Matt The Brick

Mardi Gras Weekend [Feb 18 & 19]

2012-02-14T16:16:00.007-06:00

Carnival Season is one of the most joyous times in the city of New Orleans. Outside of the French Quarter, Mardi Gras is actually a pretty family-friendly event. In the Uptown, Mid-City and Metairie neighborhoods people host dinner parties with neighbors and friends to hang together for the parades. This provides our Vintage Church family with one of the most important times to connect with people outside our church family. This also provides the opportunity to bring the Gospel into the community.

So as an Uptown campus family we want to throw a great party this Sunday, February 19th. We will concentrate our efforts on the 3 Sunday parades which pass right in front of the Uptown Arts Center (our Magazine location). We will have one of our church partners help serve alongside our Vintage family on this Sunday.

- Mardi Gras Weekend Schedule -

Sunday on Saturday:

Carrollton Location 5pm - Weekend Worship Gathering

Mardi Gras Sunday:

Uptown Arts Center (Magazine Location): 4523 Magazine Street

Set Up: 8am-9:30am

Parade Times

Okeanos - 11am
Mid-City - 11:45am
Thoth - 12pm

Clean-up: around 3pm

Our Goal:
- Create a hospitality center at the Uptown Arts Center (Magazine location)
- Provide food (Burgers, Dogs, Chips, Soft Drinks) for 150 Vintage Church family & 900 Parade spectators
- Provide clean bathrooms for parade spectators
- Provide 1,000 Vintage Logo Waters
- Provide parade music between parades or dead time
- Follow-up with those who register
- Send about 250 follow-up letters including information about Vintage Church.

I hope you'll join us.....Let's BE the Church!

A Video from Jeff Vanderstelt about joining parties:

A Daily Confession

2012-02-13T10:53:00.003-06:00

This past weekend Dr. Murray Wilton, known as Pastor Rob's "Uncle Buzz," preached at our Vintage Church gatherings. He discussed the idea of shifting from rational to relational in order to experience the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

He offered us a daily confession from Romans 10:8-9

Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus by the ministry of the Holy Spirit I believe in my heart that God has raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus you are Lord. Thank you for the authority that I have to live by your resurrection life through the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit I welcome your presence in my life and invite you to work in me and through me for the Glory of God. In Jesus Name let it be so.

He encouraged us to speak this out loud each morning and then journal instances of increased awareness of the Holy Spirit's presence in your week.

Scriptures discussed :

John 7:37-39

Spiritual Blessings: Ephesians 1:3
Spiritual Fruit: Gal 5:16 - 25
Spiritual Gifts: 1 Corinthians 12:7

See our Community Group Discussion Guide for further growth.

Join a Community Group - here

A thought for your 2012 commute

2011-12-31T09:39:00.007-06:00

Our American lives seem so packed with work, family, projects and tasks. As we begin to think through New Year's resolutions adding just 2 changes might seem daunting. A 2012 resolution I would encourage every person (Christian or non-Christian) to undertake would be consistent Bible reading. There are plans for beginners that take you through the New Testament, plans with free days to catch up and plans that give you a balanced reading from both Old and New Testaments. For the various options read Pastor Dustin's blog - "Plan your Reading & Read your Plan"

If this undertaking seems impossible because we don't know when we have time. Here's an interesting thought that I read from Justin Taylor:

"The entire ESV Bible on audio is usually about 75 hours (or 4500 minutes). If you commute to work 5 days a week, that’s about 260 days a year. And if it takes you, say, 17 minutes to commute each way to work—and if you listen to the Bible on audio during your drive each way—you’ll get through the entire Bible twice in a year. This probably isn’t the only way to do Bible intake—but it’s one most of us should take advantage of more." from Bible Reading Plans for 2012

As I was selecting my plan this morning God's Spirit impressed upon my heart that my daily commute provides a prime opportunity. The average American commute is 30 minutes each way. (watch this Community video) Most of us likely spend at least an hour per day in our cars. Let me encourage you to redeem your commute in 2012 through listening to Scripture.

The ESV reading plans can be received daily through your email, downloaded as podcasts, printed as a bookmark or input into your calendar. This technology really alleviates every excuse and make this resolution one of the easiest you can make.

Remember the goal is to know and love Jesus and His Word more this time next year. Look through the plans, ask God's Spirit for guidance and endurance then begin reading tomorrow.

The Blessing of Childishness

2011-11-21T08:57:00.012-06:00

This past weekend as a Vintage Church family, we had the opportunity to celebrate God's gift of children [Psalm 127]. We dedicated 7 young children to the Lord as the parents and our church family both made commitments to allow God to work through us to raise and train each child to follow and serve Jesus Christ.

As I reflected on our vKids this weekend, God gave me a new understanding for why they are a blessing for both the parents and church family. One of the main ways they bless is the way in which they help teach us some of the spiritual realities that can be hard to grasp at times. By this I mean that children provide a picture of our relationship with God.

Jesus knew this and even used children as an illustration in this way. In Mark 10, as he discusses the faith needed to enter the Kingdom of God, he says "I assure you, anyone who doesn't have their [children around him] kind of faith will never get into the Kingdom of God." Jesus is referring to the innocence and complete reliance that children naturally have in their parents as a picture of the way each of us should relate to God the Heavenly Father.

This picture shows our relationship with God in this way: new life always comes through faith in Jesus Christ. Paul discusses this in Romans 3:22-24. You and I can have all of the knowledge in the world about God and Scripture, but experiencing the full effect of salvation in our lives happens when we trust in God's work through Jesus Christ. No matter how much you learn the point of transformation in life only comes when you trust in that which you know about Him. Children are trusting by nature. Humans have been made in such a way to trust in God the Heavenly Father.

For me this is a liberating truth that breaks my reliance in myself and my performance. The Gospel isn't about what you do or don't do for God. The Gospel is about what God has already done for you and I through Jesus Christ. "The Gospel isn't based on your goodness, it's based on His goodness" - Scott Thomas Gospel Coach.

So the lesson is that in the same way that a 3 year old trusts in his/her father's love to care for, provide for and protect him, so you and I trust in the Heavenly Father. As our Father, He loves us, cares for us, provides and protects us. I pray you will believe this truth and maybe surrender your life to Him today.

We are thankful for all of the families that are a part of our 2 campuses. Children, with their joy, energy and excitement truly are such a blessing. I don't know what it's like to be a father yet, but Pastor Rob and Pastor Dustin continually share lessons they are learning through the children God has given them.

Some of Pastor Dustin's thoughts here: "What God is Teaching Me Through Gabe."
Some of Pastor Rob's thoughts here: " You Killed My Son."

Some other blogs:

Fathers read: "How I Pastor My Family" - Justin Hyde
Mothers read: "Missional Mothering" - Jani Ortlund
Singles read: "8 Reasons Why Single Men Should Work in the Church Nursery" - Mark Driscoll

It's been 10 years...wow

2011-11-17T12:02:00.013-06:00

On November 17, 2001 over a landline telephone I asked a gorgeous young girl named Sarah Monday to be my girlfriend.

We had just endured a freezing cold UT - Vandy football game together. As a Junior and Freshman in high school we were so young. In hindsight we had no idea what the next 10 years of dating would bring for us as individuals and a couple. In 4 days we will celebrate our 2nd year of marriage with a date.

In the fall of 2001 I remember I was drawn simply to her sweet spirit and giggle. Today, 10 years later I want to share 10 reasons I celebrate her as my best friend:

She loves and follows Jesus Christ.
She is the most fascinating person I know.
She is my "excellent wife" which Solomon spoke about in Proverbs 31.
She is compassionate and cares for people.
She laughs at my jokes.
She makes me look better in pictures.
She has been by my side through my high-school years when I was awkward, my college years when I matured, my seminary years when I sought clarity in God's call and now my pastoral years as I serve Christ at Vintage Church.
She is my great helper, spoken about in Genesis 2, who builds me up and supports me.
She doesn't have braces anymore.
She prays Psalm 67 and serves Christ in New Orleans alongside me.

To my married friends I encourage you like Paul did the Philippians in Philippians 4 to fill your mind, relationship and home with love, sacrifice, fun and forgiveness. Remember to constantly cultivate your relationship with Christ and each other. For more check out this blog: "Dating in Marriage....Really?"

To my single or engaged friends I encourage you from what Solomon said in Proverbs 4 to wisely pursue Christ and allow Him to work in your life. He is preparing and shaping your heart in this time. Taking His wisdom, as given in Scripture, into your heart will literally bring you new life. This will enable you to follow His plan for your individual life and a future spouse if the opportunity comes.

1 more flashback photo - Senior Prom (2003)

Mullets were cool back then.....

Why do I run?

2011-10-13T08:45:00.005-05:00

I wanted to share a blog my wife wrote yesterday about running, purpose and life on her blog - The Brick House. I hope it will encourage and challenge you.

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Yesterday morning I met my friend Mary for a run through the streets of our beautiful Uptown neighborhood. Mary is training for a half marathon at the end of the month, and occasionally she cuts her distance and pace and indulges by running (or walking) with me. Mary is an inspiration to me in many ways, including simply the fact that she’s running a half marathon, given her history and former life, but yesterday she offered some sage advice that I’d been needing to hear.

As we were running - actually, I think I had to stop to walk at this point, but you get the picture - I was talking to Mary about how training is going for her big race. She shared that her training group has been one of the greatest encouragements she could ask for. I thought that was interesting given that her group is all women. I feel like in general getting a group of women together instantly breeds the potential for gossip, drama, tears, etc. But Mary said that this group is so encouraging, urging one another on, sharing stories from their past, celebrating victories and having each other’s backs. She then shared some words of wisdom that spoke directly to my heart, because they have more to do with life than with running.

Mary said that it is so important when you’re training for a race, or just running in general, not to compare yourself to those you are running with. You face different obstacles, have a different history, and are running with different goals in mind. Mary runs to give glory to God for saving her out of a really destructive lifestyle. She said she doesn’t compare herself to the other ladies she runs with. It wouldn’t be beneficial for anyone. With her focus set intently on her goal, all her training group will ever be is an encouragement because that is all she allows it to be.

Then (this is such a GOD thing), Mary forwarded me an email from her training group leader, sent yesterday after we ran, here are a couple of quotes that struck me as well.

“People run for a lot of different reasons. You've got to understand why you do it, and understand that the person next to you has different goals and incentives. Work on meeting YOUR goals--you might find out that the person next to you is aimed in an entirely different direction than you--and that's ok--running is for everyone to find their own happiness within.”

“Be proud to be the runner you are. We all exist on a HUGE continuum. There will always be people ahead of us. There will always be people behind us. “

Both of these nuggets of truth resonated with me. Here’s the deal: if I don’t know why I run, I am ALWAYS going to compare myself to others. And, as Mary’s trainer mentioned, there will ALWAYS be people ahead of me.

I am competitive by nature, and have been blessed with gifts in certain areas that allowed me to excel in most anything I tried growing up – school, dance class, sports, etc., so I never really worried about being competitive; I was always near the front of the pack or the top of the list. However, when it comes to running, well….it just doesn’t come as naturally to me. I really have to try. If my goal when I run is to be the fastest or the best or whatever, I am never going to be satisfied. Because I will never be the fastest or best, I could continually be disappointed. However, if I run for the fun of it, to be in shape, or like Mary, to glorify my God, then there is no disappointment to be had. Sure, there might be days were I run further or faster than others, but what pressure is relieved when I acknowledge that I am not doing something for me, but for God!

This message goes right along with our Vintage Women Bible Study material. Last week we talked about insecurities being one thing keeping us from recognizing and living in the joy that we have been chosen by God. One of the biggest struggles I have in regards to insecurity is feeling like I don’t stack up against some of the great examples of Godly women that surround me. I spend too much time comparing myself, thinking “I should be more like her. She has it all together”. Or “She sure does seem to be in touch with the Lord. I bet she does X,Y and Z. How much happier God must be with her than me!” This also applies to people I work with. I sometimes struggle when coworkers get praise when I don’t or get opportunities that I don’t. Aren’t those awful ugly thoughts? Maybe it’s too much for me to share them so publicly, but, they represent things that have gone through my mind, so I might as well put them out there.

In this week’s study, we are learning to be fully satisfied by Jesus, who is our Bread from Heaven, Living Water, our Sustainer. Being completely satisfied with Him and in His plan for me will free me from feeling like I must try to prove anything to anyone. And if I am focused on doing the work or running the race or living the life I am called to live, then I won’t spend time comparing myself to others. I will also be able to celebrate with them for their achievements and encourage them during low points as we all strive to run our race well. I won’t have time or energy to focus on negative thoughts or comparisons, which represent a very outward and worldly focus as because I will be keeping my gaze on the prize which is before me.

I am so thankful for all the women in my life who encourage and inspire me. This week I am praying that I would stop comparing myself, that I would live in the freedom of knowing I am chosen, and that I would continue to recognize my purpose. For me, that purpose is ultimately to give thanks and praise and glory to the One who created me in everything that I do. I pray that I would soak up and live confidently in that Truth, and would become so focused on my relationship with the Lord and my desire to love and serve Him that I can only be happy for and encourage those around me.

Just a quick list of a few questions I’ve pondered these past days:
- Why do I run (or do anything)? What is my purpose?
- What are my goals?
- Do my attitude, my thoughts, my actions, indicate that I am confident in my goal or purpose? If not, how can I change that?

September: The month that flew by

2011-10-03T14:29:00.017-05:00

September seemed to end as soon as it got started. Here's some videos and pictures of the month that flew by.

Vintage Metairie: Launched

Vintage Metairie Campus Launch from Vintage Church on Vimeo.

From January to September 11th there were hundreds of volunteers who worked, prayed and loved on the community. We threw a huge celebration party as a way to let our neighbors know that a new church family was here for them.

We also celebrated God's call on Jonathan Griffin's life to serve as a pastor and enlisted him as our Metairie Campus Pastor.

Vintage Uptown: 2 gatherings, 2 locations

Over the month of September we were also able to transition our Uptown campus from 1 location to 2 locations. We are still one campus which unites together at two locations to see the Uptown, Mid-city and Westbank communities learn about and begin to follow Christ.

Here's a short video from last night at our Carrollton Campus.

Our new vKids facility at the Carrollton location is one of the parents' favorite parts about this transition. The kids enjoyed the new space last night. I'm looking forward to the way God will begin to draw the hearts of young boys and girls to Him in the coming months and years.

These 3 gatherings are a celebration of the way in which each of us are daily living the Gospel, loving the city and being the Church in our individual, community group and corporate lives each week. In your neighborhood, workplace, classroom and coffee shop ask God to use you and then get ready for the opportunities that He will bring your way.

And finally, the Saints are a good looking 3-1 team [Offense, Defense, Special Teams] that will be in the NFC hunt for the Super Bowl. Who DAT!

Now if the Bricks could just get 2 tickets.....Sarah has never seen a game in the dome. But I'm 5-0 when seeing them play in person.....for those of you w/ connections.

Need for community....it's simple

2011-09-15T11:58:00.001-05:00

Francis Chan summarizes the importance of community beautifully for us in this video [-LINK-] from the Verge Network. I can't embed video on blog, you'll have to click link to website

Scriptures which shape our mission & community:

Connect to a Vintage Community Group

Live the Gospel, Love the City, BE the Church.....today where God has placed you.

Dating in Marriage....Really! (Part 2)

2011-09-01T18:30:00.009-05:00

The 1st Vintage Date Night last Friday was a huge success. We had 34 couples laughing, eating, painting and enjoying time together. One of my highlights was all the Facebook posts from couples with photos together showing off their paintings.

--Here is the Bricks' painting

Special thanks to the Big Artsy for accommodating our huge group. You should use them for a party this fall.

I saw an interesting news segment on the Today Show the other day related to dating, watch this-

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Did you hear the progression that happened for this couple?

The sift came when they began to communicate by courting one another again.

My thought after watching this segment was that a more appropriate title would be "Dating Saves Marriages". This, not separating, seems to be what this couple experienced. The concept of consistently dating is what we encouraged couples on Friday night to prioritize. Read that blog - "Dating in Marriage...Really." The reason is simply that this is what Mrs. Brick and I have experienced. Consistent dating helps our connection relationally, emotionally, sexually and spiritually.

So start this week, grab dinner and talk.

If you need some guidance I'd recommend the list(s) that Sarah recently found.

Enjoy

Marriage Problems Concluded

2011-08-29T18:37:00.004-05:00

This past Sunday Pastor Rob concluded our study of 1 Corinthians 7 and the marriage problems that Paul addresses in this passage.

Sermons:

"Do it God's Way" -- 1 Cor. 7:1-7

"Consider Singleness" -- 1 Cor. 7:8-9, 25-38

"Avoid Divorce" -- 1 Cor. 7:10-24, 39-40

You can find our Community Group weekly discussion guides - here.

You can find a commentary on 1 Corinthians 7 written by Pastor Dustin and his team - here.

If you have a family member, friend or neighbor who is married or single, you should share this study with them.

Live the Gospel, Love the City, Be the Church

Working out problems towards a marriage solution

2011-08-18T12:15:00.001-05:00

As a Vintage church family we are studying 1 Corinthians 7 and marriage problems that Paul addresses in this passage over the next 3 weeks. I'd encourage you to connect to one of our Community Groups and gather with us on the weekends.

