Tag: Austin City Life

Austin City Life Worship

Posted on June 16, 2009

I’m excited to announce the June 28 release of Austin City Life’s first worship cd One. You can preview the tracks at our ACL MySpace. The mp3s and chord charts will be available around June 28, (perhaps sooner). Keep an eye on the usual places: iTunes, CD Baby, Rhapsody, Noise Trade, and so on. You never know when stuff will leak out 🙂

The EP is a product of worship from a community for a community. Each of our three worship leaders have contributed to this 6 song album, drawing on their unique gifts and artistry to produce songs that don’t quite fit within the usual worship stream. Some of the distinctives include:

  • City focused
  • Gospel-centered
  • Martin Luther on the Spirit
  • High Colossian Christology
  • Ancient hymns to progressive tunes
  • Reflective worship that builds and crescendos
  • Integration of Gospel, Community, and Mission in the song writing

I hope you are compelled to worship  God in all of life through the power of his Spirit in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ through this music. May we lift our voices and our hearts in Christ-cherishing praise all our days.

Deacon Installment

Posted on June 2, 2009

On Sunday, we installed the first deacons of Austin City Life, 5 months after they completed training! Church planting! We introduced them as lead servants in our church who have demonstrated a commitment to the character, theology, and service of deacon. It was a sweet time to reflect on the gospel growth in our church, and to celebrate our deacons commitment.

As I introduced each person, I asked them the following question: “Do you pledge, by God’s grace, to serve this church with the character, faith, and service fitting of a deacon? If so, say ‘I do’”. This question simulateously called each person to sober commitment and to God’s all-sufficient grace in serving the church. I am thrilled to have such fine deacons dedicated to the good of our church, the good of the city, and the glory of God!

Here are the Deacon Resources we used and developed along the way. The newest contribution is the manuscript and outline of what I said during the installment. Hope it helps.

The Gospel in 3 Dimensions

Posted on April 20, 2009

On Sunday we launched a new series called The Gospel and the Gospel as a follow up to our previous series on The Gospel and Character. The gospel is both simple and complex. We affirm that it is simple enough for a child to grasp but complex enough to ponder for all eternity. This new series focuses on some of the complex, doctrinal content of the gospel in order to come to a greater appreciation of its simplicity. In this article, Tim Keller lays out three perspectives on the gospel (Doctrinal, Personal, Social). We have taken his observations and worked them out quite a bit in order to set up a holistic, gospel framework. We use the word “dimensions” instead of “perspectives” to emphasize that each dimension is non-negotiable. If we receive and reflect only one-dimension, we distort both the gospel and our lives. Very often, Christians pick one or two dimensions and end up dishonoring Christ and his gospel. Our hope is that in understanding the fullness of a three-dimensional gospel, we will more profoundly live it out. If you want to grow in your comprehension and reflection of the gospel, I highly recommend that you take advantage of these resources:

Resources on the Resurrection

Posted on April 13, 2009

The resurrection is a vastly under-appreciated part of the Gospel. Here are some great resources that can further your understanding and appreciation of Jesus’ resurrection, some of which I consulted for Sunday’s sermon: The Plausibility of the Resurrection. Asterisks are especially recommended.

Theological

The Resurrection and the Son of God, N.T. Wright

Surprised by Hope, N.T. Wright*

Bible Doctrine, Wayne Grudem

Apologetic

The Case for Christ, Lee Strobel

Reasonable Faith, William Lane Craig

Reason for God, Tim Keller*

Devotional

Living the Resurrection, Eugene Peterson
Resurrection (Truth and Imagination), Alistair McGrath