WE WANT QUESTIONS...

We've all got 'em. Why did God do this or that? How could God allow that to happen?? I remember being in junior high and hearing a preacher say "I wouldn't have much faith in a God that my simple mind could completely understand!" And, while that is true, I tend to be a skeptic and tend to need answers. Fortunately for me, I know the answers to most of our questions are out there...AND at the Tavern Church we happen to have a pretty brainy guy speaking each month in Dr. Steve Bezner. I know for a fact that he did NOT buy his PhD on eBay.

So all that being said, we'd love for you to pose some questions that we can take a minute or two and answer at this Sunday's service. You'll have total anonymity- we're not gonna call you out. It's so very ok to have questions.

Try to keep them theological in nature and post them here OR email them to info@thetavernchurch.com

See you Sunday night!

Latte Summit

Steve Bezner & I met yesterday to discuss Tavern Church stuff. We discussed my ability to always under-dress, regardless of the circumstances. I owned it.

WALK ON

I'm a simple man. (Not really, but roll with me here.) I like reading. I like going to concerts. Because it is directly related to what my fiancee and I do vocationally, we see lots of shows. The best two concerts I've EVER been to have both been U2 shows. Over a decade ago I saw them rock the Cotton Bowl and late last year saw them (from about 15feet away) melt faces at the Deathstar (the new Dallas Cowboys stadium.) I'm a big U2 fan- maintaining a few degrees shy of an obsession. And like I said earlier, I also like to read.

So, I have really enjoyed delving into Walk On by Steve Stockman. It was a recent gift from Kimmer- who knows me well enough to buy me gifts I'll love (I'm picky and no one has ever been able to know what I'll like like she does- not even my sainted mother) and this book was no exception.

Stockman explores the spiritual side of the band. It is a pretty interesting read, as U2 is made up of 75% interesting Christians. Theyre not your cookie-cutter, Bible-belt, cover-your-mouth-and-open-your-eyes-real-big when-you-hear-a-cussword Christians. They have no interest in pharasaic mores (pronounced "mor-ayz.") And it's refreshing.

And that's what ties into the Tavern Church. We're interested in authenticity. None of us is perfect. Not anywhere close. But, we all need a Redeemer.

Stockman suggests that if the members of U2 had grown up in the U.S. or even Northern Ireland, instead of Dublin, they would've been sucked into a Christian subculture that frowns upon rock n'roll and bars and fraternizing with (instead of loving) the enemy. It's pretty crazy- but I think he's right. The Republic of Ireland, during the embryonic years of U2, was 96% Roman Catholic. And much of that was hardened, bitter, and somewhat agnosticized. In Dublin at the time, a young rock band that partied hard implementing drugs and sex and everything else would have been a yawnfest. They would've been like everyone else and their dog. But, the fact that they came out as Christians was a genuine act of rebellion. Smoking and drinking and sexing it up is a boring rebellion- defending the Faith with your words and actions and with boldness- now THAT takes courage.

So, this week we get ready for another Tavern Church service. Sunday night at 730pm at the City Tavern in downtown Dallas. If youre looking for an authentic rebellion- come on out.

See you there...

CHUCK

So, a close friend of mine (and great speaker,) Wes Hamilton and I were recently catching up on some of our favorite TV shows. We laughed about Michael Scott's most recent faux pas and salivated at the return of LOST, but then he threw me a curveball by telling me he had really been enjoying Chuck. Chuck Who?

You see, between work and work and other work, I don't have a ton of time for TV watching, except for the Office and LOST. But Wes's recommendation was so matter-of-fact I knew I had to check it out. So, I watched the first 2 seasons w/in a couple of weeks (mostly on the treadmill each morning.) And you know what? Chuck is pretty cool.

A super-nerdy, underachieving, tremble-with-fear-when-a-girl-speaks-to-him, electronics store employee (Chuck) is emailed (by his old college roommate and current spy)all the spy data the government has in existence and all of this info becomes lodged in his brain. Assassins want him dead and the government wants him protected. Thus, he is assigned a team- which includes a girl so far out of his league she might as well be in the Dagobah System. (Btw, if you got that reference you will love Chuck.) Chuck evolves and, over several seasons, becomes a real spy. Its a good show- even though some of the major story lines plod along at a painfully slow pace.

It is doesn't take much to see the spiritual metaphor. We've all been underachieving at times in our lives. Maybe you are right now. You know life has more in store for you- you just have no clue how to get from point A to point B. Well, while you probably won't be receiving an email that will transform you into 007, there is something much more powerful- an encounter with Christ- that can help us evolve into something even better.

When we meet for the Tavern Church- we pray that people do encounter God. We pray that the Holy Spirit stirs peoples' hearts in such a way that their lives are changed. We pray that, almost-like-Chuck-but-even-better, each of us is transformed into something stronger, more beautiful, and redeemed.

See you Sunday night, February 28th.

1st TC service