Tedashii!!!!

Tedashii's third release “Blacklight” is now available for pre-order. Place your order today and get a free instant download of Tedashii's first single "Riot"! Featuring Lecrae, C-Lite, Shane & Shane, PRo, KB,  and many more.  Available in stores May 31st.  Pre-order the CD, CD Deluxe, Vinyl, Blacklight Package Deal, or the Blacklight Deluxe Package Deal. Click HERE to pre-order.

Check out this promo video for the single "Riot" 

To find out more about Blacklight check the video "The Message"

Live with the end in mind 5.31.11

 

An Old Post: Jesus Voted For Obama

If there are two things that bother me it’s racists and Arminians….  Ok just kidding there are a lot of Arminians that I love.  So what bothers me…hmmm we will call it racists and people whose functional savior is government.  Last night I had my first post election conversation with someone who is a believer (though it seems to me he might be worshiping something other than Christ) and a Christian in ministry no less. As it turned out he was near death with despair over our new president.  Our conversation reveled that he was both ignorant of issues of race and issues of scripture.  On the issue of race I will not even repeat the foolishness because he is young and I will hope he grows,  but needless to say it was foolish and reflected the reality that many young Christians have been so sheltered in the white, American ghetto of Christianity that they have no experience or understanding of how race affects what happens in our country.  Has no one taught them the concept that reconcilliation amongst men is a sign of the power of the gospel?

Not only that but he was ignorant it seems of the fact the God is in control.  We all say this,  but I find that so few of us live it.  I think the reason we do not live it is because  we not actually worship the God of the Bible but rather the god of Americanism.   I keep hearing people (people with bad eschatology, but people none the less) say that this is a sign of the end times, and acting as if Jesus has been thwarted. That is just a bunch of bunk!  Americans think like this because we long ago abandoned Jesus as our hope and his glory as our goal for the safety of a president who would legislate our comfort.  I want all you who are worried to hear this:  Barack Obama won because Jesus wanted him to.  God is soverign.  Votes are cute but really they only serve to convince silly men that they are in charge.  Barack Obama winning did not upend the plans of God.  His plans are his plans.  Now does this mean that Barack will be a great president?  No. He may be,  but he might just be awful,  he might destroy this country and all your worst fears might come true.  So then you ask why would Jesus allow Obama to be president?  Simple.  Jesus is not interested in  building a “government for the people, by the people…”,  he is building a Kingdom.  A Kingdom for him, and by him. His glory is the point.  And frankly God’s glory and bad government have a interesting way of dwelling together,  and if you doubt this ask the 1,000,000 people who come to Christ every month in China and India.  Democracy is ok government,  but if you place your trust in it you will see that it is bad math and bad theology.  Bad math because is seems to believe that the will of the masses has more power than the one who created it all.  Bad theology because it seems to believe that someone and something other that Jesus is in control.   And if Jesus is in control and he himself is our peace, who are we to live in fear if he should choose to build this nation up or if he should bring it low?  He will accomplish his purposes and if we trust him he has told us that his purposes are good.  Even if the goverment does not go our way history and the universe always go Jesus’ way.   In the first centruy the Christians were a minority who refused to give their honor to the empire..and many of them died,  and yet from the blood of the Martyrs came a witness that converted the world. I just can’t imagine first century Christians wringing their hands over the “election” of Nero in a great worry that he would destroy their nation.  In fact as I recall they refused to say “Ceasar is Lord”…when the heck will we?

Support Dave Blok

www.windschurch.net/dblok.htm

NEW LECRAE JOINT OUT!

CODE

Lecrae’s long-awaited fourth album, REHAB, is now in stores!

 

The album features Tedashii, Trip Lee, Sho Baraka, Sonny Sandoval, Anthony Evans and many more.  You can check in by picking up a copy of Rehab now on iTunes or at Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Mardels, LifeWay, Berean and Family Christian.  For more information on where to find Rehab in-store click here.

You can also purchase the deluxe and/or vinyl version of Rehab as well as album merchandise at the storefront.

For more information about the album and to listen to the three singles click here.

Track Listing 

1. Check In

2. Killa

3. Divine Intervention ft. J.R.

4. Just Like You ft. J. Paul

5. Gotta Know ft. Benjah

6. Used To Do It Too ft. KB

7. Children of the Light ft. Sonny Sandoval & Dillavou

8. High ft. Sho Baraka & Suzy Rock

9. New Shalom ft. PRo

10. 40 Deep ft. Tedashii & Trip Lee

11. Walking On Water

12. God Is Enough ft. Flame & Jai

13. Boasting ft. Anthony Evans

14. Background ft. C-Lite

15. New Reality ft. Chinua Hawk

16. Release Date ft. Chris Lee

17. Bonus Track I Love You ft. Chris Lee

 Check into REHAB today!

 

 

Community, Me and why its ok that I am not A Genius.

So I still agree with most of what I said here. But because I am not a genius and most assuredly not God,  there are other parts that while I still agree in theory,  need much more development.  First the constant,  I still believe that time + intentionality=discipleship and that time + intentionality trumps structure.  But here is my latest revelation:  Not all humans are as adept at creating structure for themselves and some structures themselves are not as effective at accomplishing what we want them too.  To that second point,  I have also come to believe that in developing a structure for CrossWinds,  I undervalued the role of fellowship itself in the life of the believer and the role it plays in mission.

On Fellowship:

I tend to be task oriented,  so honestly most of the people I fellowship with are involved  in the same tasks as I am.  However the problem with making this the beginning point for all others is that it assumes that in the the first place all others are as task oriented as I am and in the second place gives those just beginning their discipleship journey no easy way to make entry,  or to explore.  It also ignores the basic human need for fellowship by making fellowship simply the tool of mission.  The practical results then are as follows:

1. Entry into this kind of  community group is limited to those who are already progressed enough in their relationship with Christ that they realize God’s call to mission commitment.
2. It does not take seriously enough Acts 2:42 seriously enough.  It sees no value in fellowship apart from training for mission.  I think that ultimately this is wrong.  We as believers are to have love for one another,  and this love I believe does ultimately lead to mission.  But this love has to be genuine and not perfunctory.  While this love should lead us to the task of mission,  we should also not miss the point that this love is mission:

Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. (1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 ESV)

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
(John 13:35 ESV)

3. Because we have not emphasized Fellowship, people in our congregation are finding it elsewhere.  CrossWinds is strong     in worship, strong in preaching/teaching and very strong in mission/ministry and weak in fellowship.  We have made a strong working organization,  bent on mission but because of limited entry points into our community self limiting in our ability to grow.

I have also come to believe that it is the responsibility of every believer to be making disciples.  This is in the great commission:

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

(Matthew 28:19 ESV)

I also think that part of my job as a pastor is to help every believer be making disciples, to that end I believe this is a another problem with how I was conceiving of doing (or not doing) small groups.   Our structure does not help every person develop deeper and more intentional relationships with their unbelieving friends.  Because of this the only place for a CWinder to invite their friends is to a Sunday service (and we should all be doing that) but the reality is that all of our unbelieving friends are much more likely to show up on Sunday when they have been exposed to our community in action on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday.  The lack of some sort of deep, fun, intentional fellowship throughout the week is limiting our growth and causing less people to hear the Good News of Jesus.   This is a giant problem.  A corollary problem is that it is also very hard for those who already believe to get introduced to who we are and that is hurting are far as finding workers for the harvest.

Here’s What Needs Done:

1. I am going to blow up my own community group. The men in this group are being deployed.
2. These five men are going to start new Cell Groups.
3. These five men will have apprentices
4. These cell groups will be fun, intentional and aggressive.
5. These cell groups will be 5-12 and healthy embryonic cells ready to split and multiply.
6. These groups will be open to believers and unbelievers.
7. These groups will provide the structure for time + intentionality
8. These groups will provide another entry point for  inviting
9. These groups will encourage worship, fellowship and mission.

A Simple Outline of a Weekly Group Meeting:

1. Food/Fun
2. Prayer/Worship
3. Service Reports (each week a few people will share about the mission/ministry they are involved in)
4. Study

(pretty simple right )

Remember: Time + Intentionality trumps Structure…But I think this structure will aid us to that end.  What do you think?

