September 06, 2008

Song: What Have We Done

I've been enjoying and reflecting on this song: http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/2007/04/06/20070406_what-have-we-done_audio.mp3?download
Besides the content of the song, I also reflect on the kind of church that can sing it. Its depth of confession and worship is a testament to a church that preaches the gospel.

Paper: Jesus and Tongues

I've written a paper called: "Jesus and Tongues." It's a 13-page essay/commentary on every verse referring to the spiritual gift of tongues in the New Testament.

I welcome your comments and questions. As I think is obvious in the preface, this is not just a paper to show off knowledge. I did not write it for seminary. It is actually to be used to get many Christians and church-goers in Namibia back to focusing on the gospel. Therefore I need it to be as clear, winsome, and convincing as possible. I need it to be thorough and to not be too negative, and not too charitable on the other hand either.

To read the paper click here.

July 18, 2008

Projects to Pray for

Projects to Pray For

  • Pastoral Internship -
    • Discipling teenage guys from the church
    • Meeting with a couple of them on Monday evenings
    • Communicating with another one over email in theology and starting a kid's club
  • Preaching through the 1689 London Baptist Confession on Sunday evenings
    • Met with a speech therapist to see if I could improve my voice with any technique or practice
      • Open my mouth wider and keep it open, practice saying “aaa” while breathing out and hold it
      • Pray the therapist gets saved when she comes to listen to me
  • 2nd Namibia Pastor's Fraternal in January 2009
    • We just had the first one the second week of July, awesome
  • Continuing elders' meetings tackling issues in the body
    • Currently in the middle of a season of home visitations
    • Looking at reforming our worship platform and order in light of some Tim Keller teaching
  • Getting around to the other churches in our area for possible preaching opportunities, service opportunities, and cooperation in ministry
  • Hoping to show our love to the community through distribution of the warning tract with the teenage guys mentioned above
  • Planning on some men's teaching seminars
    • (Not really related to me but a women's conference is being planned by Erin and the women for Rhonda to come and teach in October)
  • Looking at starting a church-wide Bible Doctrine group with Erin

  • University Mission -
    • Writing papers and tracts for distribution students
      • Jesus and all aspects of giving - correcting some false views of local christians and preachers
      • Jesus and work - preaching the Bible's view of work
      • 95 Theses on Men, Women, and Sex - a take off of Martin Luther addressing sexuality related problems from a Biblical perspective and in an intelligent comprehensible ay
      • The gospel and all aspects of who Jesus is
  • Brainstorming and dreaming about what a reformed baptist meeting on campus would
    look like

    • Serious about the Truth
    • Serious about Living
    • Serious about showing you the Way
      • Just an idea so far
  • Keeping up with the guys I've met, communicating with them, meeting new ones, and hooking them up with resources
    • Currently dealing with all spheres of Christian life and ministry from apologetics to deep theology to practical living and of course all aspects of the gospel
  • Looking at mass production of CDs for students

  • Sovereign Grace Theological Seminary -
    • Just turned in my first two assignments at the end of June
    • Working on next two assignments due end of July
    • Pray for more instructors who really fit the mindset, calling, and vision of Sola5 for the seminary
      • Waiting on further coursework for 4 out of 5 classes
    • Applying teaching related to pastoral calling, Biblical interpretation, Greek, reasoning in thinking, and all the books I have to read for a reading class (currently What if Jesus had never been born; great)

  • Household -
  • Completing a parenting class on godly parenting with a group of other parents at Eastside
    • Need to get some welding / construction work contracted
    • Pulling up all the gardening in the front yard to plant grass for bigger area for kids to play on
    • Looking at getting a second vehicle by February and sooner if Lord willing
    • Converting garage/office to partial guestroom
    • Dealing with winter
    • Forming bond with one set of neighbors for the gospel
    • Having people over as often as possible without closing family time, family dates, dates with Erin, and father/son time with Keano

  • Devotion -
    • Reading book by book through NIV
      • Haven't read the NIV since 2003 when I switched to ESV
      • Finished the NLT (2004 edition) this year because that's what we were using in Okahandja
      • Switched back to NIV this year because Eastside uses it
      • Just found out pastor intends to switch church to ESV soon
      • Never stopped carrying and referencing my pocket sized ESV :)
      • Still using ESV for family devotions (365 Jesus stories)
    • Reading Old Testament war books from NCV in interesting magazine Bible format (recommended for discerning readers only) with Keano who doesn't read them himself yet
    • Still involved in my New Covenant and Covenant theology study
    • Looking at prophetic books for clues on the whole partial-preterist AD 70 thing
    • Studying preaching in Christ-Centered Preaching with Ted Hall's group in America


  • Big dreams -
    • Radio program / station
      • Recently bought a little radio
      • Very few stations in Namibia
      • There is a Christian radio station point?
    • Newspaper
      • The Internet age hasn't really hit Namibia
      • Newspapers very popular, not overdone, lots of people reading the little drivel there is
      • No Christian publication like a newspaper
    • Perhaps God will raise up a like-minded person/people from here or who come over and start these and not get kicked out of the country for it (anything that does not fit the two majority church denominations
      will not go over well). Between myself and people I know already, coming up with content would not be a problem


July 17, 2008

Info & Article Need

I have a great immediate need for concise and powerful articles on the historical Jesus (how do we know he really lived?) and how the Bible was written (authors, time span, unity, etc). I have a couple of books and long written materials that I can summarize and I will work on that but if you know of any ready-available internet or short pdf resources, that would be perfect. Please send to leroyh@gmail.com or another address if you have it.

