Friends, I am published. For real! Please share my joy and follow this link. If you like what you read post a comment or post a link on your Facebook so we can get more traffic to the site and I can get more opportunities to write for them.
http://www.giftedforleadership.com/2012/12/the_sacrament_of_evangelism.html
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As promised, here is the text of my sermon…..
How many of you have a big family? So, for Thanksgiving how many people are there usually?
When I picture the Israelites, I see a big extended family. When they arrived in Egypt, there were 70 descendants of Jacob. They did well in their new home. After a while, things changed. Joseph and all his brothers died. By then, they had gone from a big extended family of 70 to a people group of several hundred thousand. The Egyptians were afraid that such a large foreign group would align themselves with other groups in the area and overthrow Egyptian rule. Strangely, the Egyptians did not deport them. Perhaps they wanted to keep them around so they could control them. So, they put them in hard jobs with little or no pay—jobs that privileged Egyptians would not want to do. When that didn’t work, they resorted to infanticide.
The Israelites cried out to God to help them. At first their prayers were probably confident. Surely the God who had delivered their ancestors from trouble would rescue them as well. Surely he would keep His promises to the children of Abraham right? As generation after generation suffered though, their prayer may have become more distraught. I cannot imagine suffering for that long, crying out for deliverance and getting no relief. I get discouraged after a few weeks! Maybe they decided God had forgotten them and His promises to them….or worse, He never existed in the first place.
Then there’s Moses. He was born Israelite but raised in Egyptian aristocracy. He had led a privileged life. But then he stuck his neck out. He defended a Hebrew that was being beaten by an Egyptian. Moses tried to do the right thing, and it blew up in his face. Not only did he get in big trouble with Pharaoh, but the very people he was trying to help, the Hebrews, treated him with contempt for what he had done. As a result, Moses had to leave the home he ever knew. He soon was stuck out in the boonies with a bunch of stinky sheep that weren’t even his. Like the Isrealites, maybe Moses wondered if He had been cast aside, or if God still had a plan for him. Chapter 3 of Exodus is God revealing to Moses that He has not cast them aside, and that He absolutely keeps His promises. But God has more on His mind than property.
The name God uses for himself here –the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob–was a familiar one to Moses. It’s a name that has been evolving since the beginning of the Old Testament. To Isaac, He was the God of Abraham. To Jacob, He was the God of Abraham and Isaac. At the end of Genesis, he was the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And He is the God of Moses’s father. Imagine how that sounds to someone who finds himself in such humble circumstances, whose people have been in bondage for 400 years. There is a feeling of comfort and familiarity in hearing the voice of the God your people have served for hundreds of years, speak after so many years of silence.
In verse 7, God says he has “indeed seen” the suffering of His children and “heard” their cries.
Now I am not a Hebrew scholar, nor do I play one on TV, but I have what I call the “Bible languages for dummies” Bible. “Indeed seen” is more than just a casual observation. It implies the one observing feels the experience of those being observed. “Heard” means to give undivided, focused attention.
In other words, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who has been caring for them since even before Abraham, is intimately aware of all that has happened. He did not leave them or forsake them. He did not forget them. He heard every shriek to the core of his being. He has felt every lash of the whip as if it were his own back tacking the stripes. And God has had ENOUGH. Verse 8 says God has come down. Dad is on the scene.
Let’s continue reading….(8-9) God is going to rescue them—and bring them from Egypt to a new land. God is concerned with more than just the immediate crisis. He has the long term in mind. He is not going to just get them out of a bad situation and dump them somewhere for them to figure out the rest on their own. Further, they are not going to be crammed into some refugee camp in the desert with poor sanitation and bad food. He is going to see them all the way to their new life in a new home. It is a land flowing with milk and honey. These are two things which are produced with very little human effort. Feed the cow and she will make milk. Bees make honey all by themselves. Think about how this would sound to a people who have been in slavery, doing backbreaking labor for four hundred years. They will have room to spread out. Their needs will be met. They will finally be able to rest.
Where is this land? The land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. This is not some random clump of dirt. This is the land promised to Abraham way back in Genesis 15! Even when God was talking to Abraham, He knew this day would come. God has not forgotten His promise. He is going to bring it to pass, and the time is now.
