18 results for tag: peace

January 2023

CLICK HERE to read now (PDF Format) Articles: Nothing But Jesus – pg. 1 A New Beginning – pg. 2 Loving Doctrine More Than People? – pg. 5 Savannah Bananas – pg. 7 Quotes & Connections – pg. 8

The Peace of God – by Greg Albrecht

  Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests" (Luke 2:14). The night seemed normal—nothing out of the ordinary. The shepherds were watching the sheep, just like they always did. But suddenly something abnormal happened—an angel appeared. The shepherds were terrified. After assuring the shepherds they had nothing to fear, the angel announced the coming of the Prince of Peace.   Then God composed and arranged a musical anthem performed by a heavenly choir to emphasize the importance of the angel's message. The Bible uses a military term, host, to describe the angelic choir (Luke 2:13). A heavenly ...

The Peace of Thanksgiving – by Ed Dunn

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful – Colossians 3:15 Thanksgiving just gets me all warm and tingly and all kinds of wonderful inside - Willard Scott There is something magical about a Thanksgiving Day morning. Maybe it’s the fact that Thanksgiving Day is a guaranteed holiday (and the next day too) for most people from the rigors and routine of normal workplace demands. Maybe it’s the sense that if you wake up early enough, life as we experience it in the day-to-day seems to quiet for a while. Maybe it’s the crispness of the autumn air outside, cup of ...

Be Still! – by Greg Albrecht

When in danger, when in doubt, Run in circles, scream and shout The British Navy has a strange custom, I am told. If a sudden disaster happens, "the still" is blown. If you live in certain parts of the United States you may think of a still as a place where bootleg whiskey is produced. The "still" in the British Navy, as I understand it, is a whistle which calls the crew of a ship to a moment of silence in a time of crisis. It's a moment of calm that allows everyone to collect their thoughts before they respond to an emergency. My wife, Karen, and I recently witnessed the results of failure to be still in the face of a crisis. Thirty-five ...

The Peace of God

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests" (Luke 2:14). The night seemed normal—nothing out of the ordinary. The shepherds were watching the sheep, just like they always did. But suddenly something abnormal happened—an angel appeared. The shepherds were terrified. After assuring the shepherds they had nothing to fear, the angel announced the coming of the Prince of Peace. Then God composed and arranged a musical anthem performed by a heavenly choir to emphasize the importance of the angel's message. The Bible uses a military term, host, to describe the angelic choir (Luke 2:13). A heavenly army came to ...

October 2022

CLICK HERE to read now (PDF Format) Greg Albrecht: HELP! The Future Has Arrived – pg. 2 Ed Dunn: Today Is a Gift – pg. 5 Brad Jersak: Christianity Without JESUS? – pg. 7

Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled by Ed Dunn

What a time we’ve lived through together these last few years! How could we have ever imagined a global virus that would lock us down for so long? Or social injustice and unrest that would threaten to tear our country apart?  And now, the war in the Ukraine. These have been troubling times, indeed. And yet, we now find ourselves in the midst of a new Easter season. As we do, what perspective can we see in the life of Jesus to help us face and feel his peace during troubling times such as these? The gospel account is well familiar to us during this special time of year. John 14:1-27 (KJV) gives us a glimpse into a conversation as Jesus ...

September 2021

CLICK HERE to read now (PDF Format) Articles: Remembering 9-11 in the Wake of 2020 – pg. 1 We Believe – pg. 2 Think on These Things – pg. 5 Forgiveness and Apologies – pg. 7 Quotes & Connections – pg. 8

May 2021

CLICK HERE to read now (PDF Format) Articles: What Is and Who Is the Church? – pg. 1 Break It Up – pg. 2 My Two "Moms" – pg. 5 Buzzy – pg. 7 Quotes & Connections – pg. 8

April 2021

CLICK HERE to read now (PDF Format) Greg Albrecht: When Jesus Rode into Town– pg. 2 Laura Urista: The Heart of the Matter– pg. 4 Ed Dunn: Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled– pg. 5 Brad Jersak: Pastoral Perspective – pg. 7

If You Had Only Known What Would Bring You Peace

After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it.'" Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?"  They replied, "The Lord needs it." They brought it to Jesus, threw their ...

February 2021

CLICK HERE to read now (PDF Format) Greg Albrecht: Christ or Nothing– pg. 2 Richard Murray: Intellectual Honesty– pg. 5 Brad Jersak: Pastoral Perspective – pg. 7

Q: How Do We Avoid Cherry-Picking the Bible for a God of Love of Our Own Wishes ? – Brad Jersak

QUESTION: How do you respond to people who object that we are imposing our own ideology of peace onto the Bible rather than letting the Bible speak for itself? When you "unwrath God," aren't you cherry-picking according to our own wishes for what you wish the text had said rather than submitting to what it actually says? RESPONSE: I hear this objection regularly, perhaps even weekly. I need to respond often enough that a standard answer has begun to unfold. 1. First, we must acknowledge the real problem of bias when coming to the text. We must admit the importance of being mindful as to how our prejudices impact our reading and interpretation of ...

September 2020

CLICK HERE to read now (PDF Format) Articles: The Overlooked and Ignored – pg. 1 Question the Question – pg. 2 God is Love – pg. 5 To Seek and Save that Which is Lost – pg. 6 The Prodigals – pg. 7 Quotes & Connections – pg. 8

“Break It Up” by Ed Dunn

We received a distressing email from our Mom the other day. Both the tone and the content of her words were uncharacteristic, and alarmed my brothers and sisters and me to a point of picking up the phone. Over a series of calls at different times, we needed to make sure she was okay. Our Mom’s message expressed a deep concern for everything that’s been happening in our nation today - the political divides, the racial divides, the economic divides, and the fact that no one seems to be listening to anyone, anymore. She lamented how far we’ve come, so fast, and that, not in a positive direction. She then went on to worry about the world her ...