Turning the Corner

I am writing this email today astounded that Labor Day weekend is upon us. What a summer it has been!

Before we turn the corner on this summer, get our kids back to school, launch fall programming, and excitedly welcome back Pastor Brent from Sabbatical, I want to again reiterate my thanks to the entire body of Christ for a wonderful season here at Old North. On behalf of all our pastors and staff, we have greatly appreciated your prayers, attentiveness, support, and encouragement through these summer months. I look back on this summer with fondness and gratitude, as we have linked arms together to advance the gospel and live out our values in the community.

With that said, we are excited to move forward into the fall with more Christ-centered ministry. Sunday mornings will be in full swing beginning on September 9th with the launch of Discipleship University and full programming for our kids. Wednesday evenings will take a new shape, as we not only offer our dynamic AWANA program but expand Discipleship University to parents and adults. Last but certainly not least, we are anticipating Pastor Brent's return from Sabbatical, which brings with it a new Sunday morning teaching series through the book of Hebrews called "Choosing God's Best".

Thanks again for a great summer - I'll see you Sunday morning!

Chris


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Resources for the 21st Century Christian

One of my favorite things to do as a pastor is to share a hot cup of coffee and lively conversation with folks from our church around God's word. A recent conversation brought to light the importance of equipping the church with faithful and helpful resources for growth in Christian maturity.

The discussion centered specifically on resources that would help us establish a Biblical worldview, understand modern apologetics, answer difficult and contemporary objections to Christianity, apply our faith in popular culture, and other similar topics. This blog is one small attempt to help meet this need. A few resources that I have found to be particularly helpful on these issues include:

• "The Reason for God" by Timothy Keller
• "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis
• "The Case for Christ" and "The Case for Faith" by Lee Strobel
• The Gospel Coalition website at www.thegospelcoalition.org

Interestingly enough, The Gospel Coalition posted a blog just last evening from pastor and author Timothy Keller (noted above) entitled, "In Defense of Apologetics". Here's the link if you're interested in the article:

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2012/08/05/in-defense-of-apologetics/

I also touched base with a few of our resident experts at Old North and asked for their recommendations on authors, books, studies, and other relevant resources that would be helpful to our church. Here are some of their favorites:

• "Evidence that Demands a Verdict" by Josh McDowell
• "Christ and Culture Revisited" by D.A. Carson
• "Scaling the Secular City" by J.P Moreland
• Other authors: G.K. Chesterton, Francis Shaeffer, David Wells, Albert Mohler, Chuck Colson, and Ravi Zacharias

These resources should give you a good start in learning about important subjects like apologetics and Christ in popular culture. So take a few minutes this week to grab a coffee, pick up a new book, and dive in to some helpful material.

See you Sunday!

Chris