This past Sunday Pastor Rob discussed biblical marriage - listen to "Do it God's Way"

In response, I'd like to share two links with my married friends to begin to incorporate this week:

50 Ways to Inspire Your Wife

50 Ways to Inspire Your Husband

****Thanks to my friend Jason Dukes for posting these on his blog.

Look through these lists.... be sensitive to the Spirit's work in your spouse's life.... and have fun discovering more.

"But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another." -- 1 Corinthians 7:7

"this is why a man leaves father and mother and cherishes his wife. No longer two, they become 'one flesh.' This [Marriage] is a huge mystery, and I don't pretend to understand it all. What is clearest to me is the way Christ treats the church. And this provides a good picture of how each husband is to treat his wife, loving himself in loving her, and how each wife is to honor her husband." -- Ephesians 5:31-33 [The Message]

Dating in Marriage.....Really?

2011-08-17T08:17:00.001-05:00

As a Vintage church family we are studying 1 Corinthians 7 and marriage problems that Paul addresses in this passage over the next 3 weeks. I hope you will connect to one of our Community Groups and gather with us on the weekends.

As a part of this study, Pastor Rob, Annabeth, Sarah and myself are hosting a date night for married, engaged and dating couples on Friday night August 26th. We want you to take a night and come enjoy a date with dinner, dessert, a fun activity and conversation regarding the importance of dating within marriage.

As Pastor Rob has mentioned, an important aspect of every marriage involves friendship. This is because marriage is relational at the core. So together husbands and wives must constantly cultivate their marital relationship. At times this can be really tough, but other times this can be really fun.

We Bricks are proponents of setting a consistent time each week to learn about each other. A majority of the time this involves an evening, when we focus solely on one another. Other times this is a hour over a cup of coffee or Sucre gelato. We have found this to be an effective way to grow closer together as spouses and friends.

4 reasons that I personally advocate date nights:

Dates are fun - let’s be honest, life is draining. Most of us work long hours in jobs that easily consume our entire life. But is that paycheck really all that there is to life? When I was in high school, my mom always encouraged me to enjoy time with friends & Sarah because “you’ll work the rest of your life.” She was right. Some days work is a real toil. So I’d encourage you to escape the strains, struggles, stresses and deadlines at least once a week with your spouse by trying a new restaurant or a coffee shop.

Dates open communication lines - Sarah and I like each other so much that we usually try to eat dinner together a couple nights of the week. The difference is that most of those nights we usually have work, chores or errands to complete after dinner. For example, tonight after our dinner I am now sitting in bed writing this blog as Sarah sleeps. But our weekly date night is a particular night when we intentionally focus on each other.

Dates produce greater sexual intimacy - According to psychologist Kevin Leman in Sex Begins in the Kitchen, sex is a powerful experience that creates strong emotional connections between partners. (pg.21) I completely agree and would add that good sex comes within a marriage in which both spouses are emotionally connected. Personally, I have discovered there is a reciprocal relationship between the two. An exclusive Redbook poll says: 70% of couples end an evening date intimately. Now the ultimate goal of a date night is not the bedroom. Instead the goal is engaging one another. This involves discovering how his/her week has been, dreaming together about your future and discovering where he/she has been challenged in his/her relationship with God and others. But remember that you both will end every night in bed because this is where most people sleep. Therefore this gives you the opportunity to enjoy your spouse (sexually) after learning something new about them (emotionally). So if you are currently frustrated either emotionally or sexually maybe discuss if there might be a correlation that might lead back to the opposite side of the same coin which you need to work to improve.

Dates treat your wife like she deserves - I’m unapologetically a romantic because this is what I have found that Sarah desires from her husband. In response I take lead to plan a majority of our date nights where I surprise her with new restaurants, hold her hand, buy her flowers and snuggle with her. For one of our couple friends they go sailing, play sports and ride bikes together. Husbands do you know how your wife feels/receives love? Take a night to ask your wife; listen and communicate your love through that way.

Remember a strong marriage comes from constant cultivation. If you think calling it date night is cheesy then call it something else, but make sure to take time to develop your relationship.

A Vintage Date Night with the Wiltons and Bricks

-Information-

Date: Aug 26th
Time: 7pm - 10pm
Cost: $40 per couple
Includes dinner by YoBreaux, dessert by a local pastry chef, and a Big Artsy painting session
Address: Vintage Uptown 4523 Magazine Street, NOLA
Bring your own beverages

**Parents get a babysitter for the night and come join us for this time of fun.

There's not a better deal out there August 26th, so sign-up at a gathering this weekend!

How does the Gospel change my ___________ ?

2011-08-15T17:23:00.003-05:00

Have you ever asked yourself this question: "How does the Gospel change my _______?"

Maybe the blank is your life, heart, marriage, relationships, church, life purpose, neighborhood or city.

To answer this question you must first know what the is Gospel. This means you must understand who Jesus is, what Jesus did and therefore what that says about who you and me are and what you and me do in response. Thankfully God has answered this question through Scripture, which is why every person's greatest need is to hear and respond to the Gospel.

Since this is the case I wanted to share with you a link that came across my twitter feed early this morning - Advance 2011 media -

This is a media page for the teachings given at Advance 2011, a conference that happened in North Carolina. You can download each of these for free.

I would encourage you, as I tweeted this morning, to use these to redeem your commute this week. I haven't listened to any of these yet and will be doing this myself.

Listen to 1-2 of these this week and watch how God will transform our hearts for our communities and cities.

-Brick

Serve Tuscaloosa

2011-08-09T14:43:00.006-05:00

This past spring tornados ravaged cities like Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Joplin, Missouri. In the aftermath homes and businesses were severely damaged and even destroyed. Thankfully, volunteers from around America have responded over the past couple months. But much work and rebuilding still remains in these cities.

As a Vintage Church family we are going to Tuscaloosa August 17 - August 20 to serve a devastated community alongside Circlewood Baptist Church. We are leaving after work on Wednesday evening, working Thursday - Saturday and driving back Saturday evening. This is a great opportunity to "be the church" in our region [country].

Cost: $25 [includes transportation, breakfast, lunch, water and a love offering for Circlewood]

Items to bring: sleeping bags, work clothes, closed toe shoes and money for dinner.

There will be sign-up sheet at our worship gatherings this weekend.

-Uptown -- Saturday 6pm, Sunday 9am and 10:30am

-Metairie -- Sunday 10:30am

To help Circlewood minister to their community clink here

Go BE the Church

A story of being Christ-like in our community

2011-08-04T21:25:00.002-05:00

As a Vintage Church family we have been discussing our identity. "Go BE the Church" is one of the phases we most frequently use as we close out our gatherings at Vintage. The concept of being the church is of vital importance as we discuss who we are as a church family, and we are able to accomplish this only by the power of the Gospel. Being the church happens in our everyday lives with those in our neighborhoods, at our workplaces and in our circle of friends.

I recently had an opportunity to hang with Chaz Churchwell. This guy was someone who God used in a big way during the early stages of Vintage Church. Check out a story and a challenge from his time being the church in New Orleans.

***I misquote the percentage of Evangelical Christian in this video. 1.1 million people, with 7% Evangelical Christian.

I love the passion with which Chaz still speaks of our city, New Orleans. To follow God's work in San Diego through this new work for the Gospel check out Restore San Diego Now

Go BE the Church

Being Christ through out Campus

2011-08-04T12:20:00.004-05:00

I had the privilege of teaching our Vintage Uptown Campus family again this weekend at our worship gatherings. We are closing an "Identity" Series. This has been a rich time of growth as we have talked about who we are as Vintage Church. This weekend I walked through Acts 10 and applied the truth from this passage into what being the Church in our community, city, nation and world would look like.

Listen here

Acts 10 is simply a story of 2 men in whom God is working through the Gospel to transform lives.

The 2 Men

Cornelius - a God-fearer, a Gentile who needed the Gospel
Peter - a Converted Christian, who shared the Gospel

In Acts 10, God is showing us that His Church will include all people from all nations. This is because our God is a global God that is working throughout the world through His Spirit. He is also working through sending of His church, an important note is that he sent Peter to share the Gospel.

It is particularly intetesting to note that America has become a global nation with people from across the globe moving here. Many American cities, from San Francisco to New Orleans to New York to Miami to Chicago, are experiencing explosive growth from people of all countries. I have heard that America is quickly becoming a majority-minority-nation.

Here are some of the ways that I have seen this in New Orleans:

Restaurants from every country in the world [Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, American, Mexican, French and New Orleanian]
The Magazine Street pavers who I have met that don’t speak fluent English.
The chef of my favorite Mediterranean restaurant speaks very broken English.
The large number of Asian students studying at Tulane and Loyola.
A drive from Nashville to Louisiana shows that there is not an overwhelming majority race living in Uptown.
The Hispanic population has doubled in Metairie over the last 10 years.

I believe that God is working in these demographic shifts for His glory. And this provides the Church a great opportunity. In Acts 10, God works in 2 men in order that the the Gospel can transform lives. Note what Peter shares with Cornelius - "The Gospel says":

the forgiveness of sins is available for every person in every nation [v. 35]
the forgiveness of sins is possible because of what Jesus Christ has done [v. 39-40]
the forgiveness of sins comes through believing in Jesus Christ [v. 43]

I'm thankful for the way God is working through the Church in New Orleans. More specifically I'm thankful for God's grace in the life and ministry of Vintage Church over the last 3 years. I hope that we will continue to pray for God's favor and grace.

This fall I'm praying we will apply the truth of Acts 10 in 2 primary ways:

Individually

At Vintage Church, all mission and ministry begins with the individual. This is because every person who is saved by the Gospel is then empowered through the Gospel to be a witness for the Gospel.

I've encouraged our campus to begin to ask "Spirit-sensitivity" questions last week.

This week I encouraged them to begin to ask this one question:

Who is my Cornelius?

- Someone who looks different than you ~ racially
- Someone who thinks different than you ~ religiously
- Someone who smells different than you ~ economically

Corporately

As a family we also want to take time when we unite together to serve our community, city, nation and world. So here's some of the plans for this fall:

- Serve our Community

One of the biggest ways that God has worked in our community over the last 3 years has been the outside volunteer teams that come every summer and daily serve our community. As a campus we are going to gather 3 Saturdays this fall to serve our community, doing many of the same things that these groups have done throughout the summer.

- Serve our City

There are about 1.1 million people in the Orleans, Jefferson & surrounding parishes. NOBA has shared that about 7% of the population in the Orleans and Jefferson parishes are connected to an evangelical church. This has led Pastor Rob and myself to begin to pray for more churches and campuses. This city needs thousands of more churches. As we prayed, God worked. On September 9, 2011 the Vintage Metairie Campus will launch. God has already been moving and transforming lives since January. We're excited to see how God will continue to work in this community. Check out Vintage Metairie webpage for updates.

- Serve our Nation

As a church family we want to be sent like Peter was to other Corneliuses that are in cities throughout America. An opportunity in August is a trip to Tuscaloosa, Alabama. We are going from Wednesday Aug 17th to Saturday Aug 20th. I will be giving more information and details soon about this trip.

So there's our prayer along with some of the plans for the fall. I pray God will work in you and through you in whatever city or country that He has placed you.

One final thought: below is a video that I believe gives a visual picture of our Identity journey.

VIDEO

This is Discipling from The Foursquare Church on Vimeo.

This is who we are, this is what we do as Vintage Church

Go BE the Church

-Brick

Serving Christ through our Mission

2011-07-25T21:59:00.009-05:00

I had the privilege of teaching our Vintage Uptown Campus family this weekend at our 3 weekend worship gatherings. We are in the middle of an "Identity" Series. We are talking about who we are as Vintage Church. I discussed serving Christ through our mission by explaining the concept of Spirit sensitivity.

Listen here

Here are the 3 Truths that form our Spirit sensitivity

They had been waiting.

The important shift that happens in Acts can only be fully grasped when we understand that many past generations had been waiting for God to pour out His Spirit. Joel and Isaiah both prophesied about it. Jesus discussed this in John. So In Acts 3, post Pentecost, Peter & John are serving Christ because they know that the mission has begun.

Acts explains the shift:
- Jesus’ disciples waited [Acts 1]
- the Spirit fell [beginning Acts 2]
- the Church was formed [ending Acts 2]
- now every Christian has been launched to serve Christ through our mission [Acts 3-28].

Since the Spirit has fallen this means that today if you’ve surrendered your life to Christ you don’t need to wait, you now need to go!

They were given the Spirit.

In order to better understand what/who we have been given there are 2 pictures of the Holy Spirit given in Scripture:

-The Holy Spirit is a gift.
Scripture says - the Spirit has fallen on everyone who has called on the name of the Lord. Therefore if we have surrendered our life to Christ we also have been given this gift. Like Peter & John served the mission as an outflow of this gift, we too have been given the gift to serve.

-The Holy Spirit is a person.
God hasn’t just given us just a talent or an unknowable power - he has given us His Spirit, who is a person. In the same way we grow with a spouse or friend through talking, listening, sharing and serving - we also need to cultivate our relationship with the Spirit through praying, journaling, reflecting and listening.

They began to serve the mission. -

Acts 3 is a story that shows two Christians [Peter & John] serving Christ through their mission. More inspiring is that this serving happened in their everyday as they were sensitive to the Spirit. They were not on a special trip or following a special emphasis. Instead they were headed to the normal afternoon prayer meeting. The principal from their example is that they were still doing what they had always done, but what had changed was their perspective on the the community, the people and their daily routine.

In Acts 3 we see their Spirit sensitivity naturally led them:
-to Notice a man in need (v.4)
-to Listen to him (v.3)
-to Respond with the Gospel (v.7-8)

In response to this passage, let each of us live with a new perspective on our everyday life. Let us live each day with a Spirit sensitivity.

Here are some questions to ask as you live your everyday life:
How is the Spirit working in the lives of our spouse and friends?
How is the Spirit working in the lives of our neighbors?
How is the Spirit working in the lives of our coworkers?
How is the Spirit working in your life right now?
- Like Peter & John let us: Notice - Listen - Respond with the Gospel

Go BE the Church

Brick

Dismantling Pride

2011-07-19T00:21:00.003-05:00

Pride is one the most interesting sins. Murder, lying, sexual immorality and stealing are a little more clear cut and obvious in our culture. To even say "Oh, pride, that's not something that I struggle with," seems....well, a little prideful. But the reality is that the root of all sin is in our pride. This is where we become big fans of the "ME" team. This is when you and I see, desire and pursue something or someone for ourselves. For example we use statements like I want ____, They said no but I'm going to _____, They did ____ to me and so I'm going to ______ them.

Even the church experiences the manifestations of pride in the form of church splits, divorces, fights, competition and territorialism. Unfortunately the effects are felt from the pastors to every member, really no one is immune. Mark Galli wrote an article on the need to pray for your pastor. As a young pastor of Vintage Church, just a little over a year under my belt, I think my intensified battle in the area of pride since taking on this new role with the Body of Christ has been an interesting journey for me.

As I was recently reflecting God drew me to Matthew 20:1-16, which is an interesting parable that I haven't paid much attention to. As I read and meditated on this passage, God showed me that dismantling the pride in my life depends on my continual pursuit and surrender to the Gospel, which includes accepting His grace that is displayed here.

Note God's grace seen through the Master's activity:

The Master goes out FIVE times in the parable seeking and enlisting laborers to work the vineyard - early morning (v.1), 3rd hour (v.3), 6th hour (v.5), 9th hour (v.5), 11th hour (v.6). As the Master's laborers, we really don't have any room to be prideful given that He has called, saved and enlisted us as laborers in the Kingdom. Our foundation to serve in the Kingdom is a response of gratitude to God's generous grace seen in the way that He responded to our need through Jesus Christ.

The Master calls all of the laborers in order to pay. (v.8) Each laborer receives a denarius. On my first read I felt as if the first laborers deserved more having worked longer, all day, than the rest of the laborers. This is an example of my pride, "That's not fair, those first laborers have been sweating longer and working longer." But again I'm confronted with God's generous grace. The denarius that each laborer gets paid is the normal wage for a day, in this way the Master provides for the daily provision for each laborer. As a laborer of the Master, I should be thankful for the ways in which God's grace provides for and meets my daily needs. This is because honestly worrying about other laborers is simply above my pay grade.

In response to this parable I would offer us a couple of questions to consider

What's your role within God's kingdom?

-The reality is that if we have been saved by the Gospel then we each have been empowered to be a witness for the Gospel. In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul uses the analogy of different body parts to talk about how each of us are uniquely gifted by the Spirit as a part of the Body of Christ for a certain role. Some of us are left hands, other are ears, others are mouths and others are big toes. The message here is that all of us are equally valuable to the body as a whole. So I don't know your passions, gifts or desires but I do know that God desires to use them within a local church body for the work of the Kingdom. So I encourage you to connect with a local church body and serve.

Are you ever jealous of what God has given to another laborer?

-If we are honest we have all experienced times when pride has crept in and have been jealous of others. Sometimes this is because we wish we could have their role. Other times this is because we want to judge them in their role. And other times this is that we think we could do better than them. But Jesus' encouragement from Matthew 20:1-16 is to focus on God's generous grace in our lives. Again each of us are equal in value in Christ and have simply been called to faithfully follow Him in our own life. So let's quit complaining and start working for the Master to see others come into the Kingdom.

Brick

If you're in need of a laugh read this blog....

2011-07-17T16:43:00.005-05:00

In my opinion, a big part of marriage involves living and laughing together.

Take a minute and read Mrs. Brick's blog about something that happened last week - Are You Afraid of the Dark?

My morals of the story

(1) I love my crazy scaredy cat wife

(2) We have a blast together.

