Tag: discipleship

Bible Note #19 — Palm Sunday, Mark 11:1-11

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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 #2 Discipleship

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"The gospel is not a doctrine of the tongue but of life.  It cannot be grasped by reason and memory only, but it is fully understood when it possesses the whole soul and penetrates to the inner recesses of the heart."  John Calvin, Golden Booklet of the True Christian Life.  Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, … Continue reading Quotes of Note #2 Discipleship

Pastor Notes #62 — The Lordship of Jesus Christ and Your Church’s Reason for Being

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The Lordship of Jesus Christ and Your Church’s Purpose for Being What is your church’s purpose at this period of our history? What is its reason for being at this particular moment in its life as a congregation? These are important questions that churches can easily get out of the habit of asking. In fact, … Continue reading Pastor Notes #62 — The Lordship of Jesus Christ and Your Church’s Reason for Being

Pastor Note #56 — On Marriage and Redemption

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        I’ve been married now for almost twenty-nine years.  So has my wife.  We got married at the same time.  I think I can say without much hesitation that my wife and I have a good marriage.  It has been a tremendous blessing to my life.  Nothing in my life has quite equaled it, except … Continue reading Pastor Note #56 — On Marriage and Redemption

Pastor Note #55 — The Joy and Humility of Pastoral Ministry

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  Last Fall, I passed my thirtieth anniversary in pastoral ministry.  At one of its meetings around that time, our presbytery recognized those of us who were marking anniversaries in multiples of five –tenth, fifteenth, twentieth, etc.  They started with the smaller anniversaries and worked up.  It took them a little while to get to … Continue reading Pastor Note #55 — The Joy and Humility of Pastoral Ministry

Pastor Note #54 — The Church, Its Reason for Existing, and Its Stuff

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            There is a church of my acquaintance that, a few years ago, faced a challenging problem.  The story I’m going to tell you about that church might sound to you like a fable that I’ve made up in order to teach some lesson.  But the church is a real … Continue reading Pastor Note #54 — The Church, Its Reason for Existing, and Its Stuff

Pastor Note #51 — Here’s How I Do It: The Devotional Life of One Christian

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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

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            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 #42 — A Prayer from Matthew 4:12-23

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Read:  Matthew 4:12-23            It must have been really hard, Lord, for Peter and Andrew, James and John to get up, leave their stuff behind, and follow you.  I say that because I know how hard it would be for me to do that.  But, Lord Jesus, why do I say … Continue reading Prayer Note #42 — A Prayer from Matthew 4:12-23

Pastor Note #48 — Living in Time, Living with God, Part 4: Obedience–Faith in the Present Tense

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            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