Where I Worshiped - The Fourth Sunday

Yesterday morning The Wright Family had the privilege of attending worship together -believe it or not- for the first time this month as a whole family.  The three previous Sundays one or more of us were separated.  So, we woke up early, got ready and left the house shortly after 8:00 a.m. (a miracle in itself), and made our way back to the outskirts of Cleveland Ohio and worshiped at Parkside Church.

Their senior pastor, Alistair Begg was ministering in Scotland, so the sermon was given by Mickey Aquilno.  He preached a very practical, exegetical sermon from 2 Chronicles 14 on the life of King Asa.  The music was led by a special guest artist/worship leader named Nathan Tasker.  Everyone enjoyed the worship time, and it was so nice to sit together as a family.  (To read about Molly and Katie's take on their experience, check out my wife's blog here).

After the service, we took the children to the church's bookstore/cafe, where the children enjoyed the well stocked children's section.

 Their father also enjoyed perusing the New Release section,

while Molly did gymnastics in the "Common Area" just outside of the bookstore.

You'll notice that though we were merely visiting this church, our stop in the bookstore caused us to be among the last folks to leave the church, as is our habit!

After we left the church, we drove through McDonald's for Molly and Kate's lunch, and then took Cole and Megan to Gretchen's favorite fast food place...Chipotle.

There is much to learn by visiting and worshipping with other church families, however, we are so anxious to rejoin our own church family this coming Sunday for worship.

Look out First Baptist!  Here we come!!

(Check back in a few days for a wrap up of my sabbatical. 

And then for continuing posts in the future.)

Where I Worshiped - The Third Sunday

This Sunday, as part of my participation in the Weekender, I worshiped at Capitol Hill Baptist Church, a thriving congregation located just blocks from the Capitol building.  The dynamics of this church family were truly unique from any other I've ever experienced.  Everything that the so-called "church growth" experts say you must have to grow a church, this church doesn't exhibit.  Yet, nearly 75% of their congregation is under 40.

Before the morning service began, I attended the "core seminar"(Sunday School) called "Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church".  Morning worship lasted approximately two hours, and when it was finished, no one was in a hurry to leave.  The congregational singing, accompanied only by a piano and a guitar, was arranged in such a way that you could hear everyone singing and it was fantastic.  Scripture reading, several different prayers, intentional pauses of silence and congregational preparation music were also included as part of the liturgy.

 The sermon was entitled "Jesus Paid Taxes" (click here to hear it for yourself) from Mark 12:13-17.  I was thrilled to discover that in attendance at the Weekender was the author of an excellent book I read last year:

Collin Hansen, author of the above book, writes a great blog post about Sunday's service at Capitol Hill Baptist in which he says:

While Dever may serve a church on Capitol Hill, he does not commonly address issues of Christianity and government so directly. But as an expository preacher working his way through the Gospel of Mark, Dever obligated himself to address Jesus’ teaching in Mark 12:13-17. In these days of overheated rhetoric and protest rallies, I pray that evangelicals will set aside 70 minutes to listen to Dever’s sermon. Much of the wisdom expressed here echoes the forthcoming book City of Man: Religion and Politics in a New Era, written by Michael Gerson and Peter Wehner, with a foreword by Tim Keller. We need to hear from the best evangelical thinkers about a faithful, biblical approach to politics.

You can read the blog in its entirety here.

As part of the Weekender, I also attended the evening service and the church's business meeting, called the "members meeting" which followed, both gatherings had hundreds of members in attendance.  The evening service was a "prayer and praise" service with a totally different structure and feel than that of the morning service.  This service lasted approximately one and a half hours, with  a ten minute break before the members meeting which also lasted approximately one and a half hours.

After the "members meeting" concluded at about 9:30, the "Weekenders" gathered in the fellowship hall for dinner and a "debriefing" of all that was experienced on the Lord's Day.

Everything that I was privileged to experience made a lasting impression upon my life and ministry.  I cannot wait to share more about everything that I learned from my time in Washington D.C. with the gracious staff and members of Capitol Hill Baptist Church.  

Heading to D.C.

Greetings from Washington D.C.!

Early this week, Gretchen and I returned from our retreat in Walnut Creek, Ohio, gathered the children, and began to get back to the "normal" to which we are becoming accustomed this month.  Just when we got back in the swing of things, it was time for me to pack up again and head to our nation's capital to attend an event called "The Weekender" (click on colored words to link to the event site) at Capitol Hill Baptist Church.

