Roseberry's Leaderboard

Dear Friends,

It isn’t too often that a reporter covers a church service ‘on the beat’…but here is what Julie Duin from the Washington Times wrote about the service we had last night at Christ Church:

I’ve been doing this religion writer thing for more than 30 years and in the course of my travels, I’ve done Rome and Canterbury and Jerusalem; ordinations, installations and consecrations of everyone from Washington Archbishop Donald Wuerl to New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene Robinson. I’ve done papal Masses all over the country with two popes. But I’ve rarely been in a service where every single piece of music was beautifully done at top level during a 2 hour+ service involving 1,500 people.

(Read it all here…you will be blessed.)

Heard it 100 Times
If I heard it one time today, I heard it 100 times. Christ Church blessed 1300 Anglicans from around the world – 60 bishops, 325 clergy, hundreds of laity, and one brand, spanking-new Archbishop, The Most Rev. Robert W. Duncan, whose service of “Investiture” was the occasion of our gathering.

Why is this important? Because the rag-tag, scattered parts of the Anglican Communion that have been dispersed over the last few decades have come together as the Anglican Church in North America. We now have a formal group, with a formal Archbishop…and a formal set of Canons and Constitution. It is a proto-province, if you will, of the Anglican Communion. Perhaps it will be recognized soon…perhaps not. It doesn’t matter. The one thing we can do is move on together as a body of Christ to reach people with the love of Christ which is the mission of our church.

I was greatly heartened by the whole thing, and that rarely happens to me at church conferences. But this one said, “Go…” and “Go as one”…the very thing we want to do. For more photos click here.

The Human Equation
I can’t help but thank the human equation here. Mark and Danny and Brenda of our music and worship team were simply amazing. The music of the choir and vocal team was over the top. I can’t say it more emphatically. Stunning!  I commissioned a piece of music for the Installation from John Wasson (big shout-out here). He fused together the drum rhythms of Africa, the great cathedral sounds of England, and American styles to “Praise My Soul the King of Heaven”. It was the talk of the conference today.

And the love and hospitality of Christ Church are now legendary. Thank you all for being useful to God…and a blessing for many others.

A Lot Going On
I’m a bit exhausted from the last few days and there is so much more that is going on. For example, VBS, which Fran and I will sneak into tomorrow morning…can’t wait to see the kids in action. The Fellowship Hall last night was full of robed clergy with the stage all decorated as a swamp. Inauspicious…but fun. And then there is the Christ Church women’s mission trip to Guatemala. Check out their blog here.

If you aren’t coming to Christ Church may I say it this boldly – you are missing out on something amazing that is happening.  Renewal and hope even in the hot summer.

Don’t miss a week-end!

Blessings,
David+

Dear Friends,

Why Men Are the Way They Are…That is the subject of my message this weekend, and I think it will be of great interest to the men of Christ Church. It might be of even greater interest to the women of our parish! I have been teaching On Point Men’s Bible Study for several years. I know a great number of guys at Christ Church. I know where they struggle. I know what makes them tick. And I know me, too. But more importantly, I also know what the Bible has to say about men. I hope to unlock some of this critical information in my Father’s Day message at 9:15 and 11:00 on Sunday. It will be a message that will challenge both the men and women, to be sure. But I think there will be great joy in this message because of what we know about the nature of God. My text will come from the Book of Genesis. Please pray for me as I work on this message…I have had a busy week.

My Last Word on Letterman
My letter last week generated a lot of light…and some heat. It seems that David Letterman got the message that many around the country were sending. He has since formally apologized for his rude and coarse remarks. Governor Palin has accepted his apology and the story may die out. For my part, I am still finished with Letterman for good. I need the extra sleep anyway.

About the LeaderBoard Blog
Last week’s was the most-clicked posts in recent memory. I want to thank those of you who participated in the discussion by commenting on this LeaderBoard blog. Some of my articles here are meant to get people thinking about the intersection between our faith in Christ and the culture we live in. I encourage you to take part and chime in. I would simply ask that, as you respond to my comments and comments from others who enter into discussion, let’s keep it focused on the topic. I will reserve the right to delete any comment that I deem “off topic” to the thread of discussion. Common rules of Christian discourse should apply.

Here are a few things you should know:

1. Click to view Josh Havens interview

   Josh Havens
   I have a regret from the last few months. When Josh Havens began here as our “artist in residence” I did not take the time to introduce him properly. Things were so busy week to week that I never found the time. As a result, many of you only know him for his music and his voice. You might be surprised and delighted to know more about him and his national ministry. So, I made a video! I hope that you will take the time to watch it. He is a great joy to have as a friend and fellow servant of Christ. And he comes with the best credential of all: He was baptized by Fr. Ted! 

2. VBS
   Next week the Christ Church campus will be a swamp. Every year we are delighted to turn our attention to the youngest (and cutest) members of our church for VBS. The campus will be alive with over 400 children plus student helpers, teachers, leaders, singers, and staff. What a week…and hurray (in advance) for Katherine Somich, our children’s ministry leader, and her team of staff and volunteers.
3. ACNA Convention – A Big Deal
   I will be away (sad to say) all week at a church convention in Bedford. While most conventions are not as exciting as VBS, this one might be different. This is the inaugural Convention of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA.) It is a big deal. I was interviewed by the Dallas Morning News about it yesterday and I started to think of the importance of this convention. The various organizations that have existed in North America for the last decade are coming together. It is an exciting and hopeful time, and one that so many in the Anglican Communion have prayed for and worked tirelessly for. Over 800 delegates are registered to come. Go here for new information.

