440 results for tag: blog
Attend Church or Else! – by Greg Albrecht
by Greg AlbrechtEditor's Note: Just what it means to "be" and "do" and "go to" church is a controversial topic within Christendom. Of course there are vested interests, so that the discussion is rarely objective. One of our readers/listeners introduced this conversation, as he reported his response to an article by a pastor (in italics) he felt to be manipulative and self-serving (our reader's response in bold type). We invite you to be the judge of that! My wife recently brought home a pastoral newsletter from the church she occasionally attends. I read the lead article and couldn't believe what I was reading. Have I just gone completely nuts, ...
What Are We Really Singing? – by Laura Urista
We praise Thee O God our Redeemer, Creator, in grateful devotion our tribute we bring. We lay it before Thee, we kneel and adore Thee, we bless Thy holy name, glad praises we sing. (Netherlands folk song text by Julia Cady Cory).
Those are the opening words to my very first “favorite hymn.” I can remember singing those words at age four, surrounded by my family and hundreds of worshippers at a large church gathering. I still get goosebumps thinking of the shared joy of singing hymns of praise and worship with my parents, brothers and sisters as well as my spiritual “brothers and sisters in the Lord.” This great old hymn remains one of ...
The Jalopy and the Jaguar – Jim Fowler
Belching black smoke and periodically back-firing, the old jalopy rattled down the road. The owner had driven this car for many years, but it was thoroughly worn-out. People were beginning to shake their heads in derision when he drove by—he was a blight to the road. The paint was peeling, the body was full of dents—the car looked like a wounded survivor of a demolition derby. Flat tires were an almost weekly routine. Talk about uncomfortable! The springs poked through the seats and the wind poured through the cracks in the windows.
All of this was detrimental to the owner’s mental and emotional disposition. It was so frustrating to try to ...
“We Believe…” – Greg Albrecht
We believe in the Father—Creator of heaven and earth.
We believe in Jesus—the Eternal Son of God, who was incarnated through God the Holy Spirit, fully God and fully human, who suffered, was crucified and buried, who rose again and ascended to heaven and shall come again in his kingdom of which there is no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, our Comforter and Counselor, who together with the Father and Son, is one God and who lives within those who believe.
We believe in the universal body of Christ, composed of all who are in Christ, whether visible or invisible to one another, a universal body that transcends any and all earthly ...
Out of the Harbor – by Laura Urista
A recent news headline caught my attention – it said “If you have an office job – this is the most dangerous thing you will do all day.” Well, I work in an office so I had to read that article! Guess what it said? The most dangerous thing I do all day is sit. Our bodies were made to move around. We weren’t created to sit all day. The article said that even if you just stand up and move around for a few minutes every hour it can increase your life expectancy.
Then I thought of my ancestors. My great grandmother lived to be over 100. My grandma, Olga, lived to be age 98. She was born in the late 1800s on a homestead in North Dakota. I ...
“Let the Peace of Christ reign…” Brad Jersak
"Let the peace of Christ reign in your hearts" - Colossians 3:15
This morning I'm feeling peaceful, despite the usual congenital temptation to pick up lurking worries. I've had some outside help... I've been enjoying a coffee on my deck, sitting with my baby grandson (who's singing to me sweetly), and feeding peanuts to some adolescent Steller's Jay visitors. I've also been editing an article titled "The Peace of Thanksgiving" by my friend and colleague Ed Dunn, well in advance of our November issue of Plain Truth magazine.
Ed is reflecting on the apostle Paul's counsel to the Colossians, "Let the peace of Christ reign ...
Lost – by Stuart Segall
Recently, standing in my front yard along the calm, quiet street that I live on, there he came trotting down the road trying to project a sense of purpose like he knew where he was going. The look shouted… “where am I, but I don’t dare let on that I don’t’ know.”
However, being the higher intelligent form of life, I knew he was only kidding himself and that he was lost. You see, he had four legs and I had two. He was a young mix of Rottweiler and Lab with a nice collar on and plenty of ID tags dangling.
If I could only reach him! First, I pursued on foot hoping to lead him to safety. I coaxed with all the charm I could muster ...
The Freedom to Forgive – by Ed Dunn
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17, NIV).
Freedom is what you do with what’s been done to you – Jean Paul Sartre
Freedom lies in being bold – Robert Frost
I’ve been thinking about the words Freedom and Forgiveness a lot of late, considering how the two words may both work together and support one another. You see, two close friends of mine have recently had a falling out. These two close friends have had a falling out over a common source of strong opinion and emotional tension these days. Unfortunately, hurtful words have been exchanged and harmful events have ...
“If God…?” – Brad Jersak
“If God…?”
I had a wonderful conversation about God.
I suppose that’s already an “iffy” thing to say these days. High risk in some circles and forbidden in polite company. But this exchange was truly special. My conversation partners self-identified across the map—agnostics, pagans, heretics and yes, even a few Christians. Each of us were welcome to express our evolving or devolving faith without any fear of judgment. I heard stories of faith found, abandoned, and adapted. And, however different our convictions, we all shared a humble agreement that who or what God is or is not defies our comprehension. “Ineffable” ...
Why are Christians so Divided and Polarized? by Greg Albrecht
QUESTION:
Why does it seem so many people (including and especially Christians) are divided and polarized?
RESPONSE:
Most churches and ministries publish a statement of beliefs – you can find ours under “About” on our home page (www.ptm.org) under the heading “We Believe.” Our statement is short, deliberately, because we believe the focus of our faith and our ministry is Jesus Christ alone, and that there are many non-essential issues (about which we believe people of faith may differ). But when an issue is made of peripheral non-essentials, those topics can end up being exalted beyond and even instead of Jesus Christ. In ...
