Losing & Finding Our Way: Jesus AND Paul not Jesus OR Paul
In my previous post I mentioned how in the Restoration Movement (or at least in Churches of Christ) we have often leaned more heavily on Paul than we have on Jesus. Simply put, Jesus is here to take care of our sins so we can get to heaven and Paul is here to make sure […]
Losing Our Way in Churches of Christ and Finding the Answer in the Gospels
I intend to spend a lot more time in the Gospels this year and I would like to tell you why. In 2015 I tackled N.T. Wright’s Paul and the Faithfulness of God. I started it while on jury duty via my kindle app and when I first downloaded the book it told me I […]
Building a Theological & Ministry Library Part 2 – How to Read the Bible
There are a lot of great books out there on how to be a better student of scripture and many of them can be purchased at a very low cost these days. Here are some of my favorites. How to read the Bible for All It’s Worth By Gordon Fee This was one of the […]
An “Aha” About God’s Love for Me from 1 John 1
I am not much of a self promoter so that is not what this is about at all but I feel compelled to share something here that I shared yesterday morning. Fast forward to 1:13:30. Just for some context on this – I don’t really like writing introductions to sermons because I always figure something […]
We Have A Verse for Everything…or Maybe Not
I posted this on my facebook wall and got a really good conversation going there so I am posting it here for those who read things here but also to save it for future reference. There was a time in Churches of Christ when we taught that every conceivable thing we do is backed by […]
“Hear O Israel” – The Importance of Passing on Faith, Faulty Ministry Models and a Bright Future
The generation that was taught the Shema by Moses in Deutereonomy 6 was the same generation whose parents died in the wilderness. They were the same generation whose great grand kids would fall from faith after the death of Joshua in Judges 2 where the Bible says Joshua died and a whole generation grew up […]
Revelation, Seven Churches and Teasing Out the Parts from the Whole
To Ephesus: “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary…Yet I hold this […]
The Power of God’s Possession
One of the things that has been really helpful to me over the last few years has been the little word “of.” When you use that word you are talking about belonging. If something or someone is “of” something or someone…then it belongs to them. That little word of is in the phrase/name “Church of […]
Progressives, Conservatives and a Restoration Agenda Above the Labels
I was trying to explain to someone the other day how if I am progressive it is only in the sense that I believe progressivism and biblical overlap. I am not a camp, tribe, or side person as best as I can pull it off. I am interested in two things: God (and what He […]
Churches of Christ and the “Restoration Institution” – Part 1
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Restoration Movement, of which I am a part, it started in the late 1700s in an attempt to bring unity to Christianity. The Restoration ideal was that if we all just went by the Bible we could restore New Testament Christianity and bring unity to the […]