“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3: 17)”

Usually, I write a prayer or poem for Christmas. This year, however, I felt compelled to do something different because it seems some media outlets mistakenly paint Christian evangelicals with a broad brush as self-serving, bullies, mean-spirited, unethical, fence-walkers, those who only condemn what or when it is in their interest to denounce.

Evangelicals are not a monolith. Instead, they are a diverse group of disciples of Christ trying to glorify God by following the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. They are present in every Christian denomination, and they represent every ethnicity and social and economic class. They work in every field and live in every neighborhood.

They are compassionate, caring people who, by the grace of God, try to behave justly, and they pray for the Holy Spirit to guide them into all truth. They demonstrate mercy toward others because God is merciful.

The following is a summary of what many evangelicals believe.

An Evangelical Declaration

• God is sovereign and is present all the time in every place
• The Bible, consisting of the Old Testament (Hebrew Scriptures) and the New Testament, is God’s inerrant word
• Salvation is by grace, not by works, and comes only through Christ Jesus
• God is no respecter of persons because redemption is available to all who repent and accept Jesus Christ as Lord
• The Lord, our God, is one Triune, -Creator (Father), Redeemer (Jesus, Savior), and Sustainer (Holy Spirit)
• God loves all people, including sinners – of which I am one who is saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
• We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead and in everlasting life
• We believe Jesus is the Messiah prophesied about by the Hebrew prophets
• We believe Scripture teaches God’s people are to behave justly and practice mercy
• We believe Jesus will come again to redeem the Church
• We believe the Church is three dimensional- the spotless Church of Christ, the church within each believer, and the church as an organized body of believers
• We believe in freewill – mortals have the God-given ability to choose between right and wrong
• We believe the Church is one body consisting of different parts
• Jesus is the head of the Church

 

Things to Guard

 

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Sunday Morning Thoughts, August 25, 2019

 

Opening up to Grow up

In the book of Colossians, chapter 3, verses 12–17, the Apostle Paul and Timothy encouraged Jesus’ followers to adopt a worldview that centered around promoting the Lord Jesus Christ (lifting up Jesus Christ was their primary objective), developing unity among believers, and living in peace with those within and outside the newly formed band of converts.

Listed below are the attitudes and practices the authors highlighted as necessary to effect the changes they advocated.

1. Compassion – Demonstrate concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.
2. Kindness – Behave friendly, generous, and considerate.
3. Humility – Hold a modest view of one’s importance.  Remember, each person has intrinsic value because each was created by and in the image of the Creator.
4. Gentleness – Treat others with tenderness.
5. Patience – Develop the capacity to accept, tolerate or delay, trouble or suffering without getting angry or upset
6. Forgiving – Show mercy. Act without malice
7. Loving– Work for the common good. Overcome selfishness.
8. Be a peacemaker – “Blessed are the peacemakers, they shall be called the children of God.” Do not deliberately cause harm.
9. Be thankful – Look at the glass half full instead of half empty.

The characteristics Paul and Timothy urged the early converts to adopt are crucial for building and maintaining nurturing communities and organizations. Individuals who possess those qualities contribute to goodness. Where goodness is there is harmony and the possibility of sustaining peaceful relationships.

To God be the glory.

 

Advent 2018

via Advent 2018

 

Proceed with Caution: A Biblical Response to Personal Rejection-(The Original Text)

via Proceed with Caution: A Biblical Response to Personal Rejection-(The Original Text)

 

Sixty-eight and Me

Sixty-eight and me
Fearless, footloose, and fancy-free
Sixty-eight and me
Traversing life’s tapestries
Sixty-eight and me
Gradually grasping, gripping, and groping
Sixty-eight and me
Making and molding memories
Sixty-eight and me
Moving melodiously
Sixty-eight and me

 

Out of the Bag!

Truth is out of the bag
Running afoul, running amuck– bubbling, gurgling, pulsating, Truth
Apologizing, apropos, apocrypha, Truth
Garnished, glossed over, groping, Truth
Minimized, minute-wise, muted, Truth
Refreshing, releasing, rotating, Truth
Shaken, shuffled, stepped over, Truth
Tiptoed around, traumatizing, trivialized, Truth
Truth is out of the bag
It won’t go back
Truth is out of the bag!

 

Incredible Cruelty – Pirated Children

Powerful people profiting from the perils of poor, powerless, pirated children
Government initiated human trafficking tragedy
Families pillaged
Children forcibly separated from their parents, and
given to others who are paid to keep them
Politicians and their unified networks of powerful people,
Profiteers, albeit, some unwittingly
Suppliers of goods – cots, clothing, food, tents, medicine, toiletries
Providers of services – barbers and beauticians, security, healthcare, and foodservices
Children and their families – forcibly separated silent sufferers
Government sponsored human trafficking tragedy
Modern day slavery
Powerful people profiting from the perils of poor, powerless, pirated children

 

Celebrate Advent by Making an Advent Calendar

One way to remain spiritually centered during the festive Christmas season is to create an Advent Calendar that focuses on the true meaning of Christmas – the celebration of the arrival of the Savior. Search the Web for examples of Advent Calendars or design your own Calendar.

• Each day of Advent illustrate a different verse from Scripture that centers on God’s promise to send a Savior and that highlights the circumstances of Christ’s birth. End the calendar with the nativity scene.
• Spend a few minutes each day meditating on the Scripture and your illustrations.
• For those not artistically inclined, purchase a spiral journal with an inspirational  Christmas illustration or verse on the cover and start creating your Advent Calendar.
• Use stickers, shapes, clip art, or your own drawings to illustrate your understanding of Scripture.
• Select Scripture readings from the Revised Daily Common Lectionary for 2017.

 

 

Use a Journal or Sketchbook to Create your Own Advent Calendar

 

 

 

 

Advent Explained

The Christian Advent Season focuses on the fulfillment of God’s promise to send a Savior – Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

• For some, it is an incredibly festive time set aside to marvel and give thanks to God. Gift-giving and receiving; sharing meals, displaying bright, colorful decorations, and listening to, and, singing upbeat secular songs symbolize the festive part of Advent.
• For others, like Lent, Advent is a time of penance. For them, Advent is marked by spending more time than is typical for them:  reading Scripture, praying for guidance; interceding for others; singing hymns that tell the Christmas story; reenacting  the birth of Christ as depicted in Scripture, not as shown in movies, and giving more than is usual. 
• Advent includes the four Sundays preceding Christmas.