Redskins 36, Jaguars 30

It was a back-and-forth, schoolyard affair, the kind that Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Byron Leftwich played in the streets of Washington, D.C., growing up. In the end, it was Leftwich's former mentor, Mark Brunell, who outlasted his former team, and it was Santana Moss who led the Redskins to a 36-30 overtime win over the Jaguars.
Source: http://www.redskins.com/gameday/

Redskins 31, Texans 15

At 0-2, the Redskins entered Sunday's game at Houston looking to establish an offensive identity. Clinton Portis was back in the lineup, and they found their identity in a dominating ground game.

The Redskins defeated the Houston Texans 31-15 in dominating fashion. The offense compiled 235 rushing yards and averaged 5.9 yards per run. Portis led the way, rushing for 86 yards on 16 carries, plus two touchdowns. Ladell Betts topped Portis with 124 yards on 16 carries.

Source: http://www.redskins.com/gameday/

New House Church Video

This is a new video from House2House and Karis Publishing, with clips from their interviews with many of the men and women who have pioneered the house church in the US and beyond.

Right click here to save the video to share with your family and friends.

Redskins Sunday night matchup at Dallas

Sunday night's Redskins-Cowboys matchup marks the 93rd time the two clubs have played since their storied rivalry began in 1960. The two teams have played at least twice a year each regular season since 1961, with the exception of the strike-shortened 1982 season. The Redskins won both games in the 2005 season. In Week 2 of 2005, the Redskins orchestrated a memorable come-from-behind victory, as Mark Brunell found Santana Moss for two touchdown passes late in the fourth quarter and the Redskins won 14-13. It was the Redskins' first victory at Texas Stadium since 1995.

An Army of Ordinary People

My family will be attending the 2006 Central Florida House Church Conference sponsored by House 2 House ministries (click here to visit www.house2house.com). The theme of this years conference is "An Army of Ordinary People". We will be hearing about how God is using ordinary people to start churches in their own communities around the world. I know of at least two other families that my family fellowships with from time to time that will be attending. We are looking forward to a great weekend of fellowship and praying that God will use this weekend to help us to continue to see His will for our lives. I will post an post-conference report next week. You can find out more about this conference online here: www.anarmy.com.

Andrea Yates' Husband is Guilty!

Andrea Yates is guilty of killing her kids, we all know she did that. But we also know that she was mentally ill, her husband knew she was mentally ill, and I believe her husband is also guilty because he actually contributed to making her mental illness even worse, he should be held accountable for endargering his children. His one of those religious idiots who thinks mental illness is simply and issue with sin that can be prayed away.

These are the warning signs he had available to him, as reported in The New York Times:

• his wife's suicide attempt in June, 1999, about 6 months after the birth of her fourth child (diagnosis: post-partum psychosis and depression )
• signs of stress from having to take care of her father, who had Alzheimer's disease
• less than a month later, the husband finds her holding a knife to her neck (she describes hearing voices, she says she had a vision about getting the knife, she says she first had such a vision after the birth of her first child, she had stopped taking her medicine)
• the birth of the couple's fifth child, and also possibly the death of her father, cause additional episodes of depression and psychosis (between March and May she spends four stints at a psychiatric hospital, at one point her physician seeks involuntary commitment because she is catatonic and has scratched bald spots into her head)

Even without knowing anything further, this is not the type of person a rational person would leave five young children with. But the husband's contribution to the tragedy is more causative than just ignoring warning signs:

• the husband, described as "controlling" by one doctor, allows her only "two hours of personal time a week"
• after the birth of their fourth child and his wife's two suicide attempts, he doesn't change the decision with his now obviously mentally ill wife to have as many babies as nature will allowthe decisions to have more children and to home school the children come despite their psychologist's warning that these courses of action would not be in Mrs. Yates' best interest
• at one point during her hospitalizations, the husband puts pressure on her to leave the hospital, claiming that she was 90-95% normal, while she reports 70-75%
• he allows her to be discharged from the hospital for the last time prior to her murdering her children, even though records indicate that at the time she is still depressed and suicidal

A rationally thinking man would not have additional children with a wife who is obviously incapable of caring for even the four they already have. A rationally thinking man would not require the home-schooling of five children on a woman like Andrea Yates without the proper treatment. A rationally thinking man would not leave five young children alone with her.The severely mentally incapacitated state of Andrea Yates meant that decision-making fell by default to her husband, and he made some egregiously bad ones.

