photo by GAC "To forgive is to make a decision to cancel the debt that you are owed and not hold it against your offender. There is no forgiveness without a debt. And when we realize the enormity of our own debt, it makes forgiveness possible. So in this sense, forgiveness is closely related to … Continue reading Quote of Note #148: Forgiving and Gratitude
Tag: relationships
Quote of Note #43: Being Re-Made by the Spirit of God
"The Spirit which Jesus promised would lead his followers 'into all truth' is very actively at work wherever he is allowed. Some of his work is painful in the extreme. There has often to be the breaking-up of old ways of thinking, the expansion of responsibility, and the checking of priorities. Anyone who opens his … Continue reading Quote of Note #43: Being Re-Made by the Spirit of God
Pastor Note #80: Conversation with an Angry World
A few days ago, I received a message on Facebook from an acquaintance of mine. He had sent the message to a bunch of people. In my opinion, it was quite a politically inflammatory message. Accompanying the statement was the challenge, “If you don’t share this message on Facebook, you aren’t a true America.” This … Continue reading Pastor Note #80: Conversation with an Angry World
Pastor Note #79: Families in the Holiday Crucible
Families are paradoxes. On the one hand, family relationships can be the source of the greatest comfort, strength, and stability in our lives. On the other hand, -- who doesn’t know what’s coming next – family relationships can be the source of the greatest heartbreak, sadness, and anxiety of anything in our lives. No other … Continue reading Pastor Note #79: Families in the Holiday Crucible
Quote of Note #36: Being Forgiven and Being Forgiving
"If you are one who just cannot seem to forgive, let me ask you a few questions which might give you another perspective. Have you received the forgiveness that God offers through a relationship with Jesus? Have you personally experienced God's forgiveness of your sins? If you haven't, then there is some credibility to the … Continue reading Quote of Note #36: Being Forgiven and Being Forgiving
Quote of Note #32: Bearing with Each Other in our Differences
"We ought to endeavor to live in peace with those who are of different opinions from us. 'Tis a most unreasonable thing to take the liberty of contending with men because they cannot see with our eyes. If this were granted, we would be at war with the greatest part of the world. 'Tis as … Continue reading Quote of Note #32: Bearing with Each Other in our Differences
Quote of Note #16 — Honoring and Respecting Others
"The Lord commands us to do good unto all men without exception, though the majority are very undeserving when judged according to their own merits. But Scripture here helps us out with an excellent argument when it teaches us that we must not think of man's real value, but only of his creation in the … Continue reading Quote of Note #16 — Honoring and Respecting Others
Sermon #22 — Forgiveness: The Pathway to Healing
Forgiveness is the God-created, God-empowered process by which we are healed from the bitterness that infects our hearts when they get wounded and by which we are set free from the bondage that bitterness produces in us. Sometimes we can convince ourselves that we can somehow get back at a person who has hurt us … Continue reading Sermon #22 — Forgiveness: The Pathway to Healing
Pastor Note #33 — Kindness and the Gospel in a Broken World
A common feature of the pastoral life that I've lived for the past twenty-nine years has been that strangers to me will regularly come the church door and ask for me. These are typically people faced with some sort of difficult personal and/or financial problem. They come to me looking for help. Sometimes I've been … Continue reading Pastor Note #33 — Kindness and the Gospel in a Broken World
Bible Notes #2 — Ecclesiates 7:21-22
"Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servants cursing you. Your heart knows that many times you yourself cursed other." Ecclesiates 7:21-22 [ESV] Have a thick skin! Don't take personally everything people say. Don't be quick to take offense. If we are slow to take offense, … Continue reading Bible Notes #2 — Ecclesiates 7:21-22
Gary Chorpenning's Notebooks 