Jesus the crucified one, God’s only begotten Son, Laid in a borrowed tomb, Wrapped in inglorious gloom, A ministry’s lifetime undone. Until the third day’s morn, Death’s strong grip was torn, And He rose from the grave, Living to seek and to save, The forsaken and forlorn. In His victory, we win, So those trapped [...]
Archive for the 'Faith' Category
Yesterday, I was thinking a bit more about the type of theology that puts repentance in the forefront. And I believe that this type of religion (as opposed to faith) can only breed fear. If I turn from my sin so I don’t go to hell, two things have happened. First, I’ve just done something to earn my salvation. [...]
repent
Posted in Faith, Religion, Scripture, Things I Don't Know on Mar 30th, 2010
So yesterday, I saw a license plate on the front of an old van that said “Repent Believe Obey.” These commands were stacked on top of each other as if to emphasize the importance of the order. But, in my opinion, this is getting the cart way before the horse. Repentance, which simply [...]
Time spent apart Has scarred my heart Yet you gently address each wound. With loving care, You heal and repair, And broken strings now are attuned.
boasting
Posted in Faith, Good Stuff, Scripture on Mar 15th, 2010
Last night, at our weekly worship service, one of our worship leaders was praying for our pastor just before he got up to preach. In the prayer, he said that our pastor would boast about our God. I thought that was really cool. When we speak about God and His hand in our lives, we [...]
One of the beautiful things about this journey of faith is that we are never alone. Our God and Redeemer is with us every step of the way. And when we are tempted by our adversary and by our flesh, He gives grace and strength to overcome the temptation. Yet when we stumble and sin [...]
Throughout Christ’s ministry when He walked this earth, people followed him from afar, watching, curious about this man and His ministry. And all around us, people are watching us from afar, curious about our faith and how it plays out in life. Will our conduct disgust them and drive them away? Or will it compel [...]
honest doubt
Posted in Faith, Good Stuff, Quotes on Mar 10th, 2010
“Perplext in faith, but pure in deeds, At last he beat his music out. There lives more faith in honest doubt, Believe me, than in half the creeds. He fought his doubt and gather’d strength, He would not make his judgment blind, He faced the spectres of the mind And laid [...]
…is not adhering to a set of beliefs or a creed, and then getting others to do the same. It is, at its core, following Jesus Christ and being reconciled to God through Him and inviting others to join us. “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the [...]
One of the things that we emphasize at Providence is the fact that our Sunday worship service is just one aspect of what we believe God is calling us to as we follow Him. We are a visible expression of the local body of Christ. And some of Jesus’ final words to His disciples were, [...]