"At the height of the [Roman] persecution, a plague broke out. Fearing contagion, pagans dumped members of their own families in the street when they got sick. But Christians, Eusebius said, 'heedless of the danger, took charge of the sick, attending to their every need and ministering to them. . . drawing on themselves the … Continue reading Quote of Note #34: Self-Sacrificial Service
In the 1960s it was the Age of Aquarius. (If you’re much younger than I am, you probably don’t understand that reference.) We are now in the Age of Offense. Everybody is offended these days. Everybody has become touchy. We all tend to take everything personally. We have begun to use the things that offend … Continue reading Pastor Note #78: Christian Witness in an Age of Offense
"Regardless of all the reasons why we might not want to forgive, the bottom line is that forgiveness is the best way to bring you into freedom. . . ." "The devil blinds us with the lie: I'm punishing my offender by not forgiving them. It is as if we think by our refusal to … Continue reading Quotes of Note #15 — Forgiveness and Freedom
I am utterly and in every way dependent on your mercy and grace. My life my salvation, my well-being all of it hangs by the thread of your merciful, kind, gracious disposition toward me. Your love and desire for my well-being is the only bulwark for me against catastrophe of every sort in my life. … Continue reading Prayer Note #57 — Relying on God vs. Presuming upon God: A Prayer
"It takes time to be holy, one cannot be holy in a hurry; and much of the time that it takes to be holy must go into secret prayer." R. A. Torrey, The Power of Prayer and the Prayer of Power. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1955, p. 22
Trust and Unity in American Society and Politics The great debate over these intelligence memos is a painful demonstration of a sickness that is afflicting our society. We are experiencing a crisis of trust. A civil society in which people have ceased to trust each other and our foundational institutions is a deep and dangerous … Continue reading Pastor Note #74 — Trust and Unity in American Civil Society and Politics
"I believe firmly that the moment our hearts are emptied of pride and selfishness and ambition and self-seeking, and everything that is contrary to God's law, the Holy Spirit will come and fill every corner of our hearts. But if we are full of pride and conceit, ambition and self-seeking, pleasure and the world, there … Continue reading Quotes of Note #12 — To Be Filled With the Holy Spirit
No “Us” and “Them”: Race, Ethnicity, and the Mandate of Love A Sermon Preached at Venice Presbyterian Church on August 20, 2017 Pastor Gary A. Chorpenning Venice Presbyterian Church Cecil Township, PA http://www.venice-church.org Acts 15:1-21 Since you can’t help but notice it, let me acknowledge that I’m going to do something here this morning that … Continue reading Pastor Note #73: No “Us” and “Them”: Race, Ethnicity, and the Mandate of Love
“You know, you can make a lot of money as a hospital administrator,” the man had said to me. It was during one of my summer breaks from college, and I was working as a nursing assistant at a local hospital. He had been chatting me up and had asked … Continue reading Pastor Note #72 — Dealing With the Dangers of Money
"Several years ago an experienced cotton-mill manager said to me, 'Your greatest danger is letting the urgent things crowd out the important.'" Charles Hummel, Tyranny of the Urgent. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1967, p. 4.
