Mark Driscoll's List to Do After Stepping Down Temporarily as Pastor

Here is Driscoll's list of "what I plan to do in the days and weeks ahead to help us move forward as a church family," from Mars Hill's transcript and video below:

1. I have submitted to the process prescribed by our church Bylaws as overwhelmingly approved by our entire Eldership for addressing accusations against me. I invite this process, rather than debating accusations and issues in social media or the court of public opinion. A report on this process will be presented when it has been completed.
2. I have requested a break for processing, healing, and growth for a minimum of six weeks while the leadership assigned by our bylaws conduct a thorough examination of accusations against me. I believe their review can best be performed without me being in the pulpit or the office, and they have agreed to this arrangement.
3. During this time Pastor Dave and our lead pastors will share the preaching responsibilities, along with their other pastoral responsibilities. I am grateful that we have a team of godly leaders that are trustworthy and love you. They will continue in 1 John for our series “Love One Another”.
4. I will use this time to continue to seek the Lord about His plans for me and for this and the next season of life for Mars Hill. I will also use it to spend more time with God, my wife, and our children.
5. As a general rule, I will respond to little if any criticism of me in the media, on social media, blogs, open letters, etc. Conducting church business and biblical conflict resolution through media channels is not healthy and is more likely to prove unproductive at best, and destructive and dishonoring to the Lord at worst.
6. I will not be doing any outside speaking for the foreseeable future.
7. I have asked our Board of Advisors and Accountability to strengthen our board by adding members to it, and they are in the process of doing so with local members being our first choice. I have agreed to postpone the publication of my next book until a future season, to be determined.
8. I have begun meeting with a professional team of mature Christians who provide wise counsel to help further my personal development and maturity before God and men. I have never taken an extended focused break like this in my 18 years as your pastor, and it is not a vacation but rather a time to focus on deep work in my soul in the areas of processing, healing, and growing. Read the rest of the article by Christianity Today Here: CT

Stop Believing Lies

As I was interceding  this morning; for my ministry and for people who asked for prayers. I heard this message in my head and so I start saying out loud. It's time to get back to the Lord. It's time to believe God again! Stop pretending. Stop believing that lie and start living the voice of truth. Show that you really mean business with God!  

Many of us are caught in strongholds of believing lies instead of the Word of God. Often, we believe those lies even if we know they are. Stop believing those lies and start living the voice of truth.

Kankana-ey Bible, Out of Print

Kankana-ey Bible (photo courtesy of Climbing for Christ)

Last week as I was surfing the web looking for Bible quotes in the Kankana-ey language but couldn't find any. So I decided to order a copy from Ygeirne Molitas, who is currently on vacation in Baguio Philippines to bring me one. She told me later on that she couldn't find one for sale in Baguio. 

What a shame that the Kankana-ey New Testament/Bible is out of stock, worse it's out of print! I can't believe there is no Kankana-ey Bible for sale in Philippine Christian Book Store (PCBS) Baguio. 

Kankana-ey New Testament (Photo courtesy of Climbing for Christ)

The Kankana-ey New Testament, called Kalin Diyos, meaning God's Word in a literal sense, was published in 1990. I heard that they were working on the Old Testament years ago and I thought it could have been published already. 

There are 3 Reasons Kankana-ey Bible is not Really Needed

1. Kankana-ey People Prefer the Ilocano Bible
Long before there was a Kankanaey New Testament, the Kankana-ey people had been using the Ilocano Bible. When I was young, it seems funny that while we speak Kankana-ey, as soon as we are inside the church, we speak Ilocano. The sing Ilocano hymns, the pastor preach in Ilocano. I couldn't figure out why. It seems that Ilocano is the language inside the church.

The fact that most Kankana-ey speak Ilocano there is no need to use the Kankana-ey New Testament. The Ilocano Bible and also Kankanaey Hymn book are widely use among the Kankana-ey people, and even after the Kalin Diyos was published, many pastors I know in the area still prefer the Ilocano Bible to the Kankna-ey New Testament. I think it's just a matter of language preference.

2. Diverse Dialects among the Igorot
There are at least 3 local dialects in Benguet, namely Kankana-ey, Ibaloi, and Kalangoya. For them to understand each other, they must use Ilocano language or Tagalog. Almost all people in Benguet speak Ilocano and many of the younger generation speak Tagalog. In fact, many churches in Cordillera region use Ilocano in their service. While they do so out of preference, other churches do it because the congregants are diverse; they speak different local dialects and therefore Ilocano is the interdialect to use.

3. Education
Another reason is Education. When I found out that there is no Kankana-ey Bible for sale, I asked myself, are the Kankanae-y people no longer need one because they are educated far beyond their need of a Bible written in their local dialect?

Perhaps, another contributing factor to the diminishing interest is that fact that Kankana-ey people are also educated and understand English pretty well. Younger generation read the Bible in English, not even Tagalog or Ilocano.

I don't think it is a colonial mentality; it's more of language preference and better understanding of the written Word of God,

Hope Keeps You Going

Was there a time in your life when quitting seems to be the best option? Have come to the end of your rope and tying a knot does not seem to work? 

This morning, as I was preparing for the part II of my message on the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, I thought about what the Apostle Paul says in Titus 2: 13, "Waiting for that blessed HOPE!" The coming of Jesus is called The Blessed Hope". Indeed, the promise of Christ's return brings hope. Hope is the greatest energizer of the weary soul! 

Hope brings strength when we feel like quitting. Hope brings power when our strength is gone. Without hope what else is there? TD Jakes said, "Hope keeps you going when the storms of life hit"!