(Pictures in this post are from article on Capitol Hill Baptist Church in the 

Christian Science Monitor--click here for more pictures.)

The trip to Washington D.C. was a far cry from what I experienced in the Amish countryside last week as traffic made my progress into the city itself, a creeping, crawling trial! Upon arrival I joined my fellow "weekenders" (there are 75 attendees this time instead of the normal 50) in a "behind-closed-door" elder's meeting that was to prove fascinating.  The meeting lasted three and a half hours and was something to behold.  I'll share more on that topic after I've had more of a chance to gather more information about the "whys and wherefores" of it all.

Today the schedule of activities is packed full and there's much to learn and observe.  The sample schedule of the weekend is here.

Have a super weekend!

I'll be worshiping here...

...this Sunday.

I'll be encouraged to hear of my own church family worshiping together this Sunday as well!

I pray the words of Paul in Colossians...

that [your] hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge....For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

Colossians 2:2-3,5

I'll post more from D.C. as my weekender continues.

Where I Worshiped - The 2nd Sunday

Today Gretchen and I left the "peace and comfort" of our hotel room and made the 90 minute drive through winding roads and interstate to Parkside Church outside of Cleveland Ohio to worship with Alistair Begg and his church family.

This is a view from the backside of the church property.

Here is the worship center.

The worship team did a fantastic job of blending traditional and contemporary music together.  Their music has a very Irish feel to it.  If you would like to take a listen, click on the link below.

Here is a view from our pew.

Pastor Begg preached a terrific sermon from Romans 8.  Click on the link below to hear him read the scriptures in his Scottish accent.

If you are interested in hearing the sermon, you can access it for free by clicking here: Parkside Church and then clicking on the play button on the picture on the right side of the page.

It was a wonderful time of worship, and definitely worth the drive.  One of my favorite parts was being able to worship and sit beside my wife for an entire service. 

Dialogue, Date, Depart

Today is day two of my time away with my wife.  Wednesday we delivered two of our children to Grandma.  Yesterday the other two were delivered to Mamma.  Then off we went for our get away.  We decided to stay somewhat close to home and opted for the Amish Country.  Far enough to feel like we are out of town, yet close enough to not be weary after a long drive.

Our time away reminds me of a principle that Gretchen and I learned early on in our marriage, and have to this day, tried to practice.  Sometimes more successfully than others.  Long time pastor Ed Young taught us many years ago that in order to have a successful marriage, you must "dialogue daily, date weekly, and depart quarterly".  Gretchen and I have not been alone for an extended period of time together since May, so this is our quarterly departure.

We have a couple of other descriptions for it, like:  white space, margin, quiet, rest, and a time to reconnect.  The Amish Country is a perfect place to "depart".  This morning there was no extra noise.  Just the sound of horses moving down the road.  There are no cell phone signals.  Just me, my wife, a quiet room, and our books.  Pastor Young knew what he was talking about when he gave his prescription for a successful marriage.  Thank you Pastor Young for the great advice, and thank you to those who made this "departure" possible.

Read-O-Rama

I spent day eight of my sabbatical focusing solely on reading and note taking.  Cole's football game, the holiday weekend, and my travels left me behind a little bit in my reading schedule.  So today, instead of splitting my study time between reading and working through some pastoral training material, I immersed myself in some fantastic books.  I read and took notes on eight different books.  To see what I am reading look to the right of today's post.  Tomorrow Gretchen and I hit the road together for a few days without the children.  Stay tuned for more updates.

Where I Worshipped Last Sunday

Last Sunday (September 5th) I left home at 5:50 am to make the drive to Covenant Life Church (click on church name to go to its website) in Gaithersburg, Maryland.  I chose to attend Covenant Life because I've been blessed by writings and sermons by the church's former pastor C.J. Mahaney and its current pastor Josh Harris. I recently recommended a book by Josh Harris to our church family called Dug Down Deep.  It's well worth your time!

It took about 4 hours to reach Gaithersburg but it was a perfect morning for a nice quiet drive.  Jane, our family's GPS, took me right to the front door of the church.

I arrived a little early for the second morning service.  After finding a parking place (the parking lot was almost full), I had a chance to look around and check out the church facilities.  Shortly after the first service ended, it was time for the second service to begin, so I made my way to the sanctuary, which seats almost three thousand people. 

