423 results for tag: blog

Prophetic Hope or Partisan Megaphone? Kenneth Tanner

If you are involved in the care of souls please avoid and flee the ever-present temptation to enter the partisan fray of contemporary life in America.  If things get *actually* horrendous (I know things are not well) those who look to men and women of the cloth for comfort and direction and wisdom need to be able to trust you. They will not be able to trust you—even if they cannot consciously perceive or articulate a lack of trust—if you have been a shrill and (more or less) unending megaphone for the left or right or whatever cause célèbre replaces Jesus Christ.  Trust is earned by consistently elevating the person of Jesus Christ (as much as ...

The Master’s Voice – by Greg Albrecht

by Greg Albrecht "I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was ...

I Want to See (Mark 10:46-52) – by Greg Albrecht

By Greg Albrecht— For the last time during his earthly ministry, Jesus was en route to Jerusalem. He had only a few days left in his earthly life—with every step he took toward Jerusalem he knew he was that much closer to the awful pain and suffering that awaited him. The road took him through Jericho, a city located about 17 miles northeast of Jerusalem. It was just before Passover—one of the three times in the year when pilgrims traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate the feasts of the old covenant. So the road was crowded with travelers, and as a result there were many others alongside the road—small businessmen and entrepreneurs, as well as ...

The Girl with the Goat – by Ruth A. Tucker

“Countless verses have been written on the puppy and the kitten.” These are the first lines of a poem written by my eighth-grade Latin teacher who was hands-down the most popular poet at the middle school located high on a hill in the small town of Spooner, Wisconsin. He would often read one of his poems before he put on his stern face and ordered oral exercises in declining nouns and conjugating verbs. Students repeatedly asked him to write a poem for them. He knew better. Do it for one, you’ve got to do it for all. I was very specific in my request, however, begging him to write a poem about Buzzy. Finally, after months of refusal, he ...

The Death of Jesus on the Cross – Jim Fowler

The death of Jesus on the cross of Calvary for the sins of mankind is so easily and quickly warped by the human mind into concepts of legal pardon based on the penal substitution of punishment inflicted on Jesus, or it is turned into an economic transaction of pay-off wherein Jesus paid the ransom-debt to an unidentified extortive debt-holder. The conceptual theories of atonement that men have applied to the death of Jesus through the centuries need to be rethought and reframed. Christian thinkers have identified some of these logical conjectures for almost two millennia: If Jesus paid a ransom price or debt payment in His death, who did He pay ...

Does God Forgive and Forget? Q&R with Greg Albrecht

  Q: While attending a Bible study one night in a church I used to attend the pastor stated, "when we ask forgiveness of God, he does forgive us but he never really does forget." He was "clarifying" Hebrews 10:17. The pastor said, "After all, he is God, he knows everything, it would be impossible for him to forget." I find myself angry at this minister even today and I haven't seen him in years. I believe God does forget—however in the back of my mind this minister's comments still haunt me. Please, tell me, does God forget or not?   A: I think I know what the minister may have meant. Part of what he may have been trying to say might be true, ...

Awaiting the Arrival: Love, Power or Nothing – Kenneth Tanner

You either believe that the end is the arrival of power, or you believe that the end is the arrival of nothing, or you believe that the end is the arrival of love. A lot of people believe we are waiting for the arrival of nothing. At the end of their physical life, the person they were is gone forever, disappearing as quickly as the brain cells die, never to return. This is also how they see the end of everything and everyone else. Sooner or later it's all going dark. No ultimate justice. No ultimate mercy. No ultimate meaning. Nothing. Many more people believe we are waiting for the arrival of power, a power that imposes its will on everything and ...

Living Grace or a Culture of Ugliness – Greg Albrecht

At the Golden Globe awards in Los Angeles on January 5, 2020, Charlize Theron introduced Tom Hanks, who was being honored as the annual recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award. Her introduction called attention to the kind and gracious mannerisms of Tom Hanks, a person who has existed for many years within the rarified air of A list Hollywood celebrities. Theron recalled a time when she, a young actress, was auditioning for Hanks and others for the 1996 movie, “That Thing You Do.”  She remembered how nervous she was and how Hanks responded. He interrupted her and apologized because, he said, he needed a five-minute break. I...

Walking the Jericho Road – by Brad Jersak

  Epistle Reading: Ephesians 4  - Walk as Children of Light:   8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things that are done by them in secret. 13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. 14 Therefore, He says: “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And ...

Have You Forgiven God? – by Greg Albrecht

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither areyour ways my ways, declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than theearth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than yourthoughts."—Isaiah 55:8-9 A few years ago I officiated at a funeral service for someone I hadnever known. I interviewed people who had known the deceased, and in theprocess I found out some dark and disturbing things. What do you say at a funeral when you can't find anyone who ever knewthe person who has anything good to say about them? What can you say ata memorial service when surviving friends and relatives are having adifficult time forgiving ...

