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If you are regular reader of the blog, on Fridays I have shared new books, favorite books, and most recently kid books.  Now, I am going to share discipleship resources that I would recommend each Friday. We used this resource this past year in our Go Deeper Hour with adults.  It has a DVD to go along with the book.  Matt does a great job of telling stories and how they relate to the Christian life.  I highly recommend this for your small group or Sunday School class.  I wish we would have had more time to spend on this book as it has so many great truths.

We often forget.  We see throughout history the Israelites and the church forgetting. We need to be reminded often of who God is in Scripture, church history and in our lives and churches. The names of God are important because these names are not just what God does, it is who He is.  I hope this will encourage you as you are reminded of how good, great, and awesome our God is. I am the life   6  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6) What it reminds me?  Jesus came to bring us life.  In John 10:10, it says He came to bring eternal or abundant life.  This is not just heaven, but life on earth today.  Jesus did not come to make bad people good, but instead dead people alive.  I am thankful for the life I have in Christ and how that changes how I live today.  For more on this topic, check out Matt Heard's book, Life With A Capital L.

Here are my sermon notes from my message today at Hesston MB.  Advent: The Power of Songs Luke 2:19 & Selected Verses Introduction : This advent, we are focusing on head, heart, and hands.   As a church we talk a lot about discipleship in the area of head, heart, and hands.   But what exactly is meant by the heart in Scripture?   How do you understand “heart”? Read Luke 2:19 Thoughts on the heart: ·          21  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ( Matthew 6:21) ·          Above all else, guard your heart,   for everything you do flows from it. (Proverbs 4:23) ·          The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9) ·          5  and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has b...

This is a now a regular feature on the blog.  Usually on Mondays, I get caught up on my favorite podcasts and this usually results in a lot of tweeting on that day.  However, if you are at work and not checking Twitter during that time, you might miss some of the great truth being shared by others.  So, I am sharing some of best tweets from the previous week which include great wisdom and truth. May we never think that pondering the Almighty's love is only for beginners. @ElyseFitz Keep giving each other the gospel. Articulate it, explain it, pull it apart--don't let it just become a word. @jonmoffitt In Christ, it's already been done. So now, doing can just be a response to already being. @mockingbirdnyc in the immediate aftermath of a broken experience, we need his presence not a prescription. @mattbheard I'm moving from a prayer life to a praying life. Praying is affected by how much I need Christ for all of life. @cbc_theocast God's plan is not to st...

I love books! Are you surprised?  Probably not.  I love reading and learning.  But what may be hard to believe is that I hated to read in high school and college.  When I was forced to read in seminary, I was not a fan.  After a 6 month break from required reading after seminary, I fell in love with reading for enjoyment and education.  Here are some quotes from Elyse Fitzpatrick and Matt Heard from books I am reading: Kairos is time infused with potential and possibilities as we steward both opportunities as well as difficulties. I end up surviving instead of living. Existing in the chronos of my days instead of experiencing the kairos that's there also. in the immediate aftermath of a broken experience, we need his presence not a prescription...our need for God's embrace trumps our need for his instruction. When sin entered the garden, the primary consequence was a deep rupture in relationships. Maturity in Christ does not occur because ...

This past week, I have reading three specific books.  Core Christianity by Michael Horton, Life With A Capital L by Matt Heart, and Because He Loves Me by Elyse Fitzpatrick.  Here are quotes from recent chapters: The logic of karma or the law is broken because the God of justice is also the merciful God of grace. The gift has been given. Therefore we are free to give. And what we give is our thanks to God and our good works to our neighbor. The good news draws us out into the world, looking up to Christ in faith and out to our neighbor in love and good works. We are called to a discipleship that grows out of living on the Vine--in union with Christ and together with the communion of saints. At the core of the Christian faith are objective, historical realities that secure our faith. And with our salvation fully secured, we are able to look up in faith toward God and out to our neighbor in love. Plumbing theology is simply a matter of receiving from God and then...

