Win Mark Driscoll's Vintage Church!

Bible Study Magazine and Mars Hill are giving away 20 copies of Mark Driscoll’s new book, Vintage Church. Not only that, but they are also giving away five subscriptions to Bible Study Magazine and a copy of their Bible Study Library software! Enter to win on the Bible Study Magazine Mark Driscoll page, then take a look at all the cool tools they have to take your Bible study to the next level!

I also got in on the pre-pub price for the Mark Driscoll Sermon Archive for my Logos Bible Software.  The pre-pub price is $89.95, and will likely be something like $149.95 once published, so you can save quite a bit by pre-ordering. 


From the Logos web site:

The Mark Driscoll Sermon Archive contains nearly ten years of preaching and teaching by Mark Driscoll, the Preaching and Theology Pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington. In this massive archive, the transcriptions of his audio sermons preached at Mars Hill Church, which work through fifteen books of the Bible and cover scores of topical issues, and at well over one hundred conferences around the U.S. and world will be made available for reading, searching, and study. That’s ten years worth of preaching and teaching from one of today’s most influential and provocative pastors now available in the most advanced digital format anywhere!

Because everyone is a sinner and Jesus is Lord over all, then the preaching of repentance of sin and life of faith in Jesus works for everyone—believer and nonbeliever. It seems obvious, but preaching Jesus every week is both faithful to Scripture and fruitful in the lives of everyone.
—Mark Driscoll

Each week, more than 8,000 people gather at Mars Hill Church in Seattle to hear Mark Driscoll’s preaching. Driscoll is unafraid to talk about sin or confront the most difficult cultural issues. Drawing from the rich insights of Augustine, Calvin, Luther, Spurgeon, and others, he never hesitates to explain the raw and confrontational truth of the Gospel. Driscoll’s goal, in his own words, is to “study the Bible all week, pray to the Lord, and then. . . speak from my heart” (Seattle Times, November 30, 2003).

Driscoll’s passion for the Gospel and his deep honesty in explaining its truths has placed him at the center of a resurging interest in Reformed theology. It has also helped foster Mars Hill’s explosive growth in recent years, and drawn the attention of supporters and skeptics alike. With the Mark Driscoll Sermon Archive, you can go deep into his sermons, or simply read the text. Either way, you get access to an amazing wealth of preaching material.

Sermon Series Included

• Generous
• The Peasant Princess: A Love Story from the Song of Songs
• Pray Like Jesus
• Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe
• Religion Saves: And Nine Other Misconceptions
• The Rebel's Guide to Joy (Philippians)
• Nehemiah: Building a City Within the City
• Redeeming Ruth
• Vintage Jesus: Timeless Answers to Timely Questions
• 1 Corinthians: Christians Gone Wild
• Christ on the Cross
• Genesis
• Epistles of John
• 1-2 Timothy
• Revelation
• Ecclesiastes
• Habakkuk
• Ephesians
• Galatians
• Proverbs
• The Gospel of John

Benefits of the Logos Bible Software Edition

• Search every sermon for any topic you can think of in just seconds.
• View each sermon side-by-side with the text of the Bible.
• Studying a specific verse or topic? Find out what Mark Driscoll has said about that verse by doing a simple search through your collection.
• All Scripture references are displayed instantly on mouseover.

If you’re already a Logos user, the Mark Driscoll Sermon Archive will incorporate seamlessly into your existing digital library. It also works great as a stand-alone product if you’re new to Logos.

To take advantage of all the great features of Logos Bible Software, and to save up to 95% on hundreds of books, resources, and other Bible study materials, check out one of the base packages.

About Mark Driscoll

Mark Driscoll is the preaching and speaking pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington. Since 1996, Driscoll has led Mars Hill from a small Bible study group to a large multi-site church. He is a founder and regular contributor to The Resurgence, an online resource for missional theology. Driscoll also founded and continues to inspire the efforts of the Acts 29 Network, a vast network of pastors around the world dedicated to planting and equipping churches. Mark Driscoll’s preaching and the ministry of Mars Hill Church have been profiled in the Seattle Times, the New York Times, ABC’s Nightline, and though countless other media outlets. He has also authored or co-authored numerous books, including The Radical Reformission, Death by Love: Letters from the Cross, and Vintage Church: Timeless Truths and Timely Methods. Driscoll is also featured in the March–April 2009 issue of Bible Study Magazine.

Mark and Grace Driscoll taking their kids to Australia

I'm assuming that as I write this that Mark and Grace Driscoll, along with their 5 children, are somewhere over the Pacific Ocean in an airplane. They will be in Australia until September on a combination speaking tour and vacation.



Pastor Driscoll is a brave man, I'm pretty sure I'm not up to the task of 20 hours in flight with 5 children on my plane, let alone 5 of MY children WITH me!

From the Mission & Vision Blog for Mars Hill Church:

Grace and I are at the airport headed out with the Fab 5 (aka our kids) for a 20 hour flight to Australia. We will spend three weeks vacationing there in Sydney. The kids are really excited to see the Sydney Opera house, hold a koala, and go to the world’s oldest amusement park.

After three weeks, poppa daddy (that’s what the kids call me) will preach about 30 sermons over the course of 11 days. Anyone wanting to join us or pray for those events can check out most of the public events here. Thankfully, most of the events seem to have filled up and we’re pushing 6,000 in the Sydney Entertainment Center for the Burn Your Plastic Jesus event. If you want to pray for one event, please pray for this one. The week we arrive Chris Rock is headlining there and so Grace and I are going to see one of my favorite comedians. A few weeks later I am preaching from the same stage and hope to see God fill the room to its’ 10,000 seat capacity and see many people meet Jesus. Tickets are on sale here.