Lost Art of "One Anothering"

Here is R. Cody Smith's definition of oneanothering:

one·an·oth·er·ing (wun-e-nuth’er-ing) v. 1. To fulfill New Testament Biblical instructions for Christians regarding activities to be done to, for and with one another. –one·an·oth·ers n.

Meditate through the following list of verses and to try and imagine yourself as part of a group of people who regularly practice the art of "oneanothering".

• Loving one another (John 13:34)
• Forgiving one another (Ephesians 4:32)
• Accepting one another (Romans 15:7)
• Bearing with one another (Ephesians 4:2)
• Being devoted to one another (Romans 12:10)
• Honoring one another (Romans 12:10)
• Greeting one another (2 Corinthians 13:12)
• Being hospitable to one another (1 Peter 4:9)
• Being kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32)
• Sharing with one another (Hebrews 13:16)
• Serving one another (Galatians 5:13)
• Carrying one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2)
• Building up one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
• Encouraging one another daily (Hebrews 3:13)
• Comforting one another (1 Thessalonians)
• Stimulating one another to love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24)
• Instructing one another (Romans 15:14)
• Admonishing one another (Colossians 3:16)
• Praying for one another (James 5:16)
• Confessing your sins to one another (James 5:16)
• Being of the same mind toward one another (Romans 12:16)
• Submitting to one another (Ephesians 5:21)

This list was taken from Authentic Relationships: Discover the Lost Art of "One Anothering" by Wayne and Clay Jacobsen. I ordered a copy of this book this week, and I am looking forward to reading it together with my wife. We just recently finsihed going through Brian Anderson's e-book, House Church, in chapter five he goes through eleven of these "one-another" commands, you can find his e-book online on both the Great Commission House Churches and the Milpitas Bible Fellowship Web sites.

A Christian Home

A Christian website, daily Blog and a ministry dedicated to motherhood, the family and a Christian Home; Offering resources for Men and Women, Bible studies and numerous articles and links for the instruction and encouragement of the family, and referrals to encourage mothers at home.

http://www.achristianhome.org/

Will the real Church please stand up?

The word Church in Scripture is always translated from the greek word "Ekklesia." The word is made up of two words, "ek" which means "out of" and "kaleo" which means "to call." Ekklesia therefore means "called out" and when used with a definite article means "the called out ones." This word has been translated as "church, assembly, congregation, gathering." Thus when Tyndale produced the first English translation of the Bible, he translated the word Ekklesia as "assembly." It is interesting to note that every place in Scripture where the word Church is used, it means the Ekklesia.

The word Ekklesia becomes clearer in the New Testament when it is used with its proper Biblical metaphors. The most common are "the body of Christ," "the bride of Christ," and "the living temple." Unfortunately the word church has become hijacked and comes with many religious connotations, though the most prevalent use denoting a building dedicated to worship with defined leaders and defined roles. Yet I am convinced that its true meaning is and has always been those people who love and follow Jesus Christ.

Source: New Testament Ekklesia

Start Your Day With Infinite Supply

This is from the Infinite Supply for June 27, 2006:

Religion seeks to reform a man; the Cross seeks to crucify him. Religion may fail to bring about the desired result, but the Cross never fails to achieve its end. Mankind will pursue morality, virtue, spirituality, even perform religious works and good deeds, in order to avoid death on a Cross. But there are no wounds, no scars, no evidence of having ever died and been made alive unto God. Either a man has never died, or he has died and been raised again. You cannot fake a resurrection.

If you don't already receive these inspiring daily emails you can subscribe online here.

