Giving it Away: Notes from the A29 Bootcamp | Part 2

Matt Chandler from The Village Church in Texas delivered the Word in the second session of the A29 Bootcamp. It was kind of nostalgic, in a way. I first heard him at Catalyst in October 2007. He was the "Token Reformed Guy"—haha. Crazy to think it’s been 4 years already! Since then, I’ve been an avid listener to The Village Church’s podcast and am consistently rocked and moved by the Holy Spirit through Chandler’s preaching. It was a particular joy and honor to experience this in person again.

What I appreciated most about Chandler was the fact that his stance was rooted in the present. He didn’t draw from wells of the past or potential wells of the future. He drew from his current experience in preaching the gospel to his flock. Don’t get me wrong! I’m not saying stored wisdom is a bad thing—it’s a very good thing, a treasured thing—but the fact that he specifically shared what God has been doing in the here and now made his teaching so much more relevant. This said so much to me without him having to say anything. This example served as a much-needed reminder to draw on the Triune God—our Living Water, the Giver of daily bread, our ever-present Helper—today. As I was with D.A. Carson, I was again admonished that yesterday’s insights are not nearly enough. This walk with Christ is not just meant to be comprised of past stories and future glories. It’s meant to be a daily, effectual, gracious abiding in and with our Savior. This is the hope of glory.

Chandler’s recent experience in the pulpit (preaching through Habakkuk) has driven him to desire a reawakening of gospel-centered preaching/teaching through the Old Testament. Heck yes! It’s a joy to see our Savior woven through the whole of the scriptures, and this joy is compounded as we learn more effective ways to behold him and lead others to do the same. Below are 7 approaches to preaching Christ in the Old Testament:

1. Redemptive, Historical Progression: The Bible is not about you. Stop trying to insert yourself where you and your people do not belong! Take, for example, the story of David and Goliath. You are not David. Your trials are not Goliath. David’s role is to point to Jesus and his redemptive, victorious work in the cross and resurrection. If anything, we’re the scared Israelites fleeing in unbelief who are in need of the Better David to rescue us. We are far too eager to be the heroes of every story, aren’t we? When teaching the OT to your people, rid yourself of this pride and just point to Jesus and the ways that his redemptive work is expounded.
2. Promise Fulfillment: Highlight passages that Jesus specifically fulfills in his person and work (e.g. Isaiah 51, Ezekiel 36, Jeremiah 2, Genesis 3 & 12).
3. Typology: This is where most people tend to camp out, probably because it’s the easiest of these 7 approaches. This is the focus on OT events (e.g. Passover, Exodus) and people (e.g. Boaz, Joshua, etc.) who foreshadow Christ. 
4. Analogy: Look for parallels between OT and NT teaching. For instance, where the wisdom in Proverbs overlaps with Jesus’ or his apostles’ teachings.
5. Longitudinal Themes: Look for themes that soar across the two hemispheres of scripture, from Genesis to Revelation. For example, how the “fear of God” is threaded throughout the Bible from beginning to end, how Jesus is the final word and completion of this theme. 
6. NT References: Look for instances in which Jesus or one of the apostles quotes OT passages (e.g. Isaiah 61... “this has been fulfilled in your hearing”). 
7. Jesus Always Shows Up: The Old Testament is riddled with statements that cry for a Savior. What kind of teachers would we be if we didn’t answer these cries with the gospel? Chandler gives this example from Ecclesiastes and 1 Corinthians. While Ecclesiastes resoundingly states that your “toil is in vain,” 1 Corinthians gives an even stronger rebuttal, “your toil is not in vain”... because of Jesus. Look for the hunger for Jesus, the longing, the waiting in the OT—and allow Jesus to show up in power and glory. 

If you're looking for more resources on this, they are abundant. Check out the Gospel Coalition or The Resurgence, for starters. Here's killer Keller article on the subject. 

Printmaking at the Holland Project

I love learning new things.

Paid a visit to The Holland Project today (a local cooperative of artists) for their free printmaking workshop. The emphasis was on printmaking without a press, which makes it a form accessible to many, cost effective and full of creative potential.

We started by discussing various forms of printmaking, including lots of things I hadn't considered to be part of the genre—like stenciling. Who knew? So diverse! I think the best part is that it's a vehicle that doesn't discriminate. It favors both the practical (e.g. home decor, scrapbooking... anything "crafty") and the philosophical (e.g. "high art")—and kinda marries the two. Very cool.

The two forms we used today were Sun Printing and Solvent Printing. Word to the wise... when you do Solvent Printing, make sure you're in a well-ventilated area. Otherwise... yikes.

Here's a quick breakdown of each:

Sun Printing—

• Basically, it's a photographic process in which you expose treated paper to light while covering the areas you would like to protect from the chemical transformation. You can use any object with some degree of opacity (like a transparency with something printed on it, an object, etc.) to block the light and create the shape you want. We used the cyanotype method, which is the most common.
• You'll need: a light source, sun printing paper (available at most craft/art stores, objects, a sheet of glass (optional)
• Once you get your paper (don't take it out of the bag until you're ready to use it), arrange your objects over top holding them in place with a sheet of glass if you want precise edges. If you'd like to play with shadows and edges, forgo using the glass and manipulate the objects during the exposure process. Expose the paper until it turns almost white, it takes a few minutes (although overexposing—like, for several days—can create some cool effects, too). Remove it from your light source and run it under cold water until the image inverts to set it (blue becomes white and vice-versa). 