This summer I will spend about 80 hours on airplanes as there is a lot of travel. But, my friends at www.Logos.com have loaded my MacBook Pro up with so much amazing study material that I can stay caught up on writing and researching on the road and for that I am deeply grateful. We’ll miss everyone back home in Seattle, and look forward to seeing our friends at Mars Hill Church again in September.

Pastor Mark Driscoll
aka Poppa Daddy

So if you think of it, pray for Mark for his speaking that it would powerfully move forward the mission of Jesus in Australia. Pray also for safe and speedy travel, with happy quiet children!

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Mark Driscoll, Pastor Mark Driscoll, Australia, Grace Driscoll, Mark Driscoll's Children, Mark Driscoll's wife, Sydney Opera House, Mars Hill Church, Mars Hill Church Seattle, Seattle, Mark Driscoll Video, Mark Driscoll Family, Sydney Entertainment Center, Chris Rock, Burn Your Plastic Jesus, Logos, MacBook Pro,

Desiring God National Conference 2008 - Thoughts

This past weekend I was in Minneapolis for the 2008 Desiring God National Conference. As I mentioned previously, I met a reader of this blog (Ovidiu) for the first time at this conference. It was cool connecting with him, and I expect that friendship to grow. Plus, he made a great impression by breaking bread (and paying!) for our food at Buca di Beppo!

Friday Afternoon
We had the opportunity to attend a pre-conference meeting sponsored by the Fidelis Foundation at Bethlehem Baptist Church. Our speaker was Dr. Don (D.A.) Carson. Dr. Carson spoke on "Five Trends in the Church Today". For a great summary see Scott Thomas' write up on the Acts29 blog. We got to sit at the same table during lunch with Dr. Carson, but was unable to speak with him outside of thanking him for his great presentation. We also met the national director for The Gospel Coalition. I'm planning on attending the 2009 Gospel Coalition Conference in Chicago (pending church and wife approval).

Friday Evening
Sinclair Ferguson kicked things off with a talk titled "The Tongue, the Bridle, and the Blessing". The night was capped off with a speaker forum with Justin Taylor (my doppelganger) as host, and Mark Driscoll, John Piper, and Sinclair Ferguson all giving thier best thoughts on Justin's questions. Mark Driscoll presented Dr. Piper a cool tweed skateboarding jacket with the Desiring God logo sewed into the pocket. Driscoll has joked previously about Dr. Piper only owning one jacket he preaches in. Piper claims he owns more than one, but I'm siding with Driscoll on this having seen John Piper preach dozens of times, all with the same jacket on!

After the Friday evening sessions, I made my way out to my in-laws rather than commuting back to Waseca. This allowed me to work on a funeral message I gave Sunday for a few hours before going to bed. Saturday morning came early.

Saturday Morning
I arrived early so I could get good up front seats for the second session of the morning - Mark Driscoll. I purchased Driscoll's newest book Death By Love and was hoping to get his signature. I stood next to him for a few minutes Friday evening before the speaker forum, but he was engaged with someone else and I didn't want to interrupt. Driscoll signed my copy of Vintage Jesus previously, but I never got my new book signed unfortunately

I arrived and parked in the ramp East of the Minneapolis Convention Center (by the Lutheran Church). Upon attempting to enter the conference when the doors opened, I realized my admittance badge was still in my truck. I simultaneously realized that my keys were also in my truck, and the doors were locked and the alarm was armed. So rather than scoring sweet morning session seats for Ovidiu and myself, I had to call AAA, renew my membership ($60), wait for the tow truck (Bobby & Steve's) and help the operator break into my truck. I've been driving for something like 19 years, and haven't locked myself out of a vehicle like this. Ugh.

Bob Kauflin spoke in the first morning session on "Words of Wonder: What Happens When We Sing?" Kauflin was entertaining, but I didn't draw a whole lot out of it unfortunately.

Mark Driscoll followed Bob Kauflin with a message called "How Sharp the Edge: Christ, Controversy, and Cutting Words." Driscoll was excellent as always, and got by far the most verbal feedback from the crowd throughout his presentation. I fully expected this to be the best presentation of the conference, and he didn't disappoint. Driscoll brought it, nearly blowing our eardrums at a couple of points as he yelled at us. I love Driscoll!

Saturday Afternoon
Daniel Taylor, a professor at Bethel University, had the tough task of speaking to us after lunch. Dr. Taylor spoke on "The Life-Shaping Power of Story: God's and Ours". Following this was the final panel discussion with Kauflin, Piper, Taylor and Tripp all again guided by Justin Taylor. We went to a Desiring God International Ministries meeting following the afternoon sessions (skipping going out for dinner). This was an interesting peek into the window of what DGM is doing world wide.

Saturday Evening
Paul Tripp spoke on "War of Words: Getting to the Heart for God's Sake." Honestly, Tripp stole the show in my opinion. I fully expected Driscoll to be the best session, and while Driscoll was amazing, Tripp was a level above that. If I had to recommend a single session for people to download and listen or watch it would be Tripp's. Powerful, passionate, and incredibly convicting. I'll be returning to this message for personal challenge in the months to come.