The service lasted approximately two hours, and was filled with music, scripture reading, prayer, and expositional preaching.  It was a lively service, and I was glad I made the drive.  It was well worth my time and effort.

Following the service, the lobby was filled with tables full of fresh brewed coffee, and couches and chairs for people to sit and share together.  At the back end of the lobby, the church has a wonderful bookstore, where all of the titles in the store are handpicked by C. J. Mahaney.  After perusing the store for a while, I made my way to the cash register to pay for my treasures books. 

 While there, I had a conversation with the lady checking me out.  She found out that I was a pastor visiting the church on my sabbatical, and she gave me two John Owen books that I had chosen for free!  Worth my trip to church--ha! 

The people at Covenant Life Church were so warm and kind.  The music was terrific, the preaching was enriching, and the bookstore was spectacular.  If you are ever in the Gaithersburg, Maryland/Washington D.C.  area, you should worship with this church family.

Tomorrow I hit the road again...stay tuned for more updates.

Day Three

Today I listened to disc three of a pastor training series that I started on Wednesday.  The teaching covered The Pastor and his Faith, The Pastor and his Family, The Pastor and his Flesh, The Pastor and his Friends, and The Pastor and his Frustrations.  There were many great principles and questions to reflect on.

I also continued reading "The Trellis And The Vine", as well as several other books I have started since Wednesday.  So far, most of my reading has dealt with the ministry of the pastor, and the ministry of the church.  My potential reading list is long, and covers many more topics.  I will probably be adding more books into the reading cycle in the next few days.

These first few days of sabbatical I have spent at home.  Here are a few observations from "being at home" all day:
1.  My wife deserves a sabbatical.
2.  I miss out on Kate saying very funny things throughout the course of the day when I'm at work.
3.  Molly is very quiet and can bring destruction very quickly.
4.  Cole needs a brother.
5.  Megan is a fantastic big sister.
6.  Sony headphones plugged into the computer block out a great deal of noise.

This weekend I will begin traveling.  Stay tuned....more to come.

Day Two

When I began planning to take this sabbatical, one of the most fun, yet most challenging tasks was choosing the books that I would read.  Over the summer I got a Nook e-reader with September in mind.

 This nifty gadget is able to hold up to 1,500 books at a time and is roughly the size of a 5x7 photograph.  The screen is much easier to read from than reading on a computer and it is much easier to carry a Nook about with me than to lug all of my books!

As of yesterday, I have 41 books loaded on my Nook and 11 "paper and ink" books stacked on my  the kids' school table.  

Today I began reading a book that, upon its release at the end of 2009, met with spectacular reviews. 

Mark Deaver is one of the pastors whose church I will be visiting this month and he had this to say about this challenging book:

I've read a few chapters and already my thinking has been very challenged.  I'm looking forward to seeing more of what the authors of the book have to say.

Finally, did you know that today is the opening day for college football season?  Enjoy it.  We actually observed a moment of silence in our home this evening in honor of the season that is to come! (It was mostly a silent moment...as silent as it ever gets around here anyway!)

Day One

I begin this time of rest, reflection, and refueling with some very vivid pictures of my church family that I will hold in my mind while I'm gone from them.  This Sunday was an important one for many reasons: Molly's dedication and my final Sunday in the pulpit for a four week period.  My family and I were blessed to be able to ask a dear friend, a member of our church family,  and a fellow minister of the Gospel to perform Molly's dedication.

 What a blessing to have Pastor Jay as a part of our church body. He did a super job and we are grateful for the sincere words he shared with us and the church family during the dedication.

 Another picture that I cherish from last Sunday is of the congregation.  During the sermon, I said something to the effect of "look at verse..." and as I looked out at the congregation the majority of the family wasn't looking at me they had all dropped their gazes to their Bibles in unison!  I was so excited to see my church family in the Word together.  I wish you could have seen it along with me.  There were also many who shared kind words and testimonies that I continue to reflect on even today.

I spent this morning listening to audio CDs of one of my mentors.  The topic was "The Pastor's Fatigue." One of the most helpful things I learned was that fatigue causes you to "go through the motions" of ministry, and when you "go through the motions of ministry" you lose your passion.  When you lose your passion in ministry and for ministry you are in trouble.  I am once more reminded of the privilege of this sabbatical season which will help me to combat such struggles as I rest and learn.

