John Piper once wrote that sin (lust for example) “gets its power by persuading me to believe that I will be more happy if I follow it. The power of all temptation is the prospect that it will make me happier.”
Piper’s observation reminds me of a true story that occurred several years ago. To protect the innocent, as well as the guilty, I will refer to the two married couples as Jason and Judy and Matt and Jen. Continue reading
Filed under Passage To Ponder
“If a time-traveler from the early Church secretly followed you from Monday till Saturday evening, would they be able to tell you’re a Christian?”
This question raised by John Stonestreet and G. Shane Morris from breakpoint.org caught my attention early yesterday morning.
In a post entitled “Practical Atheists: Living as if God is Irrelevant,” they suggest that for many professing Christianity the answer isn’t really clear.
This is a not a new question or novel topic, but one I haven’t thought about in quite a while. Continue reading
Filed under Christian Living
Last night we watched an old episode of the Andy Griffith show that was entitled “A Sermon for Today.”
Andy and Opie are ready for church and trying to get Aunt Bee off the phone gossiping with her friend Clara.
When we arrive at the “All Souls Church,” the congregation is singing “Holy Spirit, Truth Divine.” All the while the ladies are looking across the auditorium miming appreciation for each other’s hats. Barney fumbles to keep his place in the hymn, and is saved from embarrassment when Andy stops him from applauding the guest speaker.” Continue reading
Filed under Preaching
Last night I woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep. So I got up, ate a piece of toast and drank a glass of warm milk. (I read somewhere on the internet where that would help you sleep. So it must be true!)
After checking my email, which you’re not supposed to do, I decided to read for a while. I picked up a book and came across two great quotes, one by John Piper and the other by C. S. Lewis.
Piper wrote, “The greatest hindrance to worship is not that we are a pleasure-seeking people, but that we are willing to settle for such pitiful pleasures.” Continue reading
Filed under Life
ThePreachersWord 