Month: November 2015
Timothy Tennent ~ Marriage, Human Sexuality, & the Body: The Meaning of Our Original Nakedness
November 30, 2015
The utilitarian vision sees the body of a man or woman as an object which can be assessed like a car. Is it bright, new, shiny and full of power, or not? Is your body thin or fat; does it conform to the shapes we admire or not; is your hair the right texture and color or not; are your teeth shiny and straight or not? In the covenantal vision, the mystery and glory is that we have bodies, and those bodies are beautiful to God because they are living sacraments in the world, an outward sign of an inward and spiritual grace, since all of the means of grace come through the physicality of the body.
Jeff Rudy ~ The King’s Speech
November 28, 2015
In a world of chaos, who’s in charge? Rev. Jeff Rudy offers a compelling word on Reign of Christ Sunday.
Elizabeth Glass Turner ~ A Cold and Broken Thanksgiving
November 25, 2015
Your year flashes in bits and pieces in front of your mind and you search for a socially appropriate response that doesn’t include “good medical attention after a miscarriage” or “pro bono lawyers” or “insightful marriage and family therapists.”
Pass the stuffing.
Andy Stoddard ~ From Projects to People: Serving with Christ’s Heart
November 23, 2015
We see Jesus teaching about what must happen, that he must suffer and die to save the people from their sins. His purpose is to teach us to love, to care, to serve, to forgive.
Michael Smith ~ Advice for Young Preachers
November 19, 2015
Listening to good preachers should inspire us to sharpen our skills (and not just borrow material).
Carrie Carter ~ What Heritage Do You Choose to Pass On?
November 18, 2015
Am I leaving a heritage that my boys will want to pass on to my grandchildren? Am I leaving them a heritage that, in the face of evil, will give them the boldness to say, “Yes, I am a Christian”? Am I leaving them a heritage that gives them peace and security in Christ as the world around them crumbles?
Harley Scalf ~ Then Face to Face: Remembering Ellsworth Kalas
November 16, 2015
“There is only one Sunday that matters – this one – and only one sermon to be preached – this one. So fall in love with this sermon.”
Elizabeth Glass Turner ~ The Narrative of Evil
November 14, 2015
We are not at the mercy of terrorists. They are at our mercy as we live in flesh and blood and bone the loving mercy of Jesus Christ, Emmanuel-God-With-Us, who was and is and is to come. As the orange-suited martyrs cried to Jesus on their sandy beach deathbeds, evil crumpled. They have no power over Jesus Christ, they have no power over the world to come, they have no power over your soul.
Kimberly Reisman – IKEA Discovers the Secret to Evangelism
November 12, 2015
But when we share faith with others, we don’t tell them what they should believe. We tell them what we believe – and more importantly, who we trust, which brings us once again to relationship.
Ken Loyer ~ Infant Baptism and Beyond: A Systematic Approach, Part IV
November 11, 2015
I have found that this is a good way to keep before the family and the child the meaning of baptism and to remind the parents of the promise they made to God during the baptism to do all they can to raise their child in the faith.