How do you define greatness? The only perfect person to have ever lived summed-up greatness in one word – – – > CHILDLIKE. The most powerful person in the history of the universe says, “Whoever humbles himself like a child is the greatest in the Kingdom that is above all kingdoms.” Why is childlikeness so […]
Linda Wilkinson let me borrow a book a few months ago. “This too shall last” by KJ Ramsey. I took pictures of a few pages that resonated with me. Here are a few of my favorites – – – >
Once upon a time, Eugene was asked a question about “spiritual direction.” And here’s how he replied: You seem disappointed that I am not more responsive to your interest in “spiritual direction”. Actually, I am more than a little ambivalent about the term, particularly in the ways it is being used so loosely without any […]
Imagine a business office. Imagine that this office has a manager. This manager doesn’t emphasize productivity, but instead intrudes upon people’s personal lives. This manager isn’t too concerned with finances, but is highly concerned that everyone be friends and interact like a big family. Instead of harping on “company policies,” “safety protocols,” and “productivity,” this […]
PCA-ers have a big blue book called the “BCO” (the book of church order). There’s lots of great and helpful stuff in the BCO, and there’s a decent bit of boring material as well. Whatever your opinion of the BCO, it’s appropriate to wonder, “Why do we have a BCO?” Let’s acknowledge that all communities, […]
What happens on an ECPC leadership retreat? Last weekend the pastoral interns, the deacons, and the elders of ECPC traveled to Lincolnton NC for an annual leadership retreat. Here’s what happened: Within the first few minutes of arriving Jon narrowly escaped a dog attack. For full details contact Jon directly, but suffice it to say […]
There’s a long-time member of our church named Gideon. Gideon had over 5 dozen sons (with multiple women). One of Gideon’s sons received financing from his mother’s hometown community to hire worthless and reckless fellows to carry out genocide against his brothers. But the youngest of Gideon’s sons escaped the genocide. The youngest son of […]
*These are 2 viable versions of coping with abuse. This is not a comprehensive list of ways to cope, but these are 2 ways of coping that often don’t get published in blog posts or prescribed to victims of abuse. 1. There is a long-time member of our church who has suffered more trauma, injustice, […]
We have a long-time member of our church who separated himself from the community. He made an impulsive decision to get married to a non-Christian. This ill-advised union led to the birth of 3 sons. Two of the sons were put to death by the Lord because they were wicked. I have often wondered if […]
Why is it called “GOOD Friday”? At a glance it would seem that we might call this day anything but “GOOD.” As Jesus of Nazareth sized-up this day, He described it as an episode of unparalleled offense, suffering, and injustice (Mark 12:1-11). Jesus compares the events of Good Friday to a man who planted a […]