently salty snacks and professional sports.

Touchdown Jesus was struck by lightning Monday night and burned to the ground. Coincidence, or was the real Jesus sending a message?

Our Church Is Small. The Potential Is Big. I wish more could grasp this idea.

Buckhead Church asks should we isolate or engage?

Donald Miller on the stuff of good friendships.

Another great post on the topic of engaging unchurched people from Ed Stetzer and Michael Carpenter.

Clarifying the Kingdom of God from Rick McKinley.

Die With Your Boots On – a great post from Mark Driscoll that completely flies in the face of health and wealth teachings. The early church didn’t get wealthy preaching the gospel – in many cases they got killed.

There’s a world of difference between those two words, fixable and forgivable. One is about human effort and sweat and heartache and staying in the mud. One is about grace and mercy and white snow and sacrifice we can’t imagine. - Jon Acuff, author and blogger, with Two “F Words”.

A very interesting piece on the continued anti-immigrant sentiments that are growing in our nation (ironic, considering we’re a nation of immigrants). And for those who skim and don’t actually read, pay attention – this post isn’t anti-immigration reform or pro-illegal alien. But it is anti-racism. The Foreigner Among Us.

An Open Letter to Contemporary Christian Music.
HT: Tyler Braun

In case you haven’t heard, Alvin Greene, an unheard of man who sleeps on his father’s couch, won the South Carolina Democratic Primary for United States Senator with sixty percent of the vote.

No ads, no campaign and no money (except the $10,000 needed to register), and HE WON.

But wait – that’s not all!

Now Democrat leaders all across the country are claiming Greene is a Republican plant.

Really?
Really?

I think Jon Stewart has the best take on the situation. The hilarity begins at 6:15 into the video.

It’s the beginning of a new week, which means it’s time to share my favorite posts of the last seven days!

Remember the big perfect game controversy concerning umpire Jim Joyce and Tigers’ pitcher Armondo Galarraga? Donald Miller uses it as an example of The Absolute Power of an Apology.

We must be gracious to the grace killers.

A really cool picture of Shanghai that shows the amount of change that can take place in twenty years.

The greatest problem of American Christians when it comes to the Bible is not that we are not deep in God’s Word. The problem is that we are not active in God’s Word.

Pastors, are you preaching TO people, or AT people?

How would you respond to this explanation of faith?

The Medium Matters, a great argument for why music is just as important as the message.

Donald Miller on how bad habits create boring stories and the power of listening without judging.

Shaun King with a great post on how a normal marriage IS NOT going to be a Cosby Show marriage.

Pete Wilson explains how margin is essential for the unexpected.

Jesus didn’t say that the world will know we are His followers because of the music we listen to, the church we go to or the political candidate we vote for. Jesus said the world will recognize us as his followers when they see the love we have for one another.

In a post similar to the one above, have athletes taken Philippians 4:13 a little too far? Does Jesus really care who wins an athletic contest?

Social Justice Is A Virtue.

The Bait and Switch of Contemporary Christianity

I was reading the comments over at Jesus Needs New PR and saw this.

Atheism has actually convinced people that all the world we see around us is the result of a huge cosmic accident that was caused by nothing, means nothing, and ends in nothing. And yet for some reason we should be really, really concerned about studying this accident and learning about our fellow bundles of random atoms and try our best to be a good bundle of random atoms ourself (whatever good means).

But it’s so much better than faith.

Thoughts?

HT: MPT @ Jesus Needs New PR and Darrell @ Stuff Fundies Like

It’s Sunday here in the central time zone, so once again here are my favorite posts from the past seven days.

Eric Geiger writes about how typical ministry is actually unbiblical.

Tullian Tchividjian with a great explanation of What the Bible Is Not.

Mars Hill worship pastor Joel Brown lists 3 Priorites When Preparing Music for a worship gathering.

A great question for John Piper’s Ask Pastor John series, What Should We Teach About Creation?

John Piper concludes his twelve post series directed at prosperity preachers. There are links to the other eleven posts at the bottom of the twelfth.

Jason Boyett asks Is the Church the Best Place for Doubters?

I’m a Christian Missionary, an Agnostic Researcher, and an Atheist Professor.

Larry Shallenberger reminds us that the debate on homosexuality should not be stripped of it’s humanity.

Healthy Friends Are Responsible To, Not For, Each Other.

Do you want to change the world because you love it, or because you hate it?

Do we all share responsibility for the BP oil spill?

Matthew Paul Turner asks a very interesting question: What if your name, face, and address were listed by your sin and then put on an iPhone app?