Category Archives: The Christian Life
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
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.
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
Life is a Journey, Are You Enjoying the Ride?
During the 1996 Superbowl, Nissan launched its now famous “Life is A Journey, Enjoy the Ride” advertising campaign. In the two-minute spot, a young boy finds himself in an underground garage, where a mysterious man shows him some old cars. As the boy begins to leave, the old man offers him a parting word of sage advice: (You have to say this with a thick Japanese accent for the full effect) “Remember….Life is a journey. Enjoy…..the ride.”
Of course the commercial was designed to sell Nissan’s, so people could “enjoy the ride” in a nice car! It had a different impact on one young pastor who was watching.
I paused to reflect on my life and the journey I was on Read the rest of this entry
Shouldn’t Christianity Make a Bigger Difference?
“There are two ways, one of life and one of death, and there is a great difference between these two ways.”
So begins my favorite non-canonical writing from the early church, The Didache, (pronounced Dee-Dah-Kay). If you have never read it, find some time to. It is well worth it. You can find The Didache here.
This opening phrase has been occupying my mind of late. Like an Ipod stuck on repeat, playing the same song over and over again. I wake up in the middle of the night to find it still echoing in my mind. The part that grabs me is the ending phrase, “…and there is a great difference between these two ways.”
Is there really?
One could argue that the entire history of God’s people in both the OT and the NT illustrate the truth that there are two basic categories of how to navigate life: a life with God and a life without Him. Jesus described this life in Read the rest of this entry
A Bible Every Christian Should Own: The Orthodox Study Bible
The $5,000.00 worth of bible study and reference books on my library shelf gives my condition away to most people. But since you can’t see them, let me state the problem: I love Bible reference books! Recently, I added a not-so-well-known study bible to my collection that I think every follower of Christ would benefit from having: The Orthodox Study Bible.
Here’s Why I Like It:
The Study Notes are taken from the Church Fathers of the early church.
If your library is similar to mine, most of your books have The Reformation as a central reference point. Believe it or not, there is 1500 years of church history prior to this. Most of our study bibles and reference works do not take much of that history into account. I find it incredibly enriching to read a passage of scripture and see how the Fathers understood the passage. This book allows me to do that without going to another book. That is great! The Orthodox Study Bible accomplishes this by giving specific attention to the biblical interpretation of the fathers of the ancient and undivided Church, and to the consensus of the Seven ecumenical or Church-wide Councils of Christendom, held from the 4th to the 8th centuries. This alone makes the book well worth the $30-40 you will spend on it.
The Notes and Commentary Emphasise the Major Themes of the Faith.
The Trinity, The Incarnation, the Church, and God’s call to His people to live righteous and holy lives in Christ. It sticks to these key areas and what it does, it does well.
The Old Testament is based on the Septuagint.
This is the only Old Testament I own that is! I am a big advocate of reading the Bible in different translations because of the clarity it brings. I have been rewarded by the time I have spent reading out of this one. I think you will be too. It does have the books that the Protestant Church rejects. I am actually glad it does. The early church accepted them as scripture, The Catholic and Orthodox churches continue to accept them. We reject them, primarily because Martin Luther decided to eliminate them. I know the arguments for this, but I still think they are worth reading. This is the only Bible I own that also has the Apocrypha in it. The New Testament is the New King James.
It Includes Rich Devotional Material.
I don’t come from a liturgical background and so I am unfamiliar with many of its aspects. Over the years, I have grown to appreciate it more. This book includes the Orthodox Lectionary, morning and evening prayers and a host of devotional material. Again, I have been enriched utilizing them
The Orthodox Study Bible is unique, there is no other Bible like this in existence. It is historical, helping modern followers of Christ connect with our brothers and sisters of the ancient past. On top of all this, the Bible is very, very well done. For these and other reasons, this is a great book to add to your library. It is well worth the money. If you are hesitant, do what I did: check it out from your local library for free. I was sold from the moment I held it in my hand!
Have You Read the Oldest Christian Sermon Outside of the New Testament? Part 2
I have listened to a lot of sermons in the past 25 years. I have also read many old sermons from the great preachers of the past. I have amassed a huge library of books from great authors, both past and present. Many of these works have impacted my life in big and small ways. But none more than the writings and messages of the early christian church leaders.
