What Grace Does not Mean

1 Thessalonians Chs 1 and 2 Outline

Reform in the Blogosphere (origin of my blog name)

Beloved Followers, Stop Worshipping Me
Dear ones, It has come to my attention that some of you like to worship me as it relates to the fact of my incarnation during the month of December.  Please stop. I never told you it was okay. Feel free to focus on that important point in our story of redemption other times of the year, just not around the end of the year. Even though it was an amazing,  miraculous act of love.  Even though it represents what I gave up for you.  Even though it is so wonderfully complex and important.  Don’t worship me pertaining to that for a few weeks in December, okay? When others are talking about it, emphasizing it, and getting excited about Me, pleas

I am Thankful…
…that I don’t have swine flu. …watching my kids play with people who played with me when I was their age. …my blogging friends. …that the security/TSA officer used the back of his hands when frisking my “sensitive areas” at the Newark Airport. …seeing church family who knew my parents. …going to my Uncle Tom’s cabin in Bowling Green to see half my family for Thanksgiving day. …getting to visit with high school friends and see their new baby. …a Sunday when I can be fed instead of feeding.  Plus sit with my wife and family the entire time. …my c

Christians Against Christmas-GA, November 2009
I feel a little more emotional about this one because it involves people forbidding worship.  I can understand concerns about how to worship but can’t relate to issues of when. I do understand that there are degrees, while some are against singing “Happy Birthday, Jesus” with a full-scale pageant, others would be okay with simply preaching on the incarnation in December. Barry Baggott, in his article, “‘Tis the Season” gives these reasons not to celebrate Christmas: We are not told to do so Do we need to be told to worship Jesus?  I understand he is dealing with specifics.  We were

Religious Authority: Does Your Standard Measure Up? GA-NOV
Why is the Bible our Authority? by Dan Owen This is a really good article about the authority of the Apostles (not just because Dan Owen is from Paducah).  He doesn’t refer to the mentality, but some seem to think that what Jesus said in red has more authority than what the Apostles wrote.  But Owen does a good job showing how the NT writers were speaking for Jesus by the Holy Spirit. The Berean Yardstick by David Gibson This article is not much different from the first except for an amazing bit of irony.  He makes a

Gospel Advocate, November 2009, part 1
We get three copies of the GA each month thanks to the White Rock Fund, a parachurch organization of Christ in Dallas.  I am not GA hater.  I sometimes read some articles.  I sometimes agree. I sometimes lose interest just by looking at the table of contents.  I feel that it can be repetitive, as if their rotation of topics is too limited for me. But I wanted to share some thoughts of the most recent issue this week for discussion, debate, dialogue.  All hopefully done in a kind spirit. I will put away my satire for awhile. First up, three quotes I wanted to tie together from three different contributors. “I have reviewed ev