“While the Gospel is something worth contending for, there are right ways and wrong ways to go about this business.” D.A. Carson
Author: Tim Merwin
Mystery of Mysteries
I like a good mystery! Not the predictable sort; I like the ones that challenge the mind and stretch the imagination. The kind you almost feel like you have to work for to understand.
There is a mystery found in God’s Word. It is the ultimate mystery – A mystery of mysteries. No earthly mystery compares to the mystery of the gospel! Sadly, we do not dwell on the contents or the characters of the mystery enough. But when people do, I find the response is either worship or rebellion. Some behold the mystery and worship, while others grow angry and defiant.
In considering both responses, let’s first unpack the mystery.
When Politics Become Savior
“Salvation doesn’t come on Air Force One.” Chuck Colson
I find the current cultural view of politics…. concerning. On both sides of the aisle there are winners and losers and perhaps both are in need of an adjustment. Not unlike a visit to the chiropractor, perhaps our culture needs an adjustment for our aches and pains.
The Walk
A friend sent me an email a few weeks ago titled, “Rambling thoughts”. I am sharing that email with you with her permission. Enjoy!
Shame on the Silent Christian….
I do not have time to write my own post today, but I do think the below article is very important and worth your time.
Please click the link below and take a minute to read:
Shame on the Silent Christian Leaders Who Refuse to Stand Against Government Tyranny
Time, Productivity, And Purpose
No man has a right to be idle. . . . Where is it that in such a world as this, health, and leisure, and affluence may not find some ignorance to instruct, some wrong to redress, some want to supply, some misery to alleviate?
William Wilberforce
I’m Busy!
Let’s take a few seconds and think about this: When was the last time you asked someone how they are doing, or they asked you the same, and your answer wasn’t something along the lines of, “I have been really busy!”
Gospel Things
“As a pastor, I constantly pray and engage the people of the Village Church to keep what is “of first importance” at the center of their thinking, in both their justification and their sanctification. Over the years, I have become painfully aware that people tend to drift away from the gospel soon after their conversion and begin to try their hand at sanctification. In other words, they operate as if the gospel saves them but doesn’t play a role in sanctifying them. In the end, people become exhausted and miss out on the joy of knowing and walking with the Spirit of God. They miss out on intimacy with Jesus.”
Matt Chandler
The Manger’s Call
Only at Christmas
Might we hear
Prepare Him room
And Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer
This Pastor’s Prayer
I have never posted a prayer. I am not sure if I will ever do so again….I don’t do so to in any way impress anyone… I don’t think I am impressive nor are my prayers!! Prayer that seeks to show off and impress is not really prayer at all.
But, prayer IS…. revealing. It exposes you, shows your heart, and what makes you tick. With that in mind, the below is raw and unedited….I am not trying to be grammatically correct or polished. It is just…. me sharing with you my prayer as a pastor. And so, I make myself vulnerable and invite you to read my journal and prayer to God one morning last week.
Time Flies!
Time, where does it go? Is it just me or does time seem to move increasingly faster the older you get?!? You know the saying…. time flies when you are having fun. But, doesn’t time fly even when you aren’t having fun? Recently, I have been considering some things related to time. Challenging myself about the use of time, and considering God who created time and is beyond time.
Making God In Our Own Image
Have you considered the stunning news of Genesis 1:27? “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
“Silence In The Face Of Evil Is Itself Evil”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said:
“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”
Continue reading “Silence In The Face Of Evil Is Itself Evil”
Reformation Day
It is that time of year. Fall, pumpkins, costumes, and….of course, candy!
I live in the wonderful state of Florida. Fall in Florida means there’s usually a little less humidity, an occasional cool breeze, and plenty of mosquitos to smack while kids gather candy on October 31st. Oh, the fondness of Fall memories growing up in Florida!
Politics and… Please, Get Me Off This Ride!
Photos: Getty Images & ShutterStock , Illustration: Dillen Phelps
Do you remember the days of getting on that roller coaster ride and as it started to crank you up, up, up… You know that feeling you get in your stomach as the old wooden roller coaster clicks you up and the people below seem to be shrinking in size? You began to think and maybe even said out loud
… “Get me off this thing!!” Well, that describes this political season we find ourselves in as Americans. That moment you think, “can it get any worse”?…. And, sadly, it somehow does continue to grow worse. And, unfortunately, I fully expect the worst is yet to come. :-)
Continue reading Politics and… Please, Get Me Off This Ride!