Following Tripp's session, there was a gathering of bloggers called together by Abraham Piper (yes of THAT Piper family). I got to meet a couple of readers of this blog (hi David!), and got to speak to Justin Taylor for the first time. I also got a couple of free books, to go along with the great haul of freebies we got signing in at registration Friday.

I was unable to attend the Sunday morning session where Dr. John Piper spoke on "Is There Christian Eloquence?", due to the fact I had to preach at First Congregational Church of Waseca, and then had a funeral to perform that afternoon. I have downloaded Piper's session (see below) and will be watching it soon.

It was a fantastic conference, well run and well organized. I expect I will attend this conference again someday.

All the video from the conference is now online:

• Sinclair Ferguson - “The Tongue, the Bridle, and the Blessing”
• Driscoll, Ferguson, Piper - Friday Panel Discussion
• Bob Kauflin - “Words of Wonder: What Happens When We Sing?”
• Mark Driscoll - “How Sharp the Edge: Christ, Controversy, and Cutting Words”
• Daniel Taylor - “The Life-Shaping Power of Story: God’s and Ours”
  
• Kauflin, Piper, Taylor, Tripp - Saturday Panel Discussion
• Paul Tripp - “War of Words: Getting to the Heart for God’s Sake”
• John Piper - “Is There Christian Eloquence? Clear Words and the Wonder of the Cross”

Technorati Tags:
Desirng God, Desiring God Ministries, Desiring God Conference, DGM, Sinclair Ferguson, D.A. Carson, Don Carson, Mark Driscoll, Bob Kauflin, Daniel Taylor, John Piper, Paul Tripp, Christ, The Power of Words, The Wonder of God, Desiring God 2008 National Conference, Church Conference, Buca di Beppo, Minneapolis, Minneapolis Convention Center, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Fidelis Foundation, The Gospel Coalition, Justin Taylor, Abraham Piper, Death By Love, Vintage Jesus, AAA, Bobby & Steve's Autoworld, First Congregational Church, Waseca

Most Popular Posts and Subjects of 2009

Well as this year winds down, I looked back at what drove traffic to my blog this past year.  I only switched over to Google Analytics just a few months ago, so I have to piece two systems together to come up with these numbers.  Wish I would've made that switch a long time ago.

The #1 thing bringing people here is an article I wrote in October of 2008 on the effects of porn.  I'm hoping to cycle back to this article in 2010 and update with more thoughts and info. 

The #2 item would be Grace Driscoll - wife of Pastor Mark Driscoll.  Grace Driscoll on the role of women in Ruth is tops among posts where I have mentioned her.  When the Driscoll family went to Australia was the #2 post mentioning Grace Driscoll.

Mark Driscoll, founding pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA comes in just behind his wife.  I've mentioned Pastor Mark a ton of times, and I figure Grace Driscoll gets more hits because there isn't 15,000,000 links to her and things she's said/written.  My post where I put a photo from the Desiring God Ministries Pastor's Conference in 2008 where it looked like John Piper was punching Mark Driscoll still brings the most "Mark Driscoll" traffic to my site.  When Mark Driscoll was on Nightline with Deepak Chopra and I posted about it, it brought a lot of traffic as well.  My post on Mark and Grace Driscoll's practice of devotionals with their children brings more traffic under the "Mark" category than the "Grace" category.

In the oldies but goodies category my post on How to prepare a sermon (from Josh Harris) still drives a ton of traffic to my site, and has done so for over 4 years.  I spoke about ministry burnout in 2006 and that also brings a lot of traffic in.

People searching for info on the most liberal cities in America and most conservative cities in America are frequently landing here as well.

My recent posts on the Black & Decker Firestorm 18v system and my hunt for a better battery charger is really hot at the moment. 

People seeking info on church salaries and how much pastors make keeps bringing people by this site as well.

The last group that brings in a lot of traffic are my many references to Pastor Bob Merritt and Eagle Brook Church.  My recent mention of Eagle Brook looking to add new campuses to their church and Pastor Bob Merritt's response to a newspaper article talking about this brought a lot of recent traffic.


It will be interesting to see what 2010 brings.  I am excited for it!  Blogging will likely be light around here for the next 10 days as I wrap up year end things, finish projects, and celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary!

Mark Driscoll on Glorifying God...

This morning (while avoiding writing a paper) I watched a sermon preached by Mark Driscoll. It covered the text of 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1. It is an absolute must listen to (or watch via Vodcast) sermon. This sermon is so good that you need a copy, you need to burn a copy for friends and family members, and you need to give a copy of it to your pastor as well. He absolutely brings it on this one. The sermon is about Glorfying God (yes, he does reference John Piper toward the end of the sermon) and living as Christians in our culture. This is a sermon of great clarity, yet presented in a remarkably engaging fashion.

