Sin – Apprentice 2 Jesus

Sin and death and mowing lawns

When I first was in ministry, the area where I pastored had a group of people who were teaching on a subject I would call “hyper grace.” A few years later, when I was pastoring in the Twin Cities, there was a Christian radio show focusing on what they perceived to be “apologetics” and howContinue reading “Sin and death and mowing lawns”

The problem we won’t face

“…sin is not so much naughty actions or even egregious wrongdoing; it is an infectious disease.” — Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of Jesus Christ

The deceit in our heart

I am writing/praying my way through Acts right now and come to Acts 5 where Ananias and Sapphira lie about the amount they are giving in the offering and God strikes them dead. We have so many questions about why God struck them dead. This thought occurs to me this time around in my reading:Continue reading “The deceit in our heart”

Jack Hayford — Confessions of a Stiff-Necked, Godly, Backslider

Listening to this message earlier this week, I was so deeply convicted by the Spirit and this word propelled my time away in prayer.

The DIFFERENCE of Christ

There is a higher call in Christ. There is a walk that is worthy of Christ.

Words that sound incredibly strange from Bonhoeffer

The way to wholeness and healing is to recognize there is a sickness.

2015.12.06 – The Fall of Humanity

We face the temptation of the Garden all over again as American Christians in this time period.

Sin won’t go away

We want to rename it, ignore it, ridicule the thought of “sin,” but the fact of it just won’t go away. We do our best to ignore it, though. Bill Arnold in his commentary on 1-2 Samuel in the NIV Application Commentary noted this: Once “sin” is no longer in the church’s vocabulary, there isContinue reading “Sin won’t go away”

Save us from the “Rah Rah” Resurrection

Every year there is some comment, post, article, etc., out there that will wonder why Christians go through the “morbidity” of Lent or “dwell” on the crucifixion. It’s a braggadocious claim about how they live in the resurrection power. Jesus is alive! Jesus IS alive. And the resurrection IS where we dwell. We live in the power of theContinue reading “Save us from the “Rah Rah” Resurrection”

I dream of a day when we quit ranking sins

It’s not about particular sins. It’s about SIN. It’s about our rebellion against God. It’s about our desire to be our own little gods. But when we are in our own little rebellions, we feel better about pointing out someone else’s “worse” sin. I pray for the day, just in my own life, when I’m doneContinue reading “I dream of a day when we quit ranking sins”