Lord Jesus, I'm scared. I'm far from you in my heart, and I persist in the things that will keep me far away from you. And yet, I feel you pursuing me. Your pursuit both comforts me and scares me. I know that because you still pursue me, you have not given up on me. … Continue reading Prayer Note #43 — Fleeing My Pursuing God in the Dark Before Dawn
Month: December 2012
Sermon #35 — Getting Ready for Jesus: Turning toward Life — Matthew 3:1-12
Who am I? How do I measure myself? Do I have the courage -- or the faith -- to look at myself as I really am in light of who I was meant to be? Why would I want to do that? "Repentence" sounds like such an old-fashioned notion -- a word uttered by a … Continue reading Sermon #35 — Getting Ready for Jesus: Turning toward Life — Matthew 3:1-12
Prayer Note #42 — A Prayer from Matthew 4:12-23
Read: Matthew 4:12-23 It must have been really hard, Lord, for Peter and Andrew, James and John to get up, leave their stuff behind, and follow you. I say that because I know how hard it would be for me to do that. But, Lord Jesus, why do I say … Continue reading Prayer Note #42 — A Prayer from Matthew 4:12-23
Sermon #34 — Learning Love from Jesus — 1 John 3:18-24
For the Christian, love is not a feeling; it is an active endeavor to work toward the well-being of another person. But our world presents us with many competing definitions of what makes for human well-being. How are we to seek the well-being of another person? We can't unless we have some clear sense of … Continue reading Sermon #34 — Learning Love from Jesus — 1 John 3:18-24
Pastor Note #49 — Living in Time, Living with God, Part 5 — The Future Tense of Faith
Ebenezer Scrooge, when he met the Spirit of Christmases-Yet-to-Come, said, “Of all the spirits I find you the most dreadful.” And when he says that in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, we all somehow understand what he means. The thought of that which is yet to come can … Continue reading Pastor Note #49 — Living in Time, Living with God, Part 5 — The Future Tense of Faith
Prayer Note #41 — An Advent Devotional Prayer — Isaiah 47:1, 3b-15
The Death of Evil, the Birth of Hope Isaiah 47:1, 3b-15 O Lord, your anger frightens us. When we read such passages of scripture as this one, we are made uneasy. We move on quickly to happier lines and brighter verses. Through your prophet Isaiah here … Continue reading Prayer Note #41 — An Advent Devotional Prayer — Isaiah 47:1, 3b-15
Sermon #33 — Loving our Brothers and Sisters — 1 John 3:11-18
Love is freedom. Love is like laying down a burden that we really can't carry in the first place. That burden is our own self. Cain was a man gnawed by fear. He was afraid that he wouldn't get is due (as he saw it). He lived with a desperate need to fulfill his … Continue reading Sermon #33 — Loving our Brothers and Sisters — 1 John 3:11-18
Gary Chorpenning's Notebooks 