missio

I know it’s been awhile since the last update, so here are some thoughts in my favorite format, bulleted list.

• We’re having twins! Miranda and I went to the OB/GYN, and to our delightful surprise, we saw two little Brown youngin’s on the sonogram monitor. Wow! We don’t know the gender yet, and trust me, you won’t be the first to know. Sorry ’bout that.
• Some may call me a nut, and in fact, I’ve called other people nuts for saying something like this, but I really think that 2010 is going to be the year that we see revival in Greenville on a large scale. I’m praying earnestly that the Spirit would move mightily through the churches and rebels here in Greenville to bring people to Himself. I just see so much momentum at Harmony Church right now! We’re launching the City, partnering with a college ministry to reach ECU students, taking God & Guinness up a notch, resuming our work with 3rd Street School, launching a new online presence, and, of course, continuing to preach Jesus relentlessly!
• The book of Judges is awesome.
• Glad for this Christmas break, but at the same time stoked about preaching through John again in January. In fact, here’s the preaching schedule for next year (all is tentative, of course):
  • January 3rd-February 14th: Resuming John, picking up John 8:12, ending at John 10:42.
  • February 21st-March 21st: Bride Series, examining the structure (elders, deacons, partners) and makeup (church as body, church as bride) of the Church.
  • March 28th-June 20th: Resuming John, from John 11:1-John 14:31.
  • June 27th-July 25th: Annual Summer OT Series (Habakkuk).
  • August 1st-Aug 15th: Vision Series (GCM)
  • August 22nd – December 5th: John 15:1-John 20:31.
  • December: May finish John, may do Christmas series. Unknown as of yet.
• Excited about the City, and the opportunities it will create for us as a church.
• Stoked about date night this coming Friday!
• Excited about Christmas! The reason for the season: the Cross.
• It’s all I got now.

In honor of the Advent season, here’s an incredible rendition of one of my favorite Christmas carols, Joy to the World. Why is it my favorite? Check out the lyrics, for real this time. They are so commonly sung (and mis-sung) that we glance over them, not realizing the power behind the words. Read these lyrics, penned by the brilliant Isaac Watts:

Verse 1

Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

Verse 2

Joy to the Earth! the Saviour reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

Verse 3

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

Verse 4

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Great stuff. Here’s Joshua James (an incredible artist in his own right) with Joy to the World: