Christian Community

“In confession the break-through to community takes place. Sin demands to have a man by himself. It withdraws him from the community. The more isolated a person is, the more destructive will be the power of sin over him, and the more deeply he becomes involved in it, the more disastrous is his isolation. Sin wants to remain unknown. It shuns the light. In the darkness of the unexpressed it poisons the whole being of a person. This can happen even in the midst of a pious community. In confession the light of the Gospel breaks into the darkness and seclusion of the heart. The sin must be brought into the light. The unexpressed must be openly spoken and acknowledged. All that is secret and hidden is made manifest. It is a hard struggle until the sin is openly admitted. But God breaks gates of brass and bars of iron (Ps. 107:16).”

Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Here is not here...

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him. Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. They were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?" Looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large. Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed. And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him. "But go, tell His disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.' "

Mark 16:1-7

When is Spring Coming?

That is the 64 million dollar question. Last weekend we experienced the heaviest snowfall since we have arrived in Ohio. We received about 4-5 inches of snow. I am not complaining. At least we are not living in Columbus who received a record high of 20.4 inches of snow. Over the last few days we have experienced several days of sunshine but still cooler temperatures. Because my family arrived here in Ohio in November (the beginning of the winter season), it has been a long winter for us. We have been told that Marietta is a beautiful town in the spring with the foliage and flowers. We are waiting…




Here are a couple of pictures of Marietta across the Ohio River.

A Recommended Book...

One of my friends from Dallas, TX has recently published a book on the teachings of Jesus Christ. The title is self-evident: What does Jesus Say About…Christ Speaks to Us Today. Though I have not bought a copy (yet!), I would like to recommend this book to you based on my knowledge of Cecil Price. During my years in seminary, I witnessed Cecil spend many hours of diligent research and study in the library halls of Dallas Seminary. I know that he has poured his time and energy into giving his audience an accurate and helpful resource on the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Indeed Christ does speak to us today. For more info on Cecil’s book, see the following website: Jesus Christ Speaks.

Is it as Easy as Baking a Cake?

Discovering God’s will for your life is not as complicated as we make it out to be. We all have been engaged in conversations about God’s will, and most of walk away from the conversation more confused than before. One of the first Bible studies that I joined when I became a Christian was Henry Blackaby’s Experiencing God series. One of the most unforgettable insights that I drew from my study was Blackaby’s point that God takes the initiative to reveal Himself in our lives. That was such a drastic change from my perspective. I was thinking that I needed to be out there (somewhere) hunting down God’s will for my life. I was looking for a roadmap, but I found out that God’s will is wrapped up in a relationship. Often we see God as this Cosmic Being playing hide-and-seek with His creation. After studying the Scriptures and checking my conclusions with other writers who have thought longer and harder on this subject than I, I have come to the conclusion that we do not seek God, but God seeks us. He longs for us to know His will. I am fond of the way that Ray Pritchard puts it, “If you want to know what Discovering God’s Will is for Your Life is all about, here it is: God wants you to know his will more than you want to know it, and therefore he takes personal responsibility to see that you discover it…The secret of knowing God’s will is the secret of knowing God; and as you get to know God better, he will reveal his will to you” (Discovering God’s Will is for Your Life,19,32).

Are we truly loving one another?

Since the beginning of the year I have been teaching an expositional study through the book of Ruth on Sunday mornings. Last Sunday we examined Ruth’s relentless and untiring devotion to her mother-in-law Naomi. Her poetic words resound with commitment and loyalty:

But Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me." (Ruth 1:16-17)

To experience the flavor of her words, you must remember the context of Ruth. She is a Moabite widow and living in a patricentric society. Unlike our culture where women possess value and worth, Ruth’s culture was a male-dominated society. Women found their identity only within a realm connected to a man. When Ruth decided to take this leap of faith and follow Naomi, she is facing a life of possible rejection. Not only will she be despised by the Jews, but she has rejected her family, people, and religious roots.

Trible aptly writes, ““Ruth stands alone; she possesses nothing. No God has called her; no deity has promised her blessing; no human being has come to her aid. She lives and chooses without a support group and she knows that the fruit of her decision may well be the emptiness of rejection, indeed of death. Consequently, not even Abraham’s leap of faith surpasses this decision of Ruth. And there is more. Not only has Ruth broken with family, country, and faith, but she also has reversed sexual allegiance. A young woman has committed herself to the life of an old woman in a world rather than search for a husband…One female has chosen another female where life depends on men. There is no more radical decision in all the memories of Israel. Phyllis Trible, A Human Comedy, 173.

I wonder how many times you and I have ever been this dedicated to another person. I must admit that I am a fragile person with many scars. Past relationships have taught me lessons about totally trusting and giving myself to another person. I have been bruised and hurt so many times that I refuse to allow anyone to get that close to my heart. I do not mind being transparent, but am I really vulnerable. How often do I really share my heart with another person? Unless you come to this point in your life where you love someone else more than you love yourself, I dare say that you have truly loved.

George Mueller: Prayer Warrior

One of the mightiest men of prayer of the last generation was George Mueller of Bristol, England, who in the last sixty years of his life (he lived to be ninety-two or ninety-three) obtained the English equivalent of $7,200,000.00 by prayer. But George Mueller never prayed for a thing just because he wanted it, or even just because he felt it was greatly needed for God's work. When it was laid upon George Mueller's heart to pray for anything, he would search the Scriptures to find if there was some promise that covered the case. Sometimes he would search the scriptures for days before he presented his petition to God. And then when he found the promise, with his open Bible before him, and his finger upon that promise, he would plead that promise, and so he received what he asked. He always prayed with an open Bible before him.

-R. A. Torrey on George Müeller