God makes clear that His promise is about more than property, however. Moses is listening as God expresses His concern and unveils His plan, and Moses is right there. God is going to rescue them—Amen, LORD! He is going to give them a new home—Halleluiah! And you are going to go down and talk to Pharaoh—Wait, who me?! Then we see another part of the promise: God said, ‘I will be with you.’ We see variations of this phrase throughout the Old Testament. He said “I am with you” to Joshua, to David, to Jeremiah. Jesus said it to His disciples. The Lord said it to Paul in Acts. This promise is for us today. How do I know? Even Jesus is called Emmanuel, God with us. Whatever our location, whatever our circumstances, God promises to be with us. It may seem like we are all alone, but we are not.
Immediately following, we see the third part of the promise: The sign, that once the Israelites are safely out of Egypt, Moses will worship God on the very mountain where this conversation is taking place. God desires to have a relationship with us. He wants to communicate and be present, but He wants us to reach out to Him and worship Him and love Him.
In Verse 14, God refers to Himself in a new way. He uses the phrase, I AM WHO I AM. God has many names throughout the Bible, most of which describe what He does or aspects of His character: The LORD will provide, the Captain of the Hosts….but this name is different. It doesn’t describe anything about what God does. But it fits with what God has been saying all along. It says God is God. That He exists. That He is personal, not some vague cosmic ooze. More than that, He is timeless. In Revelation He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. He is the God who was, and is and is to come. He is always present. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the God of Moses and the Israelites. He is also the God of Diana, and the God of Tiffiney, and the God of Samuel. He will still be God long after we are gone.
Sometimes I feel like I have been forgotten, or that what I am doing doesn’t have any purpose. Some years back I was leading a singles ministry. I believed I was in the center of God’s will. We had a solid community and we were growing in our faith. But than things changed. There was serious conflict between some of the members. It was serious enough that I felt the singles’ pastor needed to know, and I needed his input. The church took a “he said/she said” stand and the group was shut down. Many of the women involved left the church and I lost them as friends. I ended up leaving as well. Like Moses, I took a risk and tried to defend people who I thought were being mistreated, and it blew up in my face. I lost my church, my friends, and a ministry I was passionate about. I found myself wondering if I had been cast aside. I started to question what I believed to be God’s call on my life, and if God was even still around. I didn’t understand. But God did. God used my change in circumstances to bring me to a church that loves me and that is like family, that supports women who are called to serve, and that is passionately reaching out to a community where people need to know Jesus. God did not abandon me; He did not change. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is the God of Diana. He brought me to a good and spacious place. He showed me He is faithful to His promises. I don’t know what will happen next but I am walking in God’s promises every day. God is with me, and I am worshipping Him.
When we read the story of Exodus, we focus on the deliverance of an entire people group from bondage. But there is a side to the story we often overlook. What about the Israelite who lived between years 100-200 of captivity? He started and ended his life in slavery. These folks in chapter 3 and following, they get to see deliverance! But what about the poor guy who was born waiting and died still waiting? We don’t like to talk about him, because that guy could be us. Sometimes I feel like that guy. I have been praying for healing and deliverance and restoration for my family and my body for over 20 years, and I am STILL WAITING. This side of heaven I may not see deliverance. I do not like to think about that. But this is what I know: Whether I see my family healed or not, whether I see my body made whole or not, I am walking in God’s promises every day. God is with me, and I am worshipping God.
Are you stuck on the backside of a mountain in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of stinky sheep? Have you been crying out to God for a really really long time and you are STILL WAITING? Do you wonder if you have been cast aside? Well He has not forgotten you. He still has a plan for you. A plan that goes all the way back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and will continue into eternity. Do you know Jesus? If so, than you are walking in God’s promises, too. God is with you, and every moment is an opportunity for you to worship Him!
Many of our neighbors came here in search of a better life, like the Israelites did when they went to Egypt. Maybe this life is better than the one they left, but it is still hard. They are stuck in low-wage jobs, at the same time hearing on the news they are a threat because they are taking away jobs from more deserving people. Maybe they know God. Maybe they gave up on Him a long time ago. God has a message to deliver to His kids. Maybe we who are stuck on the back side of a mountain, who are waiting, are the ones to deliver it. Maybe the message God has goes something like verse 15: “The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.” God has not forgotten us, and He doesn’t want us to forget Him. No, He wants us to know Him and worship Him. Because just like He promised, He is with us.
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Hello friends. It has been a while! This Fall I took an introductory preaching class so I was focused on studying, writing, and delivering my very first sermon. What I didn’t know when I signed up for the class was that the assignment was to prepare and preach it WITHOUT NOTES. On our first day of class all of us expressed a little fear. Many of my classmates are already preaching in their congregations, yet even these veterans (compared to me) were nervous about setting the 3×5 cards aside. Now that I have finished the class though, I want to say it was awesome. To my preaching friends out there, if you have never tried preaching a sermon without notes, DO IT!
