Monday, July 25, 2005
A Very Good Sermon
Yesterday, Pastor Paul preached a very good sermon. He has been preaching from John 15, the passage about the vine and the branches. 1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that...
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Saturday, July 23, 2005
Doing for others always comes back.
Someone told me that we are doing a wonderful work letting addicts come to live with us. It is true. It is wonderful. But the rewards outweigh the costs. I never read the book, "the Cost of Discipleship," but i did hear about some of the concepts. Basically the costs are to stop doing things like...
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Friday, July 22, 2005
Bible Verse Therapy
A lot of Christians believe that if you memorize enough scripture that you can overcome anything. Although the word of God is powerful, it requires more than that. What is required is an understanding of your condition, an idea of what can be done about it and be willing to do what will solve the...
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Thursday, July 21, 2005
Back in the pulpit?
Tuesday I called Pastor Paul and asked if I could start the process towards ordination in the Friends church. They don't call it ordination but recording. I need that credential in order to become either a chaplain or a pastoral counselor. The process takes two years but I can get a certificate...
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Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Inspired by Beauty
Theologians are often so caught up in rational argument that they miss out on spirituality. My seminary was mostly like that, except for one class. Eugene Peterson and Eugene Huston taught the class. Both of them were hard to follow when they spoke. They were very intelligent and highly educated but...
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Monday, July 18, 2005
Come and I will give you rest.
The sermon yesterday was on the passage "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. The pastor started out by giving an illustration about a grandson that doesn't come when his grandmother calls. It strikes me that it would be hard to get Jesus' rest, if we didn't come...
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Friday, July 15, 2005
Spiritual Growth is not Optional
You have given up your sinful past, stopped smoking and got a job. Life is good. So you sit on your laurels, curl up to a good book, and vegetate. This is the good life. Small problem. You weren't intended to be vegetation, but a missionary, out to conquer the world for Christ. This conquest...
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Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Not all closed minds are religious.
People who claim to be rational and use reason to figure out truth, generally are only open minded to their own preconcieved ideas. When someone says something that goes against those ideas, instead of investigating the evidence, they mock the idea. Two scientists proposed that because a coastline...
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God's forgiveness
Whenever I see Terry, I see wells of pain. Terry is divorced. His wife divorced him within a month of him having an affair. He made a terrible mistake, she made a worse one. Terry is a very sweet tender man, who made a stupid mistake. He regretted it almost as soon as he had made it. Karen is a very...
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Sunday, July 10, 2005
God's people.
If Jesus were on earth today, he would be in the park where are the homeless hang out. If Jesus were on earth today, he would disguise himself as a mentally ill person and hang out in the psych wards. If Jesus were on earth today, he would preach in prison. If Jesus were on earth today, he would...
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