(3) We try to laugh together often.

"Laughter is the short distance between two people." – Victor Borge

Reading, listening and watching this blog will improve your marriage

2011-07-12T09:31:00.003-05:00

Time flies....

This time 2 years ago I was the Vintage Church summer mission intern and sweating to near death in the July NOLA heat. Just as memorable I was engaged to Sarah Monday that summer, now known as "the gorgeous Sarah Brichetto." During that summer I read several books and listened to several sermons in preparation to be a husband. Over the last 2 years there are many times that I have been reminded of and reflected on the truths I received from other men and women that summer.

Now as one of the pastors of Vintage, I frequently reference these principles with single men, engaged & married couples.

From my last 2 years I want to share with you 2 short books, a sermon and a music video that God continually uses to challenge me as a husband.

2 Books

Sex, Romance and the Glory of God - CJ Mahaney

*Although this is one of the smallest marriage books, it is packed with wisdom from the Mahaney couple.

* Chapter 3 "Learning, Leading and Loving" discusses the idea that deepening romance physically in our marriage is intertwined with touching our wife's heart and mind (emotionally connecting).

*Chapter 4 "How to Make it All Happen" gives some practical suggestions of how CJ has loved and romanced his wife Carolyn.

The Momentary Marriage - John Piper

*You can get this book free in PDF by clicking here.

*Chapter 4 "Forgiveness and Forbearing," is one of the most challenging chapters that I have ever read regarding marriage.

* "The Compost Pile" concept discussed guides each of us into Gospel-centered, grace filled marriages.

*Listen to the "Forgiveness and Forbearing sermon by Dr. Piper - here

These books are super small and great short reads.

------

A Sermon - "Sanctification in Marriage" by Matt Chandler

*Search "Sanctification in Marriage" date - 10/25/09 - you can download an iTunes version.

*He unpacks 1 Peter 3:1-7 and discusses healthy expectations and relations for both men and women in marriage. There are some real practical application given for all of our marriages.

*Listening to this sermon would be one of the most humbling and fruitful ways for both husbands and wives to spend an hour today. Listen separately and then discuss during a date night.

-----

A Video - "Lead Me" by Sanctus Real

*This has been an anthem for me over the past few months as I have relied upon the Spirit to lead and love Sarah. I pray we will surrender our life in this area for our spouses or future spouses.

*Read a blog from Jason Dukes on leading in marriage.

*Also check out the story behind the song.

I'm thankful that we live in a time with internet which provides a wealth of resources for men to be godly husbands and women to be godly wives. Allow God's Spirit to use this resource at your finger tips to develop your marriage. Honestly this is a far better way to use the internet than any sport videos or hollywood gossip that can consume our life at times.

In conclusion, always remember that no matter how bad or good your marriage is currently; our hope is to be found in the Gospel which breaks through to offer repentance, forgiveness and restoration. Mrs. Brick and I are learning that this is an area that will always require constant cultivation.

Enjoy reading, listening, watching and then loving.

-Brick

Identity: Needing Christ through our prayer

2011-07-03T16:20:00.011-05:00

This past Sunday at Vintage Church we began a new series for the month of July called Identity. We are discussing who we are as a church family.

Our Plan

July 3rd - Needing Christ through our prayer.
July 9th/10th - Pursuing Christ through our study.
July 16th/17th - Reflecting Christ through our relationships.
July 23rd/24th - Serving Christ through our mission.
July 30th/31st - Being Christ through our campus.

Our interns helped organize a time of corporate prayer during this first week of Identity. Cam Hyde and Rob Russell have rocked it out this summer hosting the outside volunteer teams. I have enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with these two young studs this summer. They have set a high bar for our future summer internships.

The guide created led us to pray individually, in groups and corporately for ourselves, our city, other churches and the lost. The emphasis points would be a great outline for you to use in your personal time with Christ.

-Individual Reflection - The question: "Who is Christ in your life?"

-Adoration (Matt 6:9)

• Take five minutes to adore God.
• Praise Him for who He is.
• Use this time to set your affections on Him.

-Submission (Matt 6:10)
• Pray that we would be Submitted to God’s will.
• Pray His concerns would be our concerns.
• Ask for focus to be His servants rather than being concerned about what we can get from Him.

-Desperation (Matt 6:11)

• Pray for the Holy Spirit to help you recognize your complete dependence on Him.
• Pray He will increase your love for Christ and give you a greater desperation to know Him intimately.
• Ask for boldness and faith to attempt things for Christ so impossible that only God can get the glory for showing up.

I'd encourage you to make time this week as an individual, couple and Community Group to use this guide. For some of us we need to get up early, others need to print this out and put on our bathroom mirror, others need to take an intentional coffee break and others need to redeem their commutes.

Biblical promises on prayer:

-James 5:16 "the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."

-1 John 5:14-15 "And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him."

Live the Gospel, Love the City, BE the Church....

Limes & an Orange Lessons....

2011-05-25T22:43:00.009-05:00

Last Friday night I spiced up our date night with my brand new graduation-gift-money purchased grill. To be honest the Bricks have been having withdraws since moving into our shotgun apartment in August, with no access to a grill.

Our entree was grilled marinated chicken, with a side of grilled corn and Boudin. I used one of our friend Shannon's recipes which you can find on her blog. Most weeks, at least one of the meals at the Brickhouse comes from one of her recipes....she posts everything she makes!

Sarah spent the week in New Iberia and I really wanted to grill a fantastic dinner for her and her return to the Big Easy. I purchased all the items for the recipe and spent most of the afternoon prepping the chicken, corn and my new grill. This recipe called for lime and orange juice. On date night I take no shortcuts so I decided we needed freshly squeeze juice. [You know only the best for Mrs. Brick.]

I sliced a couple of limes and prepared to juice them. There was only one problem.....we don't own a juicer. We have 1,000,000 different serving spoons and pretty dishes, but we don't have a juicer. So in my frantic prepping I juiced several limes and a orange manually, a cup of lime and 1/2 cup of orange to be exact!

Do you know how many limes it takes to manually juice enough limes to reach a cup? 9

Yeah I counted each of the 18 halves that I squeezed and strained to get lime juice from. Imagine how long that takes.

Actually it was pretty funny seeing me squirm and twist all over our kitchen. I had lime juice running down my arm and splashing all over. But I would not be denied! And in the end we had a great dinner on our front porch together. Our friend Ramsey even enjoyed one of the chicken breasts.

Two lessons I gained from this experience that I'd like to share:

Husbands plan, prep, and go all out for your weekly date night.

Sarah likes to be pursued and dated as my wife. Dating doesn't end after you get married, have children, hit the "mid-life crisis," or retire. Dating no doubt changes, but dating should never end. I can also guarantee you that your wife wants to be pursued, so quit being sissies, men. Go get your bride!

- Husbands today is Thursday.... what are you planning for this week's date night?

The ingredients are simple: some thought, your wife and you. It's not about taking her to the most expensive restaurant, but instead about creating an experience where the two of you can talk, relax and learn something new about each other. Sometimes the most fun date nights happen on a porch, while sipping coffee/tea or in your house.

The importance of community can never be understated.

One of my favorite things about New Orleans is the value that most people place on community. For the most part this city is still a place where people know their neighbors. When I got to about the 17th half lime I had a profound thought: Why didn't I call _____ to see if they had a juicer I could borrow? And I named about 4-5 people that live within 2 blocks that I could have called and probably found a stinkin' juicer.

- So can I ask you who you have in your life that knows you and encourages you in this crazy busy life that we all live? The value of close friends has been something that God has continued to teach me over the past few months.

Neil Cole believes that small groups are one of the most effective ways to make & multiply disciples. Some strengths of small groups include:

Community (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)
Accountability (1 Timothy 5:19)
Confidentiality (Matthew 18:15-17)
Reproducibility (2 Timothy 2:2)

***Taken from Life Transformation Group Booklet

For me, my Community Group is a source of great encouragement which God uses to grow me as a Christian, husband, pastor and friend. We enjoy meals together, help each other move, pray for one another, celebrate birthdays and discuss Scripture. I hope you will connect to such a group in your city. Trust me, you won't regret the decision. And if you're honest you need it, if not today one day you will, maybe when you're in search of a juicer.

Connect to a Vintage Church Community Group - Finder

Live the Gospel, Love the City, BE the Church....

A Rising River....

2011-05-12T09:56:00.000-05:00

This week the local news has been covered with discussions about the rising Mississippi River and the potential threat which this plays for Southern Louisiana. The worst case is that this flooding could be worse than Kartina. As I have watched the stations and read online, I had two thoughts that I’d like to quickly share.

1. Tons of people live in cities
For us Louisianans there is a system of sp

illways that have been created along the Mississippi River in order to protect Baton Rouge and New Orleans. These are the two biggest cities in LA. Current statics tell us that an enormous amount of growth is happening in cities around the world as the population is moving back into cities.

One of the options that the Louisiana state officials have is to open the Morganza Spillway. In the scenarios I’ve seen, opening this spillway would flood some rural areas in order to not flood the cities. Note the small arrow in the bottom left: "There should be no flooding in the Metro Area [New Orleans]"

What this discussion shows is exactly what I’ve learned in my short run serving in New Orleans....cities are the way in which to influence and change the world.As weird as this may sound God has confirmed my call to be in the city and for the city as a believer, pastor and neighbor. The business world is impacting the cities. The artists are impacting the cities. Young entrepreneurial minds are impacting the cities. Will the body of Christ, the Church, impact the cities with the Gospel? There’s a new book that I’m excited to get and read. I’d recommend you do too.

<-- For the City - Darrin Patrick & Matt Carter

2. God is gracious towards all people
The dilemma to flood one area in order to avert a flood in another area which this rising Mississippi River has caused is a tough decision. In fact it’s one that is above my pay grade. Honestly I’m perfectly fine with that reality. But I do find this interesting, the decision of choosing “the lesser of two evils”....

Instead I’m thankful for the truth that God chose to respond to a crisis in a way that didn’t neglect any person due to any economic, cultural or racial difference/factor. Scripture tells us that Christ died for all people. In the cross we have God diverting the penalty of mine and your sin. Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, standing in my place and consuming the brunt of God’s righteous wrath toward my sin. This was done in order that you and I might have life.

This is our God. The One I serve and commend you to trust in with your life. At Vintage Church we plead with people to surrender their lives to Jesus Christ. If you haven’t, it’s simple....“Repent and Believe in the Gospel” - Jesus (Mark 1:14-15) No special 8 step prayer or anointed oil needed. Turn from your sin (repent) and trust in Jesus Christ through faith (believe).

When you do, come check us out in either Uptown or Metairie on the weekend.
Live the Gospel, Love the City, BE the Church....

EGG the Homeless

2011-04-08T15:30:00.008-05:00

EGG the Homeless - April 22-24th

Yes... you read that right!

This is a movement of the church to change the face of homelessness in New Orleans over the Easter weekend. Our partnership is with the New Orleans Mission. We are working hard to bring all the final details together for what is going to be an awesome weekend. I hope you are excited to see God work and move as we serve our city and worship Jesus.

Weekend Schedule

Elevate [April 22]: we will unite as the church to pray for the Homeless - location Vintage Campuses @ 7pm

Give [April 23]: we will unite with others in our city to provide for the Homeless - location Tipitina’s Uptown @ 7:30pm [Benefit Concert Information]

Gather [April 24]: we will unite as the church to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and life change available to the Homeless - location Dixon Hall on Tulane Campus @ 10am

What can you do?

Pray: Join us in asking God to move in such a way that He gets the glory over these three days. To journey along with us over the next 2 weeks check out Our Prayer Guide

Invite: Come to one of our gatherings [Campus times] for postcards and flyers to pass out in the city. We also give everyone permission to Tweet and Facebook status the heck out of this. The EGG the Homeless site

Serve: We have volunteering opportunities on Saturday and Sunday, talk with your community group leader [connect to with a group] or email info@vintagenola.org

Give: Tickets for Tipitina's Uptown are available here. You can also can make a contribution to help cover the cost for the weekend.

Donate: Bring toilet paper, paper plates and paper towels to our Easter Sunday Gathering for the New Orleans Mission.

Live the Gospel, Love the City, BE the Church

Moses: a faithful servant of God

2011-03-22T02:43:00.005-05:00

I had the opportunity to preach at the Vintage Uptown Campus worship gatherings this weekend. Our theme was faithfulness and we looked at Moses in Numbers 27:12-20. This is the end of his life and from this passage we see 3 statements about faithfulness.....

Faithfulness isn't solely based upon our actions for God (v.12-14)
Faithfulness involves a trust in God & His purpose (v.15-17)
Faithfulness passes the baton to someone else after our race is finished (v.18-20)

Click here to listen

Click here for our Discussion Guide [Awesome how God led our disci

pleship team and my heart in the same direction]

Click here to connect with a Vintage Community Group

I had an intense week preparing and wanted to share a reflection that I wrote in my journal.

My Journal (3/15/11)

[READ Deuteronomy 34]

We’re here at the ending of Deuteronomy, the next page is Joshua which accounts God’s purpose advancing as the people occupy the land. Israel did become a nation and remained in this land. At times these people follow the Lord wholeheartedly.

While other times these people disobeyed His commandments. Through those times God both punished, as with Moses in Numbers 20, and He also restored. Ultimately his salvific purpose for all people in the world continued through this nation. In fact for 1,000+ years through many kings, battles, seasons, God’s purpose continues.

Then one day a young teenage girl receives a house call from an angel of the Lord. A baby is born who name is Jesus. Who as the Son of God was the ultimate example of a faithful servant, even to the point of death on a cross for my sins. [Philippians 2:6-8] One of Jesus’ disciples, Matthew, works through his Gospel letter to Israel to show that Jesus is the greater Moses. Like Moses, Jesus not only serve God and furthered God’s purpose while here on earth; but before His departure He entrusted God’s purpose into the

hands of His disciples in such a way that the advancement, like the transition between Moses and Joshua, did not miss a beat. The church was birthed and God’s salvation which had been promised long ago was now realized and communicated through men and women throughout the world.

Now we, Vintage Church, are a small part of this body carrying the same mission to see God’s purpose advance in New Orleans and around the world. So in response:

The desperation with which both Moses & Jesus interceded for people must be characteristic in our faith in God. [Exodus 32:7-14; 33:12-18, Numbers 14:11-20, Matthew 26:36-44, Luke 13:33-35]
The sacrifice with which both Moses & Jesus faithfully served God must be characteristic of our faith in God.
The priority for advancing God’s purpose above their individual lives within which both Moses & Jesus faithfully lived out, encourages us that with God’s Spirit guiding us, we too can be a faithful servant of God.

Moses prayed: Psalm 90:16-17

16 “Let your work be shown to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.

17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands upon us;
yes, establish the work of our hands!”

Conclusion: Faithfulness is a life I live as a result of what God has done for me which furthers His purpose and rightly trains someone else to continue God’s work.

I appreciate the opportunity to serve Christ alongside my staff and church family in our city. And after talking with Pastor Rob Sunday night and Monday, I'm stinkin' stoked for the next couple months. One area of prayer is our Easter Weekend - "EGG the Homeless"

Planning to blog and update everyone a little more over the coming weeks, until then I'm reading and writing.......53 days until May 14th aka Graduation from Graduate School.

-Brick

August 15th - A Day of Prayer and Fasting

2010-08-10T15:44:00.004-05:00

This Sunday (August 15th) the Vintage worship gatherings are going to be a little different than normal. We are going to spend our hour in prayer and singing. This coming Sunday is going to be devoted to uniting in prayer as we listen to Jesus and do what He says.

“The true church lives and moves and has its being in prayer.” --Leonard Ravenhill

Our lives are so busy with constraints and obligations for work, family, school, etc. When you think about your daily “To Do” List, what is #1? If you are honest with yourself I think you would agree that your prayer life and communion with God commonly falls dead last on the list. It’s just what happens when life gets crazy. However, as Christians our availability to God should be the highest priority. Sometimes in order for us to spend time in prayer, we must cut something else out in order to make ourselves available. Our Vintage family has been extremely busy over the last year and we believe that God has even greater things in store for us in the coming months. If we aren’t careful we could become so busy for Jesus that we actually forget about Jesus. So this Sunday, as we gather we are going to pause, breathe, reflect, sit…pray. Our desire to be with God is like David’s in Psalm 65:4 and Psalm 27:4

As part of this day of prayer we are also encouraging everyone to fast on Sunday. Fasting is the spiritual discipline of abstaining from some activity in order to devote oneself wholly to prayer and seeking God. The abstinence can be from food, TV, video games, etc. During a fast a person makes himself or herself more available to God, which means that the time that would be spent partaking in a certain activity is instead spent with God. Biblical fasting must be partnered with prayer, because without prayer there is no spiritual value; you would just be starving yourself. This is probably a great dieting plan but not a good spiritual plan.

“In experiences of fasting we are not so much abstaining from food as we are feasting on the word of God. Fasting is feasting!” --Richard Foster

As a family we are going to participate in a normal fast from food for the entire Sunday. The first few hours will be fascinating physically, but more importantly our focus is going to be on the inner attitude of the heart. Continue to perform regular duties of the day while inwardly you will be in prayer, confession, intercession, adoration and worship.

A Message from David Platt on Prayer and Fasting - Give it a listen if you have a couple of minutes.

“The theology of fasting, then, is a theology of priorities in which believers are given the opportunity to express themselves in an undivided and intensive devotion to the Lord and to the concerns of the spiritual life.” --Eugene Merrill

See you on Sunday!

