Church Life
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Some Thoughts about Gates and Doors (and Saltshakers)
Most who read this will be familiar with this statement made by our Lord: And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matt. 16:18) There is absolutely no way to “guesstimate” all of the possible interpretations and nuances about the last part of that statement. Wherever one comes down on all of that, though, it is generally agreed that this was the Lord’s way of saying that the church He would build would be (as the saying goes) “built to last.” In other words, nothing could keep Jesus from…
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Week of February 10 “Into the Heart of the Bible” and “Something from the Margin of My Bible”
On “Into the Heart of the Bible” this week, Leah gave a brief overview of the Period of the Judges. To watch, click here or watch below. On the podcast this week, Adam gave a quick definition of a term in Deuteronomy 18:11. To listen and subscribe, click here.
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The Word That Stops Christian Relationships
Right off the bat, let me say that the title for today’s post is a little hyperbolic. There are plenty of words that can ruin relationships. Plus, this one doesn’t necessarily “stop” those relationships. However, I hope you will see that the constant and mindless use of this one word can, at least, slow down the deepening of true Christian fellowship. And it’s a word you have probably used interacting with fellow Christians a lot…maybe even today. What is it? “Fine.” When you ask someone on Sunday at worship how they are doing, it is so natural for the response to be “I’m fine.” When you text someone to see…
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Purpose Statements
Have you ever wondered why the books of the Bible were written? Sure, they were written as part of the whole biblical message, which is intended to reveal God and His message to the world. Why, though, did God choose the people that He chose to write the things that He chose for them to write? The books of the Bible contain a surprising number of individual purpose statements. Luke, for example, includes a purpose statement at the beginning of both Luke and Acts in which he reveals his intention to deliver to Theophilus an accurate description of Jesus’s life and the history of the early church (Luke 1:1-4, Acts…
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Week of February 3 “Into the Heart of the Bible” and “Something from the Margin of My Bible”
This week on her video series, Leah presented part 2 of a study of the period of conquest in the Bible. To watch, click here or watch below. (And if you click through to YouTube, take half a second and subscribe to Leah’s channel.) On the podcast, Adam shared a note from the book of Joshua that shows dedication, but also a contrast to how the book of Judges will begin. To listen and/or subscribe, click here.
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Decluttering Your Life
Some of the time spent on my phone or my iPad is spent looking at houses that need to be decluttered. There will be closets that are so full of junk that you can’t get to anything you might want to use. There are kitchens that have counters so full of items that there is no room to place another thing or from which you could work. I like to read about the methods used to help with this problem and see the finished product. You know the method: boxes for keep, donate, throw away. Call me crazy if you want to, but there is something satisfying about seeing the…
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I Admit My Privilege
No, I’m not talking about that other kind of privilege that people seem to be so concerned with in recent years. Since the Bible has nothing to say about skin color, I think it is absolutely crazy for our culture to be so obsessed with it. Instead, I’m talking about a privilege that is available to everyone and that is far, far greater. It is one that I used to hear described as a “privilege” more often than I do these days, but maybe we need to get back to using that description. In fact, this privilege provides doors of opportunity and communication that nothing else can. Do you want…
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Cluttered Desks
Having lived on my own now for almost 2 years, I am convinced that there is no more difficult task than keeping a desk clear of clutter for more than about 2 days. This is something that anyone who has seen my desk at the church office or (especially) my desk at home knows about me. I am writing this just after making yet another attempt to clear off the church desk; it’s still not totally clear, but it looks much better than it did before. It’s not that the clutter doesn’t bother me – believe me, it does. It’s just that every time I have a chance to clear…
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Two Preachers, Two Texts, Two Perspectives, One Suggestion
It is not unusual for me to get text messages. I’m reasonably certain that this is not unusual for most (if not) all who will read this. However, there was something unusual about two texts I received recently on the same day. In the morning, I received a text from a friend and brother of mine who has been preaching for a number of years. Like me, he is no longer a young man. That, along with the fact that both he and his wife are dealing with some serious health issues, has made it necessary for him to make the difficult decision to no longer preach on a full-time…
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Week of January 27 “Into the Heart of the Bible” and “Something from the Margin of My Bible”
This week, Leah shares the first of two videos on the Period of Conquest in the Bible. Even if you watch below, please take a moment and subscribe to her channel on YouTube. You can watch the video below or by clicking here. On the margin notes podcast, Adam shares an important devotional thought for the opening of Exodus 15. To listen or subscribe, click here.