   Christ Church is hosting the Investiture of the New Archbishop of the ACNA, the Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan, this Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. It will be a packed house at Christ Church. You are certainly invited to attend.

4. Planting New Churches
   This week I made a quick trip to Kansas City to speak to the “other” Christ Church, Christ Church Overland Park. This is where Fr. Ron McCrary served for almost 20 years and grew it to be one of the largest congregations in the country. They have recently decided to join the AMiA (our own affiliation) and I am here to help them get the idea of what it was like to come into the Anglican Mission.
   Meanwhile, Fr. Ron was back at Christ Church Plano hosting over 45 people who were attending AIM’s Anglican School of Church Planting. The whole class came over to our house for dinner Tuesday night. Their comments on the school and the quality of the teaching were outstanding. What a great sign of our future…so many who want to plant new churches. Click the thumbnails below to view a photo of the class and a map of where they have all come from:

   

   

   
   

   And finally, a word about service… It is wonderful to see how many Christ Church volunteers have given their time to support this church-planting conference. Dozens in our church family have hosted visitors in their homes, some have brought and served food, a prayer team has prayed for each participant, and some of our staff have given time in addition to their Christ Church responsibilities. There is a great attitude of service around this event. Thank you all!

That’s it. Happy Father’s Day to all the dads. I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.

In Christ, David+

I have been a fan of David Letterman for many, many years. I have watched his late night show for longer than I can remember. But he has changed. He used to be a funny man, an adequate comedian, and a good interviewer. But what was his most charming gift he has lost. He used to be a self-deprecating humorist, poking fun at his dorky, dweebie self. It was endearing, in a way.

But something in him has soured…and he has lost me as a fan, for good. His recent treatment of Sarah Palin and her daughter was despicable and mean. Not funny. Mean. But he has been mean recently anyway. I noticed this firsthand when, in September, Fran and I fulfilled my lifelong dream of attending the David Letterman Show. It was thrilling to be in line for two hours. I grabbed a sandwich for Fran and me at the Hello Deli. It was exciting to be ushered into the Ed Sullivan theatre by the fabled Late Night interns. And it was great to hear Paul Schaeffer and the CBS orchestra. But honestly, the show was dull. Worse than that, Letterman was mean to his audience in his pre-show warm up. He was plain mean…and coarse.

But what has been on the airwaves the last few days has been terrible. Letterman, you will note, is a 62-year-old man who had a child out of wedlock…then married the mother…and he has the gall to make jokes about the Palin family! Did he know that the child he was suggesting was raped is only 14 years old? Does it really matter? He claims now that he meant to direct the humor about rape toward the 18-year-old Bristol Palin, and not the 14-year-old. Does it matter?

You can read about it here and draw your own conclusions. But in my opinion an icon of late night television went dumpster diving a few nights ago…and it is a real shame. I’m going to visit a dumpster soon, too. I have a souvenir Letterman t-shirt to drop off.

But wait, there’s more…

More About Being Born Again
I have a small truth-telling admission to make about last Sunday’s sermon. I never finished it. Of course I stopped preaching…but there was a whole lot more on the ‘pulpit’, so to speak, when I finished talking. Will you come again for “Part 2″ of the “Nick at Nite” message? This one will be called, “The New Birth.”

There is much more to understand about this. I have heard from many people for whom a few lights went on when I described the intent of Jesus saying to Nicodemus, “You must be born again.” But I need just a bit more time to outline what this new birth is, how it takes place, what it does in a person’s life, and how we need it to see the Kingdom of God.

Message to All Men
The following Sunday will be Father’s Day and (I NEVER say this, but…) the Lord has been placing a message on my heart for the men of Christ Church. That includes all men…dads or not. I have been teaching and leading the men of our church through On Point for over five years. It has been a true blessing for me and I believe that I have a very good relationship with our men. I am going to presume on that friendship and ask you to please bring or be brought to church on Father’s Day.

A Big Deal
Many of you know about the upcoming ACNA investiture of the new Archbishop, Robert Duncan. What you may not know is that it is going to be a big deal. We are hosting it on Wednesday, June 24 at 7:30 p.m. in our Sanctuary. There will be open seating, though we will reserve a large number of seats for the clergy and bishops of the ACNA. Our music ministry is leading the worship and I have commissioned a special piece of music for the occasion. There will be a reception following the service. I truly hope you will be there. It is not to be missed.

More Good Books
I have discovered two more books that I would like to place on your reading list this summer. Try Jim and Casper Go to Church by Jim Henderson and Matt Casper. I wrote about it here. And I am now reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan. I am in the middle of it now so I can’t tell you how it will end, but so far it is a glorious awakening to the extraordinary splendor of God and His love for us.

‘See you this weekend.
David+