Work on your weakness
Once you discover whether you are more naturally a contemplative or an activist you must then work on your area of weakness. In my years as a pastor I have found that most of us lean heavily toward the contemplative or the active disciplines at the expense of the other. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for people to read about Jesus in their Bible and only see His contemplative or activist scenes at the expense of seeing the healthy tension that Jesus lived in. As a result, when a contemplative thinks of Jesus they are prone to imagine Him sitting alone in the wilderness and silently reading Scripture and praying. Conversely, when an activist thinks of Jesus they are prone to imagine Him performing miracles, preaching, and casting out demons, never sitting down or taking a day off. The truth is that Jesus practiced every contemplative discipline and every active discipline (with the exception of lovemaking). To follow in His example means we must follow in His entire example.

Immature Christians
One of the worst things I have witnessed is immature Christians who judge another Christian as immature because they do not have the same natural strength in a particular spiritual discipline. This takes many forms, such as the spiritually disciplined evangelist who looks down on people who don’t share their faith every moment of every day with everyone they encounter. Another example is the spiritually disciplined student who looks down on people who do not read enormous books written by dead guys for hours at a time and geek out learning the difference between things like transubstantiation and consubstantiation.
If the distinction between contemplatives and activists is not understood in marriage, the result can be very painful; conflict ensues when spouses try to impose how they do their spiritual disciplines upon one another. Perhaps the worst case I am personally aware of was a well-intentioned young husband who had his wife sit on their couch while he gave her theology lectures complete with a white board and then expected to quiz her. He was shocked to realize that she did not find this romantic. She would have preferred that he put the white board away and got a job to feed their family; they could not eat all his theology books and they were getting hungry.

You must begin with humility
In short, when it comes to the spiritual disciplines we must each begin with humility. Every Christian is spiritually disciplined in some areas of their life and spiritually undisciplined in others. Therefore, each Christian we meet is a potential teacher of sorts, able to help us grow as disciples more like Jesus. We must be willing to inquire of their strengths and learn from them.
As a final word of preface, two items are important to note before we study spiritual disciplines here together in the coming months. One, the spiritual disciplines are not something we have to do to make God love us. Rather, because God already does love us, the spiritual disciplines are something that we get to do as we love Him back and enjoy growing in our loving relationship with Him. Two, the spiritual disciplines are not intended to enslave us. Rather, they are intended to lead us into growing freedom in the same way that a trained athlete or musician is free to enjoy the task more than a novice.

In July 2008, Mark Driscoll traveled to England and preached several sermons. Topics range from outlining the missional movement to a swift kick to the groin of young men.

Sermons

Doctrine of the Holy Spirit in Luke and Acts
On the Missional Church
On Missional Movements (Acts 1)
Driscoll at Jubilee Church, London, on Loving the City (Jeremiah 29)
Preaching in Brighton
Gospel of Grace vs. Religion of Works
Preaching Jesus
Driscoll Unleashed in the UK!
The Missional Church | London 2008
Movements are Messy: Getting and Staying on Mission
Spirit Led Missions: Following the Luke-Acts Paradigm
Be Radical & Plant Radical Churches! | Church Planter
Be Radical & Plant Radical Churches! | Church Leadership
Be Radical & Plant Radical Churches! | Final Thoughts and Q&A

On March 25-27, 2008 Resurgence held our 2008 National Conference titled Text & Context at Mars Hill Church's Ballard Campus. Matt Chandler of The Village Church was one of our main speakers along with john Piper, Jim Gilmore and Mark Driscoll. In between sessions, we had the opportunity to take advantage of our studio and record some interviews. Please watch and enjoy this interview with Matt, as Pastor Mark asks him about his life and his church.

You can see all of the interviews here as they become available.

On March 25-27, 2008 Resurgence held our 2008 National Conference titled Text & Context at Mars Hill Church's Ballard Campus. Matt Chandler of The Village Church was one of our main speakers along with John Piper, Jim Gilmore and Mark Driscoll. In between sessions, we had the opportunity to take advantage of our studio and record some interviews. Please listen and enjoy this interview with Matt, as Pastor Mark asks him about his life and his church.

You can see all of the interviews here as they become available.

When it comes to the subject of leadership in action, one of my favorite Old Testament characters is Nehemiah. In his book we see every facet of leadership lived out. I admire the depth of his prayer life, his love for God, and his sterling character. I admire his courage in the face of crises, his willingness to make tough decisions, his perseverance to stand for what is right, and his candor in dealing with people. He is a man of prayer, a man of faith, a man of vision, a man of courage and a man of action. We find him praying, watching, working and warring. He's my kind of leader.

I have studied my way through Nehemiah with two groups of leaders, and each time was insightful and challenging. It is a book rich in leadership principles. As to lessons we learn from Nehemiah, J. Sidlow Baxter says, "There is no winning without working, no opportunity without opposition, no triumph without trouble, no victory without vigilance."

On April 14^th-15^th, 2008, Leadership Network sponsored the Multi-Site Exposed | Seattle conference. The aim of the conference was to bring together a group of churches that are operating at multiple locations and to give smaller and younger churches the opportunity to learn from those that are further down the "multi-site" road.

In this second main session from the conference, listen as John Bishop of Living Hope Church talks about revitalizing your ministry, staying focused on Jesus, and recovering from burnout.

As they become available, all main sessions from the conference can be found here.

On April 14^th-15^th, 2008, Leadership Network sponsored the Multi-Site Exposed | Seattle conference. The aim of the conference was to bring together a group of churches that are operating at multiple locations and to give smaller and younger churches the opportunity to learn from those that are further down the "multi-site" road.

In this first main session from the conference, listen to the round-table discussion between multi-site pastors Mark Driscoll (of Mars Hill Church), John Bishop (of Living Hope Church), and Dave Browning (of Christ the King Church).

As they become available, all main sessions from the conference can be found here.

On April 14^th-15^th, 2008, Leadership Network sponsored the Multi-Site Exposed | Seattle conference. The aim of the conference was to bring together a group of churches that are operating at multiple locations and to give smaller and younger churches the opportunity to learn from those that are further down the "multi-site" road.

In this second main session from the conference, watch as John Bishop of Living Hope Church talks about revitalizing your ministry, staying focused on Jesus, and recovering from burnout.

As they become available, all main sessions from the conference can be found here.

On April 14^th-15^th, 2008, Leadership Network sponsored the Multi-Site Exposed | Seattle conference. The aim of the conference was to bring together a group of churches that are operating at multiple locations and to give smaller and younger churches the opportunity to learn from those that are further down the "multi-site" road.

In this first main session from the conference, watch the round-table discussion between multi-site pastors Mark Driscoll (of Mars Hill Church), John Bishop (of Living Hope Church), and Dave Browning (of Christ the King Church).

As they become available, all main sessions from the conference can be found here.

On Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at the Resurgence National Conference, Pastor Mark Driscoll emceed a Q & A time with Pastors John Piper and Matt Chandler. Please listen as Mark, John, and Matt discuss the dangers and struggles that pastors face, keeping the church focused on Jesus and not the men leading it, false gospels, maintaining humility in the midst of authority, accountability, contextualization, racial diversity and how much Pastor John can bench-press.