Solomon on Sex is now published by Apple and is available for free in the iBookstore! It is available in 32 countries around the world.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/solomon-on-sex/id520743905?mt=11

Faith Church is now Live Streaming on the web Sunday mornings 8:30 and 11:00 am CST. To connect, use www.christ2Rculture.com/livestreaming.html

The player will auto-sense your connection speed and feed either a low or high quality connection.


The player is designed to run in full screen. To go full screen, use the expansion arrows.




If you are using a mobile device such as an iPhone, iPad, Windows Phone, Blackberry or Android phone, the player will switch to a mobile stream designed for your device and connection quality.

I hope this helps everyone stay connected when they are out of town!

At Christmas, we turn to the gospels to remember the birth of Jesus. Did you know Christ is also found in the Old Testament? The book of Psalms is quoted more frequently in the New Testament than any other book. The quotes are all about Jesus!

In this series, we study some of the Psalms the early church saw telling them about Jesus. In these Psalms we get a glimpse at the glory of the exalted Christ, our helplessness apart from Christ, the new identity that is ours because of Christ and what will happen when Christ returns.

See Christmas like you have never seen it before,... from the book of Psalms.

Series Contents

• Psalm 14 - God came to save fools.
• Psalm 45 - Who is Jesus?
• Psalm 2 - Immediate and Unconditional Surrender
• Psalm 110 - The Rest of the Christmas Story

Go to the Christ2Rculture Book Store for your free copy!

In, James - Practical Christianity, we work our way through the book of James to discover practical ways our Christian faith connects with daily life. It is a book that touches on the role of trials in the Christian life, the dangers of falling to temptation and the rewards for obedience. It is a book that reaches into our relationships as we learn about the sin of favoritism and inappropriate ways to handle anger. James’ favorite illustration is our speech. It is the easiest way to sin and the most difficult part of our body to control. It is a book that talks about the danger of both wealth and poverty. It is a book that deals with the practicalities of suffering, healing and the role of prayer in the life of a Christian. My hope is that you are encouraged in your walk with Christ as James shows us how to connect faith with daily living.

I would like to thank Sheryl Fastenow, my secretary, for her editorial work. In addition, I have special thanks for Kiley Seligman. She is an additional editor that began halfway through this project to lend her skills to the task at hand. Any improvements to the manuscripts are to her credit.

I also want to sincerely thank our church family for their attentive ears and teachable hearts. I dedicate this digital commentary to you.

Go to the Christ2Rculture Book Store for your free copy!

Special thanks to Josh Koch who designed a poster I had above my bureau when I was a teenager. It is a great reminder that life is nothing more than a mist (James 4:13-17). Live for what is important. Free copies of the poster are available at the Ministry Connections Center at Faith Church.

We are reworking our approach to site video. The first priority is to move the quality to 720p HD. As of August 24, 2011, that is good to go. Further upgrades will include better camera positions and lighting.

If you are looking for an index of all site video, check out our page in Vimeo.

For those with Apple TV, check out Christ 2R Culture on the new Vimeo tab. Our channel is now 720p.

What are Enotes?

Do you carry a smartphone? An iPad? An iPhone? Are you one of those people that would love to bring your computer to church to take notes and use your Bible program?

To better minister to the techies, I am introducing Enotes. What are they? It is the sermon outline, complete with graphics, placed in generic Microsoft Word format. They open with any device that reads Microsoft Word. Best of all, they are formatted so you can type your notes directly in the outline. No more lost sermon notes!

Where can I find the Enotes?

Enotes are located as the last option of each sermon post. Download them using the WiFi in the worship center.

Enotes debute - July 3, 2011

What are QR Codes?

QR stand for Quick Response codes. Here is one that will automatically link you to the Christ 2R Culture web site.



Using a free QR reader program, simply let the camera on your iPhone, iPad or Smartphone "see" the code. This will automatically open your web browser to the Enotes for the weeks sermon.

To get a free QR reader for your smartphone

1. Visit the app store for your device or visit www.getscanlife.com
2. Press the download button when the site auto-detects your device.
3. The app will be downloaded to your device and you can begin scanning QR codes!

