This afternoon, a student leader approached me for help with his sermon. It isn’t the first time he’s preached; we’ve worked together on passages a number of times before. But there was something different about today.
He was moving through our exposition-exgesis-homiletics method much faster than before. There was comprehension of the passage and skill to connect it with the present audience. It’s beginning to be second nature to him. I have a feeling that the other student preachers are likewise getting the hang of this.
And so an exciting thought came to mind. With new house churches being planted, why not let students train the next preachers?
Haha! Why not! Right, Father? Full-time missionaries like me don’t have monopoly on Your Spirit or Your Word. Let then a new breed of preacher-prophets reproduce themselves in this generation. Fiercely faithful to the Bible. Powerful models of enjoying the Living God. Amen!
Photo by Eric P. Olson: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mac_girl/1808548002/
A gathering of all the leaders from the 4 student house churches is in the works; and it looks like this will be the largest gathering yet. The last time we had something like this it was gloriously encouraging. (See this post: http://melvinandflo.com/the-largest-leaders-briefing-to-date/. I love the picture in that one!).
I have a feeling that this upcoming one might be even better.
- The pool of (confirmed) student leaders has increased to 28.
- Many who were leaders-in-training before and will be attending as full-fledged leaders now.
- There are now 4 house churches.
- We have new volunteer staff.
Here we are Father! So happy to be part of Your kingdom. Gather us under Your wing. Feed us with Your word. Empower us to do Your will. Take Stillwaters to exhilarating heights as You lead the leaders. Amen.
Photo by Jenna Langer: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jennalanger/5055846466/
The following John Piper excerpt summarizes the significance of Easter for me this year. There’s help for doubts and hope for discouragement. Happy Easter everybody!
…Jesus has risen from the dead bodily, not just spiritually. Some are willing to talk about the resurrection as a symbol of Jesus’ ongoing influence or his spirit alive in the world or his soul returning to God. That is not John’s point. The body was not there. He had risen bodily. In fact, one of the most striking and stubborn historical facts is that the enemies of Jesus and of Christianity in those first days and weeks and months in Jerusalem could not produce the body. That would have ended the whole thing. There was no dead body, because Jesus was raised bodily.
…The point of saying the linen cloths were there, and even mentioning the cloth that was bound around his face, is probably to show how this resurrection was different from Lazarus’ resurrection… People had to help Lazarus out of the linen strips and face covering… Jesus’ body is different. He simply passed through those grave cloths the way he passed through doors in John 20:19 and 26…
…Jesus “will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” This is not a UFO, or irrelevant life on another galaxy. This is what will happen when God judges the world by a man, Jesus Christ.
If you belong to him by faith in him, you will receive a body like his, which will be suited to see him and enjoy him and enter finally into the new heavens and the new earth where you will spend eternity admiring God in all that he has made. And this world that we love so much, compared to that one, will be like a candle compared to the sun.
(View full article here: http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/i-have-seen-the-lord.)
By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org
Painting by Ricky Trione http://www.flickr.com/photos/25412288@N04/3645269400/
I love how some of the stations play with your mind. I wonder what they’ll do this year. Definitely checking it out. 
Have a rejuvenating vacation everyone!
(Click the picture above for more info.)
The UP commencement exercises today included a number of Stillwaters students. So their siblings from the different house churches set up a simple celebration afterward. Awesome thing is that they took the initiative to do this; the staff didn’t push them. I see a genuine happy-for-you attitude which makes me even more proud to be Stillwaters. Can you imagine the power if they keep up this attitude for the next twenty years?
I was refreshed to learn of two guys with a friendship that seeks God. These two students long to know the excellencies of Christ. And when they catch a glimpse of that excellence, they get loud. Pumping up the Christian rock and having a mini-concert in their car is something they do. It’s funny. And awesome.
I love how these guys are crazy for You, Father. May Your Word root deeply in their hearts. So that they may bear the same fruit in any season; even in seasons of testing. We really enjoy You for being infinitely wonderful. Thanks. Amen.
Concert photo taken from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/flattop341/4116871601/
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