"on the chain gang"

Join us in praying for the people here in Fargo, MSUM, NDSU, the surrounding universities and the people in the city as a whole.

"Too Much Fun?"

A new era is presenting itself here on Supremacy of Christ.blogspot. The Blog is now going to be about Church planting and the things that might go along with this. Now it is not going to be talking about a different strategy etc every time I post but the gammit of things that go along with Church planting might be limitless, but none the less that is what this is going to be about. I look forward to hearing comments suggestions etc but lets welcome in the era of Mission Fargo posts here.

"Put your hands up"

When you see a deer you see Bambi
And I see antlers up on the wall
When you see a lake you think picnic
And I see a large mouth up under that log
You're probably thinking that you're going to change me
In some ways well maybe you might
Scrub me down, dress me up but remember no matter what
I'm still a guy When you see a priceless French painting
I see a drunk, naked girl
You think that riding a wild bull sounds crazy
And I'd like to give it a whirl
Well love makes a man do some things he ain't proud of
And in a weak moment I might walk your sissy dog, hold your purse at the mall
But remember, I'm still a guy
I'll pour out my heart Hold your hand in the car
Write a love song that makes you cry
Then turn right around knock some jerk to the ground'Cause he copped a feel as you walked by
I can hear you now talking to your friends
Saying, "Yeah girls he's come a long way"From dragging his knuckles and carrying a club
And building a fire in a cave
But when you say a backrub means only a backrub
Then you swat my hand when I try
Well, what can I say at the end of the day Honey, I'm still a guy
I'll pour out my heart Hold your hand in the car Write a love song that makes you cry
Then turn right around knock some jerk to the ground'
Cause he copped a feel as you walked by
These days there's dudes getting facials Manicured, waxed and botoxed
With deep spray-on tans and creamy lotiony hands
You can't grip a tacklebox
With all of these men lining up to get neutered
Getting out of being feminized. I don't highlight my hair
I've still got a pair, Yeah honey, I'm still a guy, Oh my eyebrows ain't plucked
There's a gun in my truck Oh thank God,
I'm still a guy

-Brad Paisley-

-Warning Label-
I in no way am responsible for the catchy lyrics and sweet rhymes

arithmetic leave it in the calculator

So something happens when we start to follow Christ. Something deep down, and for goodness sake, on the surface happens, we start to work. I'm not talking Philippians 2, "working out your faith with fear and trembling", I am talking about this idea of adding and subtracting that we do.

We have this idea that we have to add and add and add in order to please something that is just dying for us to mess up. The same idea in subtraction, we put following Christ as a lists of things to add and things to subtract.

Simply put, it is not the case, Christians want so bad to for grace not to be free. With every ounce of added rules and quick fixes for any issues. Grace is free, now we have to understand what that really means. Does that mean that you grab your number when you walk into the DMV. No by no means is that grace, when a person responds to Gods calling and repents of their sin grace covers their sin. Plain and simple. You don't add these things and then subtract these things to kneel before God free of trespasses.

Reading scripture and praying are things we do because the grace that has covered and changed us is so beautiful and Yahweh who gives it is so glorious. We run from sin, because why would we willingly offend and turn our faces to another. Anything that is added or subtracted is not to gain acceptance it is because of acceptance. We are to love Christ through all things, we have been accepted by our loving Father and we strive to be like him.

Love Christ with all you have, love him above all things.

"oops I did it again...."

So mucho hora has passed since the last (newly updated post) haha, well it was newly updated when I did it. Things are well we travel a lot to different places, but it has been a blessing and something we are excited to do. I graduated from Seminary and Abby finished her 3rd year of teaching.

We went on a cruise we had been planning for almost 2 years, and we are under 30 days until we move to Fargo. big stuff, periodically I will update personal things on here but this blog will be for thoughts and reflections and also Church planting things. Abby is keeping up with a great blog, http://johnandabby.wordpress.com/ , that will do more with personally whats going on with us.

Save her blog she is in the beginning stages of it but as we all know she is flippin brilliant... More later.

Community

We don't get to tell people much about Sojourn, this is the name for the community of believers that meet at 930 Mary Street, L'ville. WOW, it is such a blessing to join such a great community of Believers in worship. Check out their website see what they are all about.

On Wednesday night Abby and I had the pleasure of getting to gether with the pastor to talk about membership and Church planting. We were very excited to meet with him because he invited us to come and talk to him about membership and Church planting. (Side not we just finished their Gospel classes (membership classes 6 weeks 2 hours each, it was fantastic)), so the next step is a membership interview. I can't tell you how encouraging he was and how he paved the way for us to get some great training before we leave for Fargo. Thanks Daniel and Sojourn for everything you are doing for us and we look forward to getting more involved.

Side note

April 7-9th we have our NAMB interview in ATL we will let you know how it goes.

The Gospel of Best Practices

I know someone out there has already thought of this and has written something incredibly profound and copyrighted, of course. I went to a conference the other day where the speaker said that "best practices are the most important things".

Now first off we need not mention how "best practices" are pretty fluid, what might "work in one place with a specific people group, might not work with another in another place. I know I know how crazy does that sound.

Best practices are not the drive force and do not dictate what we do. What works is not the most important thing that drives the mission. Biblical Faithfulness and cultural relavence are driving forces. Biblical faithfulness is unchanging, there are not people groups and cultures that change this fact. We Hold to the scriptures as if there is no tomorrow, or better yet as if there is. Now this doesnt mean that we hold ourselves up in the corner and forget about the people groups to which we are to minister to. We study the people groups and express the Gospel in an understnadbale way taking into account, language, tradition, road blocks among other considerations but a best practice from some someone somewhere is not the Gospel that we hold to.

So where do "Best practices" fit. They belong to the people that have studied the people they are ministering to. They can find a method that works well but all the while undersntad that it might working with this person or thee people but it is not a blanket "thus saith the Lord" on how everyone should minister. Find a way to express the Gospel in a Biblically faithful and culturally understadable way.

So when we go to Fargo "best practices" or the "what works" of the 80's 90's and even since the turn of the millenium are not going to drive the mission. The way that we minister to one people group there could and will look different from that of the other groups.

Will you partner with us on this mission?

Take one down and pass it around!!!

This is the cover letter we created to pass along to people letting them know about what the Lord is doing and ways to partner with us in this mission. If you or anyone you know are interested please pass this along for people to check out.

Roll ON!!!

No not the deodorant.

So This blog has been on the back burner for a while huh.

Quick update
Abby and I live in Louisville, she teaches 1st grade and is working on her MATS at Southern. I am in my last semester, working at Jersey mikes subs and a research assistant to Ed Stetzer. We go to one of the most amazing Churches, Sojourn Community Church.

Abby and I have finished the application for NAMB and we are being interviewed on March 24th.

The big news is we have sent out our Support packets Round 1. There are many coming your way. 60hrs and 4-5 a pop we finished them and did Abby ever do a great job.

Some of you should be receiving them today or tomorrow and we are pumped to talk to you about them. This blog is back so check back int he coming days there will be much more to come..

Is this true?

Teenagers views on Eternity
Is this true?

What about you guys???

This is a great website Lifeway research.

You should spend some time on this site!!!