Mark Driscoll Steps Down From Mars Hill Pulpit

Mark Driscoll Steps Down From Mars Hill Pulpit

Controversial Seattle megachurch founder Mark Driscoll will step down for at least six weeks while church leaders review formal charges lodged by a group of pastors that he abused his power.

The 43-year-old pastor has been under fire in recent months for plagiarism, inappropriate use of church funds and improper behavior toward subordinates.

Returning from vacation Sunday, Driscoll addressed Mars Hill worship services through a pre-recorded message.

"I want to say to my Mars Hill family, past and present, I'm very sorry. I genuinely mean it," Driscoll said in his address. "I'm very sorry for the times I've been angry, short or insensitive. I'm very sorry for anything I've done to distract from our mission by inviting criticism, controversy or negative media attention."

Driscoll said he will not do any outside speaking for the foreseeable future and postpone the publication of his next book.

"I have begun meeting with a professional team of mature Christians who provide wise counsel to help further my personal development and maturity before God and men," Driscoll told the congregation.

Mark DeMoss, an Atlanta public-relations consultant and former adviser to Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, has been brought in to work with the congregation.

DeMoss, who represented the late Jerry Falwell Sr. and now Franklin Graham, said he attended the services in Seattle today on his own expense as Driscoll's friend.

This gay-friendly makeover of the miners' strike is deeply patronising, Telegraph

This gay-friendly makeover of the miners' strike is deeply patronising

 Modern culture is obsessed with the idea of gays giving straights a moral makeover. Apparently gays are really politically switched-on and super-fashionable – not to mention dab hands at interior design! – and so they are encouraged to grab straights by the scruffs of their badly dressed necks and turn them into better people. You see this trope everywhere these days: in Queer Eye for the Straight Guy; in the Aussie reality TV show that sent a busload of drag queens to “educate” the beer-swilling inhabitants of South Australia; in Glee, in which pretty much every storyline involves a monosyllabic jock having his prejudices corrected by a shy, erudite gay kid. The TV Tropes website describes this kind of character as the “Magical Queer”, who has “all of the wisdom in the world because he is gay” and who is often charged with “bringing culture to his heterosexual brothers and sisters”.

  

Well, now the “Magical Queer” is being sent back in time to give a moral makeover to historical figures. Consider the striking miners. These angry, blokeish fighters for jobs and pay of the Eighties are clearly seen as being a bit too macho for our soft, caring times, and so they are being made over in an attempt to make them more palatable and sympathetic to modern sensibilities. Who is making them over? Gays, of course! There have in recent years been two major mainstream movies about the miners’ strike, and it is surely not a coincidence that both of them have had strong gay themes. We’re witnessing the gaying of the miners’ strike. (There have actually been three mainstream movies about the miners’ strike – we’ll get to the third in a moment.)

I grew up in the 1980's and although I remember the miner' s strike, I don't remember any Gay activists having a great impact  on  the strike. 

Read more here:

Smashing the Myth of American Church Success

Smashing the Myth of American Church Success

There is a myth of church success in America that says, "The bigger the building, the bigger the budget, the bigger the attendance, the more successful you are."

In the sight of man, this might equal success. But in the sight of God, it may have nothing to do with success. In fact, it might simply be the beautiful facade hiding all kinds of spiritual rot and decay.

To be clear, I have had the privilege of preaching in some of the finest megachurches in America, replete with large buildings, big budgets and multiplied thousands of attendees. And I can personally attest to the fact that some of these churches are healthy in many ways: focused on Jesus, reaching the lost, making disciples, and giving themselves to prayer.

And some of them are doing this at least as well as many smaller churches and house groups.

So, I'm all for "big" as long as that "big" equates to maturity in Jesus, effective outreach to the lost, compassionate giving to the poor, life in the Spirit, and a powerful expression of the Great Commission. It is in that context that Acts records the growing numbers of disciples (see, for example, Acts 2:41; 4:4; 6:7).

A Tribute to Lord Attenborough

On Saturday,  I was watching the World War 2 British Film,  “ In which we serve”  starring the screen greats  Sir Noel Coward and Sir John Mills,  the film is based on the real events of the sinking of HMS Kelly, commanded by Lord Mountbatten.   In this film,  a young sailor abandon’s his position under enemy fire,  the Captain despite this man’s cowardice forgives him in front of the crew, later on in this film, this young sailor dies of his wounds after the ship sinks,   the actor who played that young sailor was Lord Attenborough in his first credited screen role.

While watching BBC news on Sunday Night, it was announced that Lord Attenborough had died a few days before his 91^st Birthday.  I like many of you have watched films where Richard Attenborough has either directed or starred in.  Every time I watch him in the Great Escape,  I keep wishing he escapes the trap that the German’s have set for the character he played  Sqn Ldr Roger Bartlett RAF ("Big X"), later on the film 50 of the 73 escapees are shot by the German’s,  including Sqn Ldr Roger Bartlett. 

In some ways because they’re on TV on a regular basis,  I feel that I’ve grown up watching Lord Attenborough’s film’s,  his stand out role as RSM Lauderdale in the Guns of Batasi particular sticks in my mind.  I remember  when I was part of the Christian Union in  Secondary School we went to see Richard’s Attenborough’s classic film Gandhi starring Sir Ben Kingsley as the Indian Independence Leader Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi,  I remember being very moved and challenged by that film,   although he retired from acting in films and he went on to direct films,  he later returned to acting both in the two of the Jurassic Park films playing John Hammond and in the 1994 remake of the classic “The Miracle on 34^th Street” playing Kris Kringle/Santa Claus.

Lord Attenborough was an inspiration to many people,  and his bravery when one of his daughter’s and one of his granddaughters died in the 2005 Tsunami was inspirational in the face of that  heart wrenching loss stands tall,   he is survived by his  widow, two of his children and his brother Sir David Attenborough. 

Lord Attenborough we salute you and thank you for both entertaining, informing and challenging us for 60 plus years.

Read the Daily Mail Tribute  to Lord Attenborough here:

Glee-Don't Stop Believin' (Full Performance) +Video for Will Schuester

Views, Visions and Values.: Marriage

Views, Visions and Values.: Marriage

Views, Visions and Values.: Marriage

Views, Visions and Values.: Marriage