I am an extravagantly loved, forgiven, propitiated, justified, redeemed, and adopted son, husband to an amazing wife, father to three very cool kids ("almost 14," 11 and 5), and church planter for the brand new Creekstone Church in Dahlonega, GA, a college town in the mountains 60 miles north of downtown Atlanta.
www.creekstonechurch.com
www.facebook.com/mckaycaston
www.twitter.com/mckaycaston
I enjoy hiking, writing, teaching, playing guitar, watching college football, reading, talking the gospel with friends, and my newest interests, mountain biking and camping.
Some of my favorite books include...
The Prodigal God, by Tim Keller
Counterfeit Gods, by Tim Keller
Personal Revival: Living the Christian Life in Light of the Cross, by Stanley Voke
Dynamics of Spiritual Life, by Richard Lovelace
True Spirituality, by Francis Schaeffer
Transforming Grace, by Jerry Bridges
The Work of the Holy Spirit, by Octavius Winslow
The Contemplative Pastor, by Eugene Peterson
Click on an icon below to visit my twitter, fb, flickr, youtube, and vimeo accounts, and my wordpress blogs.
This is the message from Creekstone last night, based on Romans 8:35-39. The gist is from Jerry Bridges, "God cannot love me more, and will not love me less." That is the message of the cross.
The film version of Where the Wild Things Are is not at all what I was expecting. It was far deeper... and far darker. Here are a few post-film reflections.
1. We are all "sons of dysfunction" and have beastly/sinful tendencies.
2. Our beast within that expresses itself in various personality and temperament quirks, which inevitably create interpersonal conflict.
3. Nevertheless, we long for a community where we can be real and accepted at the same time- personal funkiness and all.
4. In a word, we long to be... happy.
5. And we long for a "sovereign king" who can fulfill that dream of happieness in the context of genuine community.
6. We try to kill kings (whether literally or figuratively) who do not live up to our expectations.
7. The fact is that no mere beast can fulfill that dream. He must come from another world, express unexpected kindness, so that we can learn that it is love expressed toward the unlovely and beastly that is the power that fulfills the dream and changes people deeply.
8. Enter Jesus, who came to the land "where the wild things are"... reveal the cross, where the king, out of love, allowed himself to be killed for the beasts... and gather the church, a community of loved beasts whose lives sing the tones of grace in worship of the one who has loved them with the ultimate love.
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In John 10, Jesus says that he is the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep, and that "he calls his own sheep by name..." Yes, Jesus is the redemptive substitute for the church as a people and a "flock" (plural). However, he is also the redemptive substitute for sheep as individuals. He didn't just die for a group (which he did), he died for me. He suffered for McKay... once condemned, now set free. In the heart of God, I am not just a number, I am a name. It is a powerfully affective thing when someone calls me by name. Not just dude, or chief or man, but McKay. They known me. How much more powerful a thing it is to have Jesus call me by name, and with the deepest of affection. What if you could heard the audible voice of Jesus saying, "I love you, [your name here]. My scars prove this. You are forgiven. You are in the family. You are now the righteousness of God. So please believe that I love you, ___________. I really, really do."
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About to go to bed and came across this great quote from John Owen on Josh espinosa's blog. Meditate on these words coupled with Romans 5:6-8 and 1 John 4:9-10 tonight. John Owen says, "We are never nearer Christ than when we find ourselves lost in a holy amazement at his unspeakable love." A holy amazement that Jesus would set his affections upon me. On me?! Yes! That is what my heart needs to hear and believe right now.
Thanks, Josh!
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