"There are some things we can do without, and one of these is wealth. However, there are some things we cannot do without, such as a clean conscience and a useful life, and, if we must choose between money and these, we forego the money. . . . [M]oney is not an end in itself … Continue reading Quotes of Note #9 On Money & Wealth
Tag: Christianity
Bible Note #20 — Deuteronomy 22:6-7 and Cruelty to the Vulnerable and Weak
Deuteronomy 22:6-7 [ESV] “If you come across a bird's nest in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs and the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young. You shall let the mother go, but the young you may take for yourself, that it … Continue reading Bible Note #20 — Deuteronomy 22:6-7 and Cruelty to the Vulnerable and Weak
Pastor’s Note #67 — An Evangelical Pastor’s Concerns about Donald Trump’s Effect on the Spiritual Life of Christians
In my judgment, this is an almost impossibly difficult presidential election for American Christian voters. I do not believe there is any clearly acceptable candidate for Christian voters to support in 2016. Christian voters can in good faith make different decisions about which candidate to vote for. But as I have observed this election season … Continue reading Pastor’s Note #67 — An Evangelical Pastor’s Concerns about Donald Trump’s Effect on the Spiritual Life of Christians
Prayer Note #55 — Prayers for Memorial Day
Invocation for a Memorial Day Ceremony God of heaven and earth, in life and in death we belong to you. Our lives and the life of our nation are in your hands. You are the foundation of all that is right and good and just. Today especially we gather to remember with gratitude those who have … Continue reading Prayer Note #55 — Prayers for Memorial Day
Bible Note #19 — Palm Sunday, Mark 11:1-11
I am always torn by this story—by the inherent social tension in the story. This passage and the accounts in the other Synoptic Gospels (Matthew/Mark/Luke) see this event as taking place on the first day of the same week in which Jesus would be crucified. And I see no good reason to argue with that … Continue reading Bible Note #19 — Palm Sunday, Mark 11:1-11
Quotes of Note #4 — The Devil
"Meanwhile, the devil also does his work, endeavoring to ruin sound doctrine by indirect means, working as it were underground, forasmuch as he could not openly attain his end." John Calvin, Letters of John Calvin: Selected from the Bonnet Edition. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1980, p. 90.
Pastor Note #61 — Music, Worship, and Pleasing God
Worship music – the music we use in Christian worship – has become a source of sometimes significant conflict in American churches. It is probably inexcusably foolhardy of me to do it, but I propose to wade into the rapids of this dangerous subject in the hope that we can come to a richer, … Continue reading Pastor Note #61 — Music, Worship, and Pleasing God
Prayer Note #51 — A Prayer of Longing for a Spiritual Springtime
Lord of Life, you are turning the ground green around me. The warming sun and the nourishing rain are renewing the life of the soil. The birds of the warm months are all returning -- the alien starlings in their noisy multitudes, the fierce-eyed, raucous grackles, too. Even the nighthawks, the dark-sky hunters are in … Continue reading Prayer Note #51 — A Prayer of Longing for a Spiritual Springtime
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
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
Gary Chorpenning's Notebooks 