A Great Start

If you were part of our first In-Depth Study of the Book of Acts class last night, thanks for coming! Almost 40 of you packed into that little room to start off on an exciting journey. And don't worry, I'm on the space issues. In fact, I've already reassigned the class to room M27/29, which is the Feet to Faith Sunday School classroom. It's quite large, with round tables and plenty of room to breath. Next week I'll post signs on the other doors pointing eveyone to the new classroom.

I will be posting on my blog periodically concerning the content of the class. If you have questions or comments about what you're learning, please feel free to comment here and let us know what you're discovering in the Scripture.

Also, I am always open to feedback in order to improve the class. If you have ideas that would make the class more enjoyable or more productive, let me know. Constructive criticism is always welcome as well.

What are your thoughts following the first class? What are your initial impressions of the book of Acts?

The Birth of the Church

On the morning of May 27 in A.D. 30, the day of the Jewish feast of Pentecost, a sabbath, 120 men and women were gathered in Jerusalem--people who were convinced, after having met the risen Jesus, that the eschatological kingdom of God had dawned with Jesus, who had been crucified seven weeks earlier, and that it was a tangible reality in the presence of the risen and exalted Jesus Christ. And they were convinced that the kingdom of God, inaugurated by Jesus, would be carried from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth through their ministry as witnesses empowered by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:3-15).

- Eckhard Schnabel
Early Christian Mission

They were convinced. Are you? If you're not doing anything Wednesday night at 7:00pm, and you live in the greater Chambersburg PA area, let the above summary of the birth of the church inspire you to join me for my new class at King Street Church, room M21/23. Hope to see you there.

Join Me for an In-Depth Study of Acts

This one's for my King Street pals. I am very excited to invite you to join me for a new class at King Street on Wednesday nights, 7:00pm, in M21/23. Starting Jan. 6 (a week from tomorrow) I will be leading a group on an expedition through the first 12 chapters of the book of Acts, a book known in antiquity as the Acts of the Apostles. The class is open to anyone who wants to attend.

Why Acts? Well, apart from my general desire to study the book myself, I believe there are central doctrines (teachings) in the book of Acts that need to be highlighted and cherished by the Church today. Some have been ignored (e.g. ecclesiology, the study of the church.) Some have been misunderstood (pneumatology, the study of the Holy Spirit.) Some cause great fear (e.g. missiology, the study of evangelism.) And some simply do not receive the kind of attention and care they should (e.g. soteriology, the study of salvation.) Acts takes us on a wild thrill ride through all of these doctrines!

But wait, there's more! By carefully considering these chapters verse by verse, the class will equip students with valuable Bible reading and study skills, which will strengthen their reading comprehension and their ability to handle any text of the Bible. Imagine a church filled with people who could be described like the Jewish Bereans in Acts 17 who diligently searched the Scriptures for themselves to see if Paul was telling the truth. What if all of King Street could handle the text with this sort of eagerness and skill?

So please do me two favors, King Streeters. First, join my class if you're able. Second, could you get the word out by sending people you know in the church links to this post? I'm so new I don't have the connections to get the word out, and it would be sweet to have a great turn-out. Thanks everyone.

"Kyle, why do you keep messing with your blog layout?"

Thank you, my dear reader, for noticing. The truth is, I'm trying to find a template that does all the stuff I want it to do. The last one I had was almost perfect, but it wasn't displaying recent comments for some odd reason. This one displays comments, but doesn't fill the page, which I find annoying. So I'll keep dinking with it. Does anyone have a suggestion on where I can find more templates?

A Quiet Week of Preparation

Perhaps you didn't know this, but this is the slowest week of the year in a pastor's schedule. Christmas is over, so there is no more special service prep. The congregation is in holiday mode, so no one is scheduling appointments. And most of the staff is using up they're use-it-or-lose-it vacation time, so collaboration is at a minimum. So, in an effort to redeem the time well, I am in full preperation mode. Now is the time to read good books, outline upcoming meetings, write classroom curriculum, and pray for vision.

What is the week between Christmas and New Years Day like for you. Do things slow down? How do you redeem the time?

My Mobile Little Friend

My boy is on the move, with greater proficiency than ever. He has gone from rolling, to scooting, to crawling, to standing up on anything and everything he can wrap his fist around. As I write, he's pulling himself up to the couch to add his own special brand of keyboard-banging rhetoric to this blog post.

What's unfortunate is that this new found mobility has not come standard with a dose of new found caution. He'll pull himself up on anything, even if that thing has no way of supporting his efforts. Such items include the Christmas tree, lightweight stools, the drink cart in our dining room, and various plastic toys. He will pull until these items topple on him as he careens to the floor.

Just because you can treat something as sound and foundational doesn't mean it is. The careless abandon of Samuel somehow reminds me to read the Bible with care and make sure my thoughts of God are founded upon it.

A Christmas Message for our Culture

Bewildered by the cornucopia of disparate Christmas messages, icons, themes, and traditions? Here's a message that points us to the very thing Christmas is all about.

That's Christmas (Short Film) HD from St Helen’s Church on Vimeo.

HT: Justin Taylor