"To forgive is divine. It makes us look like our heavenly Father. And we accomplish forgiveness through His Spirit living within us. There is no other way. But it is a choice we must make individually to yield our right to strike back or to get even and to instead offer forgiveness. To pardon our … Continue reading Quote of Note #169: Forgiveness and Freedom
Tag: Christian discipleship
Pastor Note #132: Anger and Following Jesus
In my youth, which took place in those dark days before the existence of computers and apps on mobile devices, it was very difficult to say definitively how often, if at all, a given phrase appears in the Bible. These days, of course, it is a matter of a few moments of thumb typing, and … Continue reading Pastor Note #132: Anger and Following Jesus
Quote of Note #168: Holiness, Grace, and Following Jesus
"What then is the way to holiness? It is a narrow way and leads through a strait gate, but we cannot with justice complain that it is difficult either to trace or to follow. Many other and harder ways have been tried. On the banks of the Ganges or on the pilgrim route to Mecca … Continue reading Quote of Note #168: Holiness, Grace, and Following Jesus
Quote of Note #167: Knowing God
"Under the image of the Trinity, we discover that we do not know God by defining him but by being loved by him and loving in return. The consequences of this are personally revelatory: another does not know me, nor do I know another, by defining or explaining, by categorizing or by psychologizing, but only … Continue reading Quote of Note #167: Knowing God
Quote of Note #166: Defining Marker of Christian Identity
"[H]ow we love one another is not just a matter of justice; it is a matter of evangelism. Scripture says that if we love one another well, people will identify us as Jesus' disciples, and through identifying and experiencing God's love in and through us, many will come to know God themselves. Therefore, how we … Continue reading Quote of Note #166: Defining Marker of Christian Identity
Quote of Note #164: Self-sacrificial Love
"God does not force us to do anything, including love our neighbor. Therefore, love is a choice, not a given. Love is an inconvenient choice, one that costs us time, resources, and at times our safety. God's love empowered by the Spirit, compels us to be countercultural, bearing witness to who and whose we are … Continue reading Quote of Note #164: Self-sacrificial Love
Pastor Note #131: A Pastoral Response to Someone Struggling in these Divisive Times
Feeling connected and part of a community of believers has become increasingly hard for me, too, over the last several years. So, I can understand how you feel. There is a kind of spiritual homelessness that has set in for many of us. We can feel such a desire to isolate and retreat from community … Continue reading Pastor Note #131: A Pastoral Response to Someone Struggling in these Divisive Times
Pastor Note #129: How Would Christian Nationalist Government Work?
As a committed Christian, I have to say that the assertion that America is a Christian nation troubles me, rankles my faith, and in many ways leaves me a bit baffled. Those who make that assertion are not making a merely demographic claim based on the fact that the majority of Americans claim to be … Continue reading Pastor Note #129: How Would Christian Nationalist Government Work?
Pastor Note #128: The Resurrection–A Devotional
Introduction:If saving non-material human souls is all that matters, what is the point of the bodily resurrection of Jesus? If the goal of the Christian faith is to get souls into heaven, then the bodily resurrection of Jesus is irrelevant and unnecessary. And yet, there can be little doubt that the New Testament writers were … Continue reading Pastor Note #128: The Resurrection–A Devotional
Pastor Note #125: A Maundy Thursday Devotional
Introduction:Today, the Thursday before Easter is traditionally called Maundy Thursday. This is pretty much the only context in which the word “maundy” is used in English. So, what does the word mean? Well, it comes from the Latin word “mandatum” which means “command.” This Thursday is called Maundy Thursday because we are meant to remember … Continue reading Pastor Note #125: A Maundy Thursday Devotional
Gary Chorpenning's Notebooks 