DeSCendants

"You can't get where you're going, unless you know where you've been."

And so, we've begun a six-week series at Littleton about the history of Churches of Christ. Our history is so rich, but we've been unaware of our past for a variety of reasons.

One reason we've been unaware of our past is because we've denied that we have a history. It's easier to slap an "Established 33 A.D." cornerstone on our buildings and pretend that we restored New Testament Christianity without any other influences.

But we have a wealth of influences that brought our movement to its beginnings in the early 19th century.

Did you know two guys by the name of Glas and Sandeman, who were Scottish Congregationalists, believed in the plurality of elders and weekly communion? And the Campbells just happened to know them back in Scotland.

Did you know that Glas believed that Scripture is the only rule for Christian beliefs and practices?

Did you know that two brothers, James and Robert Haldane, sought to restore New Testament practices, the immersion of adult believers, and congregational autonomy? The Haldanes were Alexander Campbell’s teachers.

Did you know that the Puritans had a controversy over whether new hymns should be introduced and if it was ok to print music? In fact, those who are frustrated at the lack of musical notations on songs displayed on screens in our worship services might be surprised that Alexander Campbell himself would be their biggest detractor. He argued strongly that musical notes should never be included with the words of our hymns because they detracted from spiritual worship.

Many of our most basic beliefs – our emphasis on Scripture, our rejection of predestination, our emphasis on congregational rule by elders and congregational autonomy – all have precedents in the Reformed thought of the 16^th and 17^th centuries.

Which means that believing Churches of Christ discovered the ancient way of things is equivalent to our generation claiming to have discovered grace. It’s arrogant and shortsighted.

I'm excited about what this study will do for Littleton and what it has the capacity to do for Churches of Christ across the United States.
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Below is a link to a preview of the 1st video Kent Rogers put together for our series. We've got a video for each of the six weeks in this series. Great work, Kent!

https://vimeo.com/69854778

The Most Transformative Part of Preaching

I wouldn't be the disciple I am today were if not for being a preacher.

And that statement isn't a judgment about preachers being more holy than other Christians. Preachers know they aren't the best disciples in their congregation. Instead, it's a confession about who I would be without the structure preaching brings to my life.

I need the weekly rhythm of studying Scripture and listening to God on behalf of my congregation. I need the positive peer pressure that accountable Christian leadership brings to my life.

I would be a much worse person were it not for God's call on my life to preaching.

But what has transformed my life most as a preacher isn't what you think it might be.
-It's not the hours of prayer, though that would change anyone.
-It's not the hours of study, though I'm grateful for knowing the Bible.
-It's not the hours of elders' meetings...which needs no explanation.

What has changed me most is the daily Front-Row seat I get each day to the awful tragedies that occur in the lives of people in my church and my community.

I see the pain of couples who have experienced an affair.
I see the pain of parents who lose children to suicide.
I see the pain of widows/widowers who are lost in life without their spouse.
I see the pain of addicts who waste half of their lives to a bottle, a poker table, or a computer screen.

I can't help but hug my wife and tell her I love her after counseling a couple that is struggling to find their love for one another again. I can't help but squeeze my kids a little tighter after the funeral of a 17-year old child. I can't help but call my parents and express my appreciation for the way they raised me after hearing addicts explain that their addiction started as a way to numb the pain of their father's abuse or their mother's neglect.

And I'm starting to realize that I get those reminders much more often than others do.

Our culture teaches us to hide from the pain of others.

But I would encourage you to:
-Attend more funerals. Funerals change your outlook on life.
-Visit people in hospitals. Hospitals change your outlook on health.
-Comfort friends who are going through divorce. Divorce changes your outlook on marriage.
-Walk beside friends with addictions. Addictions change your outlook on the value of moderation.

Each of these activities are part of my job description. And without them, I would look much less like Jesus.

Some preachers need to preach. Otherwise, we might not be disciples of Jesus at all.

Man Trip to Nebraska

Maddox and I took at man trip to Nebraska this past week.

I was the theme speaker at SoulQuest, a Church of Christ youth camp at York College in York, NE. The theme for the week was "Unmasked." Andy Spell led a packed house of 600 teens in worship. It was a powerful week of transformation and fun. SoulQuest is the highlight of the summer for most of our teens from Littleton.

Several students made the decision to commit their lives to God through baptism. Many others recommitted their lives and made a decision to live life without their "masks" on.

After my chapel talk, Maddox and I took daily adventures throughout Nebraska.

On Monday, we played golf at York Country Club. It was the most fun I've ever had on the golf course. I imagine there will be many more days of golf between the two of us. In the words of Maddox,  "I beat you because I got more points than you did!"

 On Tuesday, we went to Omaha's zoo. Make sure and go there if you're ever near Omaha. After several hours at the zoo, Maddox and I went to Rosenblatt Stadium (former site of the College World Series) and T.D. Ameritrade Park (new home of the College World Series).

On Wednesday, we went to Lincoln to tour Memorial Stadium at the University of Nebraska. We decided to leave our burnt orange in our suitcases. We saw 5 National Championship trophies and 3 Heisman trophies. And Maddox was cute enough to get a lady to take us on the field.

We also sneaked in a couple of rounds of miniature golf while we were in Lincoln. Maddox "beat" me again.

On Thursday, we stayed in York and swam at the hotel pool. And Friday we made the drive back home. We were so ready to see mommy and Addison!

It was a great week! God did great things among the teens.

Man Trip #1 is in the books.

Addison - 2 Years

Dear Addison,

Perhaps there will be a day you'll read these words I wrote to you on your 2nd birthday. My blogs have likely done their share of harm over the years, but I pray this blog will do nothing but bless you.

Two years.

731 days of your fearless, smiling face breaking down my defenses. You have changed me.

Your brother, Maddox, is just like me. He's careful, calculating, and clean.
You, my dear. You are none of those things. You are daring, fearless, playful, and a daredevil.

Apparently, our family isn't concerned about gender stereotypes. Your mom, dad, brother, and you destroy every expectation one could have about gender.

I didn't know if there was any way my heart could expand to have love for another child after Maddox. But you have blown open a part of my heart I never knew existed.

You are daddy's little girl. It will be a few years before you learn to fully exploit the way you have me wrapped around your finger. Once you figure that out, don't misuse that gift.

I want to protect you from the world. I want to protect you from having your heart broken. I want to walk arm-in-arm with you through the world. I can't stand the thought of the ridiculous drama of middle school girls and the insignificant high school boys you will have crushes on.

I'm beginning to realize I won't be able to protect you from all of that.

But there are a few things I will continue to do for you:

-I'll pray for you every day. I want you to know that daddy is a prayer warrior on your behalf.

-I'll dance with you. Mommy doesn't like me to dance in public and you won't one day either, but until then, let's dance as often as we possibly can.

-I'll take you on date nights. I'll teach you how a real woman should be treated, so you don't make the mistake of giving your heart to guys who don't know how to treat you well.

-I'm so glad that we are part of a church that chooses to affirm the giftedness of women. You don't fit gender stereotypes, and I'm glad you'll grow up with other Christians who refuse to allow your gender to predetermine your usefulness to the church.

-I'll encourage you to dream big and change the world beyond my comfort level. Don't let your fear of what your mother and I might think, limit what you are willing to dream and do for God's kingdom.

I can't wait to see you grow up.

But don't rush it. Let's cherish every day.

I love you Addison! Happy Birthday, my love!

The Latest

 It's been a busy couple of weeks for the Packer family. During the first week of May, Holly and the kids went to Dallas while I attended the Pepperdine Bible Lectures. It was a wonderful week to catch up with close friends in a beautiful location.
 
 The theme for this year's lectures was "Can I Get a Witness?" All week, there were powerful keynotes focused on the Book of Revelation. Mike Cope and Rick Gibson did a wonderful job leading their first lectures. It was a powerful week.

 I even got to teach two classes about Jesus, "The Most Interesting Man in the World," which was a lot of fun.

 Last week, I joined Holly and the kids for a week in Dallas with family. I got to meet my nephew, Luke, for the first time. Clark and Lara (my brother & sister-in-law) are doing an awesome job.
 
 We had a blast. I played golf with my dad and brother. And Maddox had us dress up to play basketball together. It was a well played game, but Maddox won with a record of 3-0.
 
 We're back in Denver and the weather is finally more like spring. We're hoping we've seen our last snow until the Fall.

 Nothing is brewing on the blog front. Some seasons are just dryer than others.

 But I'm very excited about a couple of sermon series I have coming up. More to come on that. God is good! It's a fun season of life for our family!

#90daysthroughtheBible

On my journey through Scripture, I tweeted my way through it's pages with the hashtag: #90daysthroughtheBible.

Just for fun, here's a compilation of those tweets:

Do you know what gives me hope for my family? Reading about the families in Genesis. Wow!

God tells the Israelites to celebrate the Passover before he ever passes over. This God got game.

God has attention for details. How did Jewish children memorize the entire Torah?

I'm too much of a wimp to be a Levitical Priest. I don't think I could wring a bird's neck & kill animals all day.

If you haven't read the entire Bible, you underestimate how much God talks about bodily discharges.

I'm in that stage of the Bible where I'm tired of him taking land from people & killing them.

"In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit." Does the church know who our king is?

Elisha seems to be great at magic tricks. I am not so good at magic tricks. Elisha 1, Collin 0.

Read Nahum before you read Jonah. Then, you might be a little more understanding of Jonah.

Humans tend to settle for false, flattering descriptions of reality over true, unflattering ones.

It's not always a good thing when you hear, "Then you will know I am the LORD your God."

Job's friends did their best ministry when they sat beside Job in silence. Silence is golden!

After 70 days of reading the Old Testament, I finally read about the one it all points to. It's good news people!

"Jesus preached about the kingdom of heaven from that time on..." Is that the message in your church?

My Journey Through the Bible in 90 Days

Over the first 90 days of 2013, Holly and I read through the entire Bible. It's the first time either of us has read through Scripture within a calendar year. It was a great spiritual discipline for us to commit to together.

One "Bucket List" item crossed off!

What were my impressions?

-Overall, it was a pretty good read.
-I know it's cool to have your name in the Bible, but could we shorten a few of those genealogies?
-It's longer than your average novel. Plan accordingly.
-These people are a mess!
-I'd like to walk through the Red Sea. Anyone want to join me?
-I like that Jesus guy!

Seriously...it was a transformative 3 months.

My more serious takeaways...

-God refuses to give up on his children. He goes to lengths he probably shouldn't in order to be in relationship with us. God will never love you any more or any less than he does right now.

-It's really hard for humans to follow the commands of God. I didn't even need to read the Bible to understand that principle, but the Bible certainly made me feel better about my struggle to obey.

-On the other hand, sin is a really big deal. Like, a REALLY big deal! And I don't think God's trying to steal our fun by his words concerning sin. It's more like he's tired of how we hurt ourselves in our journeys into sin.

-Scripture doesn't seem to rank sin in the same order that we do. Churched people tend to focus on sexual sin. And while sexual sin is a prevalent theme, God seems quite concerned about how we treat our neighbors. And he seems especially concerned about how we treat the poor.

-I like Jesus. I know I'm paid to say things like that, but I really like him! And I believe more than ever that people who haven't committed their lives to God would like Jesus also. That makes evangelism much less of a dread than I have sometimes imagined. It's Good News...remember!

-And finally, history is headed somewhere. God had a plan that he has set in motion from the beginning. And while humans tend to foil his plot, he's also choosing to partner with us in his restoration of all things.

I'm glad I read the Bible. It's good to know what I've been preaching all of these years (just kidding!).

"The Bible" is not just a 5-week miniseries on the History Channel. And if you liked that series, let me suggest you try the book it was based on. It's available in your local bookstore.

And if it takes you more than 90 days to read it, no worries. It took me almost 3 decades!