Thought For the Week

Dear Friends, If you go on Google and type in, "What is the best-selling book of all time?" you will find the answer is, "The Bible." Yet, it's a book that has been both loved and hated, cherished and mocked, adored and loathed, defended and attacked; seen as the world's greatest blessing by some, while being feared as potentially dangerous by others - in a way (and to an extent) that few other books ever have been. So, what I'd like to do today is share some people's thoughts on the Bible. Three from some well-known opponents (past and present), and fifteen from avid supporters (also past and present)! Enjoy. “It is because ye are sunk in the cruelty of superstition, or feel no interest in the honour of your Creator, that ye listen to the horrid tales of the Bible, or hear them with callous indifference. The evidence I have produced, and shall still produce in the course of this work, to prove that the Bible is without authority, will, whil...

Dear Friends, Today's thought has to do with faith. Actually, it has to do with the common danger of trying to "quantify" something that is as intangible as faith, and then mistakenly use it as the measuring stick of whether we are close to God or distant from God. This selection comes from the devotional book "Always Enough" where the authors encourage believers to stop comparing, stop hiding (stop pretending we don't wrestle with things we do!) and start living in God's grace. As one who in the first couple years of my Christian walk made the mistake of thinking that my acceptance with God went hand in hand with the strength or weakness of my faith (making me proud and arrogant when I thought I had much, and driving me into fear and despair when I was assailed by doubts), this selection was refreshing. If you are there, you know it's not fun. Even moreso, you know it's not where God wants you to be. I hope these wor...

Dear Friends, Last month I received a sample devotional magazine in the mail. As a pastor it happens often! It was called "Mornings With Jesus." As I browsed through it I found some good selections, but one in particular by a lady named Jeannie Blackmer which I thought was a good reminder of our need to be aware and focus on what's important in life. Enjoy.   "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." John 10:10 (ESV) "My husband, Zane, and I are opposites in many ways. He's competitive and I'm not. I obsessively clean and he doesn't mind clutter. I'm a planner and he's spontaneous. Unfortunately, we've fallen into a trap of arguing with each other about ridiculous little things, such as which drawer to store the toothpaste. During our engagement, our premarital counselor warned us of the detr...

Dear Friends, Ever wondered if your work matters to God? Is it just a way to support yourself, or if married, yourself and your family? In our adult gathering this past Sunday before the worship service, the Adult Class was talking about “How Do We Follow God Fully?” (Numbers 14:24, Joshua 14:8, 9, 14). So, we spoke about what might that have looked like then, and what would it look like today. Then, today, I found the following post by Bryan Chapell. It addresses one of the things we were speaking about in that regard – our work. It is taken from his book, “Grace at Work: Redeeming the Grind and Glory of Your Job.” It deals with what the Bible teaches about work, and how the gospel makes our jobs instruments of his grace. Better yet, it helps us see how our jobs can be filled with transcendent meaning and actually be an expression of our worship/service to God. Enjoy. “What we are doing on Sunday is not separate from the real world; it's the full reality of God's p...