June 18, 2008

Preaching and House Churches

If there is any question in your mind about the role of preaching in light of the focus on house churches, please listen to Mark Driscoll, here: http://theresurgence.com/text_and_context_media , the message at the top of the list called "Putting Preachers in Their Place".

Maybe it's just me. In late 2005 early 2006 I didn't even know if preaching was Biblical. It was something God was letting me go through as a result of reading some books. I had to go on a search from scratch to find out if preaching was Biblical when I was suddenly feeling called to be a preacher. It is. Mark does a good job of laying it out and discussing the relation between preaching and house churches and home fellowships.

June 08, 2008

Great Week at Campus Ministry and T Shirt Request

Wow, what a week at the Namibia Polytechnic.

I got to preach Christ and His gospel to students.

Being on mission alone on a university campus means I don't have all the gifts. However, God is in control of the people He sends to me, and I got to use my knowledge and teaching gifts in three different areas this week.
- There is a guy I'm talking to about deep Christian doctrine. We talked the most and I gave him "The Pleasures of God" by John Piper. This is gospel clarification.
- Another was focused on apologetics with a guy who is comparing JWs, Mormons, and 'regular' Christians. We talked about the gospel on an entry level. I need to get him a Bible this week!
- A third was all practical, talking about sexual sin and the stuff I was used to talking about back when I was at university. This is the gospel applied and practiced. I want to meet with him and his friends.

Pray for a student who called me near the end of last week and attended a church meeting with us on Sunday. His phone had just been stolen but he got ahold of me anyway. Then this week I didn't get in touch with him at all though I tried.

I think there isn't more to talk about because I actually have a lot of work to do. I am wondering this week how I will get my assignments and preparations done and still keep up with the new relationships. I've got three seminary assignments, a youth group message, and a Father's Day message to prepare.

Last and least, I've got another T-shirt request. If anyone wants to buy me this: http://store.eternalunlimited.com/PhotoGallery.asp?ProductCode=11009 I would be 'eternal'ly thankful, and it would look pretty good on campus! Send it to either of our parents' addresses and they will send it over with other stuff, or put together a package yourself! We need more Piper books and Bibles if I can't find them in the store this week. Email for details.

May 16, 2008

Wow - Article On What We See In Namibia

This is a Christianity Today Article about the rise of Health, Wealth, and Prosperity "Gospel" in Africa. Many of the observations made in the article describe what is true in Namibia. The article focuses in on Nigeria. Namibia, however, has a much smaller population so all of the information about big crowds has to be put in perspective.

Here's the link: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/article_print.html?id=46571

May 12, 2008

As I Lay Dying (Band) Lyrics

Hello, just some lyrics from some new music I'm listening to while working on seminary studies. You just do not find lyrics like this outside of some really old (but good) hymns, and Christian hardcore music.


This Is Who We Are

Now this is who we are
I am no one's hero
For we are not the giant men
That some may think
You are faithful when we are not
So I'd like to tell this story
The way it is meant to be
Without the burden that's in our hearts
None of us would have ever found You
For You are faithful when we are not
You began a work
That only you can complete

Now this is who we are
I'll never know the answers
And I'll always wonder why

... Why we're given grace we'll never deserve
And a second chance that we will never earn
For there is nothing I can do to save myself

Now this is who we are
I'll never know the answers
And I'll always wonder why
But You have let me start again
I'd rather be called weak
Than die thinking I was strong




Within Destruction

If music is a mirror revealing the depths of my heart
Then I will write the darkest song
For without forgiveness my soul is lost
All that is hope within destruction comes from You
For I have fallen, and there is nothing good within me
Yet I've been given life I will never deserve
For without forgiveness my soul is lost




The Sound of Truth

[Chorus]
We have all heard what we wanted to hear
"Truth" that sounds right to our ears

[Chorus]

[Verse 1]
But what wisdom is there within us
To live based on the feeling of our hearts
How many times has instinct let us down
Never to be thought through
Never to be questioned
Say what you really mean
When your ambition calls you (calls you)
For what use is there, is there in praying
If you will only hear what you want to hear?

[Chorus]

[Verse 2]
We speak of fighting to resist this world
But what about the battle within us?
If we have chosen to live against the grain
Then why are we all facing the same way?
There is no difference between us and them
If we all blindly seek truth from sentiments

[Chorus] 3x