This is the first of two posts introducing you to this year’s speakers for Clarus. Register for Clarus here. 

Many of you are familiar with Dr. Carson, as this will be his second speaking visit to DSC. Dr. Carson was with us for Clarus in 2008 to speak on “Galatians and the Problem of Self Justification.” On the Sunday morning of that conference weekend, Carson delivered a sermon titled, “The Ironies of The Cross,” which is now a chapter in Carson’s excellent book, Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus.

In this video, Ryan introduces Dr. Carson, along with Dr. Zaspel:

[RSS and email readers, click here to view this video]

There’s much to say about Dr. Carson, with his lifetime of writing, preaching, and encouraging the church in various ways, but here’s a short biography with links to several of his writings:

Dr. Carson (Ph.D., Cambridge University) is research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He has been at Trinity since 1978.

Dr. Carson came to Trinity from the faculty of Northwest Baptist Theological Seminary in Vancouver, British Columbia. He has also previously served in pastoral and itinerate ministry. Today he is an active guest lecturer in academic and church settings around the world.

Dr. Carson is co-founder along with Tim Keller of The Gospel Coalition, a network of church leaders and churches for the advancement of the gospel through the church. Dr. Carson has written or edited over sixty books, both academic and popular level. Several of his more accessible books include,The God Who Is There: Finding Your Place in God’s Story, A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers, and Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus. Resources by Dr. Carson, including sermons, articles, books, and video interviews, are available at The Gospel Coalition website.

Dr. Carson and his wife, Joy, reside in Libertyville, Illinois and have two children. In his spare time, Dr. Carson enjoys reading, hiking, and woodworking.

Click here to browse Dr. Carson’s many books and here to browse a library of audio files from sermons and lectures on a myriad of subjects.

Clarus is a Regional Conference of The Gospel Coalition taking place March 9-11 with speakers D.A. Carson and Fred G. Zaspel. Visit the Clarus page for more information or to register for this year’s conference.

In the weeks ahead of Clarus we will share a bit from each of four books that conference attendees will receive for free. One of our books, The Cross and Christian Ministry: Leadership Lessons from 1 Corinthians,  is authored by one of our speakers, D.A. Carson. It should be said, though, that this book is not a book written even primarily for vocational ministers but for all of God’s people.

In his review of Carson’s book, Bob Kauflin pulled together a number of memorable quotes under several helpful headings:

Replacing The Primary with the Secondary

“It is at least possible that we are the generation of believers who will destroy much of historic Christianity from within – not, in the first instance, by rancid unbelief, but by raising relatively peripheral questions to the place where, functionally, they displace what is central.”

Are we Drawing Crowds or Converts?

“If the church is being built with large portions of charm, personality, easy oratory, positive thinking, managerial skills, powerful and emotional experiences, and people smarts, but without the repeated, passionate, Spirit-anointed proclamation of “Jesus Christ and him crucified,” we may be winning more adherents than converts.”

Broadening our Musical Palate

“Must we have fights over church music? We should have the best, the most God-centered, the most truthful, the most edifying. But must it all be in one style? Is there nothing to be gained from wide exposure to the company of saints in many parts of the world who have expressed their adoration of the Savior with richness of hymnody we can never exhaust, but which we ignore to our detriment?”

Leaving the Gospel Behind

“Do not think that you can adopt the philosophies and values of the world as if such choices do not have a profoundly detrimental impact on the church. Do not think you can get away with it. Do not kid yourself that you are with it, and avant-garde Christian, when in fact you are leaving the gospel behind and doing damage to God’s church.”

The Inconsistency of Admiring the World

“It is idiotic – that is not too strong a word – to extol the world’s perspective and secretly lust after its limited vision. That is what the Corinthians were apparently doing; that is what we are in danger of doing every time we adopt our world’s shibboleths, dote on its heroes, admire its transient stars, seek its admiration, and play to its applause.”

Strategic Planning or the Cross?

“All of us need to understand the people to whom we minister, and all of us can benefit from small doses of such literature. But massive doses sooner or later dilute the gospel. Ever so subtly, we start to think that success more critically depends on thoughtful sociological analysis than on the gospel; Barna becomes more important than the Bible. We depend on plans, programs, vision statements – but somewhere along the way we have succumbed to the temptation to displace the foolishness of the cross with the wisdom of strategic planning.”

Clarus is a Regional Conference of The Gospel Coalition taking place March 9-11 with speakers D.A. Carson and Fred G. Zaspel. Visit the Clarus page for more information or to register for this year’s conference.

Yesterday marked an important day in the history of Desert Springs Church and in the history of Redemption Church, DSC’s first church plant.

DSC’s elders began praying about and discussing plans for a local church plant several years ago In August of 2010, Ryan announced plans for a church plant in Rio Rancho and for Carlos to lead out as the preaching pastor and planter for this new church. In this sermon,”Spreading God’s Glory Broader and Deeper. . .via Church Planting,” Ryan also outlined ten reasons to plant churches now, also available online in pdf form.

This Sunday, Carlos Griego preached a sermon, “A Lasting Partnership,” from 2 Corinthians 8:1-15 and reflected on the significance of our partnership together for the gospel. It was a timely encouragement for two churches in transition.

At the conclusion of Carlos’ sermon, Ryan called on the DSC elders to lay hands on and pray over Carlos and two other men in route to eldership at Redemption Church, Bryan Lopez and Aaron Campbell.

Here are some photos from the morning:

Redemption Church is in the process of finalizing plans for a permanent meeting space in Rio Rancho. Their first service will be held this Sunday, February 19, at 10:00 AM at French’s Chapel (300 Golf Course Road, Albuquerque, NM 87114).

