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It’s Not All Tempest and Timpani

March 11, 2018

 2 Timothy 4:9-18

9 Do your best to come to me soon. 10 For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia,[a] Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. 12 Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. 13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. 14 Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.               15 Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message.     16 At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! 17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

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Our Sunday Roundtable- Week 2

How is it that we freely do so many things we despise?  Perhaps we’re not so free after all.

In Shooting an Elephant, we have a haunting, brutally honest confession of a powerful man, powerless to do what he knew was right.  This wonderfully written little essay by George Orwell serves as a rich mountain for us to mine; providing the coal to fire a discussion of our own powerlessness in the face of unending societal pressure.  I hope that, as we gather for this Sunday’s roundtable, we’d be as sober in our assessments of ourselves and as unflinching in our pursuit of the honest truth.  Are you tired of shooting elephants?

 

Follow this link to read “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell.

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Telescopic Christianity

March 4, 2018

Matthew 20:17-19

17 And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, 18 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death 19 and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”

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Our Sunday Roundtable- Week 1

The same fire that heats your home can burn it down.

Passion is a blessing from God and few would want to try and live and love without it.  But the same passion that can stir your heart can break it as well.  In Austen’s Powers, Jennifer Farrara compares the passions of two of literature’s most famous leading men and offers many reflections into matters of love, romance, marriage, and our relationship with God.  Some of Farrara’s insights are a little provocative and I’m not sure I share all of her convictions.  That said, I think there’s a lot here that merits discussion and there’s much to apply to our relationships with each other and the Lord.  Please take time to read the article and consider joining us for a roundtable discussion of it this Sunday morning at 8:30 in room #208 in the Family Life Center.  Hot coffee and a homemade treat will greet you at the door!

Click Here to read the article for Week 1

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The Mickey In The Drink

February 25, 2018

1 Peter 5:6-11

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

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