Author Archives: Jim
An Interesting Take on The Lord’s Prayer
I found it rummaging through a rack of used books. Rather surprised to see it there, I quickly picked it up. I thought to myself, “How often will one run across an obscure book like this?” After perusing through it for a few moments, I turned to The Lord’s Prayer, and the deal was closed.
This unique and thought-provoking version of The Lord’s Prayer is found in “A New Zealand Prayer Book”. We hope Read the rest of this entry
Dead People Speak To Me
Dead people speak to me. It’s true, they really do!
Don’t misunderstand me, it’s not that the dead visit me in my sleep, or that I hear voices in my head. I am talking about the writings of the early church leaders, those great men of God who passed from this earth 1700-1900 years ago. Their writings speak volumes to me about what it means to Read the rest of this entry
Making Room for God in Your Life
Merry Christmas everyone!
Not being catholic, I seldom read what the Pope has to say. But this year I actually read his Christmas eve sermon. I was moved by his words and challenged in my own life and faith. I have posted it here. I hope my protestant friends can read it and Read the rest of this entry
A Christmas Prayer for All
The following prayer is from the largely forgotten deposit of the Puritan Movement of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. They testify to the richness and color of evangelical thought and language, as well as their devotion to the Savior. They can be found in a book titled “The Valley of Vision”, by Arthur Bennet. I have included them in this blog so that others can use them in their own prayer life as a springboard to a more faithful walk with Jesus. These prayers are 200-400 years old! They were written in old English, but that should not get in the way if you don’t let it.
Following Him together…
Read the rest of this entry
Fiscal Cliff and Gun Control? I Can’t Hear You Because I’m Listening to Myself
“Two plus Two is Five, and I don’t see how you can’t see that!”
Often, when I engage in political dialogue with people who believe what I wholeheartedly reject, they look at me like the guy in the photo to the left. It is as if I am proclaiming that 2+2 is 5 and they don’t know what to say! To be fair, it goes both ways. Their arguments sometimes make as much logical sense to me!
Go online to discuss things and the discourse degenerates pretty quickly! Read through the comment section of any hot topic of the day, and you will find people screaming Read the rest of this entry
God’s Christmas Gift to Humanity
Merry Christmas
“God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life.For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek
him, to know him, to love him with all his strength. He calls together all men, scattered and divided by sin, into the unity of his family, the Church.
To accomplish this, when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son as Redeemer and Savior. In his Son and through him, he invites men to become, in the Holy Spirit, his adopted children and thus heirs of his blessed life.”
May you receive Him with open arms! Merry Christmas everyone.
A Christmas Prayer of Praise
We praise you, O God,
we acclaim you as Lord;
all creation worships you,
the Father everlasting.
To You, all angels,
all the powers of heaven,
the cherubim and seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
The glorious company of apostles praise you.
The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.
Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you:
Father, of majesty unbounded,
your true and only Son, worthy of all praise,
the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.
You, Christ, are the king of glory,
the eternal Son of the Father.
When you took our flesh to set us free
you humbly chose the virgin’s womb.
You overcame the sting of death,
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.
We believe that you will come to be our judge.
Come then, Lord, and help your people,
bought with the price of your own blood,
and bring us with your saints
to glory everlasting.
New Post up on the New Blog
Here’s a link to our new post, up on the new blog: The Faith of our Fathers: Inspiring Quotes from the Early Church. Check it out, friends.
And Behold, A New Blog Was….Born
The other day, while shopping, my wife found the perfect t-shirt for me. It said:
“Nobody Cares About Your Blog!”
Unfortunately it was the wrong size, plus it was pink! However, I interpreted that to mean that what the world really needs is one more blog and that I should start it.
Not being one who takes my responsibility to serve mankind lightly, I have started, and now made public, a New blog called “Following Him Together” It is a pastoral/devotional type of blog, that will focus more on the journey of the Christian life than on the problems of the evangelical church, which I have now solved.
Be one of the first 10,000 to subscribe to it and you could “Win a brand new car!” Not really. Visit it here: Following Him Together.
How Does One Truly Worship God? An Early Church Father’s View
From my view in the cheap seats, it seems that what it means to worship God has become open to interpretation.