Sermon handouts now include a QR code to automatically bring up the Enotes on your device.



QR Codes debute - July 10, 2011

The next two weekends can change your life! Check out this message from Pastor Kurt to learn how!

Tags: Temptation

If you missed the Strategic Initiatives of the Vision 2010 Update, let me take you out to coffee to tell you about them!

Tags: Vision

Have you heard any fresh preaching recently? We like things fresh. When the lettuce in our salad bags becomes old and brown, we throw it out rather than serve it up. Our favorite orange juice touts that it is “fresh squeezed” and “not from concentrate”. I have yet to see a sign that says, “Old Fish.” It is fresh fish or no fish at all!all!

Our preaching is another thing people want served “fresh”, not with the freezer burn of a by-gone era. Don’t misunderstand me. We all stand on the shoulders of great men and women of faith who walked before us. But our preaching is not to stop with what God said and did in their lives; it needs to have a ring of freshness as we reach for what God is doing in our own. While Spurgeon was an incredible man of God, reheating and serving one of his sermons to our people is like serving a freezer burned steak and a green baked potato to a valued dinner guest.

What does it take to up the freshness factor in preaching? Some preachers have a knack for keeping the sermon in touch with reality. Larry Osborne is one of them. At the October 2007 Great Lakes District Conference of the Evangelical Free Church I sat down with Larry and talked with him about freshness and creativity. Tilt your head our direction, eavesdrop on our conversation. I trust you will pick up a few ideas to keep it fresh; I know I did. Read More...

Tags: Preaching

If you have studied church growth, you recognize Gary McIntosh’s name. He has spent his life helping churches reach our culture with the gospel. One of the ways he helps many us is through his writing. He is the author of over a dozen books; I expect you have at least one of them on your shelf. Spending time with him at the Great Lakes District Conference was personally encouraging and intellectually stimulating.

I was interested to hear his thoughts on the relationship between preaching and church growth. How important is preaching for church growth? What are sermons like in growing churches? What are things a preacher should consider to increase his effectiveness?

Join me around a circular table in the Jr. High Sunday School room of Naperville, EFC for a stimulating conversation. Read More...

Tags: Preaching, Church Growth

Preaching is like an old four-barrel carburetor, it needs constant tinkering to be kept in tune. Some preachers, like master mechanics, have the knack for preaching finely tuned sermons in spite of a changing audience.

Have you ever wanted to sit down with one of those preachers? Have you ever dreamed of just 15 minutes of their undivided attention to listen to their heart? In October I had the opportunity to fulfill part of that dream when I interviewed some excellent preachers at the Great Lakes District Conference of the EFCA.

What follows is my interview with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, Pastor of Moody Church. In upcoming issues we will sit down with Colin Smith, Dr. Gary McIntosh and Dr. Larry Osborne. I hope you enjoy a few minutes of their undivided attention; just as I did.

So grab a refill on the Starbucks, kick up your feet and join me with Dr. Lutzer in the foyer of Naperville EFC as we pick up a few gems of wisdom to keep our preaching well tuned for the long haul Read More...

Tags: Preaching

“But Pastor, why don’t you preach on something relevant? I need help with my marriage, raising my children and advice on saving for retirement. How can a book of the Bible like 1 Corinthians or Deuteronomy relate to me?”

How do we relate an ancient text to a modern world? Preachers adopt a variety of ways to connect their message to their audience. Recent decades witnessed a swing away from classical expository preaching and the elevation of need based topical sermons. Don’t misunderstand me; topical preaching has a valid place in the church. But in our zest to connect with the sophisticated world, have we come up spiritually undernourished by ignoring expository preaching?

Colin Smith, Senior Pastor of the Arlington Heights Evangelical Free Church, believes many of us may have inadvertently done this. At the October Great Lakes District Conference of the Free Church, Colin taught a track on Transformational Expository Preaching, a rethinking of expository preaching for our day.

I sat down with Colin, listened to his heart and found myself emboldened to unashamedly anchor my preaching in the ancient text as I preach to everyday needs. Join me as we sit down with Colin and listen to his heartbeat for the pulpit. Read More...

Tags: Preaching