Mars Hill Church – Seattle – Easter 2008
When in Seattle, I try and attend Mars Hill Church. Pastor Mark Driscoll is a great expositor of the Gospel, and the worship is great! Easter Sunday, they baptized 120 new believers! Here’s a worship video with many of the baptisms as the images.
Pastor Mark talks about this special Sunday here:
What now seems to be a few short weeks ago, our friend and brother in Christ, Dean Barriault moved into our house to live out his final days as his body battled the pernicious tumor that had invaded his brain. He moved in the week after Thanksgiving, and was welcomed into our home as “Uncle Dean” by Ashley, Will, & Aimee. We ate our meals together, laughed together and at each other, prayed together, and sometimes… cried together.
Last night at approximately 10:30 PM, Dean “caught the bus” to Heaven as the Father called him home. My wife, Jan, and another close friend, Emory Ellis, were with Dean when he breathed his last breath. We were joined soon after by some of the many friends who had served Dean and us for these many weeks as Dean’s physical condition deteriorated daily.
These brothers and sisters had graced our home around the clock with their loving care for Dean; and as Jan & I both lost our fathers during this same time cared for us as well.
Dean was a grateful and gracious guest in our home. We shared many mornings over oatmeal & our daily bible reading before he became mostly bed-ridden by the onslaught of the cancer. Dean’s love for God and for his children was daily evident in all of his conversations with his many caregivers. He was so proud of each of his kids, and equally grateful for God for the Mercy of the Cross. He looked forward to Heaven & I am sure today that he is there in the presence of God.
Our mutual friend, Scott Spearman, wrote an eloquent vision of what a day in Heaven may well be like for Dean here:
Reflections of a Friend, dying…
Of whom the world is not worthy…
Taleban jihadists in Afghanistan have kidnapped 23 members of Saemmul Presbyterian Church [Saemmul means New Waters or Living Waters] who were in Afghanistan for humanitarian work. They are threatening to kill all of them if various commands are not met. On July 25, they murdered Pastor Bae Hyung Kyu and left his bullet riddled body on a roadside. 18 of the 23 short-term missionaries are women, and their captors have separated the men from the women. Afghanistan is somewhat well known (or notoriously so) for severe treatement of even native Afghan woman. The Body of Christ should be in constant prayer for the soon release of these, our brothers & sisters in Christ & also for the family of Pastor Bae. A constantly updated source with pictures and video is available here:
http://eugenecho.wordpress.com/2007/07/27/prayer-for-korean-hostages-in-afghanistan/
Truly, the world is NOT worthy of a man like Pastor Bae and these fellow believers.
When Sinners Say I Do is the name of a new book by Dave Harvey, pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church. This is by far one of the best books on marriage that I have read, and will likely bear great fruit. This last year, due to a number of circumstances, God has had me searching into the Word as well as books like this one to challenge me to do those things that will make my marriage more Christ-like.
My friend, Tim Challies, has an excellent review of the book here:
http://www.discerningreader.com/review/when-sinners-say-i-do/
Seattle pastor Mark Driscoll has a great post on his Resurgence blog about church names. I think that I like “Spiritual Love Center” the best! Church naming is one of the most potentially divisive tasks that a congregation has to go through. Somehow, it is believed that, much like merchandise branding, the name that you place on the sign of your church building will determine whether GOD will ever bring in the lost.
Jack’s Life is the name of the newly released book by Douglas Gresham. If the author’s name isn’t immediately familiar to you, he is one of C. S. Lewis’ stepsons. His mother, Joy Davidman, married Jack and they were both Suprised by Joy. I learned a lot about one of my favorite authors, though I thought I had read every biography about Lewis. Gresham shares an immensely personal insight of this man who became his step father and shared the death of his mother. The book is thin, but full. It is apparent that Douglas was eternally changed because of God’s sovereign placement of C. S. Lewis in his life. In fact, God has used Lewis to change many of us. Get this book, and bless the God who calls men like Clives Staples Lewis, or Jack, and men & women like ourselves to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12).
By way of Between Two Worlds comes the links to an interview with Douglas Gresham; stepson of C.S. Lewis on the upcoming Narnia movie:
Part 1: The Man Behind the Wardrobe
Part 2: Narnia Comes to Life