Can I worship God any way I want to?
On a corporate level, does church leadership have biblical authority to design a worship service anyway they think is best?
Judging by state of the American Evangelical church, I think most leaders believe the answer is Yes to both questions. And boy do we ever take this permission seriously!
It would appear to this writer that Read the rest of this entry
Christianities Family Tree
“As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.
20 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; 21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.
John 17:18-21 NASB
Reflecting on Keith Green’s Impact 30 years after His Tragic Death
Today, July 28th, 2012, marks the 30th anniversary of Keith Green’s death. I wasn’t even a Christian back in 1982, and had no clue who this great man of God was. When I became a Christian in 1985, I was immediately introduced to him. He had a profound impact on my life.
Back then, contemporary Christian music was in its infancy. The local Christian book store had an 8′ x 4′ section of a wall dedicated to it. There wasn’t much! Basically it was Read the rest of this entry
The End of the Beginning is Here
It has been a while since my last real post. Many of you have wondered out loud if I am A) dead, B) seriously ill, C) in exile or D) just not writing. The answer is … Read the rest of this entry
A Quick and Easy Homemade Lemonade Recipe That Anyone Can Make!
NOW UPDATED!
It’s summer and it is starting to get hot. If your family is like mine, you’ll need something ice-cold in the refrigerator to quench everyone’s thirst. This homemade lemonade hits the spot every single time.
Below you will find the ancient secret family recipe to make a gallon of delicious homemade lemonade. We’ve made it quick and easy by using bottled lemon juice instead of fresh squeezed. If you have the time and the desire to use fresh lemons, go ahead and substitute it out, but see our 2017 update below for a quick and easy alternative. You can use less water if you want a stronger lemonade. Tinker with it until it is exactly the way you like it. As written below, we think its perfect!
You Are What You……Believe?
“You are what you….eat!”
That would make me a giant cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal! Though I agree with the basic premise of that statement, I think it goes to far. I submit that we are NOT what we eat. Rather, we are what we believe.
Isn’t that obvious?
When you hold certain facts passionately close to your heart, it has the potential to shape you into something you are not. There is a transformative nature inherent in belief, much like an oak seed has the potential towering tree in it. It doesn’t seem to really matter what you believe. We Read the rest of this entry
Is the Current Church Model Doing More Harm than Good?
The Barna Group just came out with a new research report. In it, they describe six mega-themes relating to the state of the church in America. I want to discuss two of those themes here. I believe they have a cause and effect relationship. I also believe that the Seeker-Sensitive church model is directly responsible for the findings detailed in the Barna Report.
Barna says: “Change usually happens slowly in the Church. But a review of the past year’s research… provides a time-lapse portrayal of how the religious environment in the U.S. is morphing into something new.” Stop for a moment and think about what you just read: Christianity in America is morphing into something new.”
Is the American church morphing into something better and more God honoring? The findings in the Barna Report would argue in the negative. Here’s two of them: Read the rest of this entry
Are You Spending Your Life on Trivial Pursuits?
A third century Church Father once said that the devil majored in three things: noise, hurry, and crowds. The older I get, the more I think the Desert Father was right. The enemy seeks to fill our lives with meaningless things (noise) so we don’t hear the truth of the Gospel. He works to keep us busy and entertained (hurry) if we happen to embrace the truth of the Gospel so it makes little difference in our lives. He strives to surround us with others who are doing the same thing (our friends, families, co-workers and the like) so that we don’t consistently live out the truth of the Gospel, never seriously impacting our lives or the lives of those around us.
If ever there was a time in the history of the world where it’s easy to give oneself to meaningless things, it is now. There are so many options, aren’t there? Between Cityville, Castleville, Farmville, perusing Facebook, or tweeting about the mundane things of life, as if anyone cares (I still haven’t found anyone who actually cares that “I’m writing a new article for the blog!”), or spending endless hours on the internet and the like.
What about TV and movies? Do you know how much time we waste sitting in front of a TV? It is startling. Back in the pre-historic 1990’s a study came out which said that the average American, living a normal life span, would spend Read the rest of this entry
Not For Itching Ears 