Blog Archives: January 2015 — December 2015
An Open Letter to Young Adults Who Love Jesus
August 30, 2015
In my (relatively) short life time, I have witnessed changes in our societal values related to love and sex and marriage that make the sixties seem tame in comparison. Of course, for followers of Jesus who stand under, not over, God’s Word, not even Supreme Court decisions have the power to alter what we believe about these things. However, we would be kidding ourselves if we didn’t recognize that our culture’s increasing apathy, even hostility, toward biblical purity has a significant influence on our own views.
As well, it must be ...
I Identify As...
July 09, 2015
"Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free but Christ is all and is in all." Colossians 3:11
Identity has become a hot topic in our culture in recent months, from a famous male athlete who has chosen to identify as female to a Caucasian woman working for the NAACP who has chosen to identify as African-American. It is amazing just how much of our meaning in life is derived from how we identify ourselves, whether it is in terms of ethnicity, nationality, pastimes, the homes we live in, ...
Making Much of Jesus
June 28, 2015
“…and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor.” Acts 19:17
Without a doubt, nothing has impressed me more, while reading through Acts, than the singular emphasis on the name of Jesus. It starts at the ascension with the angels instructing the disciples about “this same Jesus” (1:11), it is developed in Peter’s Pentecost sermon where he says, “repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 2:38), and it is powerfully reaffirmed in Peter’s speech before the Sanhedrin, “know this…it is by the name of ...
Fighting Narcissus
May 31, 2015
“In Greek mythology, Narcissus…was known for his beauty…. He was proud, in that he disdained those who loved him. Nemesis noticed this behavior and attracted Narcissus to a pool, where he saw his own reflection in the water and fell in love with it, not realizing it was merely an image. Unable to leave the beauty of his reflection, Narcissus drowned. Narcissus is the origin of the term narcissism, a fixation with oneself and one's physical appearance.” Wikipedia
The sad truth is, there is a little Narcissus in all of us—we are all ...
Step by Step Disciplemaking
May 01, 2015
Oh God, You are my God, And I will ever praise you Oh God, You are my God, And I will ever praise you And I will seek You in the morning, And I will learn to walk in Your ways And step by step You'll lead me, And I will follow You all of my days Rich Mullins
These are the lyrics from one of my favorite Christian songs of all time, Step by Step. I appreciate this picture of the Christian life, spiritual growth that is step by step. It reminds me of the work ethic of old—where a person expected to work hard in order to make progress and ...
Life on Life Disciplemaking
April 11, 2015
Pursuing passionate disciplemaking that is life on life, step by step, inside & out. RBC Vision 2015
It was my privilege, at our annual meeting mid-March, to share the elders’ vision for our church for the coming year. However, because I believe it is so important that we are “one in spirit and purpose” (Phil 2:2) I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to reiterate this vision for those who were present at our annual meeting and share it for the first time with those who were not. In this blog, I begin with a focused look at the ...
Steadfast
March 01, 2015
Sometimes I wonder at the meandering ways of the mind. This Saturday morning began, for me, in the Valley of Vision, a puritan prayer book. These were the thoughts I was dwelling upon, “Thou hast led me on and I have found thy promises true; I have been sorrowful, but thou hast been my help; fearful, but thou hast delivered me; despairing, but thou hast lifted me up.”
And it was while contemplating God’s faithfulness that I was drawn, in my prayers, to consider the title, Rock of ages. But here’s where my thoughts truly began to diverge, ...
Selfish Selflessness
February 01, 2015
I fear, with this title, that I am guilty of an oxymoron like act naturally, unbiased opinion, awfully good and jumbo shrimp. In fact, according to my trusty 1961 Funk & Wagnalls Dictionary, the very definition of selfless is “Regardless of self; unselfish.”
Even so, I submit that not only is selfish selflessness a reality, it is a prevalent reality. People often make seemingly selfless choices for very selfish reasons. It is the philanthropist who gives millions to a hospital so that an entire wing dons her name, or the donor who gives ...
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