BB&T Takes a Stand on Eminent Domain

In January BB&T announced that it would not lend money to private developers who want to build on land taken by force from citizens. I wrote the following letter to their corporate office:

I just read in the Washington Times that BB&T will not lend money to developers who plan to build commercial projects on land taken from private citizens through the power of eminent domain. I think this is great!!

I would love to support you by moving my account from Bank of America to BB&T, but need to when you will be opening a branch in Seminole County Florida.

I received an email back from them saying that they didn't have any branches in my area at the time, about two months later I saw a BB&T "coming soon" sign about four blocks down the street from my office.

Friday I will be attending their ribbon cutting ceremony to get more information about moving my accounts from Bank of America to BB&T.

Stay-At-Home Mom's 'Salary' Rises To $134,121

The cost of paying a stay-at-home mom for all the work she does is on the rise. Salary.com said if they got paid, stay-at-home moms would pull down $134,121 this year -- a raise of $2,650 from last year's theoretical salary. This 'salary' is based on a list of job titles that best matched a stay-at-home mom's definition of the work she does. Among them -- in the order of hours spent per week -- are housekeeper, day-care center teacher and cook.

Source: The Associated Press

Most of our jobs provide health benefits along with vacation time, as loving husbands we need to make sure our wives know they are appreciated and give them the "vacation time" they need on a regular basis for "mom time".

My Age Thirty Transition

I celebrated my 30th birthday this past weekend, no one believes me when I tell them I was born on "April Fool's Day". Christ started his earthly ministry at the age of 30. I know that God has been working in my life to prepare me for this new phase of my life, I am not sure what He has in store, but I know that He HAS been working! Please pray that God will continue His work in my life, and that I will be alert to His voice and His leading as I move into this new season in my life.

Brent Davis' Journey

I stumbled upon another blog today that I wanted to share with all of those who visit my blog. It is the blog of Brent Davis, who in November 2005 preached his final sermon as pastor of Ozark Highlands Church and started hosting a New Testament model church in his home. There are many of us who God has called out of the institutional church and has taken us through the "detox" process to teach us about New Testament Church. I would encourage you to bookmark Brent's blog as I have, it is good for us to connect with one another so that we can encourage one another in our journey, even if we are in different parts of the world.

Here is the link to Brent's blog: http://brentdavis.blogspot.com/

The Last Snack

This article by Steve Atkerson and Eric Svendsen of the New Testament Restoration Foundation (www.ntrf.org) should challenge some basic ideas about what goes on in our meetings!

Suppose my wife and I invited you over to our home for supper. What would you think if the only items we served you were a single shot-glass of juice and a tiny fraction of a soda cracker? Would you really consider that a supper? Would it even qualify as a snack? Might you feel disappointed or even deceived?

"Supper" is generally understood to refer to a full meal - enough food to satisfy the appetite. A portion of food that is less than a meal is typically seen as a snack. Considering the way most churches observe the Lord’s Supper (with a sip of juice and a cracker remnant), why is it called a supper? Would it not be better to name it what it honestly has become? To many believers, the Lord’s Supper is not a “supper” at all. It is the Lord’s Appetizer or perhaps the Lord’s Hors D’oeuvres! Did our Lord really intend to launch a memorial snack?

Read the Article Online

Download the Full Article - [Microsoft Word - DOC]

There's No Pulpit Like Home

Some Evangelicals are abandoning megachurches for minichurches--based in their own living rooms

Read more from the Time magazine article online

Christian Heritage Center (CHC) has proclaimed March as House Church Month

To mark the importance of house churches—which have been a part of Christianity since the earliest days following Pentecost—the Christian Heritage Center (CHC) has proclaimed March as House Church Month.

While many view the house church as a modern day phenomena, in reality it dates back to the days of Peter, Paul, and John.

“The house church was one of the primary meeting places used by the church for the first few centuries,” says Greg Humphries, founder of the CHC. “They were there at the beginning and they’re here now. We believe it is important to honor their contribution to the advancement of the Gospel over the past two thousand years.”

Humphries says the New Testament bears out the existence of early house churches.