I close this post today with a quote that was shared in the lesson from a counselor to a pastor:  "Everything you do you do to give away, you don't keep anything for yourself, and if you are always giving, you have to have time to replenish.  When you open a book every page has margin, when I look at your life I see no margin, there are words everywhere."  A good reminder for us all.

Quotes From The Pastor's Conference

Recently I attended a Pastor's Conference featuring Alistair Begg, John Shearer, and Sinclair Ferguson.  As I have been thinking about the conference, I realized that I had  many great thoughts to reflect on.  So, I thought I would share some of my favorite quotes with you.

John Shearer:


"Pastoring Is The Greatest work in the world."

"The minister of the word of God is to minister the word of God."

"We are as godly as we want to be."

"We can't keep on giving out, if we don't keep taking in."

"We must be aware of being sermon machines."

"In instructing others, wee must digest the truth ourselves.  We must master the art of feeding ourselves."

"If you preach the bible you will never run short of seed to sow."

"Some may preach the gospel better than others,  but there is no better gospel."

"Hold lightly to things that are temporary, and hold tightly to things that are eternal."

Sinclair Ferguson:


"When you know who you are in Christ, you don't need to pretend any longer."

"When Christ is preiminate, thankfulness reigns in our heart and life."

"When I understand what has happened to me, I become more sensitive to sin, because I see it in its true light."

Alistair Begg:

"The three c's of the pulpit:  candid - so there is no concealment; clear - so there is no ambiguity, and confident - to speak without fear of the consequences."

"The message of the cross is not about something that we must do, but about something that has already been done."

"The complexity of human wisdom cannot deliver what it promises, but the simplicity of the cross can."

Basics Pastor's Conference - Day One

I am away this week at a Pastor's Conference entitled "Basics".  (Click on the word BASICS to go to the conference website.) This conference is hosted by Alistair Begg, the pastor of Parkside Church, and the bible teacher of "Truth For Life" heard on radio stations all across the country and around the world.  This is the eleventh year for this conference, and it is my third year in attendance.

I'm so thankful that the church Family so graciously gives me two weeks a year to go to conferences or training of some sort.  Up until a few years ago, Gretchen and I would travel down south to The Timothy-Barnabas pastor/pastor's wives conference as one of my weeks of training.  Then a few years ago, I stumbled onto this conference from a recommendation of a friend.  I gave it a try, and the rest is history.  It has become one of my favorite conferences, and I place it on the calendar every year.
The first year I attended this conference by myself.  Last year, Gretchen and our, at the time, nine month  old Molly joined us.  This year, Gretchen and I shipped off the children to two different Grandparent camps and are enjoying some much needed time together.

There are so many things that make this conference great.  First, there is the bookstore.

 It is loaded with many of the best books in print today, as well as a fantastic used section of books containing some very rare finds.

As part of the conference brochure, there is a ten page section containing a recommended reading list.

Then there is the service.  Everything at this conference is first class.  From the food, to the service, to the organization, to the laid back schedule, to the friendliness of the staff.

Did I mention the food? The above picture is of Parkside Church's Commons area.  It is beautiful and is set up for dinner in this shot.

 Finally, there are the breakout sessions, the music, and the teaching and instruction.  I am challenged every year by the teaching, and this year has proved to be no different.  But that is for another blog.  For now, let me leave you with some great quotes that were interspersed throughout the conference brochure.

"... to be a preacher is one of the most deeply humbling experiences in the world.  Preaching drives us to our knees, puts gigantic butterflies in our stomachs, and makes us cry out, 'Who is sufficient for these things?'" ~Christopher Ash

"We might preach till our tongues rotted, till we should exhaust our lungs and die, but never a soul would be converted unless there were mysterious power going with it - the Holy Ghost changing the will of man...O Sirs!  We might as well preach to stone walls as preach to humanity unless the Holy Ghost be with the word, to give it power to convert the soul." ~Charles Spurgeon

 My favorite spot so far.

Where I can find Gretchen at any given moment.

(The coffee shop within the bookstore within the Commons area within Parkside Church!)

My Life Shorteners (the May edition)

At the beginning of Sunday's sermon, I mentioned that there were two projects in particular that were "looming large" in our home these days because of their desperate need of FINISHING.  For those of you who may be wondering what in the world is causing such angst in the house, the two projects are as follows...