Giving – the Heart of God by Greg Albrecht
World famous comedian Jack Benny, known for being a tightwad, once related that he had been confronted by a thief on a dark, metropolitan street. The thief gave Benny a choice, “Your money or your life!” Jack Benny didn’t respond immediately, so the thief yelled, “Didn’t you hear what I said?” Benny responded, “Sure I did. I’m thinking. I’m thinking!”
Jesus told the rich man (Matthew 19:16-29) that becoming a follower of Jesus Christ involves surrendering both our money and our life. God wants all of us—not just a part of us.
When Jesus told the rich man to give away all that he had, he was simply telling the man to ...
Standing With the Great or Sitting With the Broken – Stuart Segall
When I was a young man, I craved (for my own ego and self-acceptance) to stand or sit among the "great."
Oh my, whether it was church, college, where I worked - I just hoped my lottery ticket would come through and I could sit, dine, have a beer or walk with (you name it). I just wanted to be in that sphere and hope for osmosis.
You see, I was hoping I would be transformed into that greatness. Is this just me? Or is there anything in you that resonates with these statements?
I realize some people are shy and would never see themselves this way. If so, no problem, but be reassured there are a lot of us out there from coast to coast, and ...
The Best Father’s Day Gift – by Laura Urista
Father’s Day has always had special meaning for me. I was born on Father’s Day. At the time of my birth my dad had moved away from North Carolina to Ohio to start a new job. My mom had been advised by her doctor not to travel, so she and my four siblings remained in North Carolina, near most of my dad’s family.
The day I was born, Dad’s sister, Aunt Bea, called my dad to let him know he had a new baby girl. But I was born with low birth weight, jaundice, lung trouble and I needed blood transfusions. The doctor was afraid I wouldn’t make it.
That was the beginning of a special bond between me, my dad and our heavenly Father. Dad ...
Man the Conqueror by Stuart Segall
It is said “God without man is God. Man without God is…nothing” That is true, but for me, man without God is a world history of problems.
Aaah, man! Yes, the natural, ungoverned man loves his power. In the business world he shoots for the top, and then……goes after it.
Man, the hunter often loves the thrill of the conquest. Then there is government. The guy who wants to be the Mayor, Governor, congressman, senator, all the way up to the president of the United States. Man on his own wants to dominate and lead. His intentions are sometimes good in these pursuits, but do you think they last long once the ...
“Dark Nights Will End—The SON Will Rise” – Sermon by Greg Albrecht – Excerpt from Spiritual Soup Vol. 3
1 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—
2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.
3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder
4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across ...
Everything Happens for a Reason? – by Brad Jersak
Everything happens for a reason. But sometimes, that reason is you’re stupid and you make bad decisions.—Demotivational Meme
Thought Experiment
Response: “It was meant to be. Everything happens for a reason.”Thought experiment: Describe the scenario that led to the response.
In our hypothetical scenario, something bad happened. Maybe not truly tragic—but somewhere in the flat tire to romantic break-up spectrum. Or if you’re gutsy, you could go as severe as bankruptcy. Or as irrelevant as a traffic jam.
“It was meant to be.” A kind word of consolation.
“Everything happens for a reason.” An appeal to a bigger ...
“Without the Shedding of Blood” – Brad Jersak
“Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness” (Heb 9:22).
The prosecution rests, your honor.A blood sacrifice is required or there is no forgiveness.That should end the discussion.
Well it shouldn’t. But it did … for me. See, God can’t just forgive freely … that wouldn’t be ‘just.’ Sin must be paid for. How? Only by the shedding of blood.
Because why? Because a blood sacrifice is what God requires, what God needs, what God wants … and by blood, we mean death. Death of the sinner, or alternatively, a ram, lamb, bull … or a Son. And so we taught, “Sin cannot simply be forgiven. ...
Fabric of Our Life – Stuart Segall
Isn’t this amazing….
I was captivated when I saw this. It was like a sunset, a landscape, a wondrous seascape. Yet, when I imagine what this dress is made of and the work that went into it, I understand the heart, soul, and emotions involved in the final touch of the artist/tailor/seamstress that finished it.
When you weave different fabrics together like silk or satin you get an amazing fabric. They are not durable and must be handled with care, but when that is done, you get a look of beauty and richness that is second to none. It is all about what the weaver and the tailor choose to create.
As a boy, I worked in a tailor’s shop ...
A Renewal of Compassion – by Ed Dunn
The times in which we live have been, in a word, tough. The last two years have seen radical changes in our health, both mentally and physically, our nation, politically, racially and economically, and our world, as we try to move around it. It’s been easy of late to take up a position on any number of topics, to stop listening altogether to different points of view, and to see large groups of people as “other.” I know I’ve felt a strong pull towards this polarization, and the harmful attitudes that come along with it.
I take public transportation to every destination I can’t get to on foot. Given my eyesight condition, I gave up my ...
Reflections on Mother’s Day – By Stuart Segall
I have a Mother’s Day story that I would like to share with you.
I was at my office at the end of the day on Saturday, May 7th, 2022. I usually come by at that time to feed the squirrels and birds around my office. My clients enjoy spending a few minutes watching all the activity.
I was getting ready to leave while there was still light outside. As I got to my car, I looked behind the gated area where the dumpster is for the office and could see someone moving around behind the fence.
I like to gather flowers during the week from several florists who support my little service of bringing flowers to widows and shut-ins at retirement and ...
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