Happy Anniversary!

Today Natalie and I are celebrating our five-year anniversary. These last five years have been quite the adventure! We love each other more than we ever have, and can't wait for the next five years that God will give us to enjoy together.

I love you, Nat!  You're still as beautiful as the day I met you.

More Dwell Conference Audio

The remainder of the sessions can be found here.

"Dwelling in the Kingdom" - Ed Stetzer

"Dwelling with Non-Christians" - Darrin Patrick

"Dwelling Incarnationally" - Eric Mason

"Dwelling in the Text" - Mark Driscoll

"Dwelling in the Gospel" - Tim Keller

"Dwelling Thru the Text" - Mark Driscoll

"Persuasion" - Tim Keller

Dwell Conference Audio

I attended the Dwell Conference last month in NYC.  Here is the first session audio by C.J. Mahaney entitled, "Pastoral Priorities: Watch Your Life and Doctrine." 

If you are in the ministry, this message is critical to your well-being and longevity.  

Listen or download here.

An outline of this message can be read here.

A ton of free resources from C.J. Mahaney can be downloaded here.

Ruth Sermon Series

On Father's Day, June 15th, I'll begin a 5-week series on the book of Ruth. Audio and video content will be added weekly.

The Disturbing Gospel

I'm finishing up preaching through the Gospel of Matthew next Sunday.  This past week, God revealed the Gospel on a much deeper level than I've ever seen before.  

On the night before his death, Jesus agonizes over the cup in the Garden of Gethsemane.  He began to be "sorrowful and troubled...even to death" (Mt. 26:37-38).  What is Jesus' dilemma?  Why does this cup cause Him so much trouble?

The first option is that Jesus is probably afraid of the suffering He is about to endure on the cross.  But that seems elementary to me.  The Gospel is much more than Jesus taking a beating.  The better option, I believe, is that this is a dilemma for the God-Man Jesus because He is a holy, pure, righteous, and perfect God.  He is without sin.  Yet, this cup is filled with the sins of the entire world.  Jesus, the holy God-Man, chooses to drink every last drop of my sin and become sin itself.  

2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."  The holy and righteous God humbles himself so much that He becomes sin itself.  This is disturbing and yet beautiful to know that He did this for us.

Take a listen, or watch the video online at www.huntingtonwesleyan.org

Mark Driscoll's Notes on "Dwelling in the Text"

Questions on Preparing to Preach...

1. What does the Bible say?
2. What does it mean?
3. What is the takeaway point? What's sticky and memorable?
a. A word (meditate on meaning of original language)
b. A doctrine
c. A person's emotions (often tied to the meaning of their name)
4. How is there resistance?
a. How do we answer the objections that come up, so we can leave them contending with the truth?
b. Deal with your own objections first.
5. Why does this matter?
a. In my home
b. In my church
c. At my job
d. With my kids
e. Other relationships
f. Relationship with God
6. How is Jesus the Hero? Here's how we find Jesus in the text:
a. Prophecies
b. Christophanies (ex: "Jacob wrestling")
c. Types (ex: Adam, prophet, priest, king, Temple, shepherd, judges)
d. Like ministries (1st man-2nd man, 1st Adam-2nd Adam, Mediator-priest)
e. Events (Exodus, Passover, Day of Atonement)
f. Titles (Son of Man, Suffering Servant, etc.)