I had lunch with Franklin Graham a few weeks ago. . . . All right, there were about 500 other people at the lunch. . . . Okay, yes, Franklin was sitting at a table on the other side of the room from me. . . .No, it’s true I couldn’t actually see him, so … Continue reading Pastor Note #60 — One Church, One Pastor, and a Festival of Evangelism
Tag: Christian life
Pastor Note #53 — Jesus at the Door
“Sometimes the only way the good Lord can get into some hearts is to break them.” - Bishop Fulton Sheen It is far better to keep the door to your heart unbolted and open. Otherwise, God will do one of two things. He may choose to kick it in, and that can really hurt. … Continue reading Pastor Note #53 — Jesus at the Door
Bible Note #17 — Matthew 6:25-34 — God’s Orientation Toward Us
Some of the great truths of Scripture are not so much great doctrinal concepts as they are simple relational realities concerning God’s orientation toward us. What Calvin says of the Lord’s Supper can, I’m convinced, be applied to this whole category of truth. “I rather experience than understand it.” [Inst. IV. xvii. 32] Grasping these … Continue reading Bible Note #17 — Matthew 6:25-34 — God’s Orientation Toward Us
Pastor Note #52 — Ministry Q. & A. — 3/18/2013
As with most organizations, the church tends to follow the 80/20 rule. How should a pastor encourage others to get involved in church activities? Accept leadership positions? Participate in Sunday Worship? Is this even a pastor’s responsibility? Bluntly put, there is nothing that a pastor, as a human being, can do to accomplish what is … Continue reading Pastor Note #52 — Ministry Q. & A. — 3/18/2013
Pastor Note #51 — Here’s How I Do It: The Devotional Life of One Christian
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 #50 — Of Love, the Mission of Christ, and a Long-ago Visit to Pakistan
The room where we all sat was crowded and dark and made of heavy stone. It felt almost like a castle or a fortress. That wasn’t so surprising. We later found out that the building had been built by the British during the “Raj” as a garrison for their troops. Now it housed … Continue reading Pastor Note #50 — Of Love, the Mission of Christ, and a Long-ago Visit to Pakistan
Prayer Note #45 — The Arithmetic of God
Where do I find hope, except in you, Good Father? Yet, I continue to look in other places. I continue to behave as if I expect to find something better, more pleasing than you. Of course, I never find anything remotely approaching you. Everything I find is cotton candy, sugar water, candy corn. You … Continue reading Prayer Note #45 — The Arithmetic of God
Pastor Note #48 — Living in Time, Living with God, Part 4: Obedience–Faith in the Present Tense
We human beings live within time very much the way fish live within water. One way to think about the relationship of faith to the passage of time is to think about the tenses of faith. I’ve described it this way. Faith oriented toward the past faithfulness of God is gratitude. Faith oriented toward … Continue reading Pastor Note #48 — Living in Time, Living with God, Part 4: Obedience–Faith in the Present Tense
Pastor Note #46 — Living in Time, Living with God, Part 2: The Past Tense of Faith
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 #45 — Living in Time, Living with God: Part 1–Introduction
Living in Time, Living with God I do not have a good natural sense of the passage of time. Some people are very good at estimating how long an activity will take to complete. Some folks almost never lose track of how much time has passed between when they sit down to work … Continue reading Pastor Note #45 — Living in Time, Living with God: Part 1–Introduction
Gary Chorpenning's Notebooks 