Currently, I am reading several books.  They are: Life With A Captial L by Matt Heard Because He Loves Me by Elyse Fitzpatrick Core Christianity by Michael Horton On Being A Theologian of the Cross by Gerhard O. Forde Here are some quotes from chapters I have read over the last week: In other words, the righteousness of God revealed in his law condemns us, but the righteousness from God is a gift that we have in Christ through faith. And faith comes to us through the preaching of the gospel. (Horton) When we rifle through the Old Testament narratives for moral examples, as if they were Aesop's fables, we miss the point...And in every narrative, God is the real hero of the story...In each instance, the purpose of the narrative is not to provide life lessons that we may apply directly to ourselves, but to see how God is fulfilling his purposes that lead history to Jesus Christ. (Horton) The sinful heart is never transformed by conformity to the imperatives...

Currently, I am reading several books.  They are: Life With A Captial L by Matt Heard Because He Loves Me by Elyse Fitzpatrick Core Christianity by Michael Horton On Being A Theologian of the Cross by Gerhard O. Forde Below are some quotes from my reading this past week: "Whether in the work of creation, providence, or redemption, the Father is the source, the Son is the mediator, and the Spirit is the one at work within the world--and within us--to bring the work to completion." Regarding the Trinity, "However, Christians confess the God is one in essence and three in persons. It is certainly a mystery...So the essence is one. The persons are God in exactly the same way and to exactly the same degree. They are equally omniscient, omnipotent, eternal, loving, just, and holy."  "All three persons are dedicated to our salvation, working in distinct ways toward the completion of a single work of redemption.   "Scripture is not primarily about h...

We often forget.  We see throughout history the Israelites and the church forgetting. We need to be reminded often of who God is in Scripture, church history and in our lives and churches. This is a new feature on the blog on the names of God.  Why?  Because these names are not just what God does, it is who He is.  I hope this will encourage you as you are reminded of how good, great, and awesome our God is. I am the life   6  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6) What it reminds me?  Jesus came to bring us life.  In John 10:10, it says He came to bring eternal or abundant life.  This is not just heaven, but life on earth today.  Jesus did not come to make bad people good, but instead dead people alive.  I am thankful for the life I have in Christ and how that changes how I live today.  For more on this topic, check out Matt Heard's...

I had a great 5 days at the National Convention for Mennonite Brethren Churches in Denver at the end of the July.  Below you find some of my favorite tweets from those days.  A superficial engagement with my longings will lead to a superficial engagement with the gospel. @mattbheard Calvin referred to us as idol factories. We are prone to wander. Thankful that the Living Water never leaves or forsakes us. @JL_Martin What if the answer to Knowing God is not a human pursuit, but rather a transformational relationship?  @jjpenguin When the church gets together it is a preview of the restoration that is to come. @mattbheard Don't be tempted to make the rear view mirror as big as your windshield. @presglanzer Let's not think too: highly of present position, lowly of present purpose, much about past track record, & little of future reward @danstrutz "you know what we need for our journey ahead? Cake." Sometimes we got to stop and celebrate to Press On! @ga...

I had a great 5 days in Colorado for the Pastor's Conference and USMB National Convention.  For my highlights, go here

Pressing On.....Together-Ephesians 4:14-16-Matt Heard Ephesians 2:10-we are God's handiwork The work of art is not just the work itself but the people of God working together. Six Essentials of Pressing On Together: Compass -Where are we going? -Vision, USMB Future Story, Alignment Map -How are we going to get there? - 3 Core Commitments, Strategy, Goals Multitool -Do we understand our roles? - Awareness of each other's gifts and roles; Appreciation of mutual value Rope- Are we cooperating? - Collaboration, Trust, Communication, Leadership, Fun & Gratitude First Aid Kit -Can we fix what's holding us back? - Problem-solving skills, Conflict Resolution, Accountability, Affirmation, Commitment to the Vision Cake -Are we celebrating our progress? - Community, Synergy, Results, Worship

Pressing On-Philippians 3:12-14-Matt Heard We have never met someone who is not worshiping. The question is what are we worshiping. Four Pitfalls To Avoid: 1. Thinking too Highly of Present Position (vs. 12a, 13a) 2. Thinking too Lowly of Present Purpose (vs. 12b) 3. Thinking too Much About Our Past Track Record (vs. 13b) 4. Thinking too Little about Future Reward (vs. 14) When the church gets together it is a preview of the restoration that is to come.