Live the Gospel, Love the City, BE the Church.....

LIVE Sent Opportunity - Grand Isle

2010-07-20T16:51:00.004-05:00

This spring the Gulf Coast Oil Spill has had a devastating impact on many cities along the coast. Grand Isle, a town located on the southern tip of Louisiana, is home to many people who earn their living by fishing and shrimping. Although BP was able to cap the leak last week; the massive amount of oil that has been put into the Gulf will effect this region and families for several years. As a Vintage church family, God has given us a perfect opportunity to LIVE Sent in our region of the US as we help those effected in Grand Isle out by meeting a practical need. The Grand Isle School has 150 kids in grades K-12 who need school supplies to start off the new year.

As a church family we are going to be collecting “Back-2-School Backpacks” over the next 2 weeks, from now until Friday, August 6th. Nathan Stanford, the Student Pastor of FBC Grand Isle, will distribute the backpacks to the families in need. This is an opportunity to LIVE Sent to a hurting community. So let’s Live the Gospel, Love the City and Be the Church by buying all of the items on the school supply list and donating them in a backpack.

"Freely you have received, freely you give." -- Matthew 10:8

Student Backpack Supply List:

4 packs of wide rule paper
5 folders
2 notebooks
1 1-inch binder
3 packs of pens (red, blue & black)
1 pack of highlighters
1 box of crayons
1 box of markers
1 box of colored pencils
1 pack of pencils
Glue
Ruler
Scissors
Eraser
Pencil box

Total: $20
*Please place these supplies in a backpack for a student between Kindergarten and 12th grade.
Collection locations:

Vintage Sunday Gatherings 9am & 10:30am
Vintage Kidz building Monday-Friday 9am-4pm

*Look for the box with the "Backpacks" label

Deadline: Friday August 6

LIVE Sent Opportunities - THIS Saturday

2010-06-02T14:31:00.004-05:00

Are you wondering what to do this weekend....

Well here's two opportunities

NOLA - Crescent City Cafe

Saturday, June 5, 2010

7am-10am

Purpose
We serve breakfast to the marginalized people of New Orleans with dignity. We run the cafe restaurant-style, so we greet our guests, show them to a seat and request their food and beverage order. To read more, visit: Crescent City Cafe
If anyone is able to help, they will need to confirm with our Volunteer Coordinator, Georgia McBride: georgia_mcbride@yahoo.com

Oil Spill Response

Holly Beach Clean-Up in Cameron Parish

Saturday, June 5, 2010
8:30 am to 3:00 pm

During the Beach Clean-Up event on June 5th, GRIT and BP will provide:
- All required equipment, including gloves, trash bags, shovels, bug spray, sunscreen, etc.
- Food and refreshments to all volunteers
- Disposal for the trash collected
- First aid kits and a first responder on site
- A 30-minute safety lesson prior to the day's activities

Purpose
This project will include the removal of debris, both natural and anthropogenic, from the shoreline to make the removal of oil less difficult and reduce the amount of hazardous material we will have to dispose of once affected by the oil spill. This is a pre-landfall clean-up; there will be no handling of any oil contaminated material or wildlife.

Volunteers Register: Link

Live the Gospel, Love the City, Be the Church...

Fasting from Shoes....

2010-04-08T20:37:00.004-05:00

April 8th was probably one of the most interesting and reflective personal days I've had in a long time. Today I fasted from wearing shoes. Sounds weird right?
Today TOMS, an innovative new shoe company, facilitated a campaign called "One Day without Shoes" to raise awareness of the fundamental role that shoes provide in protecting us against diseases. When I first heard about this event several months ago, I immediately checked my calendar to make sure that participating would be convenient for me and my “busy” schedule. This was an immediate sign that I needed to participate more than anybody else.

Over the past few weeks I have come up with several more reasons to join the cause.

This “one day” intrigued me because I don't think I have ever thought about barefoot children, diseases or the blessings that my 10+ pairs of shoes are.
One of my podcast mentors, David Platt has preached several times on the fact that everyday 26,000 children die of preventable diseases. (That means each 24 hour period)
I can’t help but wonder if Podoconiosis, a 100% preventable disease that effects 1,000,000 Ethiopians, is one of the diseases that makes up this statistic.
For 10 years now I have wanted to go on an international mission trip in order to see what true poverty looks like by working, serving and loving in a 3rd world country.
I believed that this day would help me live in an Ethiopian, Rwandan or Nigerian’s “shoes” for a short 18 hour period.

As a believer in Jesus Christ as the Savior and Lord of the world, I believe that world starvation and death from preventable diseases are ultimately issues that Christ’s church should eliminate. This is indeed our call as Christians and an especially prevalent issue that we must meet since America is one of the richest countries in the history of the world.

These reasons lead me to fast with a Christian mindset focused upon hearing from God. My purpose throughout the day was to ask God to rock my world to being barefoot for life. Since God is the faithful and the one true God, He did exactly that.

This morning I woke up excited to be barefoot because of what I would experience. This immediately changed when I stepped out of the Loft and onto a bunch of holly bush leaves....Holy CRAP! I’ve never noticed all the leaves, pebbles and jagged rocks around where I parked each day. Before I even started my daily commute, I was thankful for small amenities like shoes and pavement.

On campus as I walked from my car to class I caught myself drifting back to my American comfort and dodging the nastiness on the sidewalk, not to mention the fact that I stuffed flip-flops in my backpack just in case “I really needed them.” I also soon became thankful for the American amenities of carpet, linoleum and AC, even though my feet got cold.

Throughout my day of errands, studying, crossing Magazine Street and walking to Fuel Cafe to pick up the Bricks’ take-out, for the first time I noticed every little stick, rock, piece of glass and other particle along my way. I don’t think I’ve ever been more thankful for where I have been born or blessed to live by God’s grace. This evidence of His grace in my life then led me to begin to prayerfully consider how I should respond. The verse I meditated on for most of the day actually appears in Scripture twice, Isaiah 52:7 & Romans 10:15. I was overcome by the beauty of my bare feet because God impressed on my heart to more passionately and boldly proclaim the Good News of the Gospel in my community & world. The Gospel is that God loved the every person so much in their individual broken state that He responded by sending Jesus Christ to earth to die for their exact problem and sinfulness. (Romans 3:22-24)

If you missed “One Day without Shoes” I want to encourage you to simply walk barefoot around your block or subdivision for just a few minutes in hopes of becoming aware of the overwhelming need in this world.

If you are a Christian I want to encourage you to begin to ask God to convict you in areas that need it and response to needs which He desires you to meet personally. Let’s pursue Christ and His mission in this world no matter the cost of personal comfort, worldly pleasures or selfishness. Let’s lose it all in order to see Him glorified in every nation and tribe.

A part of my response will be what we encourage at Vintage Church:

Pray for My feet and legs are hurting as I head to bed tonight from all the barefoot walking I did. Tonight I can identify in a very very small way with the nations that Operation World prays for.

Give toward I’m thankful for the way in which TOMS is meeting physical needs in this world by providing shoes.

Other Options include:
-Compassion International
-Churches Helping Churches (Haiti)
-Samaritan's Purse
*These organization already have great organized efforts to meet both the physical and spiritual needs in the world.

Go to My prayer tonight is God first help me see the nations which you have brought around me in Uptown and then God provide a way for me to travel to some of the barefoot places in the world in order to proclaim your good news....Your salvation.

Gratefully Live the Gospel, Love the City, BE the Church.

KaBoom! Build Day - Wisner Playground

2010-04-05T16:13:00.012-05:00

An Uptown neighborhood is gathering to build a new playground in Wisner Playground, which is located at Laurel and Upperline. This is just a block away from the Bricks' Loft Apartment and about 5 from Vintage Church.

This is a historic Uptown park

These are pictures from 1941 when there was a pool. (Upperline Street pictured)

Wisner has always been known as a great place for families to bring their children and dogs. The recent addition of the baseball diamond and basketball court have created a place for neighborhood kids to gather for pick-up games. However after Hurricane Katrina, Winser was used for over two years as a FEMA trailer facility. FEMA is working on restoring the ball field but the playground area has totally been ignored.

The pavilion damaged from Katrina

The neighborhood and KaBoom! have joined together in order to restore the family playground area. KaBoom! received drawings from children from the community and have developed a design. So Friday April 30th, 100 volunteers are needed in order to build a new playground and make a community transformation happen.

Build Day: Friday, April 30th - 8am-2pm

The KaBoom! Build Site (Upperline Street)

The pavilion has been removed

The corner of Upperline and Annunication Streets

If you're free, come out to love and serve the community.

To register email: matt@vintagenola.org

HandsOn Reflection & Photos

2010-03-23T16:14:00.007-05:00

HandsOn New Orleans Day this past Saturday was a great morning of service in Indian Village. This area is one of the Katrina-affected that is still trying to recover. Our morning was spent clearing lots and scraping houses in preparation for some of the homeowners building projects in the next few months.

The Vintage group who got up early to serve and join in with the fun.

As I worked I was thankful for the way a community has worked to restore and rebuild, but also challenged by the need

which still exists in and around the areas where the levees broke. My prayer for Vintage and other churches in NOLA and the South is for God to continue to sendus out to get active and meet the needs of our city.

I would love to hear from my other Vintage NOLA peeps about what they took away from the morning. Post your comments!

Live the Gospel, Love the City, BE the Church

HandsOn New Orleans Day March 20th

2010-03-16T14:21:00.006-05:00

From the Old Testament to the New Testament, Scripture clearly shows that God’s people care for the needy, both the physically and spiritually, within the local community. In response to this truth, we as Vintage Church want to give of ourselves in whatever way God desires in order to see the Gospel advance in New Orleans. The physical and spiritual needs in New Orleans are enormous. So, at Vintage we have decided to concentrate our efforts with several strategic community outreach partners that are already meetings these needs in our city. Our heartbeat is to make a difference and actively DO ministry.

This Saturday, March 20th is a great opportunity to put our vision into action.

HandsOn New Orleans Day 8am-12pm

The HandsOn New Orleans organization is celebrating 4 years of working to meet needs in the city of New Orleans with a morning of service. The day's efforts will serve an area known as Indian Village in Gentilly.

Projects will include

Landscaping,
Debris removal
Trash-pickup.

After there will also be a celebration with FREE food and music until 2pm.

If you're free, volunteer to give a couple of hours on Saturday morning to help see the vision of a better New Orleans become a reality.

You MUST register in order to volunteer. Register here. Once you are registered, you will have access to the project location and schedule. If you have questions please e-mail larmstrong@handsonneworleans.org

Live the Gospel, Love the city, BE the Church

Failure: Where do we go from here?

2010-02-22T11:51:00.007-06:00

Yesterday at Vintage we continued the journey through “LIFE” our study on Matthew 5-7. Our topic was not an easy feel good message. We talked directly about sin, focusing on three specific areas: sexual lust, marriage and lying. (Matthew 5:27-37) In these situations Jesus’ focus is on the internal.

Rob's sermon: Our Vintage Podcast

As I listened and personally reflected, Psalm 38, the Psalm for the day in my one year Bible reading plan, came to my mind. In Psalm 38 David is experiencing trouble as a result from his own sin. God helped me to see a picture of repentance in this text. When failure happens in one of the three areas of Matthew 5:27-37, God desires for each of us to respond in a certain way. Repentance is a Biblical word we might not truly understand, especially in relation to what it looks like practically lived out in our daily life.

So, note the progression of repentance from Psalm 38

The Anguish
v.1-8 David describes his anguish and acknowledges that he deserved it because of his sin. Repentance begins at this point of humility. First we tell God that we messed up and did what we wanted, not what He wanted.

The Loneliness
v.9-14 David describes his loneliness because his friends have deserted him. As king, David felt vulnerable to his enemies in this trouble. In our repentance we must also reach this point where we realize that nothing around us (spouse, family, friends, counseling, therapy or a monthly meeting) can ultimately fix our situation. The reason is because when we’ve tried everything else like David we must come to realize that we have a issue in the heart that is only for God. He alone is our Hope.

The Desperation
v.15-22 David declares his desperation on God alone for salvation. Repentance happens at this exact point when we confess and apologize for the sin that we have committed against God. (v.18) Amazingly we have a God that hears our cries for help no matter who we are or what we’ve done. His salvation has no limits. His response to our sin is salvation only through Jesus’ death burial and resurrection. Through surrendering our life to Christ we are forgiven and restored to a right relationship with God. Once this happens we can begin to deal with the effects of the sin and those around us who have been affected. Then forgiveness and restoration are lived out towards others.

Other Psalms of Repentance: 6, 32, 51, 130, 143

Live the Gospel, Love the City, BE the Church!

Vintage Haiti Response

2010-01-14T18:10:00.007-06:00

On January 12 the country of Haiti was hit with a 7.0 massive earthquake. The country, which is the poorest in the Americas, has been totally devastated.

For full details, a New York Times article: A synopsis of what happened.

What should our response be? How should we, as a church, come together to help bring aid? As you’ve read or heard, this is a massive tragedy, and we, the church, must have a response.

In the days ahead it will become more clear how we should be involved, but, in the meantime, we’re coordinating our response in the following ways:

Gather: (PRAY)

As Community Groups:
Over the coming days and weeks we’ll continue to encourage your community groups to be praying specifically for this crisis - Pastor Rob & Drew will continue to remind all of our Community Groups to be praying.

As families:
Pray over dinner, at bedtime prayer with your kids, with your spouse…

As individuals:
Pray in your devotional time and throughout the day.

Give: (Financially)
It is beyond belief how much has been destroyed and how many lives were lost. There are organizations already established to best utilize financial donations for maximum impact in disaster relief scenarios. So we at Vintage Church are encouraging you to give to the Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund of the International Mission Board or the Samaritan’s Purse. All money given will be directed to the people and recovery of Haiti. We will take offerings over the next four Sundays, so if you feel compelled to give please designate a check and we will send it all to these organizations.

Go: (Travel to Haiti)
We want to make sure that we are a help and not a hindrance in the relief efforts. Vintage Church would encourage anyone who has a desire to go and help to wait and consider what the needs are.

It’s our understanding that as of now they’re requesting specific medical and specialized relief workers connected to relief organizations to respond. If you fit into that category and are working to get to Haiti, we would love to discover ways in which we could help. Please let us know.

What will the needs be?
In time, we may discover that it would be very helpful for our church to coordinate sending a team of folks to dig in and help. It is too early to be able to tell what the long-term needs of Haiti will be. As a church we will continue to listen, evaluate, pray and ask for Jesus to reveal how we should move.

“⁹The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
¹⁰And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.”
--Psalm 9:9-10

The Vintage Staff

This is AlanseShe's an orphan that my parents support through One Vision International

She is just one of the Haitian faces that have been on my mind over the last few days.

Live the Gospel, Love the City, Be the Church!

The Christmas Message: God is here!

2009-12-23T15:23:00.004-06:00

I'm writing from Knox-Vegas. Enjoying a week with family and relaxing alittle bit. Before I sign off for a couple days I wanted to share a devotional thought I received from one of my Lutheran friends.

The roulette wheel whirls in a red and black blur. The ball clatters and jumps, finally settling into one of the slots. In that moment, just before you can read the winning number, time freezes. That is particularly true for the person who has piled all his chips on the table, investing his whole bankroll on a single spin. Ecstasy or despair? It all rides on something beyond his control, the bounce of a ball.

Most of us do not hang out in casinos wagering the milk money on games of chance, but we may do something similar with our emotional health during this Christmas week. Heart-warming television specials, a rose-tinged memory of holidays past, and a deep desire to turn the page on whatever disappointments and stresses linger at year’s end tempt to us to invest too much emotional capital in the next few days. Don’t get me wrong. I am looking forward to time with family, the quiet mystery of Christmas Eve worship, and the chance to disengage from familiar routines. But expecting Christmas to satisfy all our longings is like hoping two days at the gym can undo a whole year of overeating and riding the couch.

If we expect Christmas to “fix” all our broken relationships or give us joy when we have not cultivated the ability to find it in our daily existence, we will inevitably be disappointed. Tempers flare when the family gathers. Deep griefs intrude as we think of empty places at the table. Life can not measure up to a Hallmark card’s fantasy world.

So, rather than expecting Christmas to supply a year’s worth of hope, let it be what it was that first night in Bethlehem , a visible sign that, even in the midst of the darkness, there is light. Christ did not come fully formed into the world. The mystery had to mature; it was years before its implications were manifest. Christmas is not an oak, strong enough to bear the full weight of our human need; it is the acorn of hope planted in our lives to grow slowly, but dependably, each day of the coming year. Let Christmas teach you a new way of seeing the world, as a place where heaven touches even the most ordinary act, fills it with radiance, and calls you to celebrate God’s drawing near.

This week, by all means, remember, but do it also during the other fifty one: “How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given! So God impart to human hearts the blessings of his heaven.”

The Christmas Story: Luke 2:1-20

Merry Christmas

For....Toward....To

2009-11-05T20:03:00.004-06:00

God really had my mind of the nations today.

Jerry Rankin, retiring President of the International Mission Board, brought a powerful message in NOBTS Chapel.

I also spent the day reflecting on Psalm 96.

And finally I received a video from "The Walk," a college ministry of Sevier Heights Baptist Church in Knoxville, TN. Last week during the gathering Tim Miller challenge 100's of college students to give to a orphanage in Haiti....The actual shoes on their own feet.

Video Link

*They won't allow it to be embedded here :-( , so you'll have to click the link.

Testimonies on the Blog.