Religion – Where Is the Love? by Greg Albrecht

Why do we speak about “Christianity WITHOUT the religion?” The answer was well-summarized by a slogan on a T-shirt I recently saw someone wearing: “Religion—Giving Hope to a World Torn Apart by...Religion.” Religion, as it is known, believed and practiced throughout this world is a contradiction. • It promises hope, but delivers fear. • It promises peace, but delivers violence and bloodshed. • It promises freedom and faith, but delivers authoritarian legalism. Why do we proclaim Christianity WITHOUT the religion? Because we are serious about Jesus, the founder of Christianity, who said in John 13:35, “By this ...

A Marathon, Not a Sprint – by Ed Dunn

Isaiah 40:31 (NIV) – “…but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint…” Chariots of Fire I remember this verse well from my youth.  The year was 1981 and the hit movie, Chariots of Fire, had just been released to widespread appeal and critical acclaim.  In one of the most memorable scenes within the movie for me, the Scottish sprinter, Olympian and missionary, Eric Liddell, stood in the midst of a cold rain surrounded by soaked yet eager on-listeners.  As the wind blew, he recounted these poetic words ...

Two Brothers – by Greg Albrecht

Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.   "Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. &nbs...

The Hope of New Life – by Laura Urista

“Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18). My husband and I (also known as “Pops” and “Gaga”) are celebrating the recent birth of our daughter Tawny’s (and son-in-law James’) first child – our third grand-daughter! We’ve previously been blessed with two grand-daughters (ages seven and two-and-a-half) from our son and daughter-in-law. Pardon my personal reflection, but of course the addition of a new baby to a family brings so much joy and hopeful anticipation!  I am sure many of you have experienced your own times of joy, hope and new birth! New life is ...

Browbeaten and Bullied at Church – by Greg Albrecht

One of the most gratifying experiences we have at PTM is when we hear from someone for whom God has "turned on the light." By God's grace they realize their primary allegiance is not to a human religious authority. They realize that churches and church leadership are fellow-servants and laborers for the gospel—and that such organizations and authorities lose their credibility the moment they allow the gospel to be subverted by religion and its legalisms. The following letter is a wonderful example: I recently wrote an article about tithing for our church newspaper. My conclusion is the same as that of PTM—"­­tithing" is an old ...

The Walking Dead and the Unclean – Greg Albrecht

While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy.  When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”  Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.  “I am willing,” he said.  “Be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him (Luke 5:12-13, my emphasis).  During the first century A.D. leprosy was a generic term for a variety of disfiguring and fatal skin diseases.  Lepers were forbidden to be around others.  They were forbidden to enter cities.  They could not earn a living and had to ...

The Color of Truth – Brad Jersak (with Eric Allaby)

On my first visit to Grand Manan Island, I met a new friend. Eric Allaby is a kind and fascinating soul who was born on this lobster paradise off the coast of New Brunswick. In the early 1960s, he was among the first to introduce scuba diving to the herring fishery (cf. weir fishing) and to personally survey the dozens of shipwrecks around the island. Eric went on to survey, map and salvage materials from Bay of Fundy shipwrecks. Mr. Allaby, while continuing diving, would go on to become a map-maker, museum curator, herring fisherman and MLA in the New Brunswick provincial legislature, where he served for 19 productive years. As I said, ...

Love or Justice? – by Greg Albrecht

  Love or Justice? The discussion of eternal torment and the fate of the "unsaved" is often framed, by the law and order crowd, as a matter of God's love or his justice. Those who are intent on relegating those who, to their knowledge and satisfaction, have never heard or accepted their version of Christianity to eternal torture, often characterize those, like myself, who primarily look for answers based on God's love and grace, as soft-headed, soft-hearted and weak.   So which is it—love or justice? Is God primarily a God of love or a God of justice? Here's what I see as the fundamental flaw in real, he-man, tough-as-...

Grace on Trial – by Greg Albrecht (Interview with Steve McVey)

        Greg Albrecht: I'm talking with a good friend, Steve McVey of Grace Walk Ministries. Steve is the president of Grace Walk Ministries. Steve, I've got to tell you that I wish there were more people in this world who are proclaiming radical grace.         Steve: When we talk about grace we're talking about Jesus, and I think folks need to have that firmly in their minds, that grace personified is Jesus Christ. So to those who say, well, that's great to talk about grace but there are other things too, I say, well, what else is there? The grace of Jesus Christ ...

Plant An Artistic Seed – by Ruth Tucker

We wring our hands over the education crisis. What’s the solution? Some would say more math and science teachers. Maybe. But what would happen if educators and heads of state all over the world put out a call for more music and art teachers? What if corporate America focused on beauty more than money? Imagine a world of harmony—musical harmony and relational harmony. How might such a world look to an artist? For Adonna Khare this world is filled with strange, albeit recognizable, animals who get along despite their differences. A lion licks a lollipop, a goat walks a trapeze, elephants are entwined with orangutans and fish walk upright...