The premise of note-free preaching comes from two books, 360 Degree Preaching by my professor, Dr. Michael Quicke, and Preaching without Notes by Derek Webb. I highly recommend both books. The idea is that you so immerse yourself in the text that it becomes a part of you, of your story, and the story of those in your congregation. As a result, by the time you actually preach the message is so engrained in you that notes are not needed.
This is not to say preaching without notes is off the cuff or ad libbed. To the contrary. We spent hours reading and rereading our texts, doing research, reading commentaries, and using Hebrew or Greek dictionaries. I had a detailed plan of how the sermon would flow, from the opening story through the major points to the conclusion. I wrote a word-for-word “stereo draft” which is like a paper or essay but is written as if it were spoken. However, when I practiced I did not read from the draft, and the goal was not to memorize it. The sermon draft only served as a tool to reveal what would “work” and what wouldn’t, and it gave my professor a guide to see what my plan was.
When I delivered my sermon, all I had was my Bible. What I said came out a little differently than what I had written. I completely forgot one illustration. I changed a visual effect. But the message God wanted to deliver came through loud and clear. Because I wasn’t using notes, I was free to look at my friends in the class. I was able to reference something from a previous student’s sermon off-the cuff. I wasn’t focused on remembering everything I had prepared. I was focused on saying what God wanted to say. It became more about the message and less about the words. It became more about our relationship with God and less about instructions. By the end, it was a part of me. And as my professor advised, afterwards there was a bit of a crash. I felt a little depleted and sad. I imagine it is like post-partum blues. This thing that had been growing inside me had been birthed at the appointed time. Now it had been released into the lives of the listeners and it was time to move on.
I took this class because I have an interest in public speaking. I would have never considered speaking without notes, but I had an incorrect view of what that really means. Now that I have experienced the meticulous preparation, the intense fellowship with God, and the amazing experience of delivery, I would consider incorporating much of this philosophy into my future speaking endeavors.
This experience also gave me great appreciation for all the preachers out there who deliver sermons every week, with or without notes. Speaking God’s message to people who desperately need to hear from Him is intense. I had 4 weeks to prepare my sermon. I cannot imagine doing that every week on top of the other things a pastor does. So I would like to say to all the pastors out there, thank you for your service.
My next post will be my “stereo draft” of my sermon on the Burning Bush.
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My church has an awesome tradition. Every year we travel up to Green Lake, Wisconsin for a week of fun, fellowship, and teaching. A good ole fashioned camp meeting, except with air conditioning and no tent. This year was my first time. Although I was only able to go for 4 days, I now see why it is such a big deal. I am already thinking about how I can save my funds to go all week next year.
As a little background, let me explain the unique way my church celebrates the Lord’s Supper. We congregate in little groups at various stations around the sanctuary. The servers hand out the elements, and after we have partaken we do a “group hug” in our little huddles and the servers say a prayer of blessing. I enjoy this tradition because I go to church by myself, but somehow this activity helps me feel connected to the congregation more than the worship or even socializing before and after.
During our large group meetings at church camp, folks usually sat in various affinity groups. All the youth sat together. The little kids sat with their counselors. When it was time for communion, the speaker asked us to go sit with our families, the idea being we would share communion in our family groups. Those of us who were there alone were told to attach ourselves to another group. I felt a bit lost for a minute until a lady I’d gotten to know over a jigsaw puzzle asked me to come sit with her. But we would be blocking an aisle. Suddenly I didn’t know where I fit. Then this nice couple invited me to sit with them. As we went to our station, I was distracted so I asked God to help me refocus and to show me His perspective on communion.
After our group had finished, I went back to my original seat. A small table and chairs had been set up at the front to represent the Lord’s Table. I sat and quietly reflected. In my heart, I heard Jesus softly say to me, Diana this is MY table, and everyone has a place here. This (meaning my church) is my family, and its yours too.
Then I reflected on what I had learned a few days ago, mentioned in my previous post, about the embrace of Jesus. And how sometimes we just need a long hug from Jesus. And how we as His followers extend that embrace to others. We can be the loving arms of Jesus that comfort and encourage the lonely, discouraged, brokenhearted, those who don’t know where they “fit”. We can also be the celebratory arms of Jesus to the joyful, victorious, and overcoming. As a bonus, when you give a hug you get one in return 
As I sat and reflected, I felt a soft tap on my shoulder. It was the woman who invited me to sit with her and her husband. What followed was a sweet exchange that reinforced what I had just been considering. I won’t go into details here but I will say she knows who she is, and I thank her for listening to the Spirit that day.
