TO BLOG OR NOT TO BLOG

This question has been digging into my soul over the past few months. I haven’t posted anything for a while for a number of reasons.

#1: Who the heck wants to read what I write.
#2: I hate writing a journal, I would rather read or listen to a podcast then write my own
#3: I would rather talk to people than write
#4: Between being a camp speaker, pastor/planter, small group leader, husband, soon to be dad, and friend...who has the time. Seriously, all of you committed bloggers...get a life. Just kidding...but seriously.

I had concluded that because of these reasons, I would end my short but good attempt at infiltrating the blog world. But then God began to speak. I have learned over the past few months that when God acts, you react. GOD'S CALL TRUMPS ALL.

Over the past week, I really don’t think God could have been more straightforward with me. I first listened to a podcast from the Dwell Conference in NYC. Driscoll spoke about the book of Nehemiah and how it is basically a journal account of his experience of following God’s call. He encouraged new church planters to blog, even if it only blesses your mom.

Then my wife, whom I love and has carried our son with absolute perfection, kept asking and reminding me that it has been a while since I had written anything. Thanks babe.

I also came across a blog by John Piper’s son (Abraham Piper) stating reasons why a pastor should blog. Click here for the entire blog, but here are his points:
1. to write
2. to teach
3. to recommend
4. to interact
5. to develop an eye for what is meaningful
6. to be known

This morning God finally confirmed his desire. Andrew Ogea (new co-pastor of Vintage) and I meet with a church plant mentor once a week. We usually get to discuss one basic idea each meeting. This morning we talked about keeping a journal (of course). He emphasized how he wished he had kept a record account of his spiritual journey in New Orleans over the last 9 years. When I got home I went for a run to the gym, worked out, and then ran back. On the way back you would have never guessed what was on the podcast. Blogging.

Alright God, I surrender. “To blog” I go.

Right now I am sitting in my kitchen, cooling off from the run, throwing down a glass of peach tea, eating toast and peanut butter, and of course BLOGGING.

Here is my plan. Mama, hold me accountable to this. I will write a blog about my spiritual journey once a week. It might not be long, but I will write something (even if I had a bad Chinese food experience). My first blog will be a catch up of my journey since the end of last summer. See ya at the next post.

Sex, Sushi, & Salvation

We are excited to welcome my friend Christian George to Vintage Church as he discusses his new book. Here is a brief description of this book:

There’s more to life than computerized slippers and sexy ring tones. The world revolves around something greater than ourselves, and we all burn for intimacy, crave community, and struggle for eternity.

This is a book about sex, sushi, and salvation – a book of snapshots – the ups and downs, the failures and fortunes.

If you hunger for a raw faith that satisfies the soul, this book is for you.

Since humans were made in the image of God, we have three basic passions—intimacy, community and eternity. We burn for them, save for them, pay for them and pray for them. But only the God who fulfills these desires within himself can perfectly fulfill them in us. This is a book of snapshots—the ups and downs, the failures and fortunes, the smiles and trials. In these chapters, I retrace my travels around the world, from pagan temples in Greece to Transylvanian mountains in Romania. I confess my lust and love, my struggle with truth and my quest for Christ. Fasten your seatbelt. It’s going to be a wild ride. And along the way we just might discover that the God who satisfies us with himself joins us for the journey.

I just finished reading this book this past week. Christian has an incredible gift and God is going to use this book in a mighty way. I especially loved reading about his journey with his wife, Rebecca. I grew up with Rebecca in New Orleans and even spent some time together in South Carolina. I think it is absolutely incredible that she married an author. When she wasn't beating me up or roller-blading, she was reading a book. Christian and Rebecca are a brilliant and loving couple that love Jesus.

God used this book to inspire me to be a better husband.....travel the world in pursuit of what God has done in the past and what God is stirring up for the future.....and even start to like sushi a lot more. If you are in New Orleans next Wednesday, join us at Vintage Church for a great night of jazz, sushi, and great teaching. See you there!

To Arms!

I love hanging with studs! They spur me on toward the mission of Christ.

This past weekend I got to preach for a DNow in MS. We had a blast digging into I Timothy. On Sunday, one of my buddies came and spoke for the Youth Sunday School. His name is Luke Johnson. Although he is a bit of a Pharisee (LOL), God has used him in a mighty way to preach the Word of God with great boldness. God's hand is all over his ministry. In his spare time he likes to write. Check out one of his latest poems.

“To arms! To arms! Church of God"

To arms! To arms! Church of God
Eternity soon draws near
For showing forth in judgement rod
The Son of Man will soon appear.

To arms! To arms! Preachers together
Repent of the status quo
Unless in unction we work forever
Our converts to hell will go.

To arms! To arms! Evangelists many
Lay aside your fire insurance plan
And in the spirit of Preacher Charles Finney
Use the Law to confront every man.

