On the morning that I learned of the Russian army’s invasion of Ukraine, I was incensed. My sense of justice was offended. It was so simply and plainly and extravagantly wrong that I felt outraged. And so, I found myself hoping that bad things would happen to Vladimir Putin and all his forces attacking the … Continue reading Pastor Note #121: Praying for Justice without Praying for Revenge
Tag: Christian witness
Bible Note #49: James 1:27 & Tolerating Stains
My wife and I currently have a four-year-old, ninety-pound golden retriever, Teddy. We’ve had dogs, often more than one, for nearly twenty years. Somewhere along the way, it occurred to us that vinyl flooring with a random pattern of brown dog paw prints on it would be a wonderful thing. Anyone who has ever owned … Continue reading Bible Note #49: James 1:27 & Tolerating Stains
Pastor Note #119: Jesus’ Way of Power
Just a little while ago, I did an internet search of the term “Lion of Judah,” and I searched images to see what sort of pictures my web browser would turn up. After looking through something over 250 images, I still hadn’t come across a single one that was biblically accurate. And the reason they … Continue reading Pastor Note #119: Jesus’ Way of Power
Pastor Note #117: Advent Reflection #3
So, here we are in the third week of Advent. It’s really a terrible cliché to say that time seems to fly by as we come up on Christmas. But cliché or not, somehow it seems to be true. Maybe it’s because we crowd these weeks full of events and “to-do list” items and expectations, … Continue reading Pastor Note #117: Advent Reflection #3
Pastor Note #115: Advent Reflections #1
I just did a quick online search for Advent calendars and discovered that you can buy Advent calendars at Target, Walmart, and on the Etsy site. They’re everywhere. I also noticed that almost all of them are incorrect. All of the Advent calendars I looked at start on December 1, and five out of every … Continue reading Pastor Note #115: Advent Reflections #1
Pastor Note #114: Michael Flynn and One National Religion
“If we are going to have one nation under God, which we must, we have to have one religion. One nation under God, and one religion under God." Michal Flynn, speaking at a “Reawaken America” event in San Antonio, TX on November 13, 2021 Washington County (Pennsylvania) Courthouse; photo by GAC It is hard to … Continue reading Pastor Note #114: Michael Flynn and One National Religion
Quote of Note #123: Christianity & Coercion
Photo by GAC "Christian civility takes human freedom seriously. I may want people to believe as I do about some basic matters--but what I want is for them to choose to see things that way. This means that I must rely on testimony and persuasion in presenting my views to them. Civil Christians will be … Continue reading Quote of Note #123: Christianity & Coercion
Quote of Note #121: Honoring All People as Divine Works of Art
Photo by GAC "All human beings are God's handiwork. Each person is a very precious work of divine art. To make light of an artist's work within the artist's earshot is a cruel thing to do. To demean one of God's most precious artworks when God is listening--and he always is--crudely dishonors the divine artist." … Continue reading Quote of Note #121: Honoring All People as Divine Works of Art
Pastor Note #113: The Real Danger Facing the Witness of the Church
The Real Danger Facing the Witness of the Church[A Retiring Pastor’s Message to his Flock] These are dangerous times for Christ’s Church. As I prepare to retire as your pastor, I want to leave you with some resources for facing them. I care about you individually, and I care about you as a church. … Continue reading Pastor Note #113: The Real Danger Facing the Witness of the Church
Bible Note #46: Simon of Cyrene–A Lenten Meditation
The old man stood among the group of worshipers, a part of the church at Rome. He had moved to the imperial city years earlier, raised his family there. He had joined others there in sharing the news of Jesus the Christ. His two grown sons stood beside him, Alexander and Rufus, both now leaders … Continue reading Bible Note #46: Simon of Cyrene–A Lenten Meditation
Gary Chorpenning's Notebooks 