Before...

...and after.

Solvent Printing—

• This process is mega-cool. You take a xerox copy, a absorbent surface such as paper or wood (even canvas to an extent, as long as it's not gessoed or the gesso is about 99% dry and still slightly tacky), and use solvent to transfer the image from the original xerox copy to your new surface. Such a neat way to achieve rustic looking design. 
• You'll need: Xerox copies (won't work with copies from an inkjet printer—you need something very toner heavy and high contrast), an absorbent surface (other paper, wood, fabric), a solvent to release the toner from the original image (Goof Off, a Colorless Blender or—get this—Wintergreen Oil), and a dry rag. 
• Lay down the xerox image onto your surface, ink side down, and tape in place if necessary (if the image moves, you won't get an accurate transfer... which could be cool if intentional). Take your solvent and sparingly wet the area over the ink you want to transfer. You don't need a lot of solvent—it's really the pressure you apply that does the heavy lifting here. Take your rag and rub over the surface, pressing hard. Continue this until the solvent appears to dry. Lift the xerox and... ta-da! There you go.
• Overlapping images can be tricky. If you do one transfer and then another over top, the original might not survive.
• One xerox copy is good for one transfer. They can't really be used multiple times.
• Different solvents have different effects. A color blender will give you an accurate transfer with little to no mess. Goof Off will make things a little more unpredictable, but often produces cool results you wouldn't anticipate. Wintergreen Oil is the least effective, but natural. It's good for a rustic, decaying, vintagey-type look.

Animals + Americana = Animericana

Okay, there you have it. Please try this at home. And The Holland Project does these free workshops every month... so come to one if you're around!

Giving it Away: Notes from the A29 Bootcamp | Part 1

"You preserve the gospel by giving it away." —D.A. Carson

These were the final words of D.A. Carson’s session titled ‘Preserving the Gospel’ and were the words that have been imprinted on my heart and resonating through my mind since then. In the same spirit, I hope to preserve all of the things that God spoke to me during the Acts 29 Bootcamp by approaching them with a generous heart. I undeservedly received the gospel and I don’t want to walk through its implications unwittingly. As a grateful beggar telling other beggars where to find bread (another Carson quote, ha!), I offer all of this to you. I’m not the best note-taker in the universe, but whatever I have is yours.

Better still, Acts 29 will be posting the audio/video from this bootcamp. Whatever they have is yours, too. 

This first blog is from the first session at the Bootcamp: "Gospel Transformation" presented by D.A. Carson. Please feel free to comment and question—this stuff is best fleshed out in community!

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It goes without saying (or at least it should): there is no gospel-centered church planter, no gospel-centered mission, no gospel-centered anything apart from gospel transformation. I have to let myself sit there for a minute. Nothing that I write is relevant at all apart from the fact that I have been transformed. None of this information will amount to anything in my life or yours unless we have undergone transformation, utterly and entirely. My biggest fear in arriving, experiencing, departing and now processing this past weekend is that I will have heard much but not known much... learned much but not loved much... affirmed much but not believed much. It is fitting that Carson decided to start here—because without being born again, we will never live.

Carson exegetes with swift, exacting, ninja-like precision. Driscoll is right to call him yoda-smart. Plus, he’s Canadian—and I will always have a special affinity for all things Canada. But beyond this—as one of his colleagues put it—he has a gracious heart. It was an honor to sit under a teacher whose obvious gifts are so obviously submitted to Christ and saturated by grace. 

Overall, I was struck by the way that Carson did not shy away from the heavy lifting in this passage. Consequently, I was admonished to put down my own 5 pound weights start doing some bench pressing. What I mean when I say “heavy lifting” is this. Carson took the time to carefully connect the dots of Jesus’ statements in order to paint the whole picture—he didn’t settle for a kitschy motel portrait of Jesus as sage. Sometimes, when I read Jesus words, I settle. I settle for yesterday’s insights, trying to be satisfied by yesterday’s bread, only to be left emaciated. I hopscotch from verse to verse without looking to see how each one builds upon the last. I say this to my shame. Rather than doing the work of connecting the dots, pleading with the Spirit to give me wisdom on how Jesus’ thoughts come together to form the whole, I just get lazy. I’m glad to have been shaken from sleep and humbled that I’m forgiven for this—now to stay awake, by grace.

There were some key points for me in this session. One, that we need new life—not new laws. Nicodemus, in his great presumption, was looking to Jesus as just another teacher, as another doer, not as a savior. To this, Jesus seems to say, “Nicodemus, you don’t need me to teach you. You can’t bear the weight of the law you do have, let alone any other that I could heap on you. You need me to redeem you, to give you new birth, to give you a new beginning that will never end. You think you see and understand, but you do not... because your heart is unbelieving. You ask how a man can be born again, even when he is old. Do you not know that the new birth I offer is real? You can be made new, despite all the baggage, sin and cynicism that accompanies adulthood. You can start over.” Two, that we can only look to the solution that God has provided for salvation. Jesus likens himself to the serpent lifted up in the wilderness, which is—humanly speaking—an unlikely candidate for salvation. Who fights a serpent by looking at a fake serpent? Who conquers death with death? The Father’s wisdom is so far beyond our own. Look to and believe in no other solution for your sin and death other than the one given by the Father.