Hello Friends,

Last week, Pastor Mark Driscoll kicked up some dust (as he is prone to do).

This time, the dust was kicked online on the Washington Post website.  Responding to an article that had appeared in the New York Times Magazine about the current generation of 20-somethings who are adrift and unsettled, Driscoll diagnosed the problem as primarily a masculine problem.

“The world today,” he said, “is filled with boys who can shave.”

In other words, we have an epidemic of boys in men’s bodies who are failing to “man up.”

You can imagine the comments his article generated (actually, you don’t have to imagine.  You can read his entire article and the comments it provoked by clicking here).

I think Mark is mostly right.  But I think the problem is bigger.  

It doesn’t stop with 20-somethings.

As a culture, men are confused at their core about what it means to be men.  And the issue is compounded for Christian men who are trying to figure out what the fruit of the Spirit looks like when it’s lived out in the lives of men who are called by God to initiate and to lead.

That’s why two weeks from tonight, on September 15 at 7:00 at Redeemer, we’re going to kick off a seven session study for guys on biblical manhood.  Using Rick Phillips’ book The Masculine Mandate, we will gather to talk together about how we’re doing as men who honor God in our families, in our workplaces and in our communities.

We’ll take turns leading the discussion.  If we have too many guys for one discussion, we’ll break the group into two.  Or three.  

Frankly, I’m hoping we’ll have that problem.  I’m hoping that guys who are High School aged will be sitting side by side with guys who have already logged a few laps in the race.

You’ll need a copy of the book.  I can get you copies for about $10 if you email me back and let me know you’d like for me to order one for you.

And feel free to invite other guys you know to join us.  Like I said, I hope we’ll run out of room.

As I said, we’ll meet seven times this fall:  September 15 and 29, October 13 and 27, November 10, and December 1 and 15.  The chapters are pretty short – we’ll try to cover two chapters each time we meet.

To order a copy of the book, send an email back with your name.  Order by next Wednesday, September 8, and I’ll have them at church on September 12 for you to pick up (or you can pick up your copy on September 15 when we meet).

I thought about calling this our “Masculine Man-date,” but I just couldn’t go there...

I have expressed my concerns over the years about contemporary worship music that is shallow, sometimes repetitious and man centered.  

I still have those concerns, and we work hard at Redeemer to make sure the music we sing each week is substantive, Christ centered, cross centered and honoring to the Lord, regardless of whether it was written last year or in the last millennium.  

This morning, I read a clever post on line that reminded me that our standard for what is acceptable worship should not be more restrictive in what we consider acceptable worship than God is in His inspired hymnbook – the Psalms.

Read the post here.  And be sure you click on some of the links so you make sure you get the point.

And in case you haven’t read it, here’s a funny story that highlights some of the problems that can occur with both contemporary and traditional styles of worship:

An old farmer went to the city one weekend and attended the big city church.  He came home and his wife asked him how it was.

"Well" said the farmer, "it was good.  They did something different, however.  They sang praise choruses instead of hymns."

"Praise choruses?" said his wife. "What are those?"

"Oh, they're OK.  They are sort of like hymns, only different," said the farmer.

"Well, what's the difference?" asked his wife.

The farmer said, "Well, it's like this--If I were to say to you 'Marthe, the cows are in the corn'--well, that would be a hymn.  If on the other hand, I were to say to you:

'Martha, Martha, Martha

Oh Martha, MARTHA, MARTHA,

the cows, the big cows, the brown cows, the black cows,

the white cows, the black and white cows,

the COWS, COWS, COWS

are in the corn,

are in the corn, are in the corn, are in the corn,

the CORN, CORN, CORN.'

Then, if I were to repeat the whole thing two or three times, well, that would be a praise chorus."

The next weekend, his nephew, a young, new Christian from the city, came to visit and attended the local church of the small town.  He went home and his wife asked him how it was.  "Well," said the young man, "it was good.  They did something different however.  They sang hymns instead of regular songs."

"Hymns?" asked his wife.  "What are those?"

"Oh, they're OK.  They are sort of like regular songs, only different," said the young man.

"Well, what's the difference?"

The young man said, "Well, it's like this--If I were to say to you 'Martha, the cows are in the corn'--well, that would be a regular song.  If on the other hand, I were to say to you:

'Oh Martha, dear Martha, hear thou my cry

Inclinest thine ear to the words of my mouth

Turn thou thy whole wondrous ear by and by

To the righteous, inimitable, glorious truth.

'For the way of the animals who can explain

There in their heads is no shadow of sense

Hearkenest they in God's sun or His rain

Unless from the mild, tempting corn they are fenced.

'Yea those cows in glad bovine, rebellious delight

Have broke free their shackles, their warm pens eschewed

Then goaded by minions of darkness and night

They all my mild Chilliwack sweet corn have chewed.

'So look to the bright shining day by and by

Where all foul corruptions of earth are reborn

Where no vicious animals make my soul cry

And I no longer see those foul cows in the corn.'

"Then if I were to do only verses one, three and four and do a key change on the last verse, well that would be a hymn."

As you know, this Sunday we’ll have a special guest speaker.  And we may have many guests visiting Redeemer as a result.

Can I ask you to make an extra effort to arrive early this week so you can be available to welcome our guests and to make our guest speaker feel at home?

Baruch Maoz and his wife Bracha will be our guests.  They are both Israeli Jewish Christians who have served in Israel for over 4 decades.  Baruch is presently engaged in a writing, teaching and preaching ministry in Israel and abroad.

You can find out more about Baruch and Bracha by going to their website, www.themaozweb.com.

Redeemer Community Groups are getting ready to start back up for the fall.  Sunday, September 12 will be the first fall meeting for groups.  If you’re new to Redeemer and would like to find out more about Community Groups and how to be part of one, contact Mike or Terry Morledge at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

And the RCC Fall Retreat for Students is the weekend of September 10-12 in Branson.  Details were sent out recently.  If you have questions about the weekend getaway for students, contact Jim McMurry at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

We are making plans for a baptism service to be held at the Arnold’s home on Sunday, October 3.  If you have never been baptized and would like to talk with one of the elders about this step of obedience to Christ, please let us know.  More details to follow.


That’s it for this week.

See you Sunday.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Bob