Lately, I’ve been pondering a question about something that seems to be in the news a good bit. A number of states have passed or are considering passing laws that would require the posting of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms, courthouses, and other public buildings. I’ve written elsewhere [Pastor Note #130: The Government … Continue reading Pastor Note #133: To Post the Ten Commandments or the Beatitudes?
Tag: Christian witness
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
Pastor Note #124: Forgiving–Why Should I?
Let’s start with this key truth about forgiveness, one that runs counter to much of what we tend to think and what we hear from our culture. Forgiveness does not start out as a feeling. It starts out as a decision. We almost always decide to forgive someone who has hurt us before, often long … Continue reading Pastor Note #124: Forgiving–Why Should I?
Quote of Note #132: What is “race”?
photo by GAC "In order to fight racism, we must begin with the fact that race is a socially constructed category that offers certain privileges and advantages to one group, which in the U. S. context is white people, to the detriment of all those who are excluded from that group--that is, 'non-white' people, or … Continue reading Quote of Note #132: What is “race”?
Pastor Note #121: Praying for Justice without Praying for Revenge
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
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
Gary Chorpenning's Notebooks 