"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
Tag: salvation
Quote of Note #140: My Resurrection
Lilac buds; photo by GAC "Thou wilt come to raise my body from the dust, and re-unite it to my soul, by a wonderful work of infinite power and love, greater than that which bounds the ocean's waters, ebbs and flows the tides, keeps the stars in their courses, and gives life to all creatures." … Continue reading Quote of Note #140: My Resurrection
Quote of Note #139: Christ’s Last Words for Us
Photo by GAC "Alas! it was also for me that Thou didst pray, 'Forgive them!' Forgive my soul whatever it has done against Thee! For me Thou didst cry: 'My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?' in order that I might never be forsaken, not in the hour of death, not in my … Continue reading Quote of Note #139: Christ’s Last Words for Us
Quote of Note #134: Leaving the Past Behind
Photo by GAC "[God] wants us first to acknowledge our full responsibility, without excuse or extenuation. Then he says in effect: 'Now put all that behind you; I will take responsibility for it' (and he can take responsibility for the evil we have done: as we have seen, he has provided in Christ the effective … Continue reading Quote of Note #134: Leaving the Past Behind
Quote of Note #124: Mercy and Grace for Us
Stained glass from North Presbyterian Church, Elmira, NY; photo by GAC "[Christ] does not get flustered and frustrated when we come to him for fresh forgiveness, for renewed pardon, with distress and need and emptiness. That's the whole point. It's what he came to heal. He went down into the horror of death and plunged … Continue reading Quote of Note #124: Mercy and Grace for Us
Pastor Note #117: Advent Reflection #3
So, here we are in the third week of Advent. It’s really a terrible cliché to say that time seems to fly by as we come up on Christmas. But cliché or not, somehow it seems to be true. Maybe it’s because we crowd these weeks full of events and “to-do list” items and expectations, … Continue reading Pastor Note #117: Advent Reflection #3
Bible Note #48: Justice for the Weak–Ezekiel 34:11-22
Here God proclaims his love. God proclaims the bias of his heart. God proclaims the direction of movement of his heart. photo by GAC Above all, he is for the weak. Above all, he is for the vulnerable, the wounded, the broken, the lost. (Does this sound familiar? “For the Son of Man came to … Continue reading Bible Note #48: Justice for the Weak–Ezekiel 34:11-22
Bible Note #47: Mary Magdalene–A Holy Week Meditation
Mary Magdalene—A Narrative Meditation In an earlier time, the anguish and grief that she had endured on that Friday and Saturday would have unhinged her. Yet in the midst of this agony, she discovered that the Teacher had so healed and restored her that even this crushing sorrow could not undo his work. photo by … Continue reading Bible Note #47: Mary Magdalene–A Holy Week Meditation
Quote of Note #117: Raising Dead People
Cemetery scenes; photo by GAC "Christ was sent not to mend wounded people or wake sleepy people or advise confused people or inspire bored people but to raise dead people." Dane Ortlund, Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020, page 175.
Quote of Note #116: Running to God with our Darkest Miseries
Flagstaff, AZ; photo by GAC "[God] isn't like you. Even the most intense of human love is but the faintest echo of heaven's cascading abundance. His heartful thoughts of you outstrip what you can conceive. He intends to restore you into the radiant resplendence for which you were created. And that is dependent not on … Continue reading Quote of Note #116: Running to God with our Darkest Miseries
Gary Chorpenning's Notebooks 