“There are four verses in particular that mention the church being in somebody’s home,” according to Humphries. “Solomon’s Porch, the synagogues, and the marketplace were all used for evangelism but the meeting place for the believers was in a home. In fact, the very first meeting of the church took place in a house, in the upper room as told in Acts 1.” The Bible shows that the apostle Paul urged believers to “greet the church that is in (Aquila and Priscilla’s) house” (Romans 16:3-5).

One of the early church fathers, Clement of Alexandria, speaks in his writings of a house being used as a place of worship. Likewise, a private house in Dura-Europos (near Baghdad) was excavated in the 1930’s and was found to be used as a Christian meeting place in AD 232, with one small room serving as the baptistery.

Historical references to house churches over the next sixteen-and-a-half centuries are scarce since the movements that met in homes were generally outlawed, but it is known that the Waldensians—a severely persecuted group of believers in the 12th and 13th centuries—met in homes throughout Europe. Also, some early Anabaptists met in the home of Felix Manz, who was martyred before the age of 30 by followers of Ulrich Zwingli, the Swiss reformer.

Today, it is estimated by the Barna Group that there are up to 30,000 house churches in the United States and possibly a million worldwide. One ministry alone in India has planted more than 3,000 house churches numbering some 50,000 believers. It is believed that about 50 million Christians are fellowshipping in homes in China.

Source: http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/s06020076.htm

Two New Essays from David Alan Black

David Alan Black has posted two great new essays on his Web site, "Reformation, Revival, or Restoration?" and "Church as Meetinghouse". I would encourage everyone to not only read these two essays, but to bookmark one of my favorite sections of his Web site, Unleashing the Church.

Dr. Michael Green's Messages About the Church

On February 8th and 9th Dr. Michael Green spoke at the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary chapel services. On Feb. 8th he shares a message about "The Church God Uses" from Acts 11, and on Feb. 9th he shares a great message about "The Leaders God Uses" from Acts 20. You can find these messages online here:

http://www.sebts.edu/chapel/chapelMessages.cfm

Whatever you call it (house church, home church, simple church, family church, relational church, organic church, micro church, biblical church, etc.), the idea is to be faithful to the intent of the original Apostles in our church life. This can be done with any size congregation, meeting at any location as long as the New Testament model is followed instead of the modern day church model. There are many great resources available online to help us learn more about being the Church like God intended.

http://www.unleashingthechurch.com/
http://www.theschoolofchrist.org/
http://www.homediscipleship.org/
http://www.house2house.com/
http://www.lifestream.org/
http://www.ntrf.org/
http://www.visionforumministries.org/sections/ncfic/default.asp

The Theology of Everything

"He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30).

These seven words found in John 3:30 contain the entire mystery of God’s dealings with man from ages past to eternity future. "He [Christ] must increase." All of God’s works are towards this end of increasing Christ. In other words, everything God has done, is doing, and will do is related towards revealing His Son and bringing us into the full-knowledge (epignosis) of Him. The goal is for Christ to have the preeminence in all things, beginning with us individually as disciples, then with the Church, and finally with all creation, "that He may be All in All."

This online workshop is an intensive study that will get you focused on the preeminence of Jesus and help you understand God's Ultimate Purpose for the individual disciple, the Church, and all creation.

The cost is FREE. Each lesson will take 10-15 minutes to complete online, but you may study at your own pace.

Click here to register online!

NFC WILD CARD PLAYOFF

The Redskins have qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1999. As a Wild Card participant and the sixth seed in the NFC, the Redskins will travel to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on Saturday, Jan. 7.

Game time is 4:30 p.m. ET. I will be there in section 334 thanks to my loving wife who got me the tickets!

Back where they belong

For the first time since 1999 and just the second time since 1992, the Redskins are headed to the playoffs. Clinton Portis ran for 112 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-20 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday as Washington (10-6) closed the regular season with its fifth straight win. The Redskins trailed 17-10 at halftime but rallied with three second-half TDs, including both of Portis' scores, to pull out the cliniching victory. Washington will visit Tampa Bay to open the postseason on Saturday, Jan 7.

Source: NFL.com