In my Rotary club we have a period in the beginning called “Brag-a-Bucks.” It’s a time where members give the Sargent at arms a buck to brag about something exciting in their lives. It may be the achievement of a child, or grandchild. A promotion. A vacation. A birthday. An anniversary. A win by their sports team.
What if you were asked to brag on something that you’re proud of, that you’re excited about? What would it be? Continue reading
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Crosses. You see them everywhere. On houses of worship. On grave markers. As ornate pieces of jewelry worn as a necklace, bracelet or even earrings.
We celebrate the cross. We glamorize it. We even romanticize it. We all know what it means. It’s the symbol of Christianity. It represents salvation. It reminds us of Jesus.
Yet the cross was used by the Romans as a cruel means of capital punishment. It was a shameful death. A humiliating death. A painful death.
On that Friday Jesus was crucified there actually 3 men on 3 different crosses who made 3 different choices. Continue reading
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Next week I will be Pasadena,Texas, speaking at the Southside Lectures. Today’s post for this weekly column is taken from Southside Online and written by one of their evangelists, my friend, Dee Bowman.)
There has never been one like Jesus. In all the annals of history no entry has been made which compares to His. He was born of a peasant woman and His early family life gave only slight hints as to the greatness of His holy character or the importance of His mission on the earth. The lack of earthly possessions must certainly have convinced those who knew Him that His lot in life was not too far removed from theirs and that entirely too much would need be required for His influence to spread further than would be expected of any other carpenter’s son. Continue reading
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Last Sunday, our summer preaching intern, Justin Berss, delivered the Eulogy before communion. He took the single, simple word “behold” to focus our minds upon the cross.
“Behold” is a word of emphasis. It means “to look, to pay attention to.” It suggests something that should not be overlooked or neglected.
Several times in the New Testament “Behold” is used specifically pointing to Jesus. In his lesson, Justin spoke of four ways we need to behold Jesus that I want to share with our readers. Continue reading
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“I used to think it strange that the Bible keeps talking about the cleansing power of the blood,” admitted the late and renowned surgeon Paul W. Brand.
“It seemed to me that blood was messy stuff. I needed to wash my white lab coats if they became stained with blood,” wrote Dr. Brand in his book God’s Forever Feast. “Today, I love the analogy; it is so true of the body. The blood is constantly cleansing every cell, and washing away all the debris that accumulates all the time. I like Paul’s phrase in Hebrews.3 ‘How much more shall the blood of Christ purge [cleanse] your conscience from dead works?” Continue reading
Filed under It's Friday. But Sunday's Coming!
Another day. Another Friday. Another early morning when the rooster crowed. Folks were awakened. There is work to be done. Business to take care of. People to see. Preparations to be made for Sabbath worship.
A neighbor mentioned some commotion going on in the night. Some criminals captured. A late night and early morning meeting of the Sanhedrin. Odd. But there a day’s business ahead. There is a crowd in town and a buzz about a crucifixion. Guess they found that criminal guilty. But there’s things to do and no time to worry about that.
It’s just another Friday. With much to do. And no time to be distracted. Continue reading
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One year ago today the 911 Memorial and Museum was dedicated. But it opened amid various controversies. One objection was raised by an atheist group over the inclusion of a cross.
The 17-foot steel-beam cross was discovered in the rubble of the World Trade Center towers two days after the 2001 terrorist attacks on America. In days and weeks to come it provided a tangible symbol of comfort and faith to many of those horrified by the events of September 11. Continue reading
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What thoughts does the cross conjure up in your mind?
The cross reminds us of the Savior’s suffering. We see shame, sin and separation from God. We see scars. Blood. And battered flesh. We see something grotesque. We see the cross as a cruel instrument of death.
However, for Christians, we see something else. Some things new. Important. The cross is multi dimensional and many faceted. Through God’s purpose, He created some new things out of the old rugged cross. Continue reading
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As children, many of us learned a little prayer that began, “God is good, God is great….”
We often sing a praise song in worship with the lyrics, “God is so good.” And indeed He is. God’s goodness created the world. Called Abraham. Protected the patriarchs. And blessed Israel. Asaph, the Psalmist said, “God is good to Israel” (Ps 73:1).
It was God’s goodness that sent His Son into the world. But it was a corrupt culture. One perverted from God’s original purpose. In a word, evil. Continue reading
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Jonathan Ortberg’s book, “Who is this Man?” provides a powerful testimony regarding the impact of Jesus’ life. He says, “Jesus is mysterious not just because of what we don’t know about him, but because of what we do know about him.”
We know he was a compelling figure. He Spoke with authority. As A.T. Wright put it “(Jesus) is so unlike what we know about anybody else that we are forced to ask, as people evidently did at the time, who, then is this?”
That is what the high priest wanted to know when he asked, “Are You the Christ?” Continue reading
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