So I want to go back to the table for a minute. All of us have had awkward moments where we weren’t sure how we fit in. New school, new church, new job, new inlaws. It’s nice to be unique but no one wants to feel weird or excluded. But Jesus does not exclude. His table welcomes all of us whose sins have been forgiven by His death and resurrection. When we show up, Jesus doesn’t have to rearrange the furniture to “make room” for us. He has already made a place for each one of us because He wants us there with Him. With the family. I belong there. So do you.
Hopefully you see where I’m going with this. For all of us who question where we belong in our daily lives, we can take comfort and courage that we belong to Jesus, and to His family, sitting in fellowship at His table with each other. Sharing the elements, sharing our thanksgiving for all God has done, sharing our love for Jesus and each other. We belong to Him, and each other, 24/7. We share more than bread and wine–or juice as the case may be. We share our lives. Our struggles, our joys, our adventures, our victories. I’ll humbly admit this is a challenge for this card-carrying introvert. I get caught up in my head and my solitary ways and then wonder why I feel disconnected. God continues to work in my life though. My life, and my relationships, are richer as a result.
There are folks out there who belong with us, at the table and in our fellowship, and aren’t. Maybe they have never met Jesus. Maybe they know Him but are on the fringe of the family. Who will invite them? Who will tell them about Jesus and what He has done for them? Who will tell them there is a place they “fit?” The answer is US. Even those of us who are a little shy. We can be the ones to pull them in and make them feel welcome. We can be the ones who open the door, extend our hand, and say “Come and join us…”
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When I was little, I had a fear of thunder. Rain, wind, and lightning didn’t bother me. It was the thunder that caught me by surprise and startled me. I would go running into my parent’s room at night and crawl into their bed, feeling safe all snuggled between them. One time, in an effort to drive away my fear, my Dad lifted me up by my bedroom window so we could watch the storm. He taught me how I could see the lightning and know thunder was coming, and how I could count the seconds to know how far away the storm was. He had me snuggled in his arms as the lightning came, and then we counted until the thunder came. I could hear his heart beating and feel his breath on my cheek. I could hear his deep voice whispering softly into my ear one…two…three…I felt safe and loved.
Then life happened. Dad was overcome by alcoholism. Mom was overcome by grief and anxiety. My brothers were angry and withdrawn. I didn’t feel safe or loved anymore.
I met Jesus when I was 14, 2 years after my Dad died. I was overwhelmed that God would love me so much as to subject Jesus to such incredible suffering on my behalf. Ever since, I have growing in my comprehension of just how deep God’s love goes. I am realizing the overwhelming depth of my neediness, my craving for love and security. And that’s OK because as great as my need is, He is able to meet it. The love poured out for me will never run out no matter how deep the hole.
In my Sunday school class, we are reading a book by Liz Curtiss Higgs called Embrace Grace. It is the perfect book for the 12 year old girl inside me who is so incredibly needy. In the first chapter, she explains the difference between a hug and an embrace. She describes a hug as being casual, brief, like “after-dinner mints.” Nothing wrong with that. But an embrace is longer, deeper, more purposeful. Sometimes words of comfort are offered. Sometimes our love and care are expressed silently through the tenderness of the embrace. And then there is the embrace of Jesus.
Recently after a really hard week, I went home and came to the conclusion I needed a good cry. I needed to just sit in God’s presence while I released whatever it was that was all pent up. I was frustrated and discouraged. Weary from the long hard fight. As I sat on my couch, I realized I want God to swoop down and fix everything. Heal my body, pay my bills, restore my family. I want to be in that place when I was little when Dad could make everything better. I want Jesus to make the storms of my life to go away, like He did in Mark 4. But He didn’t. God felt really far away. The longer the storms raged, the further away God seemed. As I sat on my couch that night, I wrestled. I yelled a little. I told God how I felt and asked Him to come near to me, to give me relief, and to show me His perspective. I closed my eyes, and immediately I saw an image of Jesus holding my 12-year-old self in a warm, protecting, strong embrace. I was standing on His feet like a little girl stands on her Daddy’s feet when they dance. I wept. Then I yelled a little more. Then I cried some more. I said I was sorry. I listened as blips of Scripture spoke to my soul. God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble….(Psalm 46:1). Jesus still held me. After a while the storm in my head grew quiet and I sat in the stillness.
Then I got to thinking about the storm from my childhood. As my Dad and I looked out the window, Dad didn’t make the storm go away. He tried to explain the science of it so I wouldn’t feel so scared. And he held me close. He was present with me as the storm did its thing.
