"Beloved, all of us--and I do mean all of us--desperately need healing. All of us are fragmented. All of us are broken. All of us have been diminished by what took place in the beginning in the Garden of Paradise. All of us need deliverance. All of us need to be loved. All of us … Continue reading Quote of Note #151: The Universal Need for Salvation and Healing
Author: gachorpenning
I am a husband, father, and grandfather. A small, town about fifteen miles west of Pittsburgh is home currently, though several other places have served that purpose before this. I maintain a YouTube channel of Bible teaching videos and a podcast of Bible teaching audio. I like to make things in my woodshop. I like taking photographs and use a lot of them in my blog posts. I go fishing in the local streams and lakes when I can. For thirty-nine years, I served as a pastor of churches in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York.
Gary’s Blog Resources for Lent and Holy Week
Let me start this “Blog Note” by first thanking all of you who follow for continuing to check in on my posts. I’ve been going through a bit of a life transition in the last few months that has interfered with my posting. But I think I’m getting back to a place where I will … Continue reading Gary’s Blog Resources for Lent and Holy Week
Quote of Note #150: Dependence on God
Song Sparrow; photo by GAC a "To depend on God is to be free of men, things, and self. It is to be able to take pleasure in all his gifts, without being the slave to any. It is to be able, as occasion demands, to spend and to save, to speak and to forbear, … Continue reading Quote of Note #150: Dependence on God
Quote of Note # 149: The Materialistic Values of the American Church
photo by GAC "Typically, we see the success of churches measured by the numerical size of the church or the financial health of the church (often reflected in the condition and appearance of the church building). In more colloquial language, we focus on the ABCs of church success: Attendance, Buildings, and Cash. Or even more … Continue reading Quote of Note # 149: The Materialistic Values of the American Church
Quote of Note #148: Forgiving and Gratitude
photo by GAC "To forgive is to make a decision to cancel the debt that you are owed and not hold it against your offender. There is no forgiveness without a debt. And when we realize the enormity of our own debt, it makes forgiveness possible. So in this sense, forgiveness is closely related to … Continue reading Quote of Note #148: Forgiving and Gratitude
Quote of Note #147: The Real Nature of Race
Photo by GAC "The category of race has no scientific justification. As a person of Korean ancestry, I have as much in common genetically and biologically with a Swede, a Zulu, or a Lakota as I do with someone of Chinese ancestry. While different theories abound regarding the origins of the category of race, it … Continue reading Quote of Note #147: The Real Nature of Race
Bible Note #54: Colossians 3 Series–The Mind of God
We human beings are social creatures. That’s not a bad thing. God quite intentionally designed us to be social beings. In Genesis 2:18, God comments on the fact that it isn’t good for human beings to be alone. And throughout the Bible, time and again, God insists that it is vitally important for human beings … Continue reading Bible Note #54: Colossians 3 Series–The Mind of God
Quote of Note #146: Living in Light of Death
photo by GAC "Death is inevitable. It is a democracy for all of the people, not an aristocracy for some of the people--kings die and beggars die; young men die and old men die; learned men die and ignorant men die. We need not fear it. The God who brought our whirling planet from the … Continue reading Quote of Note #146: Living in Light of Death
Quote of Note #145: Blessing our Enemies
Photo by GAC "Repentance and tearing down walls that we've built also means that we speak differently of 'them'. 'Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you' (Luke 6:28). To bless means to speak well of. This biblical command can radically change our interactions within our circle of friends. When the topic … Continue reading Quote of Note #145: Blessing our Enemies
Quote of Note #144: Success & Power
Photo by GAC "You could say I was successful, but success is such a fleeting, arbitrary notion. Who decides what it is? Who determines whether you've achieved it? Does being crucified on a dung heap outside the walls of Jerusalem, cursed as someone lower than the beasts, spat upon, and mocked as he cried out … Continue reading Quote of Note #144: Success & Power
Gary Chorpenning's Notebooks 