Archive for May, 2007
« Previous Entries Next Entries »Reflections on the Ministry of Jerry Falwell
Wednesday, May 16th, 2007I just heard the news that Jerry Falwell has died. My first reaction is one of shock. Though I never met him personally, Rev. Falwell has been a fixture in my world for almost my whole adult life, or so it seems. It’s strange to think of the world without him in it.
My second reaction […]
How to Begin to Live as a Saint
Tuesday, May 15th, 2007Permalink for this post / Permalink for this series
As I’ve explained earlier in this series, if you’re a Christian, then you’re a saint, a person set-apart by God for relationship with Him and to serve Him in the world. So how do you begin to live as a saint on a daily basis?
First of all, […]
Hope in the Midst of Struggle and Suffering
Monday, May 14th, 2007Permalink for this post / Permalink for this series
In my last post I explained that Christian hope is focused in God and God’s future. It is not believing that everything in our lives will turn out as we’d like it to be. As a pastor I often meet with people before they have major surgery. […]
Sunday Inspiration from Pray the Gospels
Sunday, May 13th, 2007Prayer
“Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”
Matthew 9:17
Click here to read all of Matthew 9:14-26
Prayer
O Lord, I confess that I am a lover of old wineskins. I […]
Week in Review: May 6-11, 2007
Saturday, May 12th, 2007My Recent Blogging
Sunday, May 6: Inspiration from Pray the Gospels
Monday, May 7: Suffering and Christian Fellowship
Tuesday, May 8: God is With Us Even When We Suffering Because of Our Sin
Wednesday, May 9: People of Hope in a Hurting World
Thursday, May 10: Living in Hopful Tension
Friday, May 11: The Content of Our Hope
Links to Other […]
The Content of Our Hope
Friday, May 11th, 2007Permalink for this post / Permalink for this series
In yesterday’s post I wrote about how Christians live in the tension between the “already and not yet.” Though God’s kingdom has already begun to be present on earth, it is not yet here in all fullness. Though sin has already been defeated through Christ’s death on […]
Living in Hopeful Tension
Thursday, May 10th, 2007Permalink for this post / Permalink for this series
Yesterday I explained that Christians acknowledge the suffering and pain of this world, but live, nevertheless, with hope. Our hope is oriented to the future, when God will fully reveal His kingdom in the transformation of heaven and earth. This means that we live with a certain […]
People of Hope in a Hurting World
Wednesday, May 9th, 2007Permalink for this post / Permalink for this series
Genuine, lasting hope is in short supply these days. Oh, you might hear some hopeful words from political candidates. And every now and then somebody suggests that things might be getting better. But mostly we are inundated with bad news and the despair it engenders, whether we’re […]
God is With Us Even When We Suffer Because of Our Sin
Tuesday, May 8th, 2007Permalink for this post / Permalink for this series
In my last post I began to explain how suffering draws us into deeper fellowship with other Christians, and even with God. Astoundingly, this is true even when we suffer as a direct result of our own sin.
All suffering stems ultimately from human sin, but that does […]
Suffering and Christian Fellowship
Monday, May 7th, 2007Permalink for this post / Permalink for this series
In recent posts I’ve talked about how living as saints–people set apart from this world for God and His purposes–can sometimes lead to suffering. Often, however, our suffering comes not as a result of our faith in Christ, but simply because we live in a fallen world. […]
Sunday Inspiration from Pray the Gospels
Sunday, May 6th, 2007Excerpt
“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”
Matthew 7:11
Click here to read all of Matthew 7:7-12
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, I do like giving good gifts to my children. I love seeing their delight […]
Week in Review: April 29-May 4, 2007
Saturday, May 5th, 2007My Recent Blogging
Sunday, April 29: Sunday Inspiration from Pray the Psalms
Monday, April 30: Our Loss . . . Heaven’s Gain
Tuesday, May 1: In the World, But Not Of the World
Wednesday, May 2: What Sainthood is Not
Thursday, May 3: The Cost of Being a Misfit
Friday, May 4: A Saintly Struggle
Links to Other Sites
Gladiator’s Graveyard Discovered: Archeologists […]
A Saintly Struggle
Friday, May 4th, 2007Permalink for this post / Permalink for this series
In my last post I explained how living “saintly” or “set apart” lives can lead to conflict, even suffering. I cited the example of Jim and Donna, whose unwillingness to let their son play soccer on Sunday morning alienated them from the coach and other parents. Today […]
The Cost of Being a Misfit
Thursday, May 3rd, 2007Permalink for this post / Permalink for this series
Jesus says that we who follow Him are to let our light shine into the world, so that people might see our lives and give glory to God. Shining the light of God into the world sounds like a safe, praiseworthy task, the sort of service for […]
What Sainthood is Not
Wednesday, May 2nd, 2007Permalink for this post / Permalink for this series
Jon Krakauer is best known from his gripping portrayal of tragedy on Mt. Everest in his bestselling book, Into Thin Air. But Krakauer has written other engaging books, including Under the Banner of Heaven, his study of Mormon polygamists, and also Into the Wild.
Into the wild is […]
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