For those who don't know who Mark Driscoll is, I've copied his bio from his blog below:

Pastor Mark Driscoll was born in 1970 and raised Irish Catholic. He was born again in late 1989, married his high school sweetheart Grace in 1992, graduated with a B.A. in Speech Communications in 1993, and is currently completing an M.A. in Exegetical Theology at Western Seminary. He founded Mars Hill Church in Seattle in the fall of 1996, which has grown to almost 5,000 in one of America’s least churched cities and is one the nation's 60 fastest-growing churches. He co-founded and is President of the Acts 29 Church Planting Network, which has planted over one hundred churches in the U.S. and internationally, and most recently he founded and leads the Resurgence Missional Theology Cooperative. Pastor Mark has been named one of the twenty-five most influential pastors in America by The Church Report, one of the most influential young preachers in America by Christianity Today, Inc. (with over a million downloads of his sermons a year), and one of the twenty-five most powerful people in Seattle by Seattle magazine. Media coverage on Pastor Mark and Mars Hill varies from National Public Radio to Mother Jones magazine, Blender music magazine, Outreach magazine, Preaching Today, and Leadership magazine to ABC Television and the 700 Club. His writing includes two books; The Radical Reformission: Reaching Out Without Selling Out and Confessions of a Reformission Rev: Hard Lessons From an Emerging Missional Church. He is also a staff columnist for the Seattle Times, Rev! magazine, and The Church Report. Most enjoyably, Mark is the father of three sons and two daughters.

Related Tags: Mark Driscoll, Glorifying God, Mark Driscoll Sermon, Mars Hill Church, Mars Hill, Mars Hill sermon, John Piper, Seattle, Seattle Church, Seattle Washington, Acts29, Church Planting, Chistian, Christianity, Jesus, Culture, Bible, Theology

Mark Driscoll: Preaching and Teaching Jesus from Scripture

Justin Taylor put together these links so I am going to steal them from his blog. I got the podcasts of all of these so I never had to "look up" their actual web addresses.

I listened to/viewed all of these a couple of times already, and the first one is one of the most compelling messages you'll hear from Driscoll ever. He has preached all fall on some similar subject, and in fact if you listen to these messages and then listen to his sermons in the "Vintage Jesus" series he's been doing the past 10 weeks you'll find considerable overlap. Excellent stuff presented in a no-holds-barred both barrels blasting way. I burn these onto CD's and listen to them when I drive to and from work (roughly 45 minutes of time 4-5 days a week). (Photo by Timmy)

_________________________________________________

Here are some links to Mark Driscoll teaching on the topic of "Preaching and Teaching Jesus from Scripture." This was a seminar delivered on September 12, 2006 at the regional Acts 29 conference.

Part 1 (Audio | Video) -- Current Perspectives on Preaching
Part 2 (Audio | Video) -- Reflections on the Narrative Preaching Trend
Part 3 (Audio | Video) -- Epistemological and Hermeneutical Implications on Preaching
Part 4 (Audio | Video) -- Historical Lessons on Preaching
Part 5 (Audio | Video) -- Ten Cautions & Encouragements for Preachers

The links will take you to outlines for each part, as well as options to stream or download both the audio and video.

Related Tags: Mark Driscoll, Resurgence, Acts 29, Preaching Jesus, Teaching Jesus, Jesus, Mark Driscoll sermons, Mark Driscoll Audio, Mark Driscoll Video, Sermon Series, Vintage Jesus, Mars Hill Church, Mars Hill Seattle, Mars Hill, God, Bible, Church, Christian, Narrative Preaching, Epistemology, Hermeneutics, Justin Taylor, Between Two Worlds

Mark Driscoll: A "Short List" of Books for Missional Church Planters

Mark Driscoll shares the following with his Acts 29 Church Planters:

Disclaimer: The following books comprise a brief list of resources that we have found helpful for our church planters. In endorsing each of these books we are not saying that we agree on every point, but rather find the book as a whole helpful. Some of the authors that our planters gravitate toward include members of our Acts 29 board such as Mark Driscoll and Ed Stetzer, along with current writers such as Ravi Zacharias, Tim Keller, John Piper, DA Carson, Wayne Grudem, Bruce Ware, Leon Morris, Alister McGrath, and John Frame. A previous generation of writers we like includes Francis Schaeffer, JI Packer, and John Stott. We also like a lot of dead guys, including the Puritans.

Short List for Missional Church Planters:

Books on Mission/Gospel
The Gospel in a Pluralist Society, Leslie Newbigin purchase
The Open Secret, Leslie Newbigin purchase
The Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church, Darrell Guder purchase
The Church Between Gospel and Culture, George Hunsburger purchase
The Radical Reformission, Mark Driscoll purchase
Breaking the Missional Code, Ed Stetzer purchase

Church Planting
Planting New Churches in a Postmodern Age, Ed Stetzer purchase
Planting Growing Churches for the 21st Century, Aubrey Malphurs and Joe Aldrich purchase
Starting a New Church, Ralph Moore purchase
Planting Missional Churches, Ed Stetzer purchase

Theology
Systematic Theology, Wayne Grudem purchase
Integrative Theology, Gordon Lewis & Bruce Demarest purchase

Church Government
Biblical Eldership, Alexander Strauch purchase
Elders and Leaders, Gene Getz purchase
Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, Mark Dever purchase
Confessions of a Reformission Rev, Mark Driscoll purchase

Preaching
Light and Heat: The Puritan View of the Pulpit, Bruce Bickel purchase
Christ Centered Preaching, Bryan Chapell purchase

Technorati Tags: Missional, Missional Church, Church Planter, Mark Driscoll, Acts 29, Acts29, Ed Stetzer, Ravi Zacharias, Tim Keller, John Piper, DA Carson, Wayne Grudem, Bruc Ware, Leon Morris, Alister McGrath, John Frame, Francis Schaeffer, JI Packer, John Stott, Puritans, Leslie Newbigin, Darrell Guder, George Hunsburger, Aubrey Malphurs, Joe Aldrich, Raph Moore, Gordon Lewis, Bruce Demarest, Alexander Strauch, Gene Getz, Mark Dever, Bruce Bickel, Bryan Chapell, Preaching, Church Government, Theology, Gospel, Christ, Christian, Christianity, Church

Real Marriage - by Mark and Grace Driscoll

I recently was given a copy of Mark and Grace Driscoll's new book titled "Real Marriage".  I'm not paid for my review, though the book was free from BookSneeze on the condition that I write an unbiased review (like I'd write any other kind...).

