the glorious exchange

Though I didn’t know it at the time, I was led to reformed thinking through a few artists by the name of the Cross Movement during my formative years. Later, through teaching by Mark Driscoll, John Piper, and Jonathan Edwards, I came to realize the fullness of Reformation theology, and it’s sharp alignment with what Scripture teaches (for the most part). For you rookies, here’s a youtube video with the lyrics from one of Flame’s songs, The Godhead. For those of you who don’t like rap: tough. It’s the upcoming culture. Speak it.

I’ve been deciding on how to spend the $50 gift certificate from Westminster Theological Seminary Books (link), courtesy of Tim Challies (link), and I came across a band called Reilly. You can check out their mySpace (here) and their website (here). Awesome stuff. It’s reformed theologically, but awesome music. I tend to think of Switchfoot,  and Three Doors Down, but they are a lot better. It’s “symphonic rock” (a la Coldplay). They mix in dual violins as opposed to Coldplay’s piano, and it sounds amazing. I’ve been listening to the album a while now, and I’ve decided that I like it..a lot. Some singles worth checking out are Limited Time, Sunlight, and Dying for Life. Redeemed is a hot song too. The only downside is that a couple of the songs sound alike, which is to be expected, but still slightly disappointing. Even in the face of that miniscule fact, you should purchase it. Available on iTunes.

Rating: 8.5/10

So, the city council article which mentioned us briefly was published here at the Reflector (link here) and in the Triangle’s newspaper, the News and Observer (link here). So our assistance with Dr. Unk’s zoning problem is now available to over 1 million people.

Ok, so what? We get mentioned in a major state newspaper. Who cares?

How about this:

Pablo and I went to Dr. Unk’s today to watch the soccer game (Sweden vs. Spain), and we were making small talk with Lindsey, our waitress, when all of a sudden, she starts talking about our latest flyers we put up at Dr. Unk’s. Let me explain something about our flyers. They are “Jesus fun facts”, complete with Scripture references for each one, including:

• Jesus has a tattoo.
• Jesus partied.
• Jesus served the best wine.
• Jesus hung out with baby-mommas.
• Jesus didn’t like religion too much.
• Jesus loved the outcasts.

And this is what she tells us: the band on Friday night (their name is Ballyhoo) took the flyers down from where we had posted them…..and started reading them out loud to a packed crowd. On a Friday night. At a bar/music venue. She said that they would read a fun fact out loud, and then the crowd would lift their glasses in the air, and cheer. For Jesus. Screw the Observer talking about us at the city council. People screaming for Jesus: that’s what it’s all about.

Satan: go to hell. But you’re not taking Greenville with you.

This past Thursday night, there was a city council meeting to determine the fate of all restaurants in Greenville, including the one we meet in, Dr. Unk’s. Here’s the story:

Background

Earlier this year, Dr. Unk’s received a complaint (about food vs. alcohol sales), and they were audited by the city. As it turns out, Dr. Unk’s sales $370,000 in food. That’s a lot of money. But not enough compared to their total sales (the rest comes in alcohol sales). In the city of Greenville, it takes 51% in order to be classified as a restaurant, which presents a problem to Dr. Unk’s because a bar/nightclub cannot exist in their current zoning district. But city law flies in the face of state law (30%) and other similar cities (eg: Chapel Hill, Wilmington). So, Jeremy (the owner of Dr. Unk’s) made an amendment to city law to amend the current law to 30%, compliant with state law. The meeting on Thursday night was to vote on the amendment.

The Meeting

Over 30 people turned out on Dr. Unk’s behalf, including 7 members of our church. We got a mention in the newspaper. I spoke on Dr. Unk’s behalf as well, before the council. The meeting looked to be going to a vote, where it would have been in a 3-3 tie. The mayor would have then voted against the amendment, I think primarily because Dr. Unk’s very openly and avidly supported Chip Little, the current mayor’s recent opponent in a very tight mayoral race. Instead, a substitute amendment was made to gather more information, including why the state law is at 30%, why Greenville law is at 51%, how many restaurants would close if audited, and what other cities do with regard to zoning restaurants. When all was said and done (after 2 hours), the discussion was continued until (at least) August.
The Outlook

I think it looks good for Dr. Unk’s (and therefore, us). Dr. Unk’s has a lot of neighborhood support, including a church .  They also have other options besides this amendment being passed. A special use permit could be enacted, or the area could be rezoned as general commercial, among other less desirable, but effective, methods. There are tons of options, legally. Regardless, Jeremy informed me that as it turns out [randomly ] he owns the building that Dr. Unk’s is currently in, and that we would probably have a place to meet no matter what happens. Which is great.

Thanks for the prayers!

Here’s the lyrics from the version of the Christmas hymn Ian performed yesterday. The lyrics are based on the chorus before them. The first added verse tied into our message, based on Psalm 65. The verses have a different melody line…but if you can find one out, play it. Good stuff.

o come let us adore Him
o come let us adore Him
o come let us adore Him
Christ the Lord

for you alone are worthy
for you alone are worthy
for you alone are worthy
Christ the Lord

You alone are worthy of our praise
You alone have command over the waves
You alone put the stars up in the sky
You alone give me wings so i can fly

for Jesus is our Savior
for Jesus is our Savior
for Jesus is our Savior
Christ the Lord

You came down so the blind man can see
You came down so that we all could believe
You came down to die upon the cross
You came down so our souls would not be lost

o come let us adore Him
o come let us adore Him
o come let us adore Him
Christ the Lord