Radical Trailer

we got our copies yesterday and i CAN'T WAIT to crack this bad boy open. you can get your copy here. it officially goes on sale tomorrow, but you can pre-order.

at the end of each week, david closes by saying "i love you, church!" and liz one day looked at me and said "what would he do if i was just like 'we love you too, david!'" but that's how we feel. we love being a part of a church family being led by such a "radical."

p.s. the proceeds of this book go directly into mission initiatives. awesome.

The Lord Alone is God...

"for ask now of the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that God created man on the earth, and ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether such a great thing as this has ever happened or was ever heard of. did any people ever hear the voice of a god speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and still live? or has any god ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders and by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great deeds of terror all of which the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? to you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord is God; there is no other besides him. out of heaven he let you hear his voice, that he might discipline you. and on earth he let you see his great fire, and you heard his words out of the midst of the fire. and because he loved your fathers and chose their offspring after them and brought you out of egypt with his own presence, by his great power, driving out before you nations greater and mightier than yourselves, to bring you in, to give you their land for an inheritance, as it is this day, know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. therefore you shall keep his statutes and his commandments, which i command you today, that it may go well with you and your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for all time."

deuteronomy 4:32-40

p.s. moses speaks these words after being forbidden to enter the promised land.

The Wonder of Atonement

i have mentioned before how our church started the "radical experiment" on january 1.

this whole experiment has been so amazing to walk through as a church, with our small groups, as a family, etc. one of my absolute favorite things is reading through the reading guide during the week and then hearing a message on what you've been reading that week. am i a huge dork if i like it because it reminds me of school? anyway, i think it just makes so much more of an impact.

now, i'm getting off on a tangent. the purpose of this is to share the latest message...from leviticus of all places. i firmly believe that no matter who you are: christian or no, any walk of life, etc. this WILL change your life, and make clear one of the greatest questions of christianity.

so, if you have a spare hour at any point this week, i really challenge you to go here and watch or listen to this message ("the wonder of atonement").

"the reason we think [the punishment for sin] is overly severe is because we have a man-centered perspective of sin...the severity of sin is not determined in and of the action itself. the severity of sin is determined by the one who is sinned against...if you sin against a man, you are guilty; you sin against God, you are infinitely guilty, infinitely guilty of dishonor because He is infinitely honorable." -david platt

one of the most powerful things i've ever heard is at the end he talks about a man who trains missionaries who will face persecution and martyrdom in romania. and this man, as he is sending out men, is saying "brothers, do not ever forget that when you are martyred for your Lord and you stand before your God in heaven, were He to ask 'why should I let you in?' don't think for a second that your answer will be because you were martyred. know that your answer on that day will be the same answer that we all have. it will be 'i have nothing in me. i am trusting in His blood to cover over me."

Radical Experiment

so brook hills is kicking off the new year with a whole new vision; a radical experiment. and here are a few of the main points.

- pray for the entire world.

through using operation world's website, we as individuals will be able to pray for every nation by the end of the year followed by a weekly prayer focus. i loved what david said about being humble enough to realize that one of the most influential ways you can change the world is from your knees. and getting to be apart of what God is going to do in each and every nation this coming year.

- read through the entire word.

thanks to dr. george guthrie, we have been provided with a reading guide (pictured above) to be able to read the whole bible chronologically (meaning you will read the prophets with the corresponding historical books, etc.). i am beyond excited about this one (it's the history major and fact finder in me, i guess).

- sacrifice our money for a specific purpose.

pretty self-explanatory. but really a challenge to cap your lifestyle. figure out what you can live on and sacrifice the rest. pretty radical...and amazing.

- spend our time in another context.

spend a certain amount of time outside your comfort zone...for the glory of God in those places. whether it be in missions or volunteering somewhere...where can you spend your time?

- commit our life to a multiplying community.

again...this one is pretty self-explanatory. get involved in a bible-teaching church and small group.

i'm so excited to see how this year in our lives are going to be drastically changed because of what God is going to do through this plan. so excited!