To arms! To arms! You Church Planter
Felt needs never save a soul
Make the Biblical Gospel Your banner
To save the lost and make them whole.

To arms! To arms! Intelligent Professor
Let mere academics not become your love
Don't waste life loving what is lesser
But teach endued with Heaven's Dove.

To arms! To arms! O servant deacon
Fulfill your call to the bride
Give your tough ol' ego a beatin'
Seek humility not power and pride.

To arms! To arms! Christians alike
Get busy while time allows
For you know not the day or night
When that blessed trump shall sound.

Get busy Church! Time ticks away
There are lost sheep to be found
Before the coming judgement day
To arms! To arms! Let it sound.

- L.J. - 2/24-25/08

Ash Wednesday

Right now I am studying at my favorite coffee shop in Uptown, Fuel Coffee House. I have grown to love the people, vibe, atmosphere, and they really do have the best coffee in Uptown. I have built a good friendship with Neal (owner). He allowed for us to gather at his shop and he also gives us free coffee for our church gatherings on Wednesday Night.

Today is Ash Wednesday. For those of you who don't know what this is, here is a brief summary:

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, the 40-day period (not including Sundays) of fasting and repentance leading up to Easter.

Basically, people have been partying like crazy over the last couple of weeks and today they are beginning their time of confession and repentance.

Here is a basic Biblical understanding:

Ash Wednesday is a time for repentance and the beginning of Lent. Ashes were used in ancient times, according to the Bible, to express penitence. Dusting oneself with ashes was the penitent's way of expressing sorrow for sins and faults. An ancient example of one expressing one's penitence is found in Job 42:3-6. Job says to God: "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." (c. 5-6, KJV) Other examples are found in several other books of the Bible including, Numbers 19:9, 17, Hebrews 9:13, Jonah 3:6, Matthew 11:21, and Luke 10:13.

However, some Christians, who do not celebrate Ash Wednesday, say that the practice is not consistent with Scripture and is of pagan origin.^[11] They usually cite Matthew 6:16–18, where Jesus gave prescriptions for fasting: "And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you." (NRSV) These groups argue that Jesus warned against fasting to gain favor from other people and that he also warned his followers that they should fast in private, not letting others know they were fasting. For these reasons, some Christian denominations do not endorse the practice. Others, however, point out that this very passage from Matthew is the one, not coincidentally, that is appointed by the Revised Common Lectionary to be read on Ash Wednesday. They might also clarify that the ashen Cross on the forehead does not represent the fast, but the mortal condition of human existence.

I just had a chance to talk with Rachel, one of the workers at Fuel. She was telling me about all of the crazy stuff that happened yesterday in Uptown and in the Quarter. She said that craziest thing that she saw was an old man wearing only the thinnest g-string she had ever seen. She told me that it almost made her want to become a lesbian. We then began to talk about Ash Wednesday. She said that she hated this day because it was so depressing. She is Catholic and told me that she is in a time of repentance.

As I sat down to drink my coffee, I was exposed to my depravity. I might not of gotten drunk and run around in a g-string, but I have surely been sinful. Most Christians in New Orleans spend all of their time condemning Mardi Gras and the heretical practices of the Catholic Church. I am not disagreeing with the fact that it is all absurd and displeasing to God. But I do disagree with the concept of calling someone out on their sin, when you are just as guilty. We have all sinned and fallen short of God's Glory.

Honestly, I think that Ash Wednesday should be a weekly ritual. This wouldn't give us the excuse to go out and sin like a Mardi Gras celebration. Read Romans 6. If you are continuing to sin, Paul seriously doubts your conversion. If you aren't experiencing true conviction in your sin, hang out in that passage and tell me how you feel. Repent and give your life to Christ.

Having a weekly Ash Wednesday, would give me a weekly reminder to continue in my journey of sanctification. I might be writing to a bunch of perfect-holy rollers, but I build up enough sins each week to propel my life in complete brokenness and humility before Christ begging for forgiveness. Instead of telling the world to stop sinning, how about set an example first.

In summary, meditate on the words of Christ:
Matt. 7:3-5 "Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye."

Brethren, Dwell in Unity

This weekend I was in Bainbridge, GA. It is in the middle of nowhere, just north of Tallahassee. This spring our ministry Ignite Mission has joined up with MissionLab and the Andrew Ogea Band to lead mission weekends in other cities. We showed up in this little town and got quite a surprise. There were around 400 kids from over 5-7 different churches. That wasn't the most impressive part. Those 5-7 different churches were from 5 different denominations. We led worship on Friday Night, they served and did mission work all day on Saturday, and then we had a worship service on Saturday Night. The Holy Spirit came down on Saturday Night as we saw around 40 kids respond to the Gospel. May God forgive us for not assembling in unity.