First, it must be stated that I am a fan of Mars Hill Church and Mark Driscoll - having read most of his books and listened to most of his sermons the past 8 years.  I state that so you know that I have high expectations for his work at this point.


Real Marriage: The Truth About Sex, Friendship, And Life Together 
By: Mark and Grace Driscoll
Length (Hardcover): 272 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Whenever you're reading/listening/watching Mark Driscoll, you expect a lot of Jesus, Scripture, humor, and no beating around the bush.  He and Grace manage to allow his strong character to come through in the book while not drowning out the voice of Grace.  I'm inclined to say that while both men and women will benefit greatly from this book, it is still more of a guy's book with the strength of influence Mark has in the book.  Ladies, don't let that keep you away though, this is an outstanding book.

Weakness - there are places where I think Mark Driscoll pushes beyond the biblical text in his exegesis.  I think he's worked too hard to find scripture to support his ideas rather than working from the other way around on this one.  I think he'd have been better off in some places just being open & honest without trying to force scripture to match with what he was saying.  Additionally - there are a few places where the book is disjointed making reading not flow as you might like (mismatched headings, problems with footnotes & things like that).  I suspect they'll get cleaned up if/when a second printing happens.

Who is it best for?  I think this is probably best for people on the fringe of Christianity, who at some level would submit to the teaching of scripture, but who are deeply in the world.  Especially if they are having a rough go of it in their marriage and need someone to relate to.

Would I use this with a group of mixed college singles?  No.  Some of the specifics and explicitness is more than I think we should address in that context.

Could it be used as a discipleship tool?  I think it could.  The book has its flaws, but overall I think it is addressing some important things in ways few within Christianity are willing to talk about things.  I can see this being particularly relevant in ministry opportunities like those that are frequently presented to Mars Hill Church where Driscoll pastors. I my small town small church it is of less usefulness, though still a tool to have or at least be aware of.

The Driscoll's do a solid job of dealing with the question of "Can we ________?" within a marriage - with my above concerns still in play.  Speaking frankly about subjects many in the church, especially in older generations, are hesitant to tackle.  They don't shy away from talking about masturbation, oral sex or anal sex.  This isn't your grandpa's Biblical sex manual.  The discussion is frank, yet generally aims to be biblically balanced in my opinion.  In a culture that is so pornified, this is a voice that needs to be heard.  That said, if you go to a church that insists on the KJV only and most everyone is related to everyone else, I'm guessing this book - especially Chapter 10 - might be a "bit" over the top for you and offensive.

While their tackling of hot topics is greatly helpful, the best part of the book in my opinion is how married people need to relate to one another and build their relationship upon Christ.  The need for friendship within marriage and the idea that we have to continue to pursue our spouse in the marriage relationship is wisdom that bears continually being repeated.  The raw transparency that Mark and Grace Driscoll use to tell their own story within the context of teaching what to do/not to do makes for very interesting reading and really helps set some of the ideas home in a deep and personal way.

No, this isn't becoming the Mark Driscoll fan blog...

Mark Driscoll has been taking some heat and some hits the last couple of days over a session he filmed for the Exponential Conference which is the 2007 National New Church Conference - a conference for start ups, church plants, and people trying to make churches improve and grow.

The video of Driscoll's session is now available on YouTube. The video is 9 minutes long, and worth your time to listen to.




I appreciate Mark for the way he speaks the truth, and how passionate he is about it. Amen Brother, AMEN! And the video is really cool too.

Update:
Mark Driscoll posted on his blog just a bit ago about the video. It appears that every person in attendance at the conference was supposed to get a DVD of this video, and after Bill Hybels sold Driscoll out, the leadership of the conference decided to not pass out the videos. I've lost some respect I had for Hybels over this.

Related Tags: Mark Driscoll, Bill Hybels, Exponential Church Conference, Exponential, National New Church Conference 2007, Mark Driscoll Video, Mars Hill Church, Emerging Church, Emergent, Church Planting Network, Church Plant, Church Conference, Andrew Jones, Tall Skinny Kiwi

Six Study Essentials by Mark Driscoll

I'm copying an post by Mark Driscoll from over on the Resurgence blog. Mark Driscoll pastor's Mars Hill Church in the Seattle, Washington area.

______________________________________

Mark Driscoll

1. Have a good Bible.

Every Christian needs a good Bible that they can easily read and enjoy. A translation such as the English Standard Version (ESV), the ESV Study Bible is very well done, or the New International Version (NIV) is preferable as your primary reading Bible, although there are many other translations that are also quite good (e.g., New King James Version, New American Standard Version).

2. Have some good Christian books.

If you want to build a reference library, the first book you should buy is A Commentary and Reference Survey by John Glynn by John Glynn. That book will tell you which other books are the best resources available for in-depth Christian study and anyone who is serious about studying should have a copy of this book.