This is what the Lord Jesus offers us. Whether we are aware of it or not, we are wrapped in His tender embrace of love, compassion, forgiveness, and strength. 24/7. Sometimes Jesus does “fix” things, making our suffering go away, calming the storm. When the storms continue to rage however, Jesus is with us. He is speaking to us through the Word, through His loving voice that sometimes is really hard to hear over the clamor of our circumstances and our own thoughts. He is holding us close, making sure the violence of the storm doesn’t cast us over the edge of a cliff.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, (Ps 46:2)
I don’t like storms, literal or metaphorical. Sometimes I feel like I’ve been gritting my teeth, waiting forever for the sunshine to return. If I have to get tossed about and rained on though, I am glad I am wrapped tightly in the arms of Jesus, who is getting rained on with me.
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Hello friends! One of the cool things I get to do at my church is be a lay leader. This means that at the beginning of the service I read a little passage of Scripture and say a little prayer offering the service to God and asking Him to be present with us. Then at the end, using the Scripture from the sermon as inspiration, I say a prayer of response and offer up the needs of the church. Today our passage for the sermon was 1 John 3: 16-24. Why don’t you go read it and then come back.
OK so I thought I’d post my prayer here. Maybe there will be some words that apply to your own life or congregation. Be bless
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for laying your life down for us so we could be forgiven and freed from bondage to sin, and so we could have new life that gives glory to God. We thank you for the opportunity to share your love with our neighbors and friends so they could have new life, too.
We pray for our friends who are serving around the world, bringing the good news of Jesus. They are your hands and feet to those who are lost. We pray you would strengthen and encourage them, and pray that those they serve would see Jesus in them and be drawn into His presence.
We also pray for the congregations who are in the process of becoming part of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church because they feel they can best serve you and their neighbors from within this denomination. We pray as they go through the transition, you would give them comfort, strength, and guidance. We pray you would also give our leaders wisdom as they provide direction to these congregations.
We pray for one another right here at First Pres. Many of us struggle to feel like we can serve You, that we can serve others, because of the many challenges we face. We thank you LORD, that you do not ask us to serve in our own abilities, but you give us what we need. Even in our darkest times your Holy Spirit is filling us and overflowing to touch other people. LORD, for those who are sick, we pray for healing. For those who are mourning, we pray for comfort. For those who are weary, we pray for rest and refreshment. For those who want to give up, lift their heads so they can see the finish line and fill them with your strength so they can get up and continue the race. For those who are discouraged, we pray you would fill them with joy. For those who feel trapped, show them the way out. For those who are entangled in sin, bring them to repentance and forgive them and give them a fresh start.
Lord, we pray for discernment. When we hear in our heads that we are disqualified from serving you and others, because of our various shortcomings and infirmities, we pray we would recognize those words as lies. We praise you LORD that because we have placed our trust in Jesus, we are not too broken, not cast aside, not disqualified. But we all have a place in your Kingdom, and we all have a purpose and a part in your plan for reaching the lost. Show each one of us in the quiet places of our hearts who it is you have called us to be and what it is you ask us to do, today and every day. We trust you to equip us with the gifts and words and actions to hear your call and joyfully obey. We pray you would give us opportunity to see the fruit that comes from the seed we sow so we can share the joy of each new life.
Be with us today and every day as we take the good news of Jesus outside these walls, to our neighbors, our coworkers, our family, and our world. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
ed.
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All That Jesus Asks: How His Questions Can Teach and Transform Us
by Stan Guthrie
When I was given a copy of this book, I had some pre-conceived notions of what it would be about. I thought it would talk about what Jesus asks of us. What does he ask us to do? You know, deny yourself, take up your cross and all that. However, this book is not a to-do list from Jesus. It is more akin to the game “Loaded Questions.” Stan shows us that when Jesus asks a question, he is challenging us to reflect on what we believe about Him, His mission, and how we fit into God’s plan.
The first section considers who Jesus is. Interestingly, the book starts with John the Baptist. John was preparing the way for the Messiah. He was calling people to repent. In order to repent you first have to acknowledge you have sinned. So, was John preaching the truth? Was he really a prophet or just a crazy guy running around in the desert? If he was wrong, and we are not sinners in need of forgiveness, then the message of Jesus is wrong as well.
Also in the first section, Stan discusses the things Jesus said in the context in which he lived. Sometimes it is hard for us to connect the things Jesus said to the way he went about his daily life. He had neighbors, relatives, and friends he interacted with. There were various religious sects regulating people’s social and religious practices. The political climate was tense; no body wanted to tick