Ethereal Thought Train

Hyperlinks – 4.11.09

Posted by Todd Engstrom in links on April 11, 2009

Here are some links that have captured my attention lately:

The Austin Stone Make Disciples Blog: Priority of the Unreached
The Austin Stone Missional Communities Blog: Seeds of a Movement
Between Two Worlds: Practical Advice for Young Pastors
Haskins Adoption: Save us from Selfish Adoption
Dream Awakener: Equippers as Environmentalists

Resurrection Hope through Death

Posted by Todd Engstrom in christianity, personal on April 10, 2009

I am reflecting on the cross of Christ this Good Friday, and anticipating celebration of the resurrection on Easter Sunday. I think I am more painfully aware today of our simultaneous joy and sorrow as I am reflecting on the cross of Christ.

It was at the cross that the fullness of God’s character was most magnificently displayed in human history. Simultaneously we see His wrath and love, His justice and mercy, displayed completely and fully in the person of Christ. Only at the cross can we reconcile all aspects of who He is…and yet there is still more.

Paul understood this unbelievably well:

2 Corinthians 1
8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.

The power to endure in the midst of suffering and pain is made possible by the hope of resurrection. In fact, that suffering not only provides perseverance, but actually magnifies God through bringing dependency and hope.

I pray that I will live with the same reckless abandon, facing the fear of death with a dependency of hope, ready to meet my king yet fighting for His glory until I do so. May the the cross lead to understand the depth of our brokenness and the resurrection to the height of our hope.

This is the good news.

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The Easter Incarnation | Ben Coleman’s Blog

Posted by Todd Engstrom in christianity on April 7, 2009

Ben has some great thoughts on the incarnation at Easter here. Below is an excerpt:

You normally don’t think about the Incarnation of Christ at Easter time. That’s a doctrine we normally highlight at Christmas…when it actually happened. But, as we celebrated Palm Sunday over the weekend I was struck by the shocking similarity between Christ’s entrance into our world and His entrance into Jerusalem.

Check it out!

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Out of Business | A Holy Discontent

Posted by Todd Engstrom in christianity on April 4, 2009

There is some good conversation happening on mega/micro church at Aaron Snow’s blog.

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St. John's Day Camp Storyframe

Posted by Todd Engstrom in christianity on April 3, 2009

Steven Bush, a resident in the Make Disciples ministry at The Austin Stone, catalogued our Spring Break St. John’s Day Camp that was put on by students and volunteers from The Stone and other neighborhood churches. I really recommend you give it a look.

From Bush’s website:

‘St. John Daycamp 2009′ is the first edition of STORYFRAMES. STORYFRAMES is an ongoing multimedia (photography & audio) project I am working on that helps tell the stories of mission going on here in the body at The Austin Stone. This particular slideshow tells the story of Austin Stone college students investing in the lives of children who live in the St. John neighborhood. You can click here to view & listen.