3. Have some good (free) online study resources.

There are many great websites that can help you do Bible word studies and such for free. Good examples include the following, with the first one built and run by Mars Hill elder, Zack Hubert:

ReGreek specializes in word studies from the Bible 's original languages.
Crosswalk has many translations and Bible study tools.
Bible Gateway has many translations and Bible study tools.
CCEL has most of the major works from Christian history for free and a “Study Bible” feature that pulls up historical church commentary on specified verses.
E Sword has numerous Bible study tools.

4. Have some good Bible software.

If you can afford it, Bible study software provides some amazing resources and companies like Logos Bible Software are worth considering.

5. Have some good websites.

There are many great resources available for free on the web with articles, books, blogs, podcasts, vodcasts, and MP3s. The following are some recommendations:

Desiring God is the website featuring a large repository of sermons and articles from my friend, Dr. John Piper.
Covenant Seminary has a “Free Downloads” link on their front page that will enable you to listen to hundreds of hours of their class lectures on many areas of Christian study. I am grateful to my friends at Covenant who have given the church such a gracious gift.
Mars Hill Church is where hundreds of hours of my teaching is available for free and has been the number one podcast on iTunes for religion and spirituality.
carm has good articles on cults, world religions, and apologetical issues.
equip.org has good articles, book reviews, and more, on cults, world religions, and apologetical issues.
www.christianitytoday.com/historyhas some great articles on Christian history and biography.
www.monergism.com has an almost overwhelming number of free articles on nearly every theological issue from a Reformed perspective.

6. Have some good community.

Most of the Bible was written to communities of people and is therefore best studied in community with other Christians. For this reason, getting plugged into a Community Group and/or taking midweek classes in addition to regularly attending a Sunday church service is essential.

Technorati tags:
Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill, Mars Hill Church, Mars Hill Seattle, Resurgence, Resurgence Blog, Pastor Mark Driscoll, ESV, ESVSB, ESV Study Bible, English Standard Vesion, Bible, NIV, NKJV, NASV, Bible Commentary, John Glynn, Logos Bible Software, ReGreek, Crosswalk, Bible Gateway, CCEL, E Sword, Desiring God, Covenant Seminary, CARM, equip.org, Monergism, Reformed,

Changing to the ESV with Mark Driscoll

A couple of years ago, a local church (for me) Bethlehem Baptist Church, led by John Piper, transitioned to the English Standard Version Bible. That action has been like a stone thrown into a still pond, causing many churches to re-evaluate which version they use. Another big name church has made the move - Mars Hill Church. This has been public knowledge for a while that this change was coming, but Mark Driscoll posted on his blog today about it and reminded me of it. For the record, I prefer the ESV and it is both my bedside version as well as my travel version when I am away from home. I own many other version, but more and more I find myself sticking with the ESV.

From Mark Driscoll's blog:

Preaching and Teaching from the ESV

One of the great joys of my ministry at Mars Hill Church is the preaching and teaching of Scripture. God has richly blessed me with a wonderful congregation that is eager to learn and willing to sit through sermons that have lasted as long as nearly two hours over the ten-year history of our church. One of the most important decisions that Bible preachers and teachers face is selecting which translation of Scripture they will use as their primary teaching tool. Beginning with the book of Ruth in January 2007, we will be transitioning from using the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible, published by my friends at Zondervan, to the English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible, published by my other friends at Crossway. To help explain translations in general, and the ESV translation in particular, I have written a lengthy paper for our people that is available here for your reading and use. Please feel free to download the PDF or copy and paste the text for your use in part or in full.

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And on another note, it appears Mark Driscoll might have influence John Piper too. For those who hadn't heard, Dr. Piper slipped up and used a swear word at the Passion07 Conference in a breakout session that some found inappropriate.

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Mark Driscoll in a Suit!

I just got around to watching Mars Hill Church of Seattle's Easter service video. Powerful stuff. I'd call it The Case for Christ on Red Bull. Pastor Mark brings it for 35 minutes, rarely letting the viewer come up for air. An outstanding presentation of the Gospel.

Mars Hill did 8 services on Easter Sunday. How Mark was still standing by the 8th one I'm exactly sure.

In the video, Mark Driscoll is wearing a suit. He calls it "going Baptist" - he shaved, got a hair cut, and is wearing a suit! I'll bet he's still wearing his "Jesus is my homeboy" shirt underneath. He looks good in a suit, though it's certainly strange seeing him in one, especially with the backdrop of all the guitars and such!



So if you missed out on Easter Sunday for some reason, I suggest giving this one a view or listen. Even if you didn't miss out, it is still worth your time. Generally Mark Driscoll preaches for an hour to an hour and a half, but he keeps it to under 35 minutes for this one (32:30 for those who really want to know).


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Mark Driscoll to speak this Thursday at Northwestern College in Minneapolis/St. Paul metro

Faith & Thought Lecture Series

Think of how often you consume media, whether to see a film, watch TV, listen to the radio, download music, catch up with friends on Facebook or check out the latest viral video on YouTube. Our modern culture is indeed a media culture, holding incredible influence over each of our lives, whether we recognize it or not.

Every day we are exposed to countless messages, each promoting a particular worldview. So where does the Christian voice fit in and how do we engage, challenge and transform modern media at all levels? And what does it look like to invite Jesus Christ into the process of producing and consuming media for the glory of God?

The speakers for Northwestern’s seventh annual Faith & Thought Lecture Series have asked these questions and bring different perspectives and answers, which will encourage you to critically re-think your approach to media.

Join us for a free evening of learning and discussion with our opening speaker

Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill Church, Seattle
“Christ & Media: How Important is Being Relevant?”

