“But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13, NRSVUE) We know well that worship is at the center of the Christian celebration of Christmas. As … Read More
Another Opportunity for Shared Impact
The heavens declare the glory of God,and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.Day to day pours out speech,and night to night reveals knowledge.There is no speech, nor are there words,whose voice is not heard. Psalm 19:1-3, ESV Hi All, Updates to the Genesis 1 and Science booklet in the Constructive Conversations series are now live and ready for some good … Read More
God’s Core Values for Healthy Churches
Last week I wrote about our church’s core values and I thought I’d follow-up with a list of eight core values that correspond to Saint John’s messages in the book Revelation to seven real first-century churches. These are God’s core values for healthy churches if you will, and, as you’ll see, certainly have great relevance to our hearts and churches … Read More
Gardening in Lent
By Timothy Austen There are good Christmas songs and there are bad ones. Stay with me, folks. I know it’ spring. The good: Some traditional Christmas music beautifully captures the spirit of waiting and patience that Advent—and, for that matter, our current season of Lent—requires of us. For example: “How long is this Mariah Carey song, and when will it … Read More
Making Sense of “The Fear of the LORD”
Another reason to acknowledge and retain the doctrines of both the universal and redemptive Fatherhood of God is that doing so brings clarity to our understanding of the fear of God. Fear of the LORD is reverential awe. For example, in Psa. 96:4 it says, “For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared … Read More
Reading Genesis 1 with Saint Augustine
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” Genesis 1:1-3, NLT I love Genesis 1 and one of the cool things about … Read More
Is Church an Essential Service?
Well, no and yes. Let me explain. No. When it comes to surviving a global pandemic, where everything is temporarily stripped down to the basics—food, clothing, shelter—physically meeting in a local church is not essential. It is appropriately put on hold or done virtually. Not all agree, however—even church leaders. For example, one pastor recently articulated his anti-social distancing sentiments … Read More
The Strange Familiarity of God’s Mysterious Ways
We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps. (Prov. 16:9, NLT) In late 2015, I was in a discouraged place. God was providing for every financial need our family had, yet he seemed bent on frustrating MY plans. I had been in the process of trying to transfer my credentials to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) and … Read More
How I Changed my Mind About Genesis 1 and Science, Part 1 of 5
I’m no kin to the monkey and the monkey’s no kin to me. I don’t know much about your ancestors but mine didn’t swing from a tree. It’s a ditty I learned in Sunday School. It was also the extent of my knowledge of evolutionary biology, except a few things I learned in Jack Chick’s comic books. When I was … Read More
Women in Church Leadership, Part 2
“Women have more to offer the church than mad decorating skills or craft nights. I look around: I see women who can offer strategic leadership, wisdom, counsel, and teaching.” ― Sarah Bessey, (egalitarian) “What women rightly long for is spiritual and moral initiative from a man, not spiritual and moral domination.”[1] -John Piper (complementarian) I mentioned last week that the … Read More
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