Session 4-Matt Heard-Experiencing Eternal Life Do human beings ever realize life while they are living it? From Emily in Our Town We all have a longing to "realize life while we live it" Matthew 7:13-14-Our longings are ultimately for restoration Proverbs 13:12 (tree of life-mentioned 3 times in Scripture) John 4:13 Colossians 1:18; Hebrews 12:23; 1 Timothy 6:12 John 14:6-way-doing; truth-thinking; life-being (Part A & B)-Jesus didn't say pick two of three Way without Life-suffocating legalism, sub-cultural behavioral codes, works-based action, empty ritual (Matthew 23:27-28) Truth without Life-meaningless talk, foolish, unprofitable arguments, quarreling about words, judgmental tool (John 5:39-40) Way with Life-biblical obedience, healthy, God-glorifying action, Life-demonstrating & life-giving behavior Truth with Life-doctrine that illuminates and liberates, written word that leads to life Eternal Life is Not synonymous with heave...

Session 3-Matt Heard-The Life of the Gospel Why did the disciples give their lives? It wasn't for an ideology or a list of rules. Life with a Capital L-not just breathing here on earth, not just heaven, not a positive outlook--it is gospel 1 John 1:1-2 & 1 John 5:11-13 John 1:1-4 & John 20:31 Gospel/Salvation--Fall to Redemption-this is not complete but how we typically view salvation Gospel/Salvation--Creation to Fall to Redemption to Restoration-Part A & B The gospel is both proposition and plot. It's not either or. Genesis 3:4 Ezekiel 37:1-6 Isaiah 9:2 John 1:4 John 10:10 John 3:3 John 3:14-16 Colossians 1:18 Hebrews 12:23 1 Timothy 6:12 Ephesians 2:4-5 Ephesians 4:1

Session 2 with Matt Heard-Longing for Life Jeremiah 2:13--My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. John Calvin referred to us as idol factories. We are prone to wander. I'm thankful that the Living Water never leaves or forsakes us. The starting point of the gospel is God. We are created in His image. Our longings central to being human engaged and discerned rooted in eternity John 4:13-eternal life is not a synonym for heaven Isaiah 26:7-9-every person on earth has a longing for God; they just don't know it. We all have an eternal plug that we try to plug into temporal outlets. Psalm 63:1-when our fervency goes down, it is because we choose a broken cistern instead of turning to the only Fountain, the Living Water. There is Life Everywhere Painting based on short story by Leo Tolstoy The gospel comes to me to bring me to life. In the ...

Our pastor's gathering began with introductions from Don Morris followed by praise and worship. Pastor Brad Burkholder, lead pastor at Hesston MB Church, shared about ministry to the community following the Feb. 25th shooting at Excel Industries. Matt Heard, author of Life with A Capital L, is our speaker for the week. Session 1: The Gospel and Our Longing Philippians 3:12 USMB's Future Story Three core commitments: church multiplication/planting/evangelism Intentional disciple-making Developing leaders 1 Timothy 6:12 John 20:31 Do we understand the so what of the gospel? Part A-that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God Part B-and that by believing you may have life in his name. We proclaim part A but we don't live part B so people don't care about part A Sehnsucht-longing, deep desire, why am I here? Our Longings... Central To Being Human Engaged And Discerned Under the Direction of Christ's Spirit ...

My family is on the road today headed to Denver for the USMB Pastors' Conference and National Convention. We are looking forward to all of the activities as well as having some fun as a family.  We are planning to connect with friends from when we lived in Denver, headed to Winter Park to ride the Alpine Slide and more and an afternoon at Water World.  Pray for the USMB family, for safety in travel, and for a great vacation for us. I will also be posting here on the blog quotes and thoughts from the workshops as well as from our speaker, Matt Heard over the next several days.  Check back over the next few days!

Next week July 27-30, the USMB Convention will be meeting in Denver, Colorado.  Our speaker for both the pastor's conference and convention is Matt Heard.  I sent Matt some questions and below you will find his responses.  As I have read part one of this book, I believe Matt's keynotes will be a message that is very timely for our USMB family.  I hope this brief interview will whet your appetite for hearing more from Matt next week. If you are unable to be at the convention next week, I will be tweeting quotes @JL_Martin as well as posting on this blog what is going on.  Check back next week Thursday, Friday and Saturday for my thoughts from the convention. Why did you want to write Life with a Capital L: Embracing Your God-Given Humanity ?   I think many of us in churches are tragically less fluent than we should be regarding the grand “why” of the Gospel. Other than the forgiveness of sins and admission into heaven (both of whi...