Author: Jordan Fowler

Jordan helps small businesses grow as the owner of Moon & Owl Marketing, a marketing and advertising agency in Fort Worth, TX. Lover of cycling, track and field, and borderline Liverpool FC fanatic.

Big 2011 Goal (Hold Me Accountable)

For about a year and a half, God has been illuminating some key points in the narrative of the Bible that connect Eden to our eternity. I am currently reading through the Bible and finding three key purposes given in Eden for humanity, which sin undid and distorted, that Christ fulfills and hands back to us in eternity (note New Earth and not the overemphasis on heaven so often taught), which we get to participate in presently through our inclusion in Christ and His body as empowered by the Holy Spirit. I feel called to write these out in blog posts and if it turns into a book, published or an e-book, so be it. I will create a category under theology called Taking It From the Top or From Eden To Eternity and am hoping to write it out.

Here are the works that have added fuel to the fire. After You Believe by NT Wright, Heaven by Randy Alcorn, The Temple and the Church’s Mission by GK Beale, The Lost World of Genesis One by John Walton and influence from Pastor Eddy Leo of AbbaLove in Jakarta along with some distilling done in a think tank group. Still to be read for research are Dominion and Dynasty by Stephen Dempster among others.

So what do I need from you? A swift kick in the seat if you see too long between posts in this emerging category beginning in 2011…

God’s Empowering Presence Review

God’s Empowering Presence by Gordon Fee

Why I read it? This is a reference book on every passage in the Pauline Epistle’s dealing with the Holy Spirit. I was using it for sermon prep this week and decided to post it here. Fee is both a charismatic and a respected New Testament scholar. Thus, you get an extremely balanced and grounded Scriptural treatment of the Holy Spirit by someone who believes the Holy Spirit is alive and kicking.

Why should you read it? If you have wanted a comprehensive (note 967 pages) view of the Holy Spirit from a balanced position, this is your book.  The book is organized by Scripture reference which makes it super easy to find that for which you are looking. If you are brave enough to read it cover to cover, you would have incredible insight on the oft misunderstood person of the Trinity. A daring attempt would be to read through the Epistles in 2011 to gain an deeper understanding and experience of the Spirit with this book as a sidekick.

Reviewing Your Year-Free Tool

I am offering without charge a  series of processes I have learned which will allow you to do a stellar life and career or ministry year end review (YER). Last year, we have had over 1,000 folks download this process which I first posted on the worshiptrench site. If you would do your own comprehensive review, you’ll need to calendar the following things now:

  1. Set aside a day outside the office late November/early December to do the personal assessment exercise sections of the process.
  2. Calendar a time to take 30 min or preferably an hour for every member of your ministry team to complete and return the participant evaluation exercise. (We prefer to do this in a group setting, as emailing them out gets you very few returns).
  3. Calendar a time to meet with your captains as individuals for their assessment of you and the ministry, and your assessment of them.
  4. Set aside an additional half-day for yourself after the individual assessments for mastery points exercise and personal goals tweaking. Calendar a group captain gathering to formalize 09 goals and agendas. I usually do a Friday night dinner at a nice restaurant to say thanks followed by a Saturday morning get together at my house.
  5. Find a time to vision cast reviews/goals 10 that are appropriate with all ministry participants.

You’ll need to start calendaring these dates now. I created these pdfs in 2008 so where you read 2008 simply replace it with 2010, etc. If you are not in ministry, simply replace the word ministry with department, division, company name, etc.

Here are the four processes:

year-end-review-process-1-2008.pdf

year-end-review-process-2-2008.pdf

year-end-review-process-3-2008.pdf

year-end-review-process-4-2008.pdf

On Anticipating the Kingdom (of Disney)

Several weeks ago we informed our kids via homemade fortune cookies that we were going to Disney World, a first for all us. Upon reading that news and after overcoming some disbelief, spontaneous dancing and cheering erupted. My oldest is now reading the Unofficial Guide To Walt Disney World cover to cover, a huge tome of 860 pages. There are discussions of how we will pack, what it is like to fly on a plane, and how they will get their school makeup work done early. Piper and I are constantly hearing their thoughts of how joyous an occasion it will be. Our future trip to a magical kingdom is deeply affecting our lives in the present.

And then God spoke to me, “Why doesn’t my coming Kingdom affect you as deeply?” Touche’, Lord, Touche’.

Bailing Out With a Camo-Gospel

A great post. Solid reflection on false gospels. If people adhere to these that camouflage themselves as the true Gospel, unfortunately, this also means that many people are one discontinued “favorite” ministry event (formalism), one rule disagreement (legalism), one “unanswered” prayer” (mysticism), one allowance for introspection (activism), one new hurt (therapism), or one less friend (social-ism) from bailing out. Until Christ is the anchor, we shall be tossed at sea.

Avishai Cohen Trio: Jazz for Bass and Groove Lovers

Style: Jazz

Why you should listen. Enough rock sensibilities that non-jazz heads will dig the grooves. A little prog/new jazz but no hints of the blah-ness of smooth jazz. If you are a fan of smoking bass playing, not many guys lay it down like this guy. Now if he’d only play Dallas area. Click here to listen on itunes. Suggest starting with Caravan.

Modernized Classic of Thomas Chalmers…Grab It.

The first modernized classic I have posted on this site. Thomas Chalmer’s The Expulsion of Sin By Means of a New Affection.

The Expulsion of Sin by a New Affection Thomas Chalmers-Modernized

Why you should read it? If you struggle with sin and wish you could stop or find yourself tired of chasing after things in this world . Chalmers offers a view that concentrating on your merely ridding yourself of sin is doomed for failure. Instead, receive and revel in the love of God. In this, sin will be displaced.

To read why I modernize, check this.

Why I Modernize Classics

One of the spiritual disciplines I practice is modernizing classical text. Why do I do it?

  1. It forces me to slow read classical texts that are rich in content but difficult in their language.
  2. It provides an means to generate language to restate the thoughts which then ingrains their ideas in my brain and heart.
  3. While the modernizations will never replace the original in richness, they do offer a reader who would, at first sight, not engage the difficulty of the original. Perhaps they can catch its concepts or, better, be compelled to wrestle with the original.
  4. I don’t want some of the classic writings, particularly the lesser known puritans, to disappear from the modern believer’s view.

In all my modernizations, I leave the original in the left column and in the right column offer my modernized interpretation. If others desire to read the modernizations then can easily look at the original to check my meaning. In certain works, I modernize phrase by phrase. In others, sentence by sentence. Each writer’s style dictates my method.

If you desire to pass on any modernization, you have my permission to do that. Please provide  full credit, including the reference to this site,  and insure that no edits are made. Theses are primarily for my own spiritual growth and I pass them on to be used for the sake of the Kingdom.

Lovestory: A Passionate Pursuit

Hear the message

Because everyone needs someone to love them when they are most unlovable. Some have blown it in life and thought, “I am such a disappointment to everyone who knows me.” Some have defiantly walked away from love rejecting the open arms of God who call us back to relationship. Some have given up, feeling unworthy to ever receive love again. Come find hope and restoration in the amazing love story of a man named Hosea.

Message 4 of the series.