Visit the Church Planting page for more information about DSC’s church planting strategy, and to learn how you can contribute. To keep track of God’s work through Redemption Church, visit their website for sermons, blog posts, events, etc.

Many of you will know by now that Greg, our minister for youth and young adults, announced on Sunday that he and his family will be heading to the San Diego area later this summer to accept an internship in pastoral ministry. He will study under pastor Doug Swagerty, who has trained and sent out many church planters in the area. In case you did not get Greg’s email, I’ve included it below.

To say that we all “love” Greg and Caitelen (and Aria!) is some kind of gross understatement. In fact, a DSC without Greg and Caitelen is some kind of “alternate universe” (a Trek term) that I don’t know if I’m ready for!

We are all supporting Greg in this move and new vocation, and blessing him as he goes! One of several reasons that I myself am thrilled is this:  What Greg is doing will not be easy (he’s not going into a fully funded, benefitted position). But I know that in my own life it was precisely those times when the future was not certain, and the job description was not crystal clear, and the money was not completely there, that our good Lord grew me by leaps and bounds. Me individually. My marriage. And what my young children were able to see as Mom and Dad trusted the Lord.

Finally, and this is especially for parents of youth, and for young adults, we want to ask for your input on this position. As elders we will be asking many of you for your thoughts in person in the next couple weeks, but there’s no way we will get to talk to each one of you. There is no specific “plan” right now for the youth area, as in replacing Greg or tweaking the balance in this position of youth and young adult.

In fact as elders we outlined four areas in our meeting Tuesday that we need to discuss and decide on in the next few weeks. Things like “to what extent do we continue youth and the Well as one position?” or “Is the Sunday morning Paradox meeting doing what we want it to?” Though we had planned on discussing these with Greg after serving in both youth and young adult for 6 months (and will still of course do so), again we’d love to broaden input from the congregation.

Since we’re inviting input, can I offer a word on making a recommendation to leadership? And part of this is as basic and simple as the “golden rule” idea. Although it helps, it doesn’t help immensely to have someone simply say, “youth here is the best, don’t change a thing!” Likewise it doesn’t help to ask for input and receive a laundry list of things that are wrong, as in “you guys need to change A, B, C, …” In sum, what is so, so welcome is a thoughtful analysis that includes strengths and weaknesses, and shows that you’ve talked with Greg or others and understand, even if just generally, our philosophy of youth/young adult ministry.

As a quick example, we have, for a number of years, been intentional about not being extremely “attractional” (fun and games maximized and discipleship minimized, instead of a balance). We’ve also tried to avoid an extreme of sectioning youth (and young adults) out so much from the congregation that their only worship experience is with their peer group.

Historically and statistically, in our country, this kind of approach (youth only interact with each other and youth leaders) leads to youth and young people not being more active in church after they leave their parents’ house, but less.

Please let us know how we can bless Greg and Caite as they embark on what can truly be called an adventure.

Greg’s email is, again, below. And thanks for listening (or, I guess, reading!).

Pastor Ron Giese

Greg’s Email to the DSC family:

DSC family,

This Sunday, in a variety of meetings, Caitelen and I announced an update on a new chapter in our lives. In case you’ve not heard the news, we consider it a joy and an honor to share it with you now.

Here is the email I sent to Paradox, Well, and Staff after 2nd service:

It is with bittersweet joy that I am announcing the acceptance of a job offer toward pastoral ministry in Encinitas, CA. I have been invited by the elders at North Coast Presbyterian Church to intern and apprentice in pastoral ministry and mission for the next 2-3 years, with an eye on a possible future church plant or pastoral call. This multifaceted opportunity is both challenging and exciting. It represents a new era in our lives and ministry. That said, we are already sad to leave our friends and family here, remembering frequently to never take for granted God’s living grace at DSC.

We are planning to move sometime in mid July 2012. Until the day we leave we will do our best to faithfully serve the wonderful body at DSC. My responsibilities will not change during this time and I am eager to finish strong, doing my best to serve you all as unto the Lord. Although we are not being sent by DSC, I assure you we are going with the blessing and encouragement of the elders. There is no negative reason for our departure, only the call set before us and the difficulty of leaving such a great church behind.

Caite and I have countless wonderful relationships here. We have grown and been blessed so deeply in the last 8 years. However, we are confident that this is a door the Lord has opened, and he is calling us by faith to step through it. Please keep us in prayer as we enter into this transition, and do not hesitate to ask me any questions you might have.

Thanks in advance for all your love and support.

Greg, Caitelen, Aria, and #2

In Jeremiah 2:13, God describes the sin of His people this way: “My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.” Sin is not only that we do wrong, but that we are wrong at the deepest levels of our existence. We are not just imperfect, but morally and spiritually insane. Ultimately, our problem with sin is a problem with with God.

Here’s a helpful definition of sin by pastor, John Piper:

What is sin?
It is the glory of God not honored.
The holiness of God not reverenced.
The greatness of God not admired.
The power of God not praised.
The truth of God not sought.
The wisdom of God not esteemed.
The beauty of God not treasured.
The goodness of God not savored.
The faithfulness of God not trusted.
The commandments of God not obeyed.
The justice of God not respected.
The wrath of God not feared.
The grace of God not cherished.
The presence of God not prized.
The person of God not loved.
That is sin.
—John Piper, Let The Nations Be Glad: The Supremacy of God in Missions, 206

As we grow in our Christian life we grow in our understanding of how great a problem the problem of sin really is. A right understanding of sin, of course, helps us better understand what it is that Jesus Christ did for us: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21).