Thursday, September 25, 2008
7:30 p.m., Maranatha Hall

Pastor Mark Driscoll founded Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington 12 years ago and it has since grown to over 6,000 people in one of America’s least-churched cities. He is president and co-founder of the Acts 29 Church Planting Network, which has planted more than 100 churches in the U.S. and internationally, and most recently he founded the Resurgence Missional Theology Cooperative.

He is the author of several books including, Vintage Jesus: Timeless Answers to Timely Questions and The Radical Reformission: Reaching Out Without Selling Out. He has been recognized by Christianity Today as one of the most influential pastors in America. Seattle magazine has named him one of the 25 most powerful people in Seattle. His sermons are downloaded more than one million times a year.

Media coverage on Pastor Mark and Mars Hill Church ranges from National Public Radio to The New York Times to the 700 Club. Mark and Grace, his high school sweetheart, enjoy raising their three sons and two daughters.

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Mark your calendar for our upcoming speakers

Quentin Schultze, Ph.D., Calvin College (MI)
“Jesus Britney and You: Calling in a Media World”
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
7:30 p.m., Nazareth Chapel

Mark Seignious M.A., Northwestern College (MN)
Ripley Smith, Ph.D., Bethel University (MN)
“Music and the Message: Connecting the Prophetic Voice in Christian Radio”
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
7:30 p.m., Nazareth Chapel

Gene Edward Veith, Ph.D., Patrick Henry College (VA)
“Christian Media as Cultural Critic”
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
7:30 p.m., Nazareth Chapel

Ann Sorenson, MFA, Northwestern College (MN)
“Faith & Film: To the Glory of God”
Tuesday, April 28
7:30 p.m., Nazareth Chapel


Technorati Tags:
Mark Driscoll, Northwestern College, Minneapolis, St. Paul, MN, Roseville, Faith & Thought Lecture Series, Mars Hill Church, Seattle, Resurgence, Resurgence Missional Theology Cooperative, Missional, Culture, Church, Church and Culture, Christ, Media, Christ and Media, Christ and Culture, Relevant, Vintage Jesus, Acts29 Church Planting Network,

Mark Driscoll - 10 steps to destroying a denomination

I love Mark Driscoll in a monster truck-BBQing-dirt bike racing-praising Jesus kind of way. He ministers to me (at a distance) a couple of times a week through his podcasts (both video and audio) at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA. I also download his Reform and Resurge Conference video and audio, and have both of his books. I would say right now Mark Driscoll is probably the most influential person in my own day to day spiritual growth and development. Mark is also the president and co-founder of the Acts 29 church planting network.

Mark has just created a post on his blog detailing a couple of denominations that are in a downward spiral. Included in that post is this great list of ten easy steps to destroying a denomination:

1. Have a low view of Scripture and, consequently, the deity of Jesus.

2. Deny that we were made male and female by God, equal but with distinct roles in the home and church.

3. Ordain liberal women in the name of tolerance and diversity.

4. Have those liberal women help to ordain gay men in the name of greater tolerance and diversity.

5. Accept the worship of other religions and their gods in the name of still greater tolerance and diversity.

6. Become so tolerant that you, in effect, become intolerant of people who love Jesus and read their Bible without scoffing and snickering.

7. End up with only a handful of people who are all the same kind of intolerant liberals in the name of tolerance and diversity.

8. Watch the Holy Spirit depart from your churches and take people who love Jesus with Him.

9. Fail to repent but become more committed than ever to your sinful agenda.

10. See Jesus pull rank, judge you, and send some of your pastors to hell to be tormented by Him forever because He will no longer tolerate your diversity.


Amen brother, AMEN!

Related Tags: Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill Church, Seattle, Reform, Resurge, Resurgence, Reform and Resurge, Pastor, Preacher, Acts 29, Reformission, Episcopalian, Episcopal, Gay Bishop, Gay Pastor, Liberal, Liberal Church, Same-sex union, Gay marriage, Presbyterians, Lesbian Pastor

The Shack - A review (by Tim Challies)

Tim Challies is one of the most prolific book readers I know of (Dr. Albert Mohler would be another). While I don't always agree with Tim's reviews (I disagreed with his review of Mark Driscoll's Vintage Jesus for example) I think he is spot on in regards to the book The Shack. Here's the thing that I think about these sorts of books - it is OK for some people to read them, but certainly not everyone should. If we are going to read them, we need to read books of this sort with a discerning eye. They can be entertaining, but we have to guard and protect our theology or we can come to embrace the "heretical view of the Trinity" this book puts forth as Mark Driscoll has pointed out in a sermon recently. Those who are just forming in their faith, still feeling their way through what they believe would be best served to avoid this book.

Tim's explanation for why he's done an extended review (much more in-depth than his Amazon review). The .pdf of Tim's extended review is available for download (it's 17 pages long!).

Technorati Tags: Tim Challies, Challies, Challies.com, Dr. Albert Mohler, Al Mohler, Albert Mohler, Dr. Mohler, Discerning Reader, Mark Driscoll, Vintage Jesus, Mars Hill Church, Mark Driscoll Book, Trinity, Heresy, The Shack, William Young, William P. Young, The Shack Review, Book Review, Amazon Reviews

Mark Driscoll talks on CJ Mahaney and John Piper's influence in his life

Below is a post from Tim Challies.