All of these made me want to post a simple blog. I pray that we all actively pursue new & creative ways to:

Pray for the Nations
Give towards the Nations
Go to the Nations

Psalm 96 must drive our hearts to engage our neighborhoods, cities, states, country and world for Christ.

¹⁶Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.
¹⁷Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!

--Psalm 67:16-17

That'd be 'the day'

2009-10-31T15:36:00.003-05:00

October 31, 1517 Wittenberg, Germany... that was the day.

The day change began.

The day the Reformation began.

The day God got All the Glory.

Martin Luther gathered a hammer, nails & his 95 Theses.

His desire was to refocus the church on salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone

Read: Martin Luther's 95 Theses

His study of God's Word inspired him to adhere to God's Word. He knew the Truth and courageously stood for the Truth no matter the cost. He suffered many hardships because of this and was continuously questioned. His life is a great example.

Video Clip of His Defense (From 'Luther' the movie)

*'Luther' the movie is a great reenactment and retelling of his life.

I pray that we are encouraged and inspired to know God and His Word like Martin Luther.

May God work today in and through our lives for His Glory.

Timeout...

2009-10-29T10:03:00.009-05:00

Well, it’s been awhile. Honestly I’m so slammed each week with ministry, school and my relationship with my beautiful fiancé that I don’t have time to blog. Life is in the fast lane. But what am I telling you, so is yours. Life is good.... and IT’S BUSY!

Have you noticed that the busier we get the less time we spend with our Lord Jesus? Yes, even a seminary student & church leader can get so busy that he or she can actually go a whole week without growing personally. The Christian life is all about learning and becoming more like Him. But sometimes my Bible serves as a paper weight instead of the manual for daily life that God intends.

Sarah and I have both noticed this in our life this semester. So we’ve done some talking about what we’re going to do about it. (Yep, she’s a precious gift from God and I'm grateful to be so blessed.)

What about you? Can I ask you what your plan is for being intentional to study and grow in your relationship with God? This day, week or month?

I wanted to share with you some things I am pursuing.
First, Sarah and I decided to take a date night that I worked to plan for us next weekend (Nov. 6-7th). We will be spending about 35 hours in B-Ham with our UT friends the Sams. Friday evening Sarah will experience her 1st Secret Church at Brook Hills. If you’ve ever been to a Secret Church you know just how intense this evening will be. If you’ve never been you should check out the website and plan to attend the one in May.

November Teaser:

Link: http://www.brookhills.org/secretchurch/schedule.html

That gets my adeline pumping every time.

**Note: tickets sell out in minutes for this thing, I only got two by luck because my friend works for the church.

What is Secret Church? Well David Platt basically provides seminary level teaching for free in 6 hours chunks twice a year. People of all ages fill the room to learn all they can in that 6 hour time. It’s like trying to drink from a fire hose.

Why do stuff like this? Well I truly believe that every Christian should be diving deep into God’s Word. This means some intense study where we really absorb this Bible, yes all 66 books.

When Matt? I don’t have anytime, I’m so busy.
Well here’s what God told me about Sarah and myself. “Matt, you all spend 4 hours on Saturday watching the mighty Vols and 3 hours on Sunday watching the 2010 Super Bowl Champs Saints :=)” Some of you all reading this watch 1-2 hours of TV a day, surf Facebook or Tweet. We all have our hobbies. That’s not bad, unless they take us away from Jesus. So fast for a while and focus more fully on Him.

So, here’s my challenge.

Check out the Secret Church Website
Pick one that covers a topic which you're interested in, watch it and learn.

How? Every Secret Church is about 6 hours so if you do the math that’s 12 “Office” episodes. Divide it up in chunks and it becomes real easy. 30 minutes here, 1 hour there.

Try this challenge and see if your soul doesn’t hunger for more.

A Final Word
Technology like the internet is amazing. There’s never been an easier time to become a fully devoted followers of Jesus. I hope that your local church in which you are serving is teaching and growing you. If not, well pray about how you should change either that church or move to one that is. Also, why not use the numerous resources on the Internet to your benefit?

Below are several men I listen to & learn from who offer all of their Biblical wisdom for FREE!

Mars Hill Church, Seattle, Mark Driscoll
The Village Church, Dallas, Matt Chandler

The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Daivd Platt

Desiring God, Minneapolis, John Piper
Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York, Tim Keller

Check it out and dive into the feast. From personal experience it’s delicious!

That's our Jesus

2009-09-28T17:56:00.002-05:00

Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Seattle, spent a couple of weeks of August in Israel in preparation for a 3 year journey through Luke's Gospel.

After I saw this clip I wanted to post it here for people to see.

This is the conclusion of his 1st sermon from Luke. He is talking about the one thing that impacted him the most on his trip, which is a new insight that he learned about one verse in Luke.

Clip

Link: http://blog.marshillchurch.org/2009/09/23/filthy-roman-sponge/

Luke 23:34-36

³⁴And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." And they cast lots to divide his garments. ³⁵And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!" ³⁶The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine.

What a humbling verse.

What a sobering thought, that Jesus would forgive me.

Thank you God.

The Greatest Title

2009-06-04T16:51:00.009-05:00

In the 1700’s cobblers were not expected to make much of a global impact. In 2009, fast food workers and garbage men would probably face similar expectations. The life of William Carey, one such cobbler, reveals something very different.

In 1786 Carey began his humble career working bi-vocationally as a preacher & shoemaker. However during this very time God began to work in his heart for taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth. The Gospel Worthy of All Acceptation by Rev. Andrew Fuller was an important book that Carey read. The drive of this is as Fuller states “If it is the duty of all men to believe whenever the Gospel is presented to them, it must be the duty of all who have received the Gospel to endeavor to make it universally known.” Fuller’s conviction became Carey’s conviction and the world would never be the same.

As Carey began to discuss foreign missions, many of his fellow Christ-followers thought he was speaking a foreign language because the idea was so unfamiliar to the Christian culture at that time. A famous rebuttal that he received was “Young man, sit down! When God pleases to convert the heathen, he will do it without your help or mine!” Despite this criticism, Carey knew God had a desire to reach the nations. He also knew that God would use Christ-followers as Gospel vessels to accomplish this mission.

1792 was vital in the development of William Carey's heart for God's call to missions. Carey was able to devote more time to studying God's Word. On May 30, 1792 he delivered a powerful sermon from Isaiah 54:2-3 with two points that are now every missionary’s motto: “Expect great things from God: Attempt great things for God.” In the fall of 1792 a missionary society was formed (against the advise of most London pastors.) Carey willingly offered himself as the 1st missionary to be sent out.

When the Carey family arrived in India in 1793, there was probably a small sigh of relief to see seven years of prayers realized. But the work on his knees was really only beginning. He loved and served for four years before he saw his first convert and seven years before his first India native convert. The missionary joys were accompanied by a fair share of sorrows & struggles. But Carey remained entirely given to the mission of God.

His legacy reads: “30 missionaries, 40 native teachers, 45 stations and substations, and approximately 600 church members.” Through his work thousands continue to go and reach the nations.

William Carey is now known as the “Father of the Modern Missions.” He is one of the heroes of the faith for sure. But he made a remarkable statement as he neared the end of his life. “There is nothing remarkable in what I have done. It has only required patience and perseverance." He later added, "When I compare things as they now are in India with what they were when I came here, I see that a great work has been accomplished, but how it has been accomplished, I know not.”

To me, the most amazing thing about God is that every Christ-follower is equal in His eyes. Sure there are greats like Paul, Carey, Luther, Wesley and Graham. But these men have titles and accolades only because we have given it to them. In God’s economy a Christian engineer or accountant who passionately lives missionally in his or her office building is just as much of a giant as the pastor of a 2,000 member church. Christ-followers are gifted in different ways because there are million different types and kinds of people that do not yet know Jesus as their savior.

No matter your age, occupation, title or personality I would love for you to reflect on Colossians 3:23-24. Paul uses the powerful phrase: “You are serving the Lord Christ.” See the true biblical picture throughout scripture of Christ’s church is not a building but servants in and among various cultures: living, loving and serving people as Jesus Christ would himself.

I hope and pray that every Christ-follower will redeem the office buildings, neighborhoods, break rooms, coffee shops and school all across the world. God’s desire is that we all begin to see our work as a way to make his salvation known among all nations. The reason is because we are all missionaries whether that be in India, New Orleans, Montreal or where ever God has placed you.

Carey’s last words in 1834 were “Dr. Duff! You have been speaking about Dr. Carey; when I am gone, say nothing about Dr. Carey — speak only of Dr. Carey's God.”

There’s only one unique figure, his name is Jesus Christ. Everyone else is to trust Him as Lord and then go share with others about Him as servant. The most important title for Carey was “Servant of Christ” and this is the only one that you and I need to pursue.

Source: William Carey's Biography

More Information on Carey: great links to click and read

Other Christian Biographies

My Studs....

2009-06-01T18:12:00.003-05:00

After a long, intense, rigorous application process, I have finally chosen “The Studs.” Lame weddings call them Groomsmen. But dear friends, Nov. 21st will be very far from lame. I’m so excited that I’m personally doing everything that I can to not miss it! And of course I hope you will do the same.

Josh (Best Man)

I met Josh at UT on the smoldering hot turf outside the Aquatic center. We spent many afternoons sweating during the Pride practice and evenings cooking in his apartment on campus. Many of the business classes we took together were nothing really to write about. Zzzzzz.... Except there was that golf class! We still always grab a quick 9 holes whenever I visit Knoxville. He currently does financial work for TVA in Knoxville. Truly my best friend (outside of Sarah of course).

After 3 yrs in the UT band we started a tailgating & face painting tradition with friends. Josh still keeps it running.

Jonny B

Jonny and I have grown up together since the 3rd grade. Actually, I hope he’ll stop growing so that I can catch up with him. There are many lessons that I have learned from our friendship over the years of high school, college, Centri-Kid and now lunch meetings. The amazing thing is that God has led our two lives to different places, hundreds of miles apart but the friendship continues to hold. Jonny lives, works and serves in Nashville which is a place that can provide a fix for his country music passion.

Big Nick

As his older brother I have really enjoyed watching this guy mature. From our all-day play-days with forts, wrestling and "stair sliding" to wonderful Valentine’s Day desserts for Sarah and I. This chef is already amazing and probably one of the best kept secrets. I’m excited to see what the next four years of Culinary School will create.

Tate

In 2001 when we started dating Tate was the #2 most terrifying man in the world, only behind Sarah’s dad Frank. Over the years we have become friends which has made me more comfortable. He is currently Sarah and mine best UT football news source coming out of Knoxville. I also appreciate the bond and advice that he shares with my future bride.

Austin

I have never known a bigger blessing for a family than Mr. “McKinley” has been for the Mondays. Like my brother, Sarah and I have enjoyed watching him grow up. This coming fall he will enter Middle school which blows our minds. He is also loved because I can let my creative juices flow when we hang out. Sarah and I plan on flying him down every year to help us decorate our house for the Christmas season, which is his speciality. If he continues to improve on the piano he might become much like the beloved New Orleanian Harry Cornnick Jr.

Cameron (Lord & Keeper of the Ring)

“Cam the Man” is a firecracker and a true dudes dude. He was born on the same day that I personally witnessed from “The Swamp” my mighty Vols beat the hated Gators in 2003. This alone makes him very special. His hyper active spirit makes Sarah nervously freak out. However, I enjoy getting a good sweat on playing & chasing him in the pool, creek or yard. If there was one worry for Nov 21st, it would be that I hope that my wedding ring makes the journey down the aisle, because knowing him there are a million things he might do with it.

Check out how Cameron catches butterflies.

Source: The Bricks' Marriage Blog

173 Days away!

New MAC & Apple Store Lesson.....

2009-05-29T16:47:00.010-05:00

This week was certainly a big one for me. I converted from PC to MAC. This is one of the biggest decisions I have ever made that will effect the rest of my life or at least that’s what all my MAC friends tell me. You know MAC’s can do this and this and so on....

The time I spent in the Apple store here in NOLA on Tuesday and Friday did indeed change me. I certainly learned a lesson that had nothing to do with my MAC’s amazing ability, but instead has implications for a Christian’s life and Christ’s church. If you’ll read, I’m going to share my experience.

I purchased my MAC on Tuesday, opened it on Wednesday and noticed a small chip on the face of the keyboard. I returned it Friday to receive a new one. As I waited for the exchange to happen I noticed some amazing things.

Every Apple store is pumping with energy. There’s an excitement like non other in these stores. There are bright colors, fun music and stuff to mess around on while you wait. Today just about every computer and iPod was being used by people (young & old) who just looked so happy to be in the store. As I stood there I was actually happy while waited, which is more than I can say about other stores in the mall. The environment is great and all they sell are high priced computers and phones.

Not only is the vibe great, but the employees are exceptionally happy and helpful. Dennis was my salesman on Tuesday and he was also working Friday. When I walked in he noticed me and spoke to me even though he was finishing an order with another buyer. When I told him about my problem he immediately moved to act while also closing out the other order. He was a great multi-tasker. In a few seconds he had the other boy’s new MAC and my new replacement ready for check out.

As he stepped away he informed me that he was headed to lunch. It was 1pm, which in my opinion is pretty late to head to lunch. Re-checking out took about 30 minutes, during that time Dennis proceeded to help three more customers. When I walked out of the Apple store after my 45 minute visit he was still assisting people with problems and answering questions. If I had to guess he probably never got his lunch break and I don't know if he even cared, he loves his job.

As I headed to my car I reflected on my wonderful Apple experience and my mind was immediately drawn to the Sunday worship gathering @ Vintage Uptown. Can I also ask you to think about the worship gathering that you serve in on Sundays or Wednesdays? My first thought was: “Man I wish Vintage was like the Apple Store.” And I bet you would have the same response, I mean how could you not?

Just imagine churches all across the US, Canada and the world where people were running to enter. Gatherings with an energy that was electric and people that were loving, helping and serving others. However some times, I think churches are more like funeral homes. As the pastors and members of churches only we can really effect the vibe of our corporate & small group gatherings. No matter where your church falls on the scale I think there is always room to improve.

Apple sells computers which in my opinion are far from worthy when compared to the Gospel that every Christian has the privilege to communicate to friends and family on a weekly basis. When I compare my new MAC to Christ I can’t help but echo the words of Paul in Philippians 3:7-11. MAC computers are rubbish when placed next to Christ’s righteousness.

I don’t know if you have ever personally been in an Apple store, but I would recommend that every pastor, staff member and church member make a visit. You don’t have to buy anything, just go and surf the web and check your email for a few minutes. As you do this observe and note the vibe. Then let this research impact the way you live, love and serve as a “Gospel Specialist.”

I truly hope that more churches will, if not already, be a joyous environment where every member is overjoyed to serve and sacrifice a lunch in order to continue to help people.

As a Christian you are apart of the Kingdom of God, rescued from the pit of sin. Think about this fact and then GO enjoy your personal position as one of God’s beloved children ready to serve. If I do my part and you do your part, then every church will become a vehicle through which God can work in an even greater way to bring about His Salvation.

Summer Plans....

2009-05-20T16:11:00.002-05:00

The weather is heating up which means Summer is coming fast.

Monday evening Sarah and I enjoyed hanging out and talking face to face for the last time in a couple of months. Much like the last few summers, this summer we will live, work and serve in two different cities. However, we are excited since this will be the LAST summer we do this....because this time next year we'll be married!!

<--This was the solution for Delta Delays experienced on Monday

See it totally worked!!

Sarah will be chilling in Knoxville this summer to nail down all of the details for November 21st!

She will also be packing up the rest of her life for the big move to NOLA to pursue a Master's in Accounting @ University of New Orleans. Classes start in August.

The goal is to have the wedding plans done in order to fully focus on school and that blasted CPA Exam.

Matt is living, loving & serving in our home, NOLA this summer with Vintage Church. He will be coordinating the mission teams coming every week in June and July to work in Uptown. Spending everyday in Uptown is what excites him the most about this summer.

Searching for Sarah's apartment and blogging will be his way of relaxing, so make sure you check back frequently.

Our prayer for our work this summer comes from our family Psalm:
1)May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us,
2)that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.
--Psalm 67:1-2

We also pray & hope that God blesses you in your work over the next two months.

Source: The Bricks' Marriage Blog
Tomorrow: The Announcement of Bridesmaids

Lessons from Sarah

2009-05-18T13:56:00.006-05:00

I enjoyed another weekend in Knox-Vegas catching up with friends and family. Sarah was in NYC w her annual scholarship trip and then spent the weekend in Boston for her friend Madison's graduation.

Monday was the day that both of us were looking forward to, since we were going to get to see each other for about half a day before our separate summers begin. Instead Delta has delayed her flight three times, just today. Hopefully we'll get a few hours in before tomorrow morning.

However, this seems to be just what Pastor Larry was preaching about yesterday at Asbury.

This small little church means the world to my sweetheart. The entire Monday side of the family serves in this church, which means that about half the people you meet when you attend are related to Sarah. I always try to be on my best behavior :)

This altar is where Sarah and I will make a commitment in 187 days to live, love and serve each other for the rest of our lives. Yesterday marked a huge milestone in our relationship, 7 1/2 years of dating. Which means two things: 1. We are closing in on marriage under common law & 2. We have been high school sweethearts for a long, looong time.

