I love this video testimony from Leonce Crump, Senior Pastor at Renovation Church in Atlanta, GA. It’s part of a series of testimonies they’re filming with persons at their church. Watch, pray, and enjoy!

Jesus Loves Whores & Hypocrites – Pastor Leonce Crump II from Renovation Church on Vimeo

Here’s another video from Ethan Seifred called “I’m a Hypocrite and Jesus Loves Me”:

I’m watching these videos and I’m thinking the evangelical world could use more public confession, profession, struggle and rejoicing like this!

John 4

Jesus and the Woman of Samaria

4 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), 3 he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. 4 And he had to pass through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.

7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”

16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” 19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

27 Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” 28 So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” 30 They went out of the town and were coming to him.

31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. 36 Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

39 Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”

43 After the two days he departed for Galilee. 44 (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.) 45 So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast.

I love this guy, love the way his team plays, and love that it’s never–never–NEVER about him! Tim Duncan is not only “Mr. Congeniality” in the NBA, he’s also “Mr. Skilled Big Man” and takes the “Coach’s Award” for heart, hustle and humility!

Watch, laugh, and learn….

Poor fella….

This is hilarious! I don’t know what possessed these guys to do this. Obviously they’ve never been in the labor room to see women delivering. You couldn’t pay me to participate even in a simulation! If men had to have babies the species would have gone extinct with Adam!

You don’t know who might be watching you with a karaoke machine! I loved this video!

Sweet dreams are made of this….

Christianity in the U.K. has a public relations problem. I don’t mean the typical problems with being understood by people who are not yet Christians. Every church in every age has that challenge.

No, I’m thinking about the way evangelical churches in the U.K. seem to suffer negative depiction by other western Christians. The prevailing sentiment is that U.K. evangelicalism, stuffy and fatigued, limps toward obsolesence or extinction. We imagine the candlestick slowly smoldering.

While it is certainly true that secularism has eclipsed the church in numerical and cultural strength. My brief stints across the pond have taught me that gospel preaching is alive and well in the U.K. The church has her problems and challenges, as she does everywhere. But there remain men and women who have not bowed the knee to the Baals, who devotedly serve our Savior, who practice hospitality with genuine warmth, and who give themselves in service to His Church. There is, in my little opinion, a real zeal in evangelism and a fervent desire to see people brought into the compass of God’s love. It’s a small church, but it’s a true church in so many ways. At least that’s my opinion, formed by the “scientific” data of two whole visits in five years. I know. That’s not enough to speak authoritatively. But it is enough to make me hopeful and to challenge the stereotypical view I held and that I think a lot of people hold.

A little while ago Carl Truman, that decidedly unfashionable and irretractable old school theologian often seen in knit jumpers carrying old books, linked to an excellent interview with Kent Moulder, vicar of St. Oswald’s, Newcastle. For 25 years Moulder has been preaching the gospel in this small congregation that, prior to his arrival, had never had the gospel proclaimed in its gatherings. Twenty-five years later Moulder continues to proclaim and Jesus continues to reign. I was encouraged with this 6-minute chat and thought it worthwhile to pass along. I hope you’re encouraged by seeing that a long obedience in one place honors and magnifies the Lord. I know I was.

I’ve really quite enjoyed the interview series on pastoral ministry H.B. Charles has been doing over recent months. They’ve all been a blessing in some way or another. But I have to say, thus far, I’ve most enjoyed his conversation with Rommel Williams. I think it’s a combination of Williams’ humility, his passion for exposition, and very helpful insight. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I also really enjoyed the interview with Keelan Atkinson. I’ve heard a lot of wonderful things about Keelan from our mutual friend, Tony Carter. Next time I’m home to see my mama, I need to swing through Greensboro to check him out.

A couple other interviews that might interest:

George E. Hurtt, Senior Pastor, Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist (Los Angeles)

Lloyd C. Blue, Lloyd Blue Ministries

Check out Charles’ blog for other interviews.

Been cruising back through some of the testimonies of conversion we heard at T4G ’12. What a wonderful encouragement of God’s work in the lives of sinners! If you missed them, or if you need a reminder of the power of the gospel to convert sinners, here’s a taste from Mez McConnell:

You can hear a longer discussion of Mez’s life, testimony, and ministry in this 9Marks interview. Be encouraged! The gospel is the power of God unto salvation–and God is still saving!

If you’re interested in learning more about Mez’s ministry to the poorest neighborhoods in Scotland, check out the 20 Schemes initiative. You’ll be encouraged to pray for the Lord’s blessing on this work.

A friend of mine sent me this video link of Sir Ken Robinson a little while back. I just watched it last night and couldn’t stop laughing and pondering in turns. It’s probably the wittiest TEDS talk I’ve heard and leaves us a lot to consider. I hope you enjoy.

Do Schools Kill Creativity?

Continue

The good folks at the Bolton Conference have now posted videos from the 2012 conference featuring Drs. Dale Ralph Davies and Greg Beale. If you want to see the unity of the Old and New Testaments, I can’t think of a better resource than listening to these men work their Bibles!

The sessions were:

Figuring It Out: the Old Testament Author’s Intention – D. Ralph Davis
The Old Testament as Key to Understanding the Book of Revelation – Gregory Beale
At Peniel: The Discipline of Wrestling with Old Testament Texts – Mr. Davis
The Temple, the Two Witnesses and the Lampstands in Revelation 11 – Mr. Beale
Rubbing It In: Applying Old Testament Texts to New Testament People – Mr. Davis
The Beauty of How Matthew 2:15 Fulfills Hosea 11:1 – Mr. Beale