Bold Praying to the Great High Priest March 20, 2015 Year B Hebrews 4:14-16 Have you ever prayed bold prayers? Have you ever asked God something so impossible that you thought He would never answer? That is the challenge from this verse. Jesus is now the Great High Priest in Heaven. Just as God listened to the High Priest from Israel about the sins of the people, God now listens to Jesus as He forgives our sins. That is our... Read more
Examples to Teach Us to Stop Desiring Evil March 17, 2015 Year B (St. Patrick’s Day) 1 Corinthians 10:6-13 The Old Testament stories give us examples about how we should love. Paul is here reflecting on the examples that teach Christians to not desire evil. What examples does he give? Idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:7, Exodus 32:6) Sexual Immorality (1 Corinthians 10:8, Numbers 25:1-18, Psalm 106:29) Testing Christ (1 Corinthians 10:9, Numbers 21:6) Complaining (1 Corinthians 10:11, Numbers 16:41-50) These four... Read more
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) is a Christian movie review of this Star Trek film. The review deals with communication and creation care. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) finishes the Star Trek trilogy which is composed of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. In this film, the crew of the USS Enterprise 1701 return to face charges stemming from... Read more
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) is a Christian movie review which explores the spirituality of the film and compares it with the Bible. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) continues the adventure that began in the previous film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. In that film, Spock sacrificed his life to save the USS Enterprise. In this film, the crew of the Enterprise discover that... Read more
God Gives His Grace, Glory, and Goodness March 9, 2015 Year B Psalm 84:10-12 “Better a day in your courts than a thousand anywhere else. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God than live in the tents of wicked people. For the Lord God is a sun and shield. The Lord grants favor and honor; he does not withhold the good from those who live with integrity. Happy is the person who trusts in... Read more
I am attending the International Baptist Church Ministries Annual Meeting this weekend at the Riley Center on the campus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Unlike previous years, I had to come alone. However, I have enjoyed working with this wonderful group of people. This organization helps the churches of the International Baptist Convention. Many American ex-patriots who work outside of the United States worship in the churches of this convention. This organization allows the members of these churches to receive... Read more
Two Witnesses That Confirm the Existence of God March 5, 2015 Year B Psalm 19:1-14 The Old Testament law states that on the testimony of two witnesses, a matter will be established as fact. In modern jurisprudence, facts are put into evidence on the corroboration of two witnesses. The psalmist puts forth two witnesses which confirm the existence of God: (1) creation and (2) Scripture. The psalm begins by describing creation and its ability to communicate the glory of God.... Read more
Ancient-Future Time by Robert Webber Ancient-Future Time: Forming Spirituality Through the Christian Year by Robert Webber is an excellent introduction into using the Christian Year as a guide for Christian worship practices in the church. Webber promotes the idea of using the Christian year as a guide for personal spiritual formation. He states (32): “Consequently, the past and the future converge on the present in such a way that it makes a difference in the worshipers’ experience now.” Relying on the... Read more
5 Ways to Show Appreciation to God for His Faithfulness March 2, 2015 Year B Psalm 105:1-6 Have you ever stopped to thank someone for what they have done for you? We do it many times with people we care about. Perhaps someone came to fix something in the house. A friend came and watched your dog while you were gone. Someone who cares about you got you out of a bind. Your parents looked out for your interests when... Read more
Heaven’s Muscle by Bren Hughes Heaven’s Muscle by Bren Hughes is a book primarily about the work of the Holy Spirit. He encourages the reader to defy the spirit of religion and embrace the Holy Spirit. Throughout the book he states insightful thoughts about the work of the Holy Spirit. Hughes begins his book by addressing what he calls the “spirit of religion”. He defines this spirit as legalism which can prevent the Christian from following the Holy Spirit (23).... Read more
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