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Last Sunday, at Mars Hill Church, Mark Driscoll preached a sermon on the Regulative Principle. For a few minutes, just at the end of the sermon, he discussed some “behind-the-scenes” time he has spent with both C.J. Mahaney and John Piper. In this brief audio excerpt, posted below, he explains to his congregation some of the ways he has failed to serve them and how he hopes to grow in and by God’s grace. This is in light of some private brotherly correction and feedback he received from John Piper and C.J. Mahaney at the recent Resurgence conference.

When I hear things like this, I am filled with gratitude for this incredible, unique body called the church. I love to see Christians serving, challenging, exhorting and blessing other Christians in this way. I thank God for Piper and Mahaney and their ministry to Mark Driscoll and, through him, to the church at large. Listen and be encouraged.

Technorati Tags: Mark Driscoll, CJ Mahaney, John Piper, Tim Challies, C.J. Mahaney, Mars Hill, Mars Hill Church, Seattle, Text and Context, Church Conference, Resurgence, Ministry, Pastor, Grace, Regulative Principle

Mark Driscoll goes off, and gets an AMEN from me!

Every time I read or listen to something spoken by Mark Driscoll I am impressed. This is no different. Read Driscoll as he examines Brian McLaren's view on Evangelicals and the homosexual issue. I love what Driscoll is doing with the Acts 29 network, and I appreciate the hills he and his church are climbing in Seattle. Keep up the good work Mark, and thank you for taking a stand, and standing up for what you believe.

Related Tags: Brian McLaren, Mark Driscoll, Homosexuality, Christian, Church

Mark and Grace Driscoll - Real Marriage

Looking forward to getting a review copy of Mark and Grace Driscoll's new book Real Marriage. Below is a promo featuring Mark Driscoll (Pastor of Mars Hill Church, Seattle, WA) giving a bit of background on the book and the tour they'll be doing related to the book.
Real Marriage & The Truth About Sex, Friendship and Life Together by Pastor Mark Driscoll and his wife Grace will be an event that will encourage, enlighten, and equip you in your romantic relationship whether you are married or single. Learn how Pastor Mark and Grace have navigated their marital journey through biblical teaching and humor.

Marriage is a wonderful gift, but it takes work, growth in Christ and patience to love the other more than ourselves. Single individuals will be ahead of the curve after hearing these truths that will transform their dating life and shape their future marriage.

Pastor Mark will be addressing key issues like these:

• Tough and good lessons learned from Mark and Grace’s story.
• Dating – keys to success and failure.
• Married people, guess what, you are supposed to ‘date your spouse’.
• Friendship in marriage – it is a simple idea, but often difficult to maintain.
• Taking out the Trash – You will have to attend to learn how.
• Sex as god, gross or gift?
• Can We __________?

Mark Driscoll punches John Piper!

And Piper, in Chuck Norris-like fashion doesn't blink. And in Christ-like fashion turns the other cheek.

OK, not really. But it does look like it doesn't it? The photo is from the Text and Context Conference Q&A session.

If you didn't hear about this conference, a quick synopsis is available on the Acts 29 site by Scott Thomas.

Justin Buzzard did a good job of capturing some notes from the conference.

Desiring God Blog has John Piper's thoughts and resources from the conference.

Acts 29 will eventually make the audio and video available from the conference (for FREE!) and when I catch wind of that I'll pass it on. One session might not be fully available, as Mark Driscoll brought his wife Grace Driscoll on stage to answer questions. Last I heard he is debating whether to open this segment to the public, as he wants to protect his wife. I for one would LOVE to hear what she had to say, but I understand and respect his need and desire to protect his family. I'm sure he'll make the right choice.

I watched a bit of this via streaming video, and am excited to see it all when it becomes available.

Technorati Tags: John Piper, Mark Driscoll, Chuck Norris, Christ, Text and Context, Church Conference, Seattle, Mars Hill Church, Acts 29, Church Planting, Preaching, Scott Thomas, Desiring God, Desiring God Blog, Justin Buzzard, Grace Driscoll

Most popular posts since January 1, 2009

Below are the top 15 most frequently visited posts since January 1, 2009. They are organized with the most frequently visited listed first and the number in parenthesis (123) is the number of people who have landed on this blog at that post (usually via a Google search). You can see there is an amazing amount of traffic that lands here because of Mark and Grace Driscoll.

1. (731) Grace Driscoll on the role of women from the book of Ruth
2. (674) Mark and Grace Driscoll take their kids to Australia
3. (574) Mark Driscoll punches John Piper
4. (549) A great article on the effects of porn
5. (476) How to prepare a sermon
6. (386) Pastor James MacDonald announces he has cancer
7. (345) Inauguration Prayer by Rick Warren - Transcript and Video
8. (320) Desperation Band - Counting on God lyrics
9. (269) Pastor Rick Warren Inauguration Prayer Transcript
10. (255) ESV Study Bible - I want one
11. (173) Death by Ministry - burnout
12. (163) Joel Osteen and Anthony Robbins - Twins?
13. (151) Most Liberal and Conservative Cities
14. (128) Sermon - Acts 9:1-9 - Saul's Conversion to Paul
15. (tie 119) Breville Ikon Hemisphere LCD Blender
15. (119) Randy Frazee and Gene Appel are leaving Willow Creek Community Church


Just outside the top 15 are a bunch of posts related to Eagle Brook Church. Over the years, Mark Driscoll and Eagle Brook Church have consistently been the most common reason people land on my blog from a search engine.

Whatever the reason you have landed here though, thanks for stopping in!