In my quest to figure this thing called Christianity out, I have found it helpful to go back and read how the earliest Christ followers understood Christianity. For some reason unknown to me, many of my contemporaries Read the rest of this entry
Have You Read the Oldest Christian Sermon Outside of the New Testament? Part 1
I have listened to a lot of sermons in the past 25 years. I have also read many old sermons from the great preachers of the past. I have amassed a huge library of books from great authors, both past and present. Many of these works have impacted my life in big and small ways. But none more than the writings and messages of the early christian church leaders.
In my quest to figure this thing called Christianity out, I have found it helpful to go back and read how the earliest Christ followers understood Christianity. For some reason unknown to me, many of my contemporaries Read the rest of this entry
What Did A Church Service Consist of in 150 AD? Take a Look…
In the movie “Back To The Future”, 17 year old, Marty Mcfly, lives a lousy life. His dad, George, a nerdy scaredy cat, and his mom, Larraine, is an alcoholic, who met George through pity, when her dad hit George with a car. All he has ever known is this reality. The only thing that he can do for fun, is hang out with the local scientist, Dr. Emmit Brown (Doc) who has created a time machine. You know the story. Marty goes back in time and changes how his parents meet. In the process everything that was wrong with his life and family is dramatically changed for the good.
When I contemplate the current state of the American Evangelical church, I wish we could get into that DeLorean and head back in time. If we could, perhaps we would be able to intervene at just the right moment so that today’s church reflected God’s design rather than our own. We can not time travel back to the first century, but we can read their documents to see how they understood “Church.” It is good to look at history to observe how things “were”. We often look at how things “are” and assume that’s this is the way things are supposed to “be”… Read the rest of this entry
“Guide Me, Lord” A Prayer for the New Year
Oh LORD,
A long life does not profit me except the days are spent
in Your presence,
In Your service,
for Your glory.
Give me a grace that precedes, follows, guides, sustains,
sanctifies, and aids every hour,
that I may not be one moment apart from You.
May I rely on Your Spirit to Read the rest of this entry
The Year That Changed My Life
Adjustment. Refinement. Correction. Modification. Reversal. Say it anyway you like and it means the same thing: Change. We’re told it is good for us. But few truly enjoy it. Most people are willing to change, not because they see the light, but because the feel the heat! I’m no different. This year, I’ve been going through a lot of adjustments and refinements. I quit my band, picked up my Colorado roots and moved the whole family to the retiree state. I closed a thriving business and started it up again in Florida. (Thriving is not the word I would use to describe the new business.) We also learned Read the rest of this entry
Our Top 11 Most Discussed Posts of 2011
We had a lot of interesting discussions over at Not For Itching Ears in 2011. We have listed our Top 11 most discussed posts below. They cover a wide range of topics from the Seeker-Sensitive Church movement, Calvinism, Solo-Scriptura, Worship, The Best Salsa Recipe in the Blogosphere, American Idolatry and more. It’s never too late to join the discussion. Jump into any you may have missed. Happy New Year Everyone. Thank you to all who follow us! Read the rest of this entry
The Top Ten Most Read Posts of 2011 from Not For Itching Ears
That’s right, my friends. The following post contains our own version of the Top 10 list: The most read posts from Not For Itching Ears this year. You may be very surprised at the#1 post. It is not only our number one post for the year, it is #1 of ALL TIME. Far surpassing anything else! It is clearly out of character with the rest of the blog and reveals a spicy secret about me… I dare you to try it out. You won’t be disappointed. Read the rest of this entry
A 300 Year Old Prayer for The Difficult Seasons of Life
The following prayer was first offered back in the 1700′s. It is from the largely forgotten deposit of the Puritan Movement of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. These people knew God and they knew how to pray. We can learn a lot from them. They are written in old english. I have updated a few outdated words and changed the Thee’s and Thou’s to make it more 2011. However, they still have the feel of that era. This prayer, titled ’The Valley of Vision’, along with many others, can be found in a book titled “The Valley of Vision”, by Arthur Bennett. Read the rest of this entry
Monday Mornings with The Early Church Fathers: What Authentic Christianity Looked Like- Justin Martyr
Do you ever grow weary of all the new fads and techniques the modern church creates? I do! What is important to us, may not have been important to those who were personally discipled by Jesus Christ and those whom they disicpled.