Yesterday Larry's sermon was about sacrifice and giving your all. The call of Christ is one that is from selfishness to willingness. Christians are commissioned to give their ALL for the sake of the Gospel. At the core of this call is attribute of LOVE. As I have reflected today I have realized that God has given me the perfect illustration to help me understand a Christian's call, in my relationship with Sarah. Over the past 7+ years we haven't been perfect, having had our share of fights and disagreements. But no matter what we have worked together to come to an agreement and worked it out. For better or for worse we stick together.

Marriages only last this way: when each person loves the way Christ loved the world....Sacrificially. This is the example that Christ modeled.

Can I ask you to reflect today on areas in your marriage, family, work or friendships where you need to be more sacrificial?
>Then go and do it!

May we all live today with a willingness & readiness to give our ALL for Jesus, to the glory of God.

And... Can someone please go to Atlanta, fly her Delta plane and land it in Dang Knoxville so that I can see my beautiful Bride? We would both really appreciate it... VERY VERY MUCH!!!!!!!

Lessons from youngest son & little brother.....

2009-05-16T10:07:00.012-05:00

Yesterday the last Brick graduated from South-Doyle High school, which means that the school will never be the same. Nicholas has had many nicknames throughout his 13 years of school. The two most memorable are Frankie and BIG Nick.

Watching this young man last night walk the stage in Thompson Boling Arena was weird, especially since I remember when we use to roll around wrestling and building play forts. All day play days were great days. Now he has all-day cook days making his own dough and sauces from scratch.

In honor of Nick's accomplishment my parents, Lauren and I complied a list of "What We have learned from our Big Nick"

The youngest son & little brother Lessons:

Why talk when you can text
Prime Rib and Spare Ribs are not the same
You don’t sweat as much if you stay inside
You get what you ask for, so be specific
A car can run with no oil … but not for long
Bruno train sets and Lincoln logs make great forts for all day play days
Putt-Putt is always fun, no matter if it takes 8 times to get the ball in
Transfer of the title of the 4Runner means transfer of purpose – it becomes a wrecking ball – “what car behind me”

UT football passion can be taught and passed on

Cooking from a box is of the devil

Fifteen minutes of driving = ten minutes of napping

Showering is not a daily necessity if you have Axe body spray
Height is just in the eye of the beholder; big brother is always big brother
Why go to the symphony when you can get the same array of sounds playing X-Men
Why wipe the toilet seat when the next user will definitely have to do it

Little brothers watch and do what they learn from big brothers
TV is a soothing serenade for sleep

Friends should not just be guys, but girls and girls and girls too
Nothing better than little brother desserts for Valentine’s not even Sucre

Cookware is much like drum ware – get it all
Always look for fingers in the doorway before you shut a door

You can make it through childhood with out riding a bike
Sleepovers are longer than the night
Fluff on the dryer is quicker than ironing
Nothing’s more important than hanging with your friends
There is always tomorrow

Your body needs eighteen hours of sleep a day
That someone does need your advice

Seniors can find something to do every night of the week

All about tennis

There are other fun things to do at the beach that stay out of the contact with sand
Christmas is always better REAL-EARLY
Turtles don’t stay small for long, nor very clean for long
You can never dress too crazy for Spirit week
Even though you are taller, I am older
You are never too old for toys

As my little brother you are one my favorite honored guest in NOLA

Move over Emeril, Here comes BIG Nick

Weekend travels gave me this....

2009-05-11T19:40:00.006-05:00

I just arrived back in NOLA from my second of three Knox-Vegas travel weeks in May.

Sister married last weekend

Sarah graduated from UT this weekend

And my little brother, who we call BIG Nick graduates this coming weekend from high school.

Busy time for the Brichetto family.

The main reason for this blog is to share with you a sermon clip from one of several I listened to on my 18 hours of road travel this weekend.

Mark Driscoll is one of the pastors at Mars Hill in Seattle. We at Vintage Church read and listen to his preaching and teaching for equipping in our own personal ministry. He is currently one of the main voices for Evangelicals and for this I am so grateful. He unashamedly stands on the Bible, this is his source of authority and substance for all of his preaching. God is using him to reach many people. Mars Hill is the church that started the Acts 29 Church Planting Network, which Vintage has also just now become apart of.

May 3 he preached a powerful message about humility.

Below is a short clip.

Link: Short Clip

I would strongly encourage all ministers whether you are currently in leadership or are being raised up in a church to watch the entire sermon. It is long, over 1 hour, but very convicting.

Link: Sermon

I pray that God drives to everyone's heart and reveals places of pride in your life.

It ain't over yet....

2009-05-10T07:24:00.006-05:00

Last Night Sarah and I broke fast by enjoying a steak at Outback. It was not the best one ever, but we were given a gift which made it free and that's always good. We learned a lot through this journey which I will post later this week. Today is the last devotional for Daniel. I pray that God has spoken to you through the study of His Word.

Sunday May 10: Daniel 12
In the end the ultimate victory goes to the Lord God Almighty. Satan and his followers will receive judgment and shame while God’s children will receive honor and everlasting life. Until then our job is to be vessel that God uses to lead people to His righteousness that is found in Jesus through faith. (v.3 & Romans 3:21-24) There is an allotted inheritance awaiting the ones that faithfully finish the strong. Today direct your focus towards going your way until the end. (v.13)
Deeper Study: 1 Corinthians 15 Rely on the same power that resurrected Christ

I write this as I drink my first cup of coffee in 14 days. I never experienced withdraws which I thought I would. Reflecting on this has brought Paul's words to the Corinthians to my mind.
²⁴Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
²⁵Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. ²⁶Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. ²⁷No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. -- 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

The life in Christ is the supreme treasure in all of the the world. There is life with Christ and life without Christ and the life without is no life at all.

Bad situations need a Mighty One

2009-05-09T08:39:00.003-05:00

Saturday May 9: Daniel 11
In spite of present evil situations, God is in control! He has always been and will always be sovereign. The prophecy given in this chapter is amazing when you read history and see that everything God shows Daniel is fulfilled in exact specificity. God knew and controlled the Babylonians, Persians, Alexander the Great and his four sons. When the antichrist arises in power and unleashes havoc God will still be in control. Daniel concluded by saying “Yet he shall come to his end, with none to help him.” (v.45) This infinitely powerful God guiding the events of history also daily extends His guiding hand to each Christian. Where, what or how do you need God to be your guidance?

Deeper Study: Compare yourself with Gideon (Judges 6 & 7)
Ask God for direction in that area in life that you most currently need Him.

Use your free iPhone....

2009-05-08T07:41:00.002-05:00

Friday May 8: Daniel 10
John Piper described prayer as a wartime walkie-talkie for the mission of the church against the evil one. Daniel experienced spiritual warfare in this chapter as evil forces challenged his prayers. But the resistance made him even more fervent and earnest.(v.12-13) In the same way that the iPhone and Blackberry are powerful tools in the hands of business professional, faithful prayer is in the hands of Christians. Set your heart today to the task of asking your heavenly Father for understanding, strength and the Words of Life to speak. Use prayer for the proclamation of God’s Glory.

Deeper Study: Meditate on Ephesians 6:10-20 Prayer is for wielding the Word

Two Powerful days in Daniel...

2009-05-07T08:34:00.003-05:00

Sorry I didn't get a chance to post yesterday. I encourage you to read both.

Wednesday May 6: Daniel 8
Daniel was so overcome by the visions of the future suffering of his people that he was set back a few days.(v.27) At this point Daniel didn’t fully understand the vision. Further details were to come later, but until then Daniel got on with his work. When you think about the enormity of task in front of Vintage New Orleans, how do you respond? Today let these thoughts drive you to diligently pursue sharing with people how they can become a child of God.
Deeper Study: Soak up Luke 15 God’s heartbeat is to find that which is lost.

Thursday May 7: Daniel 9
Daniel’s prayer stands as the model prayer for us to follow as we intercede on the behalf of New Orleans, North America and the world. The beginning (v.4) the end (v.17-19) and everything in between is primarily focused on God. God honoring and glorifying prayers are ones that have Him placed at the center. God does all that He does because He is who He is. (v.17-18) The answer for accomplishing Vintage’s world vision of reaching the nations must be found in God Himself. (v. 19) This type of prayer has an impact upon our daily life because we realize that God is even more passionate about His interests and purposes than we could even imagine. Today use this chapter as you pray and like Daniel bring God’s greatness and glory into your prayers for His sake.
Deeper Prayer: Use Nehemiah 1:4-11 to help you be in continuous prayer today.

Listen to Rob's sermon on Prayer from Sunday.

Give me some Power!

2009-05-05T09:17:00.002-05:00

Today is a big day because we are now half through the Detox Fast. In the devotion a shift also happens today from historical to apocalyptic.

An Apocalyptic summary statement: “I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore Toto.” Daniel and Revelation are two of the most different and difficult books to understand in the Bible. Both are known as apocalypses, carrying the meaning of disclosure. The message communicated through an apocalypse is that the future prediction of God’s action is something that would break into the present. Daniel 7 makes a major transition in the book, turning from stories about Daniel and his three friends (Chap. 1-6) to Daniel’s visions of the future (Chap. 7-12). Daniel’s visions revealed that the Messiah would be the ruler of a spiritual kingdom that would overshadow all other earthly kingdoms. Even though the second half contains what some might consider weird images and symbols, this section is still God’s revelation of truth to his people. So let’s dive into His message to us as we continue in this present spiritual battle between God’s children and Satan.

Tuesday May 5: Daniel 7
The most important truth that comes from Chapter 7 is the vision Daniel receives regarding the sovereignty of God. The Most High is the supreme ruler that controls history and human nature. This is at the core of the Gospel that we share with our friends and coworkers. At one time we were all eternally separated from God, but the amazing thing is that God did the impossible by making a way to us through Jesus Christ. (Rom 3:23-24) The Most High is a conqueror and His saints receive the eternal kingdom. (v.17-18) Will you live in the power and victory of the Most High today?

Deeper Study: Colossians 1:15-29 Commit yourself anew today to the Gospel.

Gut Reaction...

2009-05-04T14:03:00.004-05:00

Sorry that I missed the past two days devos, had a really busy weekend. If you want to read them check out Vintage Website.

But I'm back today with one of probably my favorite chapters in all of Daniel.

Monday May 4: Daniel 6
This chapter is packed FULL of meaning and application for our Christian life. Today focus in on prayer as exampled in verses 10-11. When a law was published against prayer, Daniel’s immediate response was to go home, kneel down and PRAY! Prayer was an integral part of his daily life. Today if one of your lost friends barged in on you at home, where would you be found? Are you paying attention to earthly kings or your heavenly king who is the King of kings and Lord of lords? Today get so actively involved in sharing your faith that you have to passionately pursue guidance and strength from God.

Deeper Study: Compare the pictures of the living God in Daniel 3:8-30 & 6:16-27
Allow these passages to explode your view of God, who is more than able!

I hope that prayer is always immediate in your life. Today is the most important day in your life.

Focus of Fasting....

2009-05-01T07:04:00.004-05:00

Introduction
The book of Daniel is divided into two sections: the first half of the book provides a historical account and the second half is prophetic. The theme throughout is God’s sovereignty and power over all nations and powers. Yahweh is the one true God. All other gods are merely idols.

Friday May 1: Daniel 3
-Who or what has your full attention today?
-Who are you serving today?
-Who are you worshipping today?
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were three Jewish studs that trusted in the Most High God who is all-powerful and in whom there is no other. They committed to worship God more because of who He is whether than what He would or would not do. (v.17-18)

Deeper Study: Examine how Paul defines the Christian life (Philippians 1:12-30)

Ps. 90:12-17
¹² Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

¹³ Relent, O LORD! How long will it be?
Have compassion on your servants.

¹⁴ Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

¹⁵ Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
for as many years as we have seen trouble.

¹⁶ May your deeds be shown to your servants,
your splendor to their children.

¹⁷ May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us;
establish the work of our hands for us—
yes, establish the work of our hands.

Detach from the World....

2009-04-30T08:16:00.004-05:00

Introduction
The book of Daniel is divided into two sections: the first half of the book provides a historical account and the second half is prophetic. The theme throughout is God’s sovereignty and power over all nations and powers. Yahweh is the one true God. All other gods are merely idols.

Thursday April 30: Daniel 2
“With the all-powerful God nothing is impossible.” This was Daniel’s reply to King Nebuchadnezzar in verses 27-30. Wisdom and power belong to our God (v.20) but He freely gives to us because of His mercy (v.18). Before you go too much further today ask God to enable you to make Him known and intercede for the lost in this city.

Deeper Study: Compare Daniel 2 with Genesis 41 the story of Joseph and Pharaoh

The reason to detach from the world is to attach to God. Be desperate for His Spirit today.

DETOX Engaged!

2009-04-29T08:06:00.004-05:00

Here we GO!

Introduction
The book of Daniel is divided into two sections: the first half of the book provides a historical account and the second half is prophetic. The theme throughout is God’s sovereignty and power over all nations and powers. Yahweh is the one true God. All other gods are merely idols.

Wednesday April 29: Daniel 1
Daniel detached from the pleasures of his status in Babylon in order to maintain his identity as one of God’s children. Prayerfully consider other activities, objects or “royal food” of the world that God would have you abstain from in order to focus more clearly on Him over the next 10 days. May God grant to you favor, compassion, understanding and wisdom (v. 9, 17 & 20) as a result for your undeterred loyalty to Him.

Vintage Podcast: listen to Rob talk about why Daniel & fasting means for us today.

Ps. 90:12-17
¹² Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

¹³ Relent, O LORD! How long will it be?
Have compassion on your servants.

¹⁴ Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

¹⁵ Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
for as many years as we have seen trouble.

¹⁶ May your deeds be shown to your servants,
your splendor to their children.

¹⁷ May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us;
establish the work of our hands for us—
yes, establish the work of our hands.

Detox Foods.....

2009-04-27T19:01:00.003-05:00

Have you ever wondered what a diet of only fruits and vegetables would look like?
Well here you go! Below are the Foods to include in your diet during the Daniel Fast…

All fruits: These can be fresh, frozen, dried, juiced or canned (watch for added sugar).
Apples
Apricots
Avocados
Bananas
Berries
Blackberries
Blueberries
Boysenberries
Breadfruit
Cantaloupe
Cherries
Coconuts
Cranberries
Dates
Figs
Grapefruit
Grapes
Grenadine
Guava
Honeydew melons
Kiwi
Lemons
Limes
Mangoes
Melons
Mulberry
Nectarines
Oats
Olives
Oranges
Papayas
Peaches
Pears
Pineapples
Plums
Prunes
Raisins
Raspberries
Strawberries
Tangelos
Tangerines
Watermelon

Vegetables: These can be fresh, frozen, dried, juiced or canned (watch salt content).
Artichokes
Asparagus
Beets
Broccoli
Brussel sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Chili peppers
Collard greens
Corn
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Garlic
Ginger root
Kale
Leeks
Lettuce
Mushrooms
Mustard greens
Okra
Onions
Parsley
Peppers
Potatoes
Radishes
Rutabagas
Scallions
Spinach
Sprouts
Squashes
Sweet potatoes
Tomatoes
Turnips
Watercress
Yams
Zucchini

Legumes: (we're not sure if this is even a word)
Dried beans
Black beans
Cannellini
Pinto beans
Split peas
Lentils
Black eyed peas
Green beans
Green peas
Kidney beans
Peanuts (includes natural
peanut butter)
Beans
Lentils
Lupines
White
Peas

Seeds:
All nuts (raw, unsalted)
Sprouts
Ground flax
Cashews
Walnuts
Sunflower
Sesame
Almonds
Natural Almond Butter

Whole Grains:
Whole wheat
Brown rice
Millet
Quinoa
Oats
Rolled Oats
Plain Oatmeal- not instant
Barley
Grits (no butter)
Whole wheat pasta
Whole wheat tortillas
Plain Rice cakes
Popcorn (see recipe in FAQ’s)

Liquids:
Water (spring, distilled, filtered)
Unsweetened Soy Milk
Herbal (caffeine free) Tea
100% Fruit/Vegetable Juice (no added sugar)

Other:
Tofu
Soy products
Herbs
Small amounts of Honey
Small amounts of Sea Salt
Small amounts of Ezekiel Bread
Small amounts of Olive Oil
Spices (read the label to be sure there are no
preservatives)

Foods to avoid on the Daniel Fast…
All animal products including all meat, poultry, fish…
White rice
White bread
All deep fried foods
Caffeine
Coffee (including decaf b/c contains small amount of caffeine)
Carbonated beverages
Energy drinks
Foods containing preservatives, additives
Refined foods
Processed foods
Food additives
Refined sugar
Sugar substitutes
Raw sugar
Syrups
Molasses
Cane juice
White flour
Margarine
Shortening
High fat products
Butter
All leavened breads
Baked goods
All dairy
Milk
Cheese
Yogurt
Cream
Eggs
Alcohol
Mayonnaise

Yummy! :)

Here are some FAQ’s

What about prepared foods?
Read the labels of all prepared foods. Remember the Daniel Fast is sugar-free and chemical-free. So, if you use any canned fruits, vegetables, packaged foods, or prepared sauces you must read the label to be aware about just what is in there.

What about pasta?
Make sure the label says whole grain pasta with no additives (watch for sugar). Whole grain pasta offers 7 grams of protein per serving (3/4 cup of dried pasta).

I know it says raw, unsalted nuts, but what about roasted nuts?
The goal would be to stick to raw, unsalted nuts. But these are harder to find so in a pinch just make sure you get plain roasted, unsalted nuts with no preservatives.

