As a door turns on its hinges,
so does a sluggard on his bed.
(Proverbs 26:14 ESV)
It’s Monday, but come on. You can do it!
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Advent: Week Three
Reposted from December 11, 2011
The third week of Advent is about Joy and we light the Shepherds’ candle.
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:8-14 ESV)
I went to Miriam Webster .com to define joy. The first entry was “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.” No, that sounds too much like happiness. That’s not the biblical sort of joy. That’s not what the Apostle Paul is talking about. Let’s try entry 2: “a state of happiness or felicity.” That is happiness. Happiness is conditional; if the conditions change so can the state of one’s emotions. One phone call can turn a person’s state of happiness around quick. On to definition 3: “a source or cause of delight.” That’s what we’re looking for. Continue reading
The Read and Share File
I normally share a few links with a few comments. Here’s a few links and a short sermon.
When we confess Jesus as Lord, via The Gospel Coalition. This is one of those posts I wish I had written.
Here is a whole collection of verses and quotes on Thanksgiving. Christians should be all about Thanksgiving.
Harvey Turner at The Resurgence writes You Are Not Jesus. He claims that the gospel is good news, and news must be proclaimed. You cannot, therefore, live the gospel or be the gospel, a premise which troubles me greatly.
Yes, the gospel is good news. But when we are transformed by his redeeming power old things pass away and we become new creatures in Christ (2 Cor 5:17). It is no longer we that live but he lives in us (Gal 2:20). Our goal is to conform to the image of Christ, who himself was the image of the invisible God (Col 1:15). We are filled with the indwelling Holy Spirit, and are commissioned to carry the gospel to a lost and dying world. I am not Jesus, but if I give a cup of water to the least of his children Jesus says it’s as if I gave water to him. We, the church, are the body of Christ and he becomes the head of the body. Jesus says his believers become one with him just as he and the Father are one. We are grafted into the family of God through a glorious adoption. Continue reading
Happy Monday
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According to the official Happy Monday declaration, one of the things we do on Monday morning is review some of the headlines you may have missed. We also look forward to the week ahead and share encouragement in the form of inspirational quotes, Bible verses and humor. There was a complaint last week (via text message, not in the comments) that there wasn’t much to be happy about. I’ll try try to keep it positive. Continue reading
Happy Monday
Last week:
NFL fans are glad to see the real NFL refs back on the job. After reaching a deal Wednesday night, securing a contract for the next eight years, refs wasted no time getting back for Thursday Night Football. The NFL has apologized for the use of replacement refs; not exactly what Packers fans were hoping for.
GA Bulldogs fans (I’m working this in while I have the chance) are enjoying a 5 game win streak and an as-of-yet undefeated season. GA has scored over 40 points five games in a row, unheard of in the school’s history. Continue reading
Happy Monday
So last week this happened:
Harvard University unveiled this 4th century papyrus fragment, which suggests Jesus was married. At best, the research is not yet verified. At worst, the papyrus is real but the document is a forgery. I recommend this article in the Washington Post.
Saturday was the first day of fall. I like high school football, autumn colors and slightly cooler temperatures. Fall is not my favorite season because I’m not a big fan of winter. Coming up: Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. January diet here we come! Continue reading
The Read and Share File
It’s been a while since I’ve had the chance to share. Here’s what this writer has been reading:
9 Marks offers tips on leading the church in a healthy direction. Read them here.
Tim Challies is doing a series on the holiness of God.
- Part 1: The Holiness of God and the Existence of Hell
- Part 2: The Just Wrath of a Holy God
- Part 3: God’s Mercy and God’s Wrath Meet at the Cross
Ray Ortland suggests that small talk has a place in ministry. While I agree, I’m not totally sure that’s what happened in Acts 10:27. Read The Astonishing Amiability and see what you think.
Happy Monday
Opening Ceremonies in London – where else can you see Queen Elizabeth II jump from a helicopter or Mr. Bean play Chariots of Fire?
9.66 million Tweets sent during the Opening Ceremonies. That’s more than during the entire Games in Beiging, but to be fair Twitter wasn’t the “big deal” in 2008 is has become. Media outlets actually had problems Saturday because the data networks were jammed with tweets and they couldn’t get details for broadcast. When people watching television started tweeting about the lack of info, the problem only got worse.
James Holmes will be back in court today, but news cameras will not, Continue reading
Marriage Equality
Marriage is a biblical institution. God ordained marriage, and defined it as between one man and one woman. Jesus and the Apostle Paul upheld this definition in the New Testament.
There is an update to this post here.
I believe in marriage equality. Each marriage is equal to every other marriage. Two men or two women? That’s not marriage; see the above definition. Continue reading
The Religion of Atheists
Modern atheists are more than people that do not believe in God, or that in fact there is no god. Becky Garrison, in her book The New Atheist Crusaders, described an almost ironic religious fervor of atheists to spread their “faith.” Thursday, May 3, is either the National Day of Prayer or the National Day of Reason, depending on how you look at it. (click image to link to Christian Post)
The National Day of Prayer dates back all the way to 1775 when the founding fathers ask American colonists to pray for the formation of the new nation. Continue reading
The Master's Table 