"This kind of living ["living by faith rather than by sight"] invites opposition. It will come first in the form of those who insist on living within the budget, thereby restricting the ability of God to reach the community. The easiest answer to a leap of faith is 'No!' The church that I now pastor … Continue reading Quote of Note #102: Living by Faith and Not by Sight
Tag: obedience
Quote of Note #101: Sacrifice our own Agenda
"Our legacy is written in heaven; we are called to practice compassion for the plight of others and to sacrifice our own agenda to the work of Christ, a task beyond human capacity. That is the definition of discipleship; that is the business we had all better be about--the Father's business." Stan Moody, "I've Met … Continue reading Quote of Note #101: Sacrifice our own Agenda
Pastor Note #84 — Surrender to an “Interfering God”
In his spiritual memoir, Surprised by Joy, the great Christian writer, C. S. Lewis, admits that from the days of his youth one of the things he disliked most in adults was their tendency to interfere with his life. “No word in my vocabulary expressed deeper hatred than the word Interference.” He notes that it … Continue reading Pastor Note #84 — Surrender to an “Interfering God”
Bible Note #36 — Why Do the Just Suffer? — Ecclesiastes 8:14
"Here is another enigma that occurs on earth: Sometimes there are righteous people who get what the wicked deserve, and sometimes there are wicked people who get what the righteous deserve. I said, “This also is an enigma.” Ecclesiastes 8:14 [NET] Who can’t relate to this? Who hasn’t … Continue reading Bible Note #36 — Why Do the Just Suffer? — Ecclesiastes 8:14
Pastor Note #83 — God’s Toolbox
I love hand tools – old hand tools. My workbench and toolboxes are stocked with a wide variety of old hammers of all sorts, wood plains of several different types, chisels, and draw knives, and hand saws. I have a few very interesting old pipe wrenches, which I honestly hope I never have to use, … Continue reading Pastor Note #83 — God’s Toolbox
Quote of Note #47: Being Part of What God Is Doing
"'The first thing to do in responding to God's presence and Word,' [Basil Pennington] repeatedly told me, 'is to notice what God is doing and to keep out of God's way. The second is to align ourselves with and participate in God's transformational actions in the world.' God is active and present in the world. … Continue reading Quote of Note #47: Being Part of What God Is Doing
Pastor Note #73: No “Us” and “Them”: Race, Ethnicity, and the Mandate of Love
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
Pastor Note #72 — Dealing With the Dangers of Money
“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
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 Note #68 — Franklin Graham Has Abandoned Biblical Authority
The wholehearted embrace of the candidacy of Donald Trump by evangelical Christian leaders has troubled me deeply. And in many respects, their embrace of Mr. Trump mystifies me. He is precisely the sort of man whose character these evangelical leaders should have been expected to denounce out of hand. In light of how the genuine … Continue reading Pastor Note #68 — Franklin Graham Has Abandoned Biblical Authority
Gary Chorpenning's Notebooks 