How do I get enough protein in my diet while on the fast?
The following are protein-rich foods that are allowed on the Daniel Fast… almonds, sunflower seeds, lentils, quinoa, brown rice, split peas, whole grains, and tofu.

What kind of peanut butter is allowed?
A natural peanut butter with no additives…watch for sugars including molasses. Smucker’s creamy natural peanut butter has nothing but peanuts in it.

What about popcorn?
Corn is listed in the vegetables to eat list. You can use a pot on the stove…here is a recipe.
1) Put two tbsp. of olive oil in the bottom of a large pot.
2) Add enough popcorn to cover the bottom of the pan.
3) Turn heat to medium high. Look for the first popcorn kernel to pop.
4) Put the lid on the pot. Using potholders shake the pot over the burner.
5) Continue shaking until you no longer hear kernels popping. Remove from heat.

How can I identify whole grain foods?
Typically if the ingredient lists "whole wheat", "rolled oats", or "whole corn" as the first ingredient, the product is a whole grain food item. Another way to identify whole grains in the foods you eat is to look in the nutritional facts information and check if the food item contains dietary fiber. If it contains a significant amount, it most likely contains whole grains. "Wheat flour" is not a whole grain and therefore does not indicate a whole grain product.

Where can I go out to eat?
Well, we think you can go anywhere and order cautiously, asking lots of questions to the wait staff, knowing ahead of time that you may be ordering a salad with olive oil and a baked potato with no extras.

The Vintage Website got DETOX-ed over the weekend, check it out!
The Podcast should be up tomorrow. Rob's sermon(s), 2 20 minute sermons, were a powerful word from the Word of God. You should also check them out before Thursday.

"Expect great things.....
Attempt great things!" --William Carey

Vintage "DETOX"-ing

2009-04-24T12:38:00.005-05:00

Hello

To all my regular blog readers, this blog that you are about to read will probably be one of the longest I’ll ever post, but I think it is also one of the most exciting up to this point in my short ministry career. Going into this year, the Vintage Church leadership that I serve among felt God continually speaking that this year would be something special. God would do something that only he could get the credit for. Personally my prayer for 2009 has continually been from Psalm 90:17, that God would establish our work. My heartbeat is to do only that which He is leading. After the first quarter He is indeed moving in people’s hearts around Uptown, but it’s still early in the game. For this reason we the leadership have been led by the Spirit to enter into a time of corporate fasting. The purpose is to more wholly seek what God has for the church in this important year. The fact is that without His Spirit there is NO church. We have chosen to participate in a Daniel Fast, which means that we will only eat fruit and vegetables for 10 days. Our window to fast will be from Thursday April 30 to May 9.

Fasting?!?!?!? WHAT?
Yes, currently this is one of the lost spiritual disciplines in Christianity.

The truth of the matter is that our lives are so busy with constraints and obligations for work, family, school, etc. When you think about your daily “To Do” List, what is #1? If you are honest with yourself I think you would agree that your prayer life and communion with God commonly fall dead last on the list. It’s just what happens when life gets crazy. However, as Christians our availability to God should be the highest priority. Sometimes in order for us to spend time in prayer, we must cut something else out in order to make ourselves available.

This is where fasting comes in to play. Fasting is the spiritual discipline of abstaining from some activity in order to devote oneself more wholly to prayer and seeking God. The abstinence can be from food, TV, video games, sex, etc. During a fast a person makes himself or herself more available to God, which means that the time that would be spent partaking in a certain activity is instead spent in prayer with God. Biblical fasting must be partnered with prayer, because without prayer there is no spiritual value. Instead you would just be starving yourself. This is probably a great dieting plan but not a good spiritual plan.

If you have never done any type of fasting let me encourage you by telling you that the first few days are fascinating physically, but the more important focus is on the change of the inner attitude of your heart. During a fast, it is important to continue to perform regular duties of the day while inwardly you will be in prayer, confession, intercession, adoration and worship.

"The theology of fasting, then is a theology of priorities in which believers are given the opportunity to express themselves in an undivided and intensive devotion to the Lord and to the concerns of the spiritual life." --Eugene Merrill

Who:
The Vintage Church staff and leadership will be participating in the fast and we are asking for our Vintage family and friends to join us as we seek God during this exciting season. I know that many of my blog readers are some of the greatest prayer warriors for God’s work through Vintage in New Orleans. I thank you for your prayers to this point and would like to invite you to join us on this journey over the next two weeks.

When:
Thursday, April 30^th @ 7pm is the beginning part of the Daniel Fast. We will break the fast on Saturday May 9th @ 7pm.

April 29th – May 10th a daily devotion will be posted each day from a chapter of Daniel here on my blog. This is a prayer guide that we are providing for the duration of the fast.

What:
The Daniel Fast is a partial fast, which means that we will eliminate some common things from our daily diet, but will have generous options available. We will focus on eating fruits and vegetables that are pure and simple. I will post a list of foods to eat and foods to avoid next week (Monday) in preparation.

This fast is just one of the many types of fast designed to better connect us with God. As a church, we're taking 10 days within the two weeks of the “DETOX” series, to deepen our relationship with God and center ourselves on what God is going to do in our church and in our lives during this series. We are praying that many people will come to faith in Christ during the “DETOX” series as we invite and share with our friends who are searching for and wrestling with God.

My good buddy Rob will preach two sermons from the book of Daniel over the next two weeks. Rob's Blog Feel free to download the podcast and listen: Vintage Podcast

Also, in conjunction with the fast we'll be reading a chapter in the book of Daniel per day for the duration of the fast, and like stated earlier check back here for a daily devotion and prayer guide each day. This will be a challenging process, but we look forward to seeing what God does in our church and experiencing him with intensity during the 10 days of the fast.

How:
As you might have noticed there are many ways to do the fast. However, to keep it simple, I have included below a few resources we will be using during the fast. This fast will require preparation as most meals will be made from scratch. We are also working to have some recipes available online: Vintage Home

Extra Resources:

The Daniel Fast Blog

Daniel Fast Blog 2

Recipes

John Piper's Preaching & Teaching

We truly believe that the sky is the limit so join on this amazing journey!

Rough Week....

2009-04-11T09:19:00.002-05:00

This Blog comes a day late because I had a rough week. But the roughest week in history happened not this week with me but with 11 of Jesus' closest friends and ministry partners.

The week began on a high as they sang their king into town like one that had come to conquer. The first few days of the week were spent clearing the Temple, calling out the religious leaders and some great pep talks from their leader about the coming kingdom. The great week continued as they had the most memorable Passover dinner when Jesus their Lord and Master humbled himself and washed their feet. After dinner, like every other day that week, the group left the city headed to the Mount of Olives. On Thursday night their teacher continued to teach them powerful lessons as they walked around the city walls toward Gethsemane, these are recorded in John 14-16. After a full day of ministry Jesus encouraged them to have a prayer meeting. Tired from the busy day the inner-three couldn't even keep their eyes open. It was in this garden that everything went south REAL quick. A mob comes and arrests Jesus. Their conquering king is silent and never fights back. He is carried off to face beatings, mockings and false trials. The Jewish religious leaders declare him guilty and take him to Pilate first thing Friday morning. At the hands of Romans, who were expert executioners, Jesus is flogged and crucified. Jesus, who was the conquering king at the beginning of the week, died like a criminal in the most tortuous way ever made by man. Friday night the 11 disciples and probably a few other supporters of the ministry gathered together. The mood was defeat, despair and hopelessness. These people had thought he would be the Messiah. Jesus had given them so much hope.

Below is a YouTube Video that got my adrenaline pumping. In the midst of their hopelessness there was hope, because Sunday was coming.

Video:

Jesus is the Conquering King - just wait until Sunday!

9 Minute Video to Change Your Life....

2009-04-03T14:23:00.002-05:00

Over these past few months, Sarah and I have both been contemplating our praise of God.

The Two Driving Questions:
1. Do we praise Him for who He is?
2. Do we praise Him for all the good and nice things He does for us?

The understanding that God has revealed to us is that we praise Him for both. As humans #2 is more common than #1. But #1 is the accurate place to start. God is holy, righteous, gracious, merciful, compassionate, etc. No matter what He does or doesn't do for us, He is worthy of our praise.

A huge part of this journey has come from a song that Andrew has been singing on Sundays.

Below is a video of the song and a short testimony from Jill McCloghry, one of the Hillsong singers. I hope this challenges & blesses you today in your relationship to God.

Video:

Lyrics:
This is my prayer in the desert,
When all that's within me feels dry,
This is my prayer in my hunger and need,
My God is the God who provides,

And this is my prayer in the fire,
In weakness, or trial, or pain,
There is a faith proved more worth than gold,
So refine me Lord through the flame,

I will bring praise,
I will bring praise,
No weapon formed against me shall remain,
I will rejoice, I will declare,
God is my victory and He is here,

This is my prayer in the battle,
When triumph is still on its way,
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ,
So firm on his promise I'll stand,

I will bring praise,
I will bring praise,
No weapon formed against me shall remain,
I will rejoice, I will declare,
God is my victory and He is here,

All of my life, in every season,
You are still God,
I have a reason to sing,
I have a reason to worship,

I will bring praise,
I will bring praise,
No weapon formed against me shall remain,
I will rejoice, I will declare,
God is my victory and He is here,

And this is my prayer in the harvest,
When favour and providence flow,
I know I'm filled to be emptied again,
The seed I receive I will sow

Psalm 104
"1 Praise the LORD, O my soul.
O LORD my God, you are very great;
you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

2 He wraps himself in light as with a garment;
he stretches out the heavens like a tent....

33 I will sing to the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
as I rejoice in the LORD."

Fooled NO More: Lesson in Hebrew....

2009-04-01T12:51:00.005-05:00

This spring semester I have had the “joy” of taking Intermediate Hebrew. We are currently halfway through the semester, and I have a new appreciation for the Ancient World and the Romans. Before the Romans’ standardization of the alphabetic script everything just looks like a bunch of symbols or pictures. Piece these pictures together and you some how get words. I just wish an “A” look like an “A.”

However, a bright spot for me personally happen last Friday in class. We were translating through Deuteronomy 24. As the professor read through the passage and we dissected each word. My NAME literally jumped off the page!!!!

I’m being as serious as a heart attack on April Fool's Day.
Look @ this Picture:

Underlined in red are the last two words of Deuteronomy 24:16
Transliterated: B-eh-H-E-T-O "AND" M-A-T-U
Translation: Matthew Brichetto
See it’s there in the Hebrew!!!!!!

I’m still wrestling with what the theological meaning behind all of this might be, if there is actually any.
Basically for now Moses (Author of Deut.) is my homeboy and God has loved me since the beginning of time.

An Eventful House....

2009-03-29T14:31:00.004-05:00

While in Israel I had a chance to visit the house of Caiaphas, who was the high priest in Jesus' day. We walked steps that Jesus himself walked the night before his crucifixion. We stood in the dungeon where Jesus was kept and the place where Jesus would have been beaten & flogged that night by the Jewish authorities. This experience was a humbling one and I shot a video so that I could share it with my blog readers.

Hole through which Jesus was thrown

The Dungeon where Jesus was held overnight.

Video:

The room where Jesus was flogged and mocked. Later Peter and John were also flogged here.

This prison in the bottom of Caiaphas' house was also one of the prisons that Peter and John where would be held in the book of Acts. This brings up an interesting thought, which is that one night Peter denies knowing Jesus outside this house. But about two months later he is at the same house for boldly preaching the Gospel.

The religious dudes of the day missed the Savior of the world who came and began a new movement called Christianity. Although the worship of places is not important to Christianity (the living Christ is), I was reminded while visiting Caiaphas' house of the sacrifice and dedication shown by all members of the early church.

My Prayer is that I will follow in the footsteps of Jesus, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despised the shame and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Heb. 12:2) John and Peter who are heroes of the faith continued this movement by follow the example set by Christ. Today Christians have the responsibility of continuing to share the same good news about Jesus.

Movement....

2009-03-07T18:31:00.005-06:00

Friday and Saturday was a great time of personal refreshing as God gave me a glimpse of the work He is doing.

On Friday I got to hang out with and challenge 30 Campus Crusade for Christ leaders from various college campuses in New Orleans. The next generation of leaders, business and politically, will come from the people on college campuses today. I believe that this is reason enough to be engaged in trying to reach this generation for Christ. There are great rewards for the future of America if we can reach and mold them to become followers of Jesus Christ.

Saturday one of our pastor's (Page) home church came to help serve our community. We spent the day cleaning Laurence Square, which is a park close to where our church meets on Sunday. We raked leafs, cleaned up Mardi Gras beads, gave out free waters and met some people from the community. The weather was a beautiful 78 degrees.

As I served in these opportunities God showed me that I'm involved in His movement, which is all about loving people for the purpose of sharing Jesus Christ. Living in New Orleans is great because you can see God doing so many different things. But even cooler than that is that this same God is moving all over, in every city and town. Join up with a church or ministry and start getting dirty serving people like Jesus would do.

Mardi Gras Mambo....

2009-03-05T17:30:00.011-06:00

It's been almost two weeks, but I'm still trying to recover from the Mardi Gras Season. Driving around Uptown is cool because you can still see the left overs from the crazy, fun time.

Beads still in trees

Houses still decorated

Vintage Church Mardi Gras Outreach
on Magazine Street

This year 6 major parades changed their routes to go down a section of Magazine right in front of Vintage Church. This means we got a great chance to connect with our community. Sunday February 22 was the big day since there were three parades.

The "Green" Machine known as Vintage Church set-up at a sister church/next door neighbor. We provided clean toilets which we cleaned after every person. We also gave out free grilled burgers, sausages and waters. While we were not serving we danced in the streets with all the New Orleanians. It was a great outreach for our church and one fun way to spend a Sunday!

Video:

Vintage Mardi Gras 2009 from Travis Manint on Vimeo.

Church Website: http://vintagenola.org/

A tradition has started that we hope will glorify God and lead an entire community to the Lord.

Our Church's Prayer:
"May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us, establish the work of our hands for us- yes, establish the work of our hands." --Psalm 90:17

Deadly Fast Ball.....

2009-02-28T21:06:00.002-06:00

One of my favorite Bible stories as a child was the tale of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17. During my trip to Israel, we visited the valley where this story took place. There was no church or plaque to commemorate what happened here, which is why it became one of my favorite sites. Standing at this place, I could still see the Israelites and Philistines on either side of the valley while David threw the pitch of all pitches.

Video from David & Goliath Site:

Until my trip I had always envisioned the stone David threw as a tiny stone like what I skip in the mountains, certainly not a rock the size of a softball. No wonder Goliath fell over!

However, as I have reflected on this story, reading it several times over, I think that the size of the stone had nothing to do with David's victory. Instead, the victory happened all because of a particular name - the Name of the Lord.

In 1 Samuel 17:45 David proclaims a powerful word when he says "You (Goliath & rest of Philistines) come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied."

When I read this passage, my mind was drawn to another story, one that is becoming a favorite, as I'm currently a child in ministry: Acts 3- The Healing of the Crippled Beggar. Like David, Peter and John used the same power to heal, the name of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the fulfillment of God's promises from Genesis to Revelation and it is through him that we have a right relationship with God.

The question that God has convicted me of is "Whose power do I daily rely on in ministry and life?"

David, Peter and John are heroes of our faith not because of power that they had in and of themselves, but because they lived everyday relying on God's power to work through them to impact people.

Today I challenge you to ask God where or to whom He would have you to go and offer spiritual healing in the name of Jesus Christ. Know that if you have a relationship with Jesus Christ that the Lord Almighty now lives and works in you. Don't waste the "today" that God has given you to impact and influence people for His Name.

Oh God, by Your Name work in us today to reach this dying world with your Gospel.

Announcing the Newest & Coolest site.

2009-02-26T19:19:00.001-06:00

As you can see, we're no professionals when it comes to video recording, but we hope you'll check this out anyway...

Looking forward to sharing this journey with y'all.

Our Wedding Blog Link: http://mattandsarahbrick.blogspot.com/

Always,
Matt and Sarah

The Parents and Parades....

2009-02-20T22:50:00.008-06:00

The Mardi Gras/Carnival season has wrapped up for another year. This year saw the largest crowds since Katrina. This is such a fun time to be in New Orleans. While Mardi Gras and Bourbon Street are often synonymous, the French Quarter is not the only place in the city to find Mardi Gras action. Outside the Quarter, there are much more family friendly activities to be involved in. This year Sarah and I hosted my parents for five days of parades and fun. I wanted to post some photos so you can see what Mardi Gras looks like.

Crawfish boils are common during this season. Dad loved them. Mom ... not so much.

Beginning of Endymion Parade

Formula for TONS beads: Arms Raised + Dancing + Screaming

End of Endymion Parade
This parade had the best floats and throws the most beads

Sarah and I with our bling.

Dad was ready to party after grilling three boxes of burgers for Vintage's Mardi Gras Outreach.

He stepped right in to help where to meet a need.

Mom also partied like a rock star on Sunday after floating around to assist in many different areas. Both my parents have a tremendous heart for serving God by loving people. I know where I get desire to serve from.

This was the aftermath of three parades on Sunday.

9 parades in 5 days = We're exhausted!

One of A Kind...

2009-02-19T23:22:00.004-06:00

New Orleans is currently in the middle of carnival season, which is such a fun time to be here.

Tons of people line the streets for parades every night for a week and a half. My parents have actually come down to enjoy the 2009 festivities.

Tonight I write this as a conquering stud of Muses.

