Category Archives: Bible and Theology

What God says through scripture, and how people work to understand it.

The Church’s Main Function

“The sin of the Church–the horrible apostasy of the Church–has consisted in denying its own function which is  to proclaim to men their spiritual condition, the eternal foundation which it rests, the manifestation which has been made of it by … Continue reading

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Is it time to Weed?

While I was on my walk this morning, I noticed two kinds of houses in my neighborhood. Some houses looked attractive. They made feel comfortable and think, “I could be happy living here.” Other houses were off-putting. Their appearance made … Continue reading

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From Mourning to Promise

“Depth of mercy! Can there be Mercy still reserved for me? Can my God His wrath forbear, Me, the chief of sinners, spare?” These words haunted me as I drove my car this morning. I was listening to a Selah … Continue reading

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Use your strengths!

“My fully-exploited strengths were of far greater value to our organization than my marginally-improved weaknesses.” I picked this up from Andy Stanley today. This is part of a hope-based life plan. Too often, we slide into the deficit-based life plan. … Continue reading

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Why Small Beginnings Work

I am reading in Zechariah this month for devotions since I am teaching Old Testament Prophets. I must admit, I rarely turn to read Zechariah and I cannot remember when I have taught or preached from it. But I must … Continue reading

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The Presence of Angels

Excuse my honesty, but I have always wondered about the fascination about angels. I never doubted their existence; but I could not see why many people are drawn to them. This morning, I read Michael Card’s Luke: The Gospel of … Continue reading

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What are your 30 pieces of silver?

We love to read about Judas because his story gives us permission to castigate selling out Jesus, forgetting all the ways that we sell out Jesus all the time. We sell out Jesus when our fear makes us cave into … Continue reading

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Grief to Hope

The role of the prophet is to help society grieve the death of its own future and excite hope for God’s future. That is a quickie summary of The Prophetic Imagination by Walter Brueggemann. In setting the context for the … Continue reading

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A Jesus Church

I liked Scot McKnight’s recent summary of new book, I knew Jesus before he was a Christian . . . and I liked him better then. The author, Rubel Shelly is a Christian and is pro-church. But he notices differences … Continue reading

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God uses suffering?

Excuse me for an extended quote, but Michael Card had much to say. “[Jesus] does not explain away the pain, nor does he say that he has come with the answer or that he will fix everything. Instead, he bows … Continue reading

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