Paul David Tripp Quote

Here's the quote from my message with a little extra I didn't read in my message:

Sin is functionally atheistic and anti-social. Because it reduces my focus to me, it blinds me both to God and to others. And as a sinner, I may participate in formal religion and conduct relationships with others, but only to the degree that they fit with the purposes of my solitary kingdom. When I do this, there is no real room for worship of God and love for others in my functional life plan. Worship and love, wherever they exist in my life, get shrunk to the size of what I think I need and what I have determined I want. Whatever religion or community exists in my life, what I am really worshipping is me. So I will sing praise to God’s faithfulness on Sunday, yet question his goodness on Tuesday when he doesn’t deliver what I think I need. I will say I love you one day, yet lash out at you in anger on another because somehow you have gotten in the way of my plan. What looks like God-contoured living is often, upon closer inspection, a shrink-wrapped existence. (The Quest for More: Living for something bigger than you, p. 90)

What Kind of Boat is Five Oaks?

Rick Warren recently asked this question regarding Saddleback. Here's what he wrote in an email to his congregation (I'm not his mailing list). What do you think?

We're not a Sailboat that is blown every direction by the winds of culture. There's a lot in pop culture that we believe is wrong, even evil.  But we're not an angry Battleship either. We don't expect unbelievers to act like believers since they don't have the Holy Spirit inside yet.  Saddleback is a AIRCRAFT CARRIER.  We're a large platform for launching your mission in the world.  When you successfully return, you get refueled and head out again!