Muses is one of the big parades on the Thursday night before Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras Day). Muses is an all girl parade. The prize possession from Muses are hand decorated shoes from the ladies. There are a very small number and each are one of a kind. My mission when I went on Thursday was to get one for my one of a kind girl.

After tons of beads and losing my voice from screaming.... Mission Accomplished!!!!!!!!!!!

Sarah is now living in NOLA and we have fallen even more in love over the past month.
This picture is from Valentine's Night.
Doesn't see look amazingly beautiful?

If you read this post you should also email Sarah to make her blush: semonday@gmail.com

Love you Sweetheart

If we only knew....

2009-02-05T19:17:00.007-06:00

Over the past year @ 6:15am every Wednesday morning a few men from Vintage have gathered to pray. Personally this time has created an accountability in my life to be more devoted to interceding for the city of New Orleans. Through these weekly meetings God has burdened my heart for people, which just leads me back to my knees almost as soon as I have risen. God is starting to move in our hearts and launch something that we can't take one bit of credit for. I write this blog because I want to share part of the time that we had this past Wednesday.

Instead of giving them a devotional challenge like normal, I simply asked them to divide a sheet of paper into two halves.

Side 1: Who the Lost are...
Side 2: Who the Saved are...

What I learned preparing for this week was that to truly be burdened for lost people requires that we as Christians fully grasp what a person is (their state) without Christ. Since I became a Christian at the age of 9 this is a difficult task for me, as it probably is for you. Right now I encourage you make two halves on a sheet of paper and read Ephesians 2. This passage clearly communicates each, as you read make a list.

Ephesians 2
Made Alive in Christ
1As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

One in Christ
11Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men)— 12remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.

14For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

19Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, 20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Now take 10 minutes and think about just one person in your life (work, school, family, friend or neighborhood) that needs some prayer today. Then go share with them today about how there is a God that is rich in mercy and abounding in love. He sent Jesus to earth, where he lived, died and rose again. Now we can have forgiveness of our sins and be made alive with Christ. (Eph. 2:4-7)

This is the good news from God. I pray that you accept it and allow it to compel you in your mission field today.

Mount of Beatitudes

2009-01-16T16:19:00.004-06:00

2,000 years ago in Galilee the greatest sermon ever preached was preached by a man named Jesus of Nazareth. On a beautiful hillside, over looking the Sea of Galilee. this Sermon is recorded in Matthew 5-7.

I shot my first video on this site. As you will see I'm not a professional.

From this hill side you could see the "city on a hill" referenced in Matthew 5:13-16. It was at this place that the fact that I was actually in the place where Jesus walked, talked and healed finally set in. He did so much ministry in such a short span of time. I pray that all of us will have as productive of a year as He did.

"When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law." Matthew 7:28-29

Many Israel Lessons

2009-01-13T15:23:00.004-06:00

There are numerous lessons that I learned while I journeyed around Israel. I will use my blog to share these with you. I have many pictures and video that I look forward to posting as I reprocess through my notes and thoughts.

Lesson #1: Difference in Coffee

I met Craig on this trip, he's a pastor in Alabama. He offered to buy me a cup of coffee one day in Aroma Espresso Bar, like Starbucks in America. He ordered two cups of black coffee and we learned a valuable lesson. Turkish coffee is like French Pressed coffee, except there is no press. Both of us took a huge sip before all of the grinds had settled. I had to chew my coffee before I swallowed. From then on, we made sure to specify that we wanted them to put the coffee grind in a filter before pouring our cup.

If you would like to make Turkish Coffee yourself, just put a couple of coffee beans in your mouth and chew them. Then just add some spit and you'll have Turkish Coffee.

Day 10: Having a blast....

2009-01-10T09:39:00.003-06:00

Some pictures from the day:

My friend Vaughn and me riding a camel on the Mt. of Olives, this would be painful for a long distance trip.

Genesis 22:4 tells us that Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place where to sacrifice Issac from afar, Mt. Moriah. This is the view that he had of Jerusalem in this verse. The Dome of the Rock marks the place. My original view of Jerusalem was also from this spot on night 7.

2,000 year old olive tree in Gethsemane where Jesus prays for one hour before going to the cross.

Visited the tomb today, but no on was home. He is Risen indeed!!!

The Eastern Gate is on the right. When Jesus comes again he will enter this gate, which has always been closed. Tony Merida believes He will then go and kick off the Dome of the Rock like a football. It'll be game time for the conquering King of Kings!

Jesus' death on a cross defeated evil.

Day 9: Amazing Day, in a different way

2009-01-09T13:08:00.006-06:00

Today we saw two main sites that were very humbling.

We started the day @ the Holocaust Museum which was so saddening to see the horrible things that were done to people. One fact to share with you. The population of Jews in Israel today is 6 million people, this is the number of Jews killed in the Holocaust. As we walked through this memorial, the joyous thing to see was the way God worked through people. Many even sacrificed their own life so that others might live. (I was not allowed to take pictures)

The second site was probably a good candidate for the highlight of the day. We visited Caiaphas' house, who was the high priest. Jesus spoke out about the way in which they were using their work in the name of God to abuse widows and poor so that they could get richer. We saw several houses today from the religious leaders in that day and they were mansions. The Gospels record that Jesus confronted and condemned them, which is why they decided to get rid of their little problem.

Arrested in Gethsemane Jesus is then led to Caiaphas' house. Until today I never really knew how far of a distance this was. In the picture to the left my head is under the Garden of Gethsemane, where I'm standing is an overlook at Caiaphas' house. As I stood there I could only imagine the things that were done to Jesus while he was led away.

I also wondered what went through Jesus' head. My best guess is that He did a lot of praying. Tony Merida showed us today that Jesus' ministry was marked by constant prayer with the Father.

I walked down the exact same stairs that Jesus walked up to enter the part of the house where He was mocked and beaten.

Caiaphas' house also had a dungeon where Jesus was held that night. This was a deep hole in the rock, like a cistern. Jesus would have just been thrown into this place after he had been beaten to await the time when the religious leaders would take him to Pilate.

I also saw the room where Jesus was flogged that night. Paul and John where also possibly held in this area, or at least one like it, in Acts 4. The next day they powerfully proclaim: "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

Finally, today I got a chance to stand in a very special place. The location where the upper room was located is now a church (go figure). But below are still the first century walls of a synagogue which is where the disciples worshiped after the Resurrection. Around this place is also believed to be the place where Peter preached on the day of Pentecost in Acts 3:14-41. The stones in the picture below were there when the church started about 2,000 years ago.
Everyone of our churches today are a continuation of these men and women that fearless proclaimed the message of the risen Savior, Jesus Christ. The early church leaders took the Gospel to the ends of the earth no matter the cost, hopefully we, the church today, will do the same in 2009. May all the nations praise God! (Ps. 67)

Day 8: Walking through the Holy City

2009-01-08T12:42:00.009-06:00

Well, here are some pics from my day in Jerusalem.

The Dome of the Rock

This is looking eastward. The left side of the picture is the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane. The road you see would be where Jesus made his triumph entry on Palm Sunday. When He comes the second time this is where He will come to and enter Jerusalem. He'll come as our King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

We walked the stages of the Via Dolorosa. Some of the places are not the actual site, just churches build to remember a certain stage. One that is for certain is the place where Jesus stood before Pilate and was tortured by the Roman Soldiers. This was a special place that we walked down under the city and visited. In the picture I'm knelt on the original stone that Jesus stood on before Pilate. It was here that Jesus being fully God silently stood while they beat and tortured him, like a sheep before her shearers (Is. 53:7). The Roman Soldiers actually played a game called the King's Game to decide what to do to him next. This game is still visible in the stone and includes everything mentioned in scripture.

For Jews today the Wailing Wall is the most important place in the entire world. The temple is not standing, but there is a several hundred foot stretch of the western wall of the original temple mount still available to come and pray at. Behind this wall was where the Holy of Holies use to be located. In the picture the Temple would have been in the top left corner.
For them to pray here is to be as close to God as possible. Today I stood here and watched many men cry out to God to send the Messiah with tears coming down their face. Some pressed their faces into the wall, others read scripture while others wept for deliverance.

As I watched this my heart broke like Christ's heart broke for the city which is full of people still waiting on the Savior. God has delivered us, through a man named Jesus. He was the Christ (God's anointed one) sent from God to pay the price. I spent time asking God to open their eyes and bring the entire country of Israel to salvation.

I also wrote a prayer and put it in the wall. These papers are cleaned out periodically and buried in the Mount of Olives.

The sadness was combined with joy as several young boys were celebrating their Bar Mitzeah. They are becoming a man which means they now get a copy of the Torah to read. It looks like a beast to carry. I'm glad we have thin line editions.

Dr. Kelly share an amazing point with me the other day that came very clear today. Christianity does not hinge on a particular place, but a specific word... The Word of God. Places change, but God's Word stays the same. I understand this more after seeing the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This is the site of Calvary, but sadly it has an ugly idolatrous church over it with hideous images all over the inside and in scent burning. We had to stand in a line to reach our hand down on the rock where the cross was place and then were rushed out. I stood in the tomb for about two minutes before I was asked to step back out. One of the most specialist places in human history is not worshipful or reflective at all. This was disappointing.

Tomorrow we will travel to more places in Jerusalem. But the prayer for tonight is that the Praises of God would echo throughout this land that Jesus Christ Saves!!!! (Ps. 67)

Day 7: We are in Jerusalem....

2009-01-07T10:26:00.003-06:00

It is 6:30pm on Jan 7th and I'm in the hotel less than a mile south of Jerusalem. The excitement I feel is unbelievable. Quick pic, sorry you can't see anything. It's dark, just trust me. Behind me is the Holy city, temple mount, mount of olives, etc. I'm off to dinner and will write more later about the last few days. I've experience amazing stuff.

Day 3: Spent the day in Jesus' mission field....

2009-01-03T14:21:00.012-06:00

Again I write to you from a Kibbutz (hotel) in Galilee. I’m sitting in my spot in the lobby and drinking a cup of Israelite coffee. It’s no Starbucks, but it does the job. I’m really tired after today because we spent the day going to places where the Savior of the World, Jesus Christ walked, lived, ministered and poured himself into to thousands of people. We are staying close to the city of Tiberias. Jesus did most of his ministry on the Northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. It’s amazing to see that Jesus, who is the greatest missionary in the history of the world, worked in such a small territory in comparison to what we try to do today. The lesson I saw was that Christians should seek God’s call for a place, maybe just one part of a city, then plant their life there and devote everything that they have to reaching everyone in that section. It’s the model we see from Jesus.

Today (Saturday) is the Sabbath in Israel. They do as little work as possible. Breakfast was a very lite compared to yesterday. There were several different types of raw fish, I didn’t try any. I just couldn’t bring myself to do that yet. The orange juice here is AMAZING!

First thing on today’s agenda was taking a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. On the way to the ride I climbed a Sycamore tree and saw a boat that they have recovered from the Sea of Galilee that dates to the time of Jesus.

On the boat they played the USA national anthem, I feed the seagulls and some even crapped on Tony Merida. The president of NOBTS, Dr. Kelly and his wife joined us for the day. I sat next to them on the boat. Dr. Kelly is a living hero of the faith and always shares nuggets of truth that are so insightful. We stopped in the middle of the Sea and had a time of devotion, singing and prayer. Then a modern day fisherman tried to catch us some lunch. Sadly, he didn’t catch a single thing.

We docked at Capernaum and loaded our bus headed to a place called the Mount of the Beatitudes. This is the site on which Jesus preached the greatest sermon ever, The Sermon of the Mount. His words are so rich and have such depth that we will probably never grasp the full meaning this side of heaven. I shot a video here so that you all could experience a little of what I did. The connection is low so I will have post it when I get back.

After the Beatitudes (Matt 5:2-11) Jesus talks about a city on the hill (Matt 5:13-16), which you can see the exact one that He was talking about behind you when you are on this mount. Being here changes the way I read this section of scripture now. As a group we prayed the Lord’s Prayer where it was originally prayed. This left me awestruck.

From there we headed to a city called Korazim. I had no idea what this city was before we got there, but after our trip it became so meaningful for me and my ministry. This is a 1st century town that is mentioned in Matthew 11:20-24 (Chorazin). This is a place that Jesus visited and taught at. The people did not repent so Jesus denounces them. I would love to share several important things about our time here. #1- we saw the tree like the one from which Jesus’ crown of thorns was made. This was probably the first time it sunk in that I was where Jesus had been. I touched thorns like the ones that pierced the head of Jesus while He was paying for my sin.

#2- One of the assignments for my class was a group project that we would present for 48 people sometime on the trip. My group was assigned to present at this place. We dressed like the disciples and acted out a skit from Mark 6 when Jesus walked on water. We did this in the same synagogue that Jesus himself taught the citizens of Korazim. Standing in the same place that Jesus had been I debriefed the scripture and applied the text for the people in relation to our trip so far. I basically preached in a place that Jesus himself had over 2,000 years ago. The two other girls also shared other scriptures that related to our lesson and led us in a time of prayer. If I had to pick a highlight of the day, I would probably say this would rank very high.

#3- I sat in a Seat of Moses. In the time of Jesus, the preachers of the day sat down in these chairs when they taught. I sat in the one for the Synagogue in Korazin, with my handlebars still on my face. HA!

Lunch was a Falafel, which is like the Israelite hamburger. It was delicious.

We spent 5 minutes at the place of the feeding of the 5,000. We did this so we could spend the rest of the afternoon at two very important places. The first place was on the shore of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus reinstates Peter one morning after cooking him a fish breakfast. Maybe I should have had some of the fish this morning at breakfast. This encounter is recorded in John 21. One of the pastors on the trip gave a quick devo about this. It was very powerful. I shot a video and will post a blog later on my thoughts from this site and the devotion that was given.

The last stop of the day was at Capernaum. This is a very important city. Jesus grew up in Nazareth, but moved to this city sometime before his ministry. This was his home base from which he launched to minister to people all over the northwest shore. Peter actually had a house here, which is the site of where the men dug through the roof and lowered the paralyzed man which Jesus healed. (Mark 2:1-12) I also sat in the Synagogue in Capernaum which is where Jesus told us that He is the Bread of Life. (John 6:22-59) A majority of his miracles happened in this city. Again I made a video and will post it along with thoughts later.

Today was a big day and I just posted a long Blog. Thanks for reading it because what you are reading is my journaling and fleshing out of what I saw today.

Until tomorrow, live fully in your “today” which you have been given by God.

Day 2: Covered many centuries both BC & AD....

2009-01-02T14:19:00.011-06:00

Greetings from the region of Galilee, as I post this blog it is 10:45pm Jan 2, 2009. I’m sitting in the lobby of our hotel we will be in for the next four nights, a man is playing the piano and I’m very tired.

I arrived in Jerusalem at 5pm on Jan. 1. This was after I enjoyed some food on the plane; most notable is the Kosher Chicken. This didn’t taste any different. At the Airport ee boarded a bus and head south to Beer Sheva. We stayed in a hotel in the Negev desert, which is where the children of Israel wandered for forty years. It was dark so we could see anything. We ate dinner and headed to bed at 10pm. Since I’m a night owl I awoke at 3am and was wide awake. I debated just getting up, but decided to go back to sleep feeling that I might need the rest. I was right. On our first day we cover several centuries in the span of three hours.

I got up and showered at 5:30am, fixed Israelite instant coffee and ate an orange. The sun rose at about 6:30, I walk to a water tower on the hotel campus. The view was stunning; I looked around 365 degrees and saw for the first time a true oasis. The compound where we were staying was surrounded by desert, absolutely nothing. This settlement southeast of Beersheva was the first one of the nation of Israel in 1948. This is when they became a state.

We left at 8 and headed to Tel Arad. Here we saw a Canaanite city. There was also a Biblical Arad, which dates to the 11th Century BC. There was a small Temple here to the God of Israel. Solomon centralized worship in the 10th century BC. I stepped into the Holy of Holies where only the priest worshipped God that close so long ago before the real Temple was built in Jerusalem. WOW! Now, because of Jesus we can all have a face to face encounter with Him, daily.

We left Tel Arad headed to Masada. The route we took was most likely the route that the wise men took after visiting Jesus (Matthew 2:12). See, told you we jumped centuries real quick.

Masada was a huge place in the early church history. Here Jews settled after the Temple was destroyed in 70AD and the Romans set up a siege. This was a huge mountain in the middle of the desert. The Jews ended up committing suicide so that they would not have to be slaves to the Romans. I’ll write more about the importance of this when I get back. We took a chair lift to get up but about ten of us walked the 450 meters back down. WOW! That was my work out for the day.

From there we went to Qumran, which is where they found the Dead Sea Scrolls. We saw cave 11 where they found a complete scroll of Isaiah. It is this scroll that helps solidify the Hebrew Bible, since it was written before the Canonization of the Old Testament. God preserved His word for about 2,000 years and now we have evidence of what we thought for many years.

Last we went to the Dead Sea. As a tourist this was the highlight of my day. I was the only one out of our group of 48 people that took a swim in the Dead Sea. Well, actually I floated because you can not sink in the Dead Sea. There is so much salt. I also took a mud bath, which is what people come from around the world to do. The mud under the water acts as a lotion, really healthy for your skin. My left arm feels so smooth right now. One of the girls shot a video which I will post later, so check back. This was an amazing experience because I’m sure there are many people throughout the history of this region that have done the same thing.

From here we made a 2 hour bus ride to the north where I now sit on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. We had a jam packed day and I’m sure tomorrow will bring more of the same.

I’ll try to post another update tomorrow.