Tag: Bible

Prayer Note #48 — A Preachers Prayer to Be Used Rightly by the Word of God

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[Yes, that's what I meant to say: "to be used rightly by the word of God."] Your word, Lord, is alive and powerful in the ears of faith. Grant me believing ears, so that I will hear your word clearly and welcome your word warmly into my mind, my heart, and my life. My calling … Continue reading Prayer Note #48 — A Preachers Prayer to Be Used Rightly by the Word of God

Pastor Note #51 — Here’s How I Do It: The Devotional Life of One Christian

~ gachorpenning ~ 2 Comments

Every so often people ask me about my devotional practices.  I don’t think I’ve ever written about that before, but it strikes me a something that some folks might find helpful.  I don’t share what follows as if to say that everyone should pattern their devotions after me.  In fact, my own pattern of devotional … Continue reading Pastor Note #51 — Here’s How I Do It: The Devotional Life of One Christian

Pastor Note #46 — Living in Time, Living with God, Part 2: The Past Tense of Faith

~ gachorpenning ~ 3 Comments

            Time flies.  Or, time drags.  But the unalterable reality of human life is time.  We live in time as fish live in water.  I have a past.  I am in the present.  And in some form I will have a future.  This time-orientedness is the fundamental framework of our lives.  Everything we do, everything … Continue reading Pastor Note #46 — Living in Time, Living with God, Part 2: The Past Tense of Faith

Pastor Note #43 — Blood on the Pew (A day in March 2000)

~ gachorpenning ~ 2 Comments

It was Tuesday noontime.  I had gone into the big, dark Romanesque sanctuary of my church in downtown Columbus, Ohio for a weekly prayer meeting with a handful or so of people, mostly not members of my congregation but rather folks who worked downtown and constituted part of my weekday ancillary congregation. As I sat … Continue reading Pastor Note #43 — Blood on the Pew (A day in March 2000)

Pastor Note #39: A Statement of Faith

~ gachorpenning ~ 2 Comments

            God is not an idea or a concept but is rather a Personal Being of infinite power, beauty, and goodness.  He is a Being who desires to be known and reveals himself to us.  He makes himself known to us through the works of his creation and through direct experience of his Holy Spirit.  … Continue reading Pastor Note #39: A Statement of Faith

Bible Note #15 — Exodus 34:29-35

~ gachorpenning ~ 3 Comments

Exodus 34:29-35 There is, in this passage, an interesting small but important detail that I have never really noticed before.  It lies behind the widely recognized, though certainly bizarre, fact that Moses' face acquired an intense radiance as a result of close time spent in the physical presence of God.  The people were quite terrified … Continue reading Bible Note #15 — Exodus 34:29-35

Bible Note #14 — Luke 1:13: Of Prayer, Patience, and a Sovereign God

~ gachorpenning ~ 3 Comments

Luke 1:11-13 The archangel Gabriel says something strange to Zechariah here -- something I've never really recognized as strange until I just read this passage again for the two-hundred-eighty-third time.  Gabriel tells Zechariah that his prayer has been heard and, as a result, Elizabeth is going to have a child.  I say this is strange, … Continue reading Bible Note #14 — Luke 1:13: Of Prayer, Patience, and a Sovereign God

Bible Note #13 — 1 Peter 1:23-25

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"For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.  For, 'All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.' (Isaiah 40:6-8)" 1 … Continue reading Bible Note #13 — 1 Peter 1:23-25

Bible Note #12 — Exodus 25:1-9

~ gachorpenning ~ 3 Comments

In this passage (Exodus 25:1-9), God calls on Moses to receive an offering from the people for the purpose of building and furnishing the tabernacle.  He emphasizes that the offering is to be strictly voluntary -- "from everyone whose heart stirs him to give." (v. 2; HCSB) What follows then is a list of the … Continue reading Bible Note #12 — Exodus 25:1-9

Bible Note #11 — Exodus 3: The Call of Moses

~ gachorpenning ~ 4 Comments

God routinely goes out of his way to incorporate human partnership in the accomplishing of his purposes in the world.  The fact is so plain that it is regularly overlooked by most of us as we read Bible stories about God's dealing with human beings. Here in Exodus 3 in the story of God's calling … Continue reading Bible Note #11 — Exodus 3: The Call of Moses