Weekly Reading and a Good John Piper Sermon on the Recession

Week's Reading: pg. 21-27 (start "Made to Rule", end at "The Kingdom is Now 'At Hand'")

In these pages, Willard distinguishes between our kingdoms and what we have say over and His Kingdom and what He ultimately has say over. Willard's main point here, as I see it, is to grasp that the divine conspiracy Jesus offers is for us to willingly submit our kingdoms into His larger Kingdom purposes. When I first read this book, the entire concept of "kingdoms" seemed a clunky, awkward and sometimes confusing way to think of these matters, but I've come to appreciate the word "kingdom" more and more.

This week is a great opportunity for us to reflect on well we are deliberately submitting the things we truly have say over into His Kingdom purposes. I think it would be very productive for each of us to reflect on how conscious we are of our own kingdoms, and specifically how these relate to His Kingdom. Major areas for consideration: body, mind, emotions, marriage, finances, talents, job, friendships, etc. I think this is a great opportunity for us to share a little bit more of where we sense God calling us to be transformed the most in; certainly it will look different for each of us. I know I am super encouraged as I read your guys honest reflections and it spurs me.

Lastly, I missed the church this morning and ended up listening to a John Piper sermon about what purposes God may have for our current economic downturn. I was particularly challenged by his thoughts of personal sin that can be revealed during hard economic times (such as anxiety, fear, and self-reliance), as well as how these economic conditions can challenge our view of the challenges developing nations are constantly facing. Speaking more generally, I have found www.desiringgod.org to be a great resource; I often save teachings to my mp3 player and listen to them while working out. Peace out.

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/MediaPlayer/3566/Audio/

The importance of community

great to hear your thoughts guys! here's my first post (i'm sorry for taking a while--my computer crashed recently, so it took me a while to get back online). i like how you've encouraged us from the outset to consider the church and the crucial role of community, rob...koinonia, baby! i think you've been key in our fellowship (e.g., faithcrew) and understanding of what it means to follow Jesus as a community in this regard. and i think this blog is a great way to practice community with each other, matty, no matter how far away we are from each other geographically. i'll keep this short, but i just came across an interesting link (sponsored by google) that i thought was a cool example, albeit nonreligious, of community at work (i know there are a ton of great community resources on the web, perhaps there are some that others also think worth noting--i particularly like the concept of the Tip Jar:)

http://moderator.appspot.com/#16/e=3cfc 

No Reading for This Week

Hey guys,

Todd and I talked Sunday on our run and decided it would be good for us to have a week off from pushing ahead in the book. I know some guys are still waiting on the books to arrive, and it is a bummer to try to read quickly to catch up. Keep the encouragment and challenging thoughts and insights flowing; I know I grow so much more when I see growth going on in other believers lives.

Matt

Trip down memory lane for the Faith Crew people

Had to load it as two files since youtube videos max out at 10 min.
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yav5guznj_E
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXrWyWDPj5s

A short note about commenting on the blog

I'm not sure if anybody else is running into this issue, but I have had trouble posting a comment when I am not actually logged in through my google/gmail account to the blog. I'm not sure why this is, but my suggestion is just to login everytime you plan on putting on a comment to make your life easier. Also, feel free to throw up new posts like this anytime.

Relevant video on marathoner Ryan Hall

Hey guys,

Last Sunday, our running group got on the topic of how our desire to train, improve, and ultimately win plays in with what God desires for our growth and development. I came across this video and was amazed at Ryan's story of how God taught him about using his desire to compete. For those non-runners out there, Ryan Hall is a committed believer who is probably the best American-born marathoner our country has seen in about 30 years. He is one of the few white dudes in the world who is close to mixing it up with the East Africans at the marathon distance. This video shows him doing a 15 mile tempo run at 5:00 min pace at 7,000 feet in adverse conditions...not bad!

Need inspiration to post your thoughts?

Look no further! Simply click on the link below, and think of the dozens of guys around the country who will be thinking these thoughts as they read your post! (I have Tim to thank for reminding me of this clip this past Christmas)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKjxFJfcrcA

But seriously, guys are throwing some great thoughts around and I hope it spurs us on. I appreciate and relate to Tim and Eric's words about overfamiliarity of the Good News leading to actual unfamiliarity. Todd, Brandon, Chantelle (Brandon's sister) and I went for a long run this afternoon and had some great conversation about the reading. I look forward to hearing more about how God is working!