I am continually challenged when I read the history and the writings of the early church. I am drawn to them over and over again because of how close they were in time to the Apostles. Their writings are not scripture, but neither are the writings of Luther, Calvin or John Stott. These writings shed tremendous light on how the Apostles and the early church viewed the Christ event and the implications of it. Anyone who wants to follow Jesus Christ faithfully owes it to themselves to read the writings of these Godly men.
Today, I have posted a quote from Justin Martyr as well as the quote in context. It deals with identifying real Christians and is from his First Apology, chapter 16. Justin lived from 100 AD to 165 AD. He was a philosopher who was converted to Christianity and became a tireless evangelist and apologist. He was executed for his faith sometime Read the rest of this entry
The Most Meaningful Christmas Gift Ever Given to Me
I received it 26 years ago. I know that because the inscription from my non-Christian sister who gave it to me is dated “Christmas 1985.” Though I have over 20 other bibles of various versions sitting in my study, this Bible is my most cherished friend. It has spoken into every area of my life, through every season of that life: being single, getting married, raising a family, pastoring, sermon preparation, tragedy and heartache; victories and failures. It was the Bible I read from at the high school graduation of both my kids. Every morning it sits on my desk, waiting for me. Someday, when my days on earth wind to a close, it will be the Bible used at my funeral.
We’ve been through a lot together. I went to Bible College with it. Professor Middlebrook’s notes from I Peter and I John are still Read the rest of this entry
A Wise Word of Encouragement from the Early Church to Today’s Generation
Saint Cyprian penned the following wise words in AD 256. Brothers and sister, we would be do well to take them to heart. They remind us that what God requires of us is not a deeper understanding of his ways, but a life that is lived following them. It is easy to get the two confused. Learning facts is one thing. Living them out on a daily basis is something entirely different. When we have more facts than fruit in our lives, our lives are out of balance. Of course, theology was important to the early church. It just took a back seat to living the Christian life. Cyprians words reminded me that Read the rest of this entry
Could the Doctrine of Total Depravity be Totally Depraved?
Over here at Not For Itching Ears we like to discuss issues that challenge our view of Christianity and the Church. It is healthy to consider what one believes about the Christian faith and how we express that faith in our corporate church life. If all we ever do is listen to ourselves, we can inadvertently become the kind of people Paul warned Timothy about: People who surround themselves with “teachers who say what their itching ears want to hear.” Today’s post is an attempt to counter that tendency among us as we discuss the Doctrine of Total Depravity. To do this, we turn to a passage from “Reconsidering Tulip” by Alexander J. Renault. It is written from an Orthodox perspective.
Like many of you, I have always assumed that Total Depravity was a doctrine universally accepted by the church of all ages. But I was wrong. It is a rather new concept. In fact the early church fathers, categorically rejected the idea. That troubles me a lot. If Paul understood humanity to be totally depraved or to have a total inability, why did his disciples and the disciples after him flat-out deny it? Calvinism doesn’t work without this idea, so I can see why we would hesitate to even discuss it. It wasn’t until Calvin that this idea became the unquestionable doctrine it has become.
I don’t think this article settles the question, but the author does bring out some interesting things that most of probably have not considered.
So, let the Discussion begin…
A Strong Argument Against Calvinisim? Part 3 You Decide….
Over here at Not For Itching Ears we like to discuss issues that challenge our view of Christianity and the Church. It is healthy to consider what one believes about the Christian faith and how we express that faith in our corporate church life. If all we ever do is listen to ourselves, we can inadvertently become the kind of people Paul warned Timothy about: People who surround themselves with “teachers who say what their itching ears want to hear.” Today’s post is an attempt to counter that tendency among us as we discuss Free-Will and Determinism. To do this, we turn to an extremely interesting email exchange between Father John Whiteford (an Eastern Orthodox priest) and some proponents of Calvinism.
This isn’t your typical argument! Father Whiteford brings another line of argumentation to his view that is almost entirely absent from the typical back and forth between Calvinists and Arminians: What did the early church fathers teach about this?
I recognize that there are three groups of people who will read a post like this: 1) Strong Calvinists who will want to defend their view. 2)Strong Arminians who will want to find ammo for their view and 3) those who don’t have their minds made up but may lean to one understanding of things. My hope, is that all three groups of people will be challenged and encouraged. It’s a long discussion so I will be breaking it up into three posts. Read Part 1 Here, and part two here. The third and final post …… Read the rest of this entry
Not For Itching Ears 