All over the country, churches are wrestling with decisions about how to do ministry in the midst of a pandemic. This is an on-going challenge, because the circumstances of the pandemic are constantly shifting and changing. Yesterday’s decisions are called into doubt by today’s news. Over the years, I have always found that, … Continue reading Pastor Note #105: Ministry in a Time of Pandemic
Tag: Christian discipleship
Pastor Note #104: Partisan Politics, the American Church, and the Kingdom of God
Cross Creek Lake, Avella, PA; photo by GAC During my years of pastoring in central New York state, I was part of a pastors' prayer group that met weekly to pray for each other and our community. All of us in the group were theologically conservative, what is often called “evangelical.” Sometime in 2011, during … Continue reading Pastor Note #104: Partisan Politics, the American Church, and the Kingdom of God
Quote of Note #110: A Christian’s Highest Loyalty
Woodlawn Cemetery, Elmira, NY; photo by GAC "There comes a time when, as Jesus said, 'He who is not with me is against me.' That time is now. The real hope that the world of tomorrow will be the kind of world we want our children to live in is not to be found among … Continue reading Quote of Note #110: A Christian’s Highest Loyalty
Pastor Note #103: Loving Like Crazy Jesus Followers
1 Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death? Photo by GAC A. That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul,in life and in death—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood,and has set me free from the tyranny of the … Continue reading Pastor Note #103: Loving Like Crazy Jesus Followers
Quote of Note #108: Between the Humane and the Brutal
Washington County (Pennsylvania) Courthouse; Photo by GAC "The real issue of our world today is between those who respect a man as a child of God and those who do not, between those who are humane and those who are brutal. It is not to be found between men who are for or against this … Continue reading Quote of Note #108: Between the Humane and the Brutal
Quote of Note #105: Satan’s Well-Tailored Temptations
"Satan loves to sail with the wind and to suit men's temptations to their conditions and inclination. If they be in prosperity, he will tempt them to deny God (Prov. 30:9); it they be in adversity, he will tempt them to distrust God; if their knowledge be weak, he will tempt them to have low … Continue reading Quote of Note #105: Satan’s Well-Tailored Temptations
Pastor Note #98: Hearing Our Neighbors’ Cry of Distress: A White Pastor Talks to his White Congregation about Race
A Sermon Preached on June 7, 2020 These are very challenging times for our society. We all like church to be a place of comfort, peace, and ease. But sometimes it just can’t be like that. Sometimes we have to wrestle with hard and uncomfortable things. And that’s what we’re going to do today. If … Continue reading Pastor Note #98: Hearing Our Neighbors’ Cry of Distress: A White Pastor Talks to his White Congregation about Race
Pastor Note #97: A Christian Rationale for Social Distancing in a Time of Pandemic
Medical experts widely agree that the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 is spread by minute droplets of saliva and mucus that come out of the mouth and nose of someone who is infected by the virus. Those droplets contain the virus. The viruses in those droplets find their way into the eyes, nose, or mouth of … Continue reading Pastor Note #97: A Christian Rationale for Social Distancing in a Time of Pandemic
Quote of Note #98: In Life and in Death We Belong to God
Question #1: What is your only comfort in life and in death? Answer: That I am not my own, but belong--body and soul, in life and in death--to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the … Continue reading Quote of Note #98: In Life and in Death We Belong to God
Pastor Note #94: Safety and Love of Neighbor — Risk and Following Jesus
Safety is a high priority for Americans. And you might well be asking me right now, “What’s wrong with that?” Well, I would say, “Nothing . . . . And everything.” It depends on what sort of safety we’re insisting on. The right view of safety aims to avoid needless harm. The wrong view of … Continue reading Pastor Note #94: Safety and Love of Neighbor — Risk and Following Jesus
