The Lexington seminar with the Southside Iglesia de Cristo began on Sunday, February 5 with Bible class and worship at 12:00 noon and 1:00 pm. (Jan and I took advantage of the opportunity Sunday morning to attend worship and class with the Anglo congregation.) The seminar continued Sunday evening with a two-hour session, which was …
Continue reading “Training Seminars: Lexington and Nashville”
Today is our anniversary! Today Jan and I are celebrating 85 years of marriage! We generally explain it this way. I have been married 42 1/2 years, Jan has been married 42 1/2 years. WE have been married 85 years–85 years and counting! There is a much longer story to be told–a tale of young …
An interesting question: what shall I give for Valentine’s Day? In the second grade, it was a simple card. Since the teacher said you had to give one to every person in the class, you went through the cards for the “mushiest” one to give to that special someone you had your eye on. You …
We too easily, too casually, define faith. The definition slips from our lips almost unthinkingly. Who cannot quote Hebrews 11:1? But what is the nature of faith? We are not called to have faith in faith; how does one believe in/through faith? Faith is in Jesus Christ. How can we live faithfully? Faithful living is …
An incredible spiritual family of God exists around the world! The opportunity to meet brothers and sisters with hearts set on faithfully following Jesus Christ is stimulating and encouraging. While an unseasonable cold snap has had a slight impact on attendance during the seminar, the body of Christ is alive and well in this place. …
Continue reading “It’s Sunday Again: Iglesia de Cristo-Crieve Hall”
Earlier this week I spent four special days with a church that strongly desires to develop a heart for God. The church is relatively small with an average Sunday attendance of perhaps 25. The evening Bible studies were well attended, with about 2/3 or 3/4 of the congregation present. In U.S. churches, our Hispanic brothers …
Continue reading “Las Iglesias de Cristo: Developing a Heart for the Things of God”
We are planting and sustaining traditional churches, even when we use untraditional means at the beginning of a church plant. In many church plantings, we are using biblical methods, e.g. small groups, house churches, simple churches, neighborhood networks, etc., but as soon as we have a viable base, we are establishing traditional churches. In using …
You will never be worth much to God in your Christian life until you learn this lesson: surrender to what counts. The spiritual disciplines must include surrender. In fact, surrender is likely the first, before any other discipline. Surrender is the ultimate expression of thinking like Jesus (Phil. 2:5-11). Until the lesson of ultimate surrender …
Jan and I are sometimes jealous–jealous of those folks who have spent most or all of their lives in one place and have close lifelong friendships and relationships that have developed over decades. But about the time we get too deep in feelings of self-pity, someone will voice their wish that they could have had …
Peter several times mentions the problem of forgetting and the need for reminders (2 Pet. 1:9,12-15; 2:20-21; 3:1,5,8). Because we are prone to forget, we need reminders. There is too little “review” in the typical church. In the academic world, students review so they can pass a test. In many occupations, professional journals provide reviews …
