-
Quick Hit Thought to Get My Monday Going
When Paul came into Ephesus in Acts 19, he preached, the Spirit came on those there… and 12 men started an extraordinary work. It was a work that shook the core of the Ephesian economy and impacted a region. Twelve men. God doesn’t mind small. He’s not afraid. What am I believing for today? What can be started when I…
-
His Great Love
I am fairly sure we do not understand the great love of God. Currently I am teaching through Ephesians in one of my college classes. The first 3 chapters swept me away years ago when I was at the absolute bottom of my life. Those three chapters soaked into my spirit. (I spent an entire year just in Ephesians, so…
-
More on Healthcare “Reform”
I have a tab on this blog with more thoughts on healthcare “reform,” but I needed to add this update from Chuck Colson. I know there are people applauding this legislation. It’s becoming the liberal version of “patriotism.” Remember the “old days” of the Iraq War when the liberals got upset when Republicans challenged their “patriotism” because they opposed the…
-
Paul and the Athenian Experience
As I have prepared for the college class I teach on the Book of Acts, I am re-examining Paul’s ministry in Athens. I have never been comfortable with Paul in Athens. I personally think it didn’t go well. However, when I was in college the huge thing in that day was “apologetics.” The insistence was on learning how to debate…
-
The Big OUCH
I have seen the book on different sites, but this blurb gives some GREAT quotes. Be prepared to be mad, or say “Ouch.” Some of my favorites: They wish the church could be more diverse, but then leave to meet in a coffee shop with other well-educated thirtysomethings who are into film festivals, NPR, and carbon offsets. They want to…
-
The Power of the Biography
This article echoes one of my favorites genres: the biography. I am not much of a fiction person. I love history and biographies. It is much easier for me to plow through 900 pages on Alexander Hamilton than 200 pages of fiction. (Grisham and Baldacci are the exceptions. Sorry. I’m shallow that way.) There are two autobiographies for Christian reading…
-
A NEW Translation Being Formed…
Yes! Yet another English translation. No… we obviously do not have enough! This one is called the Common English Bible. It seems the intention here is to be less on the conservative side (whatever that means) and more to the NRSV side. I like the NRSV, along with the TNIV, NLT, etc., so I believe the target audience is “mainline”…
-
Yawning at the Word
Mark Galli has an excellent piece at Christianitytoday.com. We are so easily BORED with the Word these days. What is our problem? This paragraph is challenging to me: Whenever the Bible is read, a hush should come over us. We should be inching toward the edge of our seats, leaning forward, turning our best ear toward the speaker, fearful we’ll…
-
The New American “Christianity”, Part 2
The article regarding this new moralistic deism had an interesting paragraph: All this means is that teenagers have been listening carefully. They have been observing their parents in the larger culture with diligence and insight. They understand just how little their parents really believe and just how much many of their churches and Christian institutions have accommodated themselves to the…
-
The New American “Christianity”?
This study was done some time back, but a post by a friend on Facebook alerted me to this study. The new religion is called “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.” As described by Smith and his team, Moralistic Therapeutic Deism consists of beliefs like these: 1. “A god exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth.”…
