Nick Bogardus

Short clip from our daddy/daughter date this morning. Shot with...

Fri, 25 May 2012 12:49:28 -0700

Short clip from our daddy/daughter date this morning. Shot with Cinepro.

Short clip from our daddy/daughter date this morning. Shot w/...

Fri, 25 May 2012 12:47:42 -0700

Short clip from our daddy/daughter date this morning. Shot w/ Cinepro.

thomasfitzpatrick: It’s why we have hope.

Fri, 18 May 2012 13:05:41 -0700

thomasfitzpatrick:

It’s why we have hope.

I’m thankful for a culture at our church that is...

Thu, 17 May 2012 21:43:48 -0700

I’m thankful for a culture at our church that is passionate about Jesus, the Gospel, and taking timeless truths and explaining them in new ways. Most people are familiar with the preaching, but almost as important as the preaching is the music that accompanies it. I love that we have musicians that will take timeless truths in hymns hundreds of years old and update it like this one.

The great Ken Burns on story. HT: Jake Johnson

Thu, 17 May 2012 11:17:17 -0700

The great Ken Burns on story.

HT: Jake Johnson

If you haven’t checked out Citizens yet, you need to. •...

Wed, 16 May 2012 11:47:00 -0700

If you haven’t checked out Citizens yet, you need to.

• Worship band from the Mars Hill Church at the Univ. of Washington.

• $200 album that was #3 on iTunes Christian albums last week.

Stream it in the player above and then grab it for $4 on iTunes.

Got a jump on planning for next year. (Taken with instagram)

Tue, 15 May 2012 16:15:10 -0700

Got a jump on planning for next year. (Taken with instagram)

Headed home. Can’t wait to see beautiful @kimbogardus. So...

Fri, 11 May 2012 18:27:18 -0700

Headed home. Can’t wait to see beautiful @kimbogardus. So thankful for the men & team at @marshill. (Taken with instagram)

daviddmeye: After wandering around Main St. with my @marshilloc...

Tue, 08 May 2012 23:08:53 -0700

daviddmeye:

After wandering around Main St. with my @marshilloc CG we’re debriefing at BJ’s. (Taken with Instagram at BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse)

Love what our Community Group leaders and their groups are doing around the county.

Morning @marshilloc team meeting. Interns Mason and Dean. (Taken...

Tue, 08 May 2012 22:30:58 -0700

Morning @marshilloc team meeting. Interns Mason and Dean. (Taken with instagram)

Got to teach @marshilloc Community Group leaders tonight....

Thu, 03 May 2012 20:40:50 -0700

Got to teach @marshilloc Community Group leaders tonight. Thankful for these leaders! #mhoc (Taken with instagram)

Daddy and daughter shoes. (Taken with instagram)

Thu, 03 May 2012 00:01:17 -0700

Daddy and daughter shoes. (Taken with instagram)

Fun morning at 6’ Wedge. @kylefberg first time out. (Taken...

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:11:14 -0700

Fun morning at 6’ Wedge. @kylefberg first time out. (Taken with instagram)

This song alone is worth the price of the EP. “Let my...

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:29:55 -0700

This song alone is worth the price of the EP.

“Let my sighs give way to songs that sing about your faithfulness.

Let my pain reveal your glory as my only real rest.

Let my losses show me all I truly have is you.”

Excited to take @marshilloc staff & interns through this for...

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 09:16:34 -0700

Excited to take @marshilloc staff & interns through this for the next couple months. (Taken with instagram)

Looks like someone may be right-handed. (Taken with instagram)

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 08:55:02 -0700

Looks like someone may be right-handed. (Taken with instagram)

Are You Called or Codependant?

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 09:50:58 -0700

Are You Called or Codependant?:

Great post on Harvard Business Review:

If the work becomes more about satisfying a pathology than actually making progress, that’s going to affect our progress. Thomas Merton, the Christian Mystic, wrote, “There is a pervasive form of contemporary violence to which the idealist fighting for peace by non-violent methods most easily succumbs: activism and overwork.” Merton was right, and not just about nonviolent protests. His thinking applies to every idealistic cause. He concludes by saying, “to surrender oneself to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone with everything, is to succumb to violence…The frenzy of the activist neutralises his work for peace.”

HT: John Bryson & Darrin Patrick

You know you have a good intern when you walk in to find reports...

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 10:38:39 -0700

You know you have a good intern when you walk in to find reports on your desk. (Taken with instagram)

Jesus is Our Advocate

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 12:22:08 -0700

“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” 1 John 2:1

Everyone wants justice. The reality is, though, we want justice for other people and mercy for ourselves. We want “an eye for an eye” when we are wronged or when someone does something we deem horrible, but when it comes to our own actions we want mercy. We are an advocate against those we deem as ‘wrong’, and we defend ourselves with hollow pleas for understanding, excuses, or diagnoses.

1 John 2:1—and the Bible as a whole—make two things very clear. First, God is completely righteous, holy, and “right” in his character and actions (Isaiah 6). Second, all mankind are sinners (Romans 3). Because God is righteous and just, he rightly has to punish sin or else there would be no justice. Mankind’s sin is either dealt with at the cross or in hell.

But this is why the gospel of grace is so radical. At the cross, Jesus took the punishment that we deserved—the righteous for the unrighteous. He took our punishment so that we could receive mercy. The result is that we receive what we don’t deserve!

As if to show an even greater dimension of grace, John points out Jesus’ role as our advocate before the Father. Jesus’ work wasn’t done on the cross. He’s not on a well-deserved vacation in heaven. He continues to plead our case. “They are mine!” he says. “They are covered by my blood and so justice has been done!”

Jesus defends those he died for, those who were his enemies. What a Savior that would pay for my crimes and, at the next turn, defend me as innocent! What accusation could stand up to that defense (Zechariah 3)? None! That is why there is no more condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8). What act could you do to make the Father love you any less? None! That is why there is nothing that could separate us from the love of God (Romans 8).

When the Puritan Thomas Hooker was dying, his friends tried to comfort him on his death bed, saying, “Be of good cheer, Thomas, you are going to receive your reward.”

His response? “No. Brother, I’m going to receive mercy”.

Christian, your Savior is also your advocate, and because of that, there is justice for your sin and mercy for you.

Nick Bogardus is the lead pastor of Mars Hill Orange County

This originally appeared on Mars Hill.

Excited to teach on mission to @marshilloc Community Group...

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:06:03 -0700

Excited to teach on mission to @marshilloc Community Group leaders tonight. (Taken with instagram)