My fraternity (GHETTO) used to sing this song at the end of our Bible study in my first two years at Covenant College. This is how it went:

"Oh...how good and oh...how pleasant...it is when the brethren dwell together, in UNITY! It is like a precious ointment upon my head, that flows down the beard...even Aaron's beard...in UNITY!" (Psalm 133)
Lord, this is my prayer for the Body of Christ in New Orleans.

Organic Weed and God's Dust

This past week God gave me a great lesson on how clueless people are about reality. On one side of the spectrum we have the sheltered Christian that has spent their entire life within the walls of a Christanese Culture. On the other side is the person who has never been exposed to true faith and doctrine and has lived like a freak, lunatic....unChristian.

Picture of this Spectrum

Christian <-------------------------> UnChristian

I was sitting in class this past Thursday next to my good friend Wendy. Wendy and her new fiance (congrats guys!) Scott go to our new church. They are passionate about international church planting. I love having them on the team. The night before I gave our church the mission of going out into our neighborhood to survey them about our new church name. Our church came up with a top four: Metro Church, Ecclesia, Vintage Church, and Organic Church. Wendy told me that after church a group of members went out to eat at a local restaurant. There was a table of guys from Tulane University at the restaurant. Ben, another stud from our church, went up to them and asked them what church name they would choose and why. One of the guys looked at Ben and said, "Organic Church". Ben asked, "Why?". He replied, "Because ORGANIC WEED is the best kind of weed". Ben laughed and asked the rest of the table. They were sold on the first guys reason and unanimously voted for Organic Church.

After Wendy told me this we laughed our heads off and I told her how much I loved being the church in Uptown. I love the people in Uptown, but most of them don't have clue. They have been hypnotized by Satan and his heretics. This mission is going to be extremely difficult. I am praying that God will use our church to display true faith and true doctrine to a truly lost world.

As we sat in that class, I was exposed to the other side of the spectrum. Our professor (who is a good man with a good heart) began to teach us about real worship. He began to teach us that true worship comes when we realize how amazing God is and how pathetic we are. He talked about the discipline of laying face first on the group before a great and sovereign God. And then he began to share with us that he would love to develop a bumper sticker to display to the world. On this bumper sticker would be "LICK GOD'S DUST". It is kind of like the cool church signs you see around the country. Check out my good buddy Perry Noble's blog. He came across some classics.

Now I don't disagree with the basic concept. But put yourself in the organic weed dude's shoes. Can you honestly say that this will be a great way to display true faith and true doctrine in his life?

True Biblical evangelism has become nothing but a variety of cop-out options. Don't lead someone to Christ...bring them to church. Don't talk to someone about Christ...put a bumper sticker on your car, wear a t-shirt, or pass out a tract. Don't love the world...get behind a so-called Christian political party. It seems like Non-Christians aren't the only ones who don't get it.

I don't have all the answers, nor have I ever claimed to. But I have united with a small group of people in New Orleans that have a desire to learn how to bridge this gap with the purpose of proclaiming God's glory. I would recommend two books to start this journey.

Book #1: UnChristian by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons
(This book will help you understand how the world views Christianity because of the misrepresentation of so-called Christians)


Book #2: Starving Jesus by Craig Gross and JR Mahon (XXX Church Pastors)
(This book will tick you off and I struggled with a lot of their input, but if you want to be challenged "off the pew, into the world"...this is a great book for you)


By the way...the new name of our church is Vintage Church.

New Church Start

I haven't written a blog in a long time. Honestly, it has been the last thing on my mind. Our new church has gone through some new challenges. Here is a basic summary that I shared with our church this past week:

Brothers and Sisters,

God is leading our group in a new direction. Over the past 4 months, we have served at the Valence St. Baptist Church with hopes of revitalizing and replanting a church. During this time we have grown as a church, improved and revived the church, and spread the love of Christ in Uptown. Unfortunately, the original church pastor and membership has chosen to go a different direction. God has led our new core team and leadership to voluntarily resign from VSBC and begin a fresh vision and work in Uptown NOLA. This past Sunday Night the core team unanimously approved the recommendation by the pastoral team to love and leave VSBC. There are a lot of uncertainties as move into the future. But one thing is for certain: Christ has called us to an amazing opportunity in Uptown and He is in complete control. On behalf on my family and the pastoral team, we are so grateful to God for giving us the privilege of serving with a group of people who desire to "Love God and Love People" above all else. We are excited to see where Christ is going to lead us as we make disciples in New Orleans and beyond. See ya on Wednesday Night at Tulane University!

Rob

Pray for us as we launch this brand new mission in Uptown. We are extremely excited as God leads us into the future. I will keep you posted on what God is doing through our church and I will also keep you connected with what Christ is teaching me through this process.