This is what Cole's basketball hoop should look like when I finish it.  It's been waiting for my attention for about 6 months.  Talk about a life shortener!  Every time I step over it I'm filled with a sense of failure to finish.  

The second unfinished project in our home is a grand cause of stress because it must be maneuvered around in our basement in order to reach the freezer.  Each time Gretchen asks one of the children or me to retrieve some frozen item, we have to step over the parts and pieces of the unboxed yet unassembled...

...filing cabinet. 

 It's an Ikea model which means huge amounts of assembly required.  It not only cries out to me to assemble it, it sings of promises of improved organization.  

We learned somewhere along the way that the various "life shorteners" we deal with in our lives actually take a toll on our health and our general sense of well being.  When a "life shortener" is completed in our lives, we happily give it a new name.  We call it "a personal victory" and celebrate its completion.  What we are really celebrating is the end of the stress that the unfinished task was creating.  Instead of the expected dread, we experience a sense of victory and accomplishment.  

The sermon today was ultimately not about life shorteners, but about the Life Giver who requires strong finishes from His followers.  He doesn't want us to get bogged down with spiritual life shorteners like ingratitude, bitterness, unforgiveness, selfishness, pride, or any others for that matter.  As this new week awaits us, I urge you to deal with the spiritual life shorteners that may be stealing your joy in the Lord.  Would that we like Paul in 2 Timothy 4:7

 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

As for me...I'm off to put a file cabinet together!

Humility: True Greatness

At the end of the sermon Sunday, I made reference to a book by C.J. Mahaney called Humility: True Greatness .  This book is a small one, having only 176 pages and merely 7 inches by 5 inches.  What it lacks in size, however, it makes up for in its message. 

The author says of his experience writing the book,

“Given pride’s pervasive presence in my life, I come to this book in holy fear, yet inspired by God’s promises to be humble and sobered by his warnings to the proud (Isaiah 66:2b, 1 Peter 5:5b). Scripture reveals to us that, while pride was the first and most serious sin, God is decisively drawn to humility and is specifically supportive of the humble. Only Christ has fully obeyed Isaiah 66:2b (“This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word”), yet He did so as our representative! How marvelous that in our daily battle against pride we can rely on God’s grace, through the gospel, and thus bring honor and glory to God.” —C. J. Mahaney

In a the first part of the book, Mahaney looks at the sin of pride.  In the next section, humility is defined and the final part of the book gives practical application on how to cultivate humility in one's life.  This small is filled with such practical, useful information and inspiration, you may find that you want to keep it handy to make reference to frequently.

I found Humility: True Greatness to be a very readable book.  I especially appreciated the appendix that is included at the end of the book that lists all the practical suggestions which were made in the book.  If you happen not to be "a reader", this book would be an excellent place to begin with its very quick moving flow, logical reasoning, and a grounded Biblical base.  It is a great read about a vital topic to every Christian!

(For further information about this book and its author, simply click on the picture of the book.  It will take you directly to http://www.amazon.com/ ) 

Devoted...Resources for Your Walk

A few Sundays ago, I spoke about using a good devotional book as a tool for personal devotions. The following are some of my favorites.  (Click on the title of the book to get more information from Amazon.com.)

Morning and Evening by Charles Haddon Spurgeon.  A reading for morning and, as you might imagine, one for evening.

My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers, a classic which lives up to its label.

Come Before Winter and Share My Hope by Charles "Chuck" Swindoll.  This is one of many by this prolific pastor who shares his thoughts in a very down-to-earth manner.

Great Days with the Great Lives also by Charles "Chuck" Swindoll.  In this daily devotional, Swindoll draws from the lives of biblical characters and shows us how God can use ordinary men and women to do very extraordinary things.

Drawing Near by John MacArthur.  Daily readings to draw us deeper into our faith by a pastor who is celebrating his 41st year in ministry.

A Gospel Primer by Milton Vincent.  I gave this book to Gretchen last Christmas.  I chose it because of a review, written by a mother with young children who loved The Gospel Primer because of the meaty content delivered in short "bursts" which was perfect for the time constraints of mothering.  Gretchen really likes it too for all of those reasons and more.

And finally, Glorifying God by Thomas Watson.  Watson is the man who greatly influenced Charles Spurgeon.  This is the book I am using daily in my own devotional time.  Its rich content is based on Watson's favorite theme: "man's chief aim is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever."