Author: Jonathan Dodson

Moving into Four Bars on 6th…

A couple months ago things looked pretty bad for our kids space on 6th St. We lost space in our current facility/bar/venue The Parish and had to scramble to find a new location. This test of faith has led to a great providence. It appears that our influence on 6th will extend beyond one bar to four, from The Parish to both sides of 6th!

Today I met with the owner of Friends, the new location for our Kids Life ministry. As it turns out, his family owns two more bars on 6th (Cheers and Agave). He’s totally supportive of Austin City Life and has opened the door for us to do gigs there. This comes at a great time in the life of our church. We are increasing in missional fervor.

Nate Navarro will soon be booking monthly gigs at the Parish. It is our hope that we can contribute to the revitalization of 6th St as a live music scene (not just a college scene), through playing and booking great music, by creating good culture in service of our great King. We also want to up the missional presence on 6th throughout the week from intentional bookings to work with the homeless to transformation of the broken.

Doors seem to be flying open. If you’ve had significant experience in this kind of ministry and want to lend us some ideas or advice, please feel free. We covet your prayers for the redemption and renewal of peoples and cultures in one of the darkest places in Austin.

Music for the Media Gorged

Matt Johnson is doing a nice series on how we should listen to music called Music for the Media Gorged. In addition to providing good advice on appreciating music, Matt is offering us a great example of thoughtful cultural engagement. Plus, the books he refers to are good!

Marriage Resources

Here are some new and old great marriage resources:

BOOKS

What Did You Expect? Paul Tripp – A to Z gospel guidance on the whole gamut of marriage

This Momentary Marriage John Piper – setting your marriage in the larger context of the glory of God and the mission of the church

Love that Lasts Riccucis – marital wisdom for a lifetime. The Riccucis are transparent and helpful.

Sacred Marriage Gary Thomas – marriage as transformation

The Mystery of Marriage Mike Mason – an inspiring, philosophical reflections on marriage that show us it is more than we have imagined!

ARTICLES

“First Year Off” (of marriage)

“How Do Husbands Love Wives?”

“Marriage: Cynicism and Idolatry”

Richard Lovelace on What to Preach

I had been preparing to transition from a series called The Gospel and the Gospel to a new series on The Apostles Creed. I had done some preparation, broken down the summer preaching schedule, and begun to read several books on the topic. However, I sensed the Spirit directing me away from this. Not convenient. With one sermon on baptism between the series, I didn’t have a lot of time to make my decisi0n—go with Apostles Creed or follow these promptings. Despite the difficulty I chose the latter.

Dynamics of Spiritual Life

Richard Lovelace helped me make this decision. I had the great fortune of taking two classes from Lovelace before he retired from teaching as emeritus professor at Gordon-Conwell. If you haven’t read his opus Dynamics of Spiritual Life, order it today (and try to read it before finishing your second year of church planting). It is a historical, systematic theology of church and personal renewal rooted in Edwardsian theology. Lovelace had a profound effect on my approach to the Christian life. While debating which direction to go with the sermon series, I picked up Dynamics again and read the following:

Spirit-led Sermon Selection

What is true of the Holy Spirit’s role in the counseling procedure is equally important in the pulpit and teaching ministry of the pastor direct toward the whole congregation. If it is difficult to do spiritual surgery in the life of one parishioner in the counseling situation, its even more difficult to take aim at the spiritual needs of a group without explicit direction form the Holy Spirit. Many texts and many sermons may be appropriate in a general way to congregational needs, but the pastor who is working for congregational renewal will learn not to fix on any of these possibilities prematurely, until the quiet imprimatur of the Holy Spirit’s direction illuminates the thrust and strategy which his most strategic for spiritual release.

May we not cease to wait for the imprimpatur of the Spirit as we pastor his people.