As a committed Christian, I have to say that the assertion that America is a Christian nation troubles me, rankles my faith, and in many ways leaves me a bit baffled. Those who make that assertion are not making a merely demographic claim based on the fact that the majority of Americans claim to be … Continue reading Pastor Note #129: How Would Christian Nationalist Government Work?
Tag: Jesus
Pastor Note #128: The Resurrection–A Devotional
Introduction:If saving non-material human souls is all that matters, what is the point of the bodily resurrection of Jesus? If the goal of the Christian faith is to get souls into heaven, then the bodily resurrection of Jesus is irrelevant and unnecessary. And yet, there can be little doubt that the New Testament writers were … Continue reading Pastor Note #128: The Resurrection–A Devotional
Pastor Note #127: A Devotional on the Lord’s Return
Introduction:Surely, there are few biblical topics that have generated as many books, articles, Bible studies, and sermons as the topic of the return of Christ. They are often filled with charts and tables and complex speculations that make quantum physic seem simple. A. W. Tozer writes this, “There have been enough foolish formulas advanced about … Continue reading Pastor Note #127: A Devotional on the Lord’s Return
Pastor Note #126: A Good Friday Devotional
Introduction:At the very core of his being, our God is a relational God. Every fiber of God’s nature is biased toward relationship. We see that in the mystery of the Trinity—one God in three Persons, woven in a profound interrelationship of love, one with the other. We also see this relational nature of our God … Continue reading Pastor Note #126: A Good Friday Devotional
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?
Prayer Note #63: Only in Jesus
photo by GAC So much of the time, Lord, I am utterly absurd and ridiculous in my own eyes. I don’t see myself as other people see me. I see what is unseen by others. I see what goes on in my mind. I see what I do when no one else is watching. I … Continue reading Prayer Note #63: Only in Jesus
Quote of Note #154: The Inclusiveness of Loving my Neighbor
Photo by GAC "It is intriguing to me that when Jesus points to the centrality of love, he also invokes a metaphor which is not familial (e.g.. 'brother' or 'friend') or ethnic (e.g. 'your people'), but almost geographical: we are to love the neighbor -- the one next to us, who happens (by providence) to … Continue reading Quote of Note #154: The Inclusiveness of Loving my Neighbor
Quote of Note #151: The Universal Need for Salvation and Healing
"Beloved, all of us--and I do mean all of us--desperately need healing. All of us are fragmented. All of us are broken. All of us have been diminished by what took place in the beginning in the Garden of Paradise. All of us need deliverance. All of us need to be loved. All of us … Continue reading Quote of Note #151: The Universal Need for Salvation and Healing
Quote of Note #144: Success & Power
Photo by GAC "You could say I was successful, but success is such a fleeting, arbitrary notion. Who decides what it is? Who determines whether you've achieved it? Does being crucified on a dung heap outside the walls of Jerusalem, cursed as someone lower than the beasts, spat upon, and mocked as he cried out … Continue reading Quote of Note #144: Success & Power
Bible Note #53: Colossians 3 Series–Raised with Christ
There is richness and deep truth to be found everywhere in the Bible, often in passages that might seem mundane and unremarkable at first glance. In fact, that sounds like an interesting challenge. So, maybe someday I’ll do a series of studies on some of those seemingly uninspiring passages of the Bible. But for now, … Continue reading Bible Note #53: Colossians 3 Series–Raised with Christ
Gary Chorpenning's Notebooks 