Dec 02

A Letter From Fred: Sweet Lorraine Song

Here’s a great story and song.

Fred Stobaugh charmed the globe as a 96 year-old songwriter, but his legacy might be as a marriage healer.

Phil Luciano’s piece in the Peoria Journal Star: link

YouTube documentary, which tells the main story (#1 video), and 5 more videos that tell the followup story of the song (appearing on the View, going to a middle school, and more.).

#4 (below) tells of a middle school teacher who connected her 7th grade students to Fred’s story, an ultimately Fred himself. This lady has made a big difference in her students!

#1

#2

 #3

#4 – A middle school teacher, and Fred, have a impact on students.

#5 – A second song: Took Her Home

#6

This is a great Illinois story. I hope it can teach us the importance of relationships, marriage, and family.

Nov 22

A W Tozer

A. W. Tozer, a modern day prophet, was a key figure in The Christian and Missionary Alliance. His legacy reaches through time and has impacted countless millions. A prolific author and pastor, Tozer was known for his emphasis on the deeper life movement. His message, informed as it was by A.B. Simpson the founder of The Alliance, brought the missionary call to a massive audience.

Devotionals from C & MA. Includes daily devotions  and audio sermons. http://www.cmalliance.org/devotions/

8 Words: Your Life–Is His–With Christ–In God (Col 3:1-3)

From Heaven: A 28-Day Advent Devotional book ($.99 Kindle version also) (2016) by Tozer

Well-known book: The Pursuit of God.

From amazon.com

A. W. TOZER (1897–1963) began his lifelong pursuit of God after hearing a street preacher in Akron, Ohio, at the age of seventeen. The self-taught theologian committed his life to the ministry of God’s Word as a pastor, teacher, and writer. For his flowing prose, Spirit-filled words, and deep conviction, many have called him a modern-day prophet. He is the author of the beloved classic The Pursuit of God and dozens of other works.

Twitter

Websites

Dr. A. B. Simpson who founded C&MA (Christian and Missionary Alliance) and influenced A W Tozer, described the Fourfold Gospel

4-foldchrist-simpson

Nov 22

Prevenient, Justifying, and Sanctifying Grace

Good, not to long, article on Wesley’s view of Prevenient, Justifying, and Sanctifying Grace.

http://www.umc.org/what-we-believe/our-wesleyan-heritage 

To sanctify means to set apart as or declare holy; consecrate. To consecrate means to make or declare (something, typically a church) sacred; dedicate formally to a religious or divine purpose.

Through God’s sanctifying grace, we grow and mature in our ability to live as Jesus lived. – and grow in our ability to love as Jesus loved.

My prayer is that I may grow and mature in my ability to love as Jesus loved.

Nov 15

Treasured Truths – Adoption

Notes from the Treasured Truth podcast (Pastor James Ford, Jr.) [5 parts (podcasts) in Moody Radio app]

Gal 4

God ‘removed’ slave or free, male or female, etc. (In Gal 3 he removes barriers.) However, this was on a spiritual level. He did not remove the physical/practical differences – e.g. Males and females are physically and practically (inherently) different)

When he gave everyone sonship. Sons, in that culture, received an inheritance. Girls did not receive an inheritance. So everyone (including girls) rec’d sonship. This mean everyone gets inheritance. Back then, women did not have rights.

We are adopted as a child of God (and you are sons).

Pastor Ford’s FAITH: Forsaking All, I Trust Him.

Word: anachronistically: to see from a parent perspective.

God sent Jesus at the perfect time.

  • Pax Romano – time of peace
  • Garrisons
  • Roads
  • Rome: Domination without assimilation. The did NOT require a change in culture, language, and god.
  • Greek language was widespread (NT in Greek)
  • Synagogues dotted everywhere

*Disclaimer: These notes are in random order. There is a lot of meet here. (Needs to be sorted/organized)

Eph 1: 3-14 is an amazing summary of the Gospel. (And strongly related here to Gal 4)

Security of Christ

Sufficiency of through Christ

Strength is from Christ.

Parental incorporation – adopted into the family of God.

  • The Father (back then) had the right of adoption. [We are chosen (not ‘had’ as a natural child)] We are adopted because he wanted to. [podcast part 2 begins roughly here]
  • Given the family name. Identity/Identify Christians
  • Severs all legal (and social) ties to the natural family. In this case, we are no longer tied to Adam (with a sin nature). We are tied to Christ.
  • Placed permanently in the new family.
  • All debts and obligations are settled — like they never existed.

God (Christ) is our peace. He does not ‘give us’ peace. By his internal dwelling we have peace. The indwelling of Christ.

God has chosen us. We are going to do things which will bring glory to God.

5 rolls given to a man for the household  Pastor, provider, protector, priest, and  patriarch.

Nov 03

Cubs Win, Cubs Win

On Nov. 2, 2016, the Chicago Cubs won Game 7 of the World Series over the Cleveland Indians, 8-7 in 10 innings.

It was a great game and a great season for the Cubs. Here are a few of my reflections. (More could be written-it will suffice for now.) Click the file.

game7-reflection

Nov 01

Great commission or morality

Good devo by Joe Stowell on the idea that the great commission is more important than promoting morality.

Some good ideas to use in the Two Decrees sermon.

 http://getmorestrength.org/daily/one-at-a-time/ 

Oct 24

Establishments and Institutions

Sermon idea: 

I like institutions (look up definition). They exist to carry out a needed duty.

‘The establishment’ on the other hand seems to mainly be there to maintain itself. 

In Yancey’s ‘The Jesus I Never Knew’ book he says, on page 197, that Jesus posed a genuine threat to the establishment in Jerusalem.

More later (e.g., pg 203). It was very ironically, the supposed church of God that had Jesus killed. As an establishment, they had spiraled far away from God.

The institution that Jesus was proposing was to  love your neighbor sacrificially. This was certainly difficult to comprehend and to grasp by even the disciples. But the institution of loving one’s neighbor sacrificially proposed a threat to the good-ol-boy establishment. Enough of a threat that it got him killed.

Loving one’s neighbor sacrificially is the opposite of an establishment, which is inward looking/self-centered. 

An institution, by definition is outward looking/other-centered.

…

We, as the church, need to be careful that we don’t turn from an institution to an establishment.

—-

Fun to look at the words

establishmentarian 

disestablishmentarian

antidisestablishmentarian

Oct 24

There is nothing enlightening about shrinking

Great quote by Marianne Williamson. Thanks Dave Lafary at the Faith Encounter, 10-19-16 at Wesley Church.

Oct 13

Grasping and being moved to Please, Know, and Resemble God

From Tim Keller’s daily reading plan (and his fuller book) from YouVersion (below).

I want this ultimate relationship with God. I want to grasp what Jesus did for me and all of mankind. I want to be in relationship with God to please Him, know Him, and resemble Him, as I love those around me as He (Jesus) loved us.

Oct 10

A Catholic, Baptist, and a Methodist Go to Heaven

A Catholic, Baptist, and a Methodist Die and Go to Heaven

They go before St. Peter at the Pearly Gates.

All three are believers (and strong Christians) so St. Peter is going to let them in.

However, their mansions are not quite ready yet and St. Peter doesn’t have any place to put them.

With no other options, he call Satan and asks if he can send the Catholic, Baptist, and a Methodist down to him temporarily.

Satan agrees and the three go down to hell.

Everything seems to be going fine, but a couple days later,  St. Peter and says, hey, you gotta take these three back.

St. Peter asks, “What’s the problem?”

Satan says that the Catholic is forgiving everyone, the Baptist is saving everyone, and the Methodist has almost raised enough money to install air conditioning.