“…My peers and I were among the first ones to experience grade inflation, where we got A’s for excavating our feelings and “doing our best” at calculus. We were among the first to be programmed for self-esteem, as we learned that having a pulse made us wonderfully special. For as long as we can remember, we’ve been destined for superstardom. Some of us have been prepped for elite schooling since before we could use the potty, and we’ve been on the traveling soccer teams before we knew not to touch the ball with our hands. We’ve been stuffed full of praise for mediocrity and had our foibles diagnosed away with hyphenated jargon and pop psychology.
It’s no wonder we expect people to affirm us for everything, criticize us for nothing, and pay us for anything we want to do.” -Kevin DeYoung, Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will

DeYoung nails it. If you haven’t read this book, you should. In the age of the adultolescent DeYoung’s advice is sage, and his voice should be heard amidst and above the pseudo-spiritual ramblings of some/many popular Christian authors.

Check out Tyson’s blog here: http://heytyson.blogspot.com

One of my new favorite theologians is Stanley Hauerwas. Although he is not a fan of the title, he was named the Best Theologian in America by Time in 2001. In this clip he discusses his thoughts on the healthcare debate, but midway through makes a thought provoking statement about how we educate our nation’s Doctors vs. how we educate our pastors.

The whole thing is interesting, but be sure to hear what he says from minutes 1:30-3:00.

What do you think? Valid argument or not?

Interested in these conversations and want to get updates as they are posted? Subscribe by RSS here or receive email updates here.

Like the new font in the header? It can be yours! Our very talented friend Kyle Steed has released his much celebrated font called Clumsy. It is available for free, and donations are accepted (highly recommend donating something!)

Check it out here:

http://clumsy.kylesteed.com

In no particular order:

• The Pope
• Church Elders
• Scripture
• Your interpretation of Scripture
• Creeds & Confessions

Please rank 1 for highest authority over your life, and 5 for lowest authority over your life. I’ll share my rankings soon, but I’d love to hear yours for now, however informed or uninformed you feel.

1. Change in Direction – An update on my job change

2. Our One Hope Wallpaper - A wallpaper I designed based on a great quote

3. Field Notes – A quick look at one of the products I love

Thanks for reading!

A couple weeks ago I was able to write a guest post on a friend’s blog. If you are into design, art or fun, you should head on over to Erin McCabe’s blog Oh and The World Spins Madly On.

Oh and you can read my post here.

In his regular Q&A, John Piper was asked if he had any words of caution for the “New Reformed” movement that has become more and more popular of late, especially in the younger circles. In his answer (available here) he makes the following observations:

On the dangers of the contemporary worship awakening:

The danger of the contemporary worship awakening is that we love loving God more than we love God.

On the dangers of the new reformed movement:

The danger of the New Reformed movement is making theology God instead of God God. Loving doing theology rather than loving God.

A great reminder of the dangers of each extreme. Thanks to @lukesammons for the link!

“Our belief is that one day history and hope will be on the same page.”

Dr. Kreider*, Dallas Theological Seminary

Download here:

Our One Hope – 1920×1200 (jpeg)

*at least I think that’s where it’s from? Thanks to @masonking and @haleytranum for sharing the quote!

Why Change?

Before I even talk through the timeline of events or the end result, I do want to say a few things about my previous position with Young Life:

1. I have never worked for or with a better group of people in my life. If I had things my way, I would bring everyone from Richardson Area Young Life along with me wherever I go. Even though that won’t happen, I am very excited to stay in Dallas and continue to grow the relationships we have formed over the past several years with Young Life.
2. I love the mission of Young Life, especially the way I have seen it played out in Richardson. I plan to continue being involved in one way or another as long as we are around.

That being said, Vivien and I have never thought of Young Life as the job I was cut out for. Starting in late May, we were given the freedom to take some time to think through what I would be excited about pursuing, and the confidence to know that WyldLife would be left in good hands if I were too leave.

Narrowing the Search

It was not always clear what position I was looking for, but after talking things through with Vivien, we began getting excited about two paths. One was returning to a Teaching career, and the other was pursuing Pastoral ministry. After meeting with several pastors at The Village, we became even more excited about the idea of pursuing a full-time teaching job and looking for opportunities to gain Pastoral experience on the side. As a result of some of these meetings, I was forwarded an email from Coram Deo Academy about a part-time 8th History & Bible position. Even though it was part-time, we decided it was worthwhile to apply. Decision. Of. The. Year.

The Perfect Fit

The day before I went in for a formal interview, I took part in a phone interview where I mentioned my desire to land a full-time job. At the time there seemed to only be a part-time opening, but we decided that it was best to go forward with the interview either way. The next morning, towards the end of the actual interview, I was presented with a plan the hiring committee put together to provide a full-time position for me. Later in the interview I was told more about the school’s great philosophy, schedule and academic reputation. In a nutshell, here is what I will be doing:

• Teach 8th Grade History & Bible, 7th Grade Life Science and 12th Grade Apologetics
• Coram Deo is on a college schedule, with class sessions each meeting twice a week
• I will only be teaching Monday-Thursday

What Will I do with Fridays?

Several things, but I am especially excited about:

• Working more with Vivien Ly Designs
• Studying towards my M.A.R. at RTS
• Serving with a pastor/department at The Village Church
• Creating fun side projects like the Nicene Creed Devo
• Toying with things I enjoy (WordPress, Illustrator, etc)
• Visiting my wife and friends!
• Pursuing speaking opportunities

So that’s where we are right now. I finish officially with Young Life on July 31st and start reporting to Coram Deo in early August. Thanks so much for all the prayers, ideas and encouragement along the way, Viv and I both appreciate you guys!