Questions I would ask Jennifer Knapp…

So Jennifer Knapp, whose music I love has come out as a Lesbian, whatever.  The thing that is bothing me though is that she now claims that the bible is ambiguous on the issue (although she is ambiguous on this I feel) so here are the questions I want to ask:

1.  If homosexual sex is permitted by scripture,  what are the limits on that sex?  It seems to me that the Bible (not just in a few places but from begininning to end) uses the motif of one man and one woman,  and their faithfulness/unfaithfulness as physical expression of his covenant love for his people.  Are homosexuals not limited to this “one partner, one lifetime” viewpoint?  Or are all the scriptures on that confused as well?

2.  Are homosexuals to be monogomous and married?

3.  If marriage were not a possibility for heterosexual couples should they engage in multiple sexual relationships?  Should homosexuals?

4.  How do we interpret Ephesians 5 in light of accpetance of Homosexual practice?  How would Ephesians 5 inform ouw view of homosexual practice?

5.  In light of acceptance of homosexuality is there any way to maintain any bounderaies for heterosexual couples?  If yes are those standards different for homosexuals?

6.  In the meta-narrative of scripture how does same sex sexuality express the Gospel?  What scripture would support this?

7.  Do you view the future of the evangelical church as one with no sexual standard beyond “be respectful of your current partner’s needs”?

Just throwing that out there from one person born with sinful tendencies to another,

D

Musings on Young Life and Urban Ministry and the Church….

So a year ago or so we were considering doing Young Life and a woman (whose name seems to have been mercifully wiped from my psyche…) from YL met with us. We met with her a few times. It was awful. She literally did every single thing that Urban ministers hate:

1. She was convinced she knew everything about our neighborhood
2. She was convinced we knew nothing about our neighborhood
3. She was under the mistaken impression that Urban ministry works just like suburban ministry
4. She acted like being a suburban para-church worker made her queen of the world (I used to be a suburban para-church worker too…and I am not the quee…err king of anything…)

and on and on. Here is the deal, she was rude, arrogant and for all practical purposes deaf. Her own self importance (I believe motivated by her belief that all successful churches are big and suburban) and her inability to appreciate a culture different form her own, lead her to being very offensive (our three staff people walked away agreeing that we had not felt so insulted in a long time…but also understanding that this is what happens when white middle class folk from the burbs become convinced that their culture is the culture of the kingdom. Not only was she terribly offensive but I would suggest that her offense made her ineffective and a poor leader in general. This can be demonstrated simply by our trip to one of the “urban” clubs she over saw (the only one) where there was a majority non-whites yet the music was decidedly Michael W. Smith. There is excellent music that would have been relevant to these students lives and might have helped grow the group (not that music is an end all, I mention it as a symptom…) I did some work for WIA in the same high school as a mentor later that year and it only reinforced how off base this club was. (I should note here that she only oversaw the group, but our experience with those who were leading directly was awesome they just needed leadership). I am not sure how it happened that this white lady, who clearly was lacking cultural skills was overseeing a group in a school district that is 85 percent Hispanic and 15 percent black in the first place but it did not work.

It is no surprise to me that if you look at the list of schools that this young woman oversees that the majority are Christian schools with high dutch populations. See here

So with that said I offer some suggestions:

For the woman:

1. Listen, we are urban ministers not idiots
2. Stop assuming that people who are different from you are not as smart as you
3. When you come into an urban area you must earn your way in. Respect would go a long
way towards that. As would connecting with the ministers that are there and learning from
them, they know their neighborhood better than you.
4. You are a cultural elitist. You desperately need training in poverty, race and diversity.
5. Learn to contextualize, not for your culture but ours.
6. Repent.

I am not saying this will fix all that ails you, but it would help.

If you want to have a ministry beyond Christian Schools and the upper Middle Class then this is the least that you can do. My suggestion in general for Young Life is that they should elevate the Gentleman who actually does Urban Ministry and pour into him, both because it would demonstrate that what we saw from this lady was not who you are, and because it would make you more effective.

Oh Well just a thought.

D