Posts Tagged ‘ Gospel

Lately, I’ve Been Hit

With lots and lots of writing.

I just went through a class called “Life of Christ,” but was really an “Introduction to the Gospels.”

We really didn’t get into the life of Christ much, but we covered some amazing topics leading up to the life of Christ and the writing of the Gospel accounts.

We talked a lot about different types of criticism, such as source criticism, form criticism, and comparison. Our text material for this was Jesus and the Gospels by Craig Blomberg. Great book!

We also got to read through The Harmony of the Gospels. But one of my favorite books we read through in that class was The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey. That’s a really good read.

There were lots of good stuff in that class, and I’m surprised I wrote at ALL on this website during that time.

In just six weeks, I wrote 78 pages of assignments and final papers, and 12 pages of notes!

That’s why last week I had three guest writers. Their posts were really, really good. You need to read them. Right now. Go do it. They are the last three posts.

So, as much as I have loved that class, boy am I glad to be finished.

What’s coming up next?

I’m really looking forward to reviewing a book, Between Two Kingdoms, by Joe Boyd. It’s an adult fairy tail.

I’ve read the first couple chapters, and plan on downing the rest of it this week. It’s captivating, and you will want to read my review.

So stay tuned as I hash out some clutter out of the closet in my mind.




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  • Book Review: The Hole In Our Gospel by Richard Stearns
  • Ask, Seek, Knock – An observation found in Luke 11:1-13
  • Discipleship and Ambition
  • Book Review: The Hole In Our Gospel by Richard Stearns


    Today I review a book through BookSneeze, an extension of Thomas Nelson, The Hole in Our Gospel, by Richard Stearns.

    Richard Stearns is the president of World Vision U.S. In his book, he writes of his journey through faith and how the corporate world took a toll on it.

    In his introduction, Stearns clearly defines the perspective at which he is approaching in his book:

    “we are carriers of the gospel—the good news that was meant to change the world. Belief is not enough. Worship is not enough. Personal morality is not enough. And Christian community is not enough. . . . When we committed ourselves to following Christ, we also committed to living our lives in such a way that a watching world would catch a glimpse of God’s character—His love, justice, and mercy—through our words, actions, and behavior” (3).

    Read more

    Moral Obligations in Pop Culture. Make Sense?

    Popular culture can have a tendency to wear on the Christian so as to fade his or her colorful faith that most evidences itself—I think—in his or her visible moral framework.

    Moral Framework and Christian Identity

    Please understand that I do not suggest here that moral framework alone constitutes for Christian identity, but a Christian identity necessitates a moral framework.

    To be sure, Christians are convicted by and large through their moral framework. This moral framework comes from their Biblical worldview, which states that they are to behave though the filter of a transcendent moral framework because they are children of the transcendent God (Romans 8:12-14).

    Being a child of God, though, does not come by observing a moral law, but instead by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit (John 1:12-13). What is then produced as a result of this regeneration is then the desire for moral obligation.

    Therefore, their sense of awe and gratitude of their salvation gives them a continual reminder that their adoptions as sons and daughters of God had nothing to do with their own efforts or “goodness.”

    This gratitude then drives them to the humility of their Savior (Phil. 2:7-9) and the desire to honor Him with their lives. Thus, a moral framework is realized and becomes visible to the world.
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    Is Jesus the Only Way to God?

    **Guest post by Demian Farnworth at Fallen and Flawed.**

    Great question. It’s one I’ve often struggled with and felt very awkward at times defending, whether that be with friends or family or strangers.

    But what I’ve found is simply this: Jesus is very explicit that he—and he alone—is the only way to God.

    Think John 14:6: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.”

    How do people who reject Jesus as the only way to God deal with that?

    They can’t.

    See, if anyone reads the Gospels it’s clear that Jesus thought of himself as God. And also thought of himself as the way to God.

    The rest of the letters in the NT bear witness to this.

    What this means is that either Jesus was a liar or a lunatic. If he was either of those, then why grant him the status of “great teacher” who is just among many to point us to God. Why trust what he says?
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    Keeping God In The Spice Cabinet

    I Keep God In My Spice Cabinet

    Lately I have been thinking about prayer.

    I recently was able to do some outreach to a few homes. We gave away Turkey meals from Passage Church. This was cool in many ways. For one, it’s been a while since I’ve done an outreach like this and I was really excited about going. Next, I was praying that God would show up and He did. Also, it was my birthday, so what a gift, eh!

    During our outreaching we delivered a meal to an family of 6. It was really neat. To make a long story short, Read more

    Light Duty

    Off Duty

    My job title is “Furniture Installer.”

    Yesterday, I had a delivery to a residential home where we delivered a large office desk. This thing was a beast. 5 years ago I would have been okay, but this time things didn’t work out to well. We had to cary the desk about 100 feet and through a narrow doorway.

    As we approached the door, I felt pain start to emerge in my lower back. We set the desk down, picked it back up and took it inside the house. When we sat the desk down, it hit me. I was done with. I could barely move my legs.

    Next stop, doctor’s office.
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    Discipleship and Ambition

    A29 Bootcamp-Louisville

    Okay, I went to an Acts 29 Bootcamp conference that was truly amazing. There were many messages and sessions that I connected with and took notes of. There were a few, though, that really hit home with me. This particular session, “Discipleship and Ambition” by Bob Thune really hit home with me. I’ve always had a passion for discipleship and that is one of the values I will need to continually enforce and be held accountable when planting. I know this because they way you start your church is the way you will have to feed your church, and I don’t want people coming to my church to be fed anything but Jesus. So, that being said, I thought I’d share some of my notes with you Jesus freaks out there about Church planting and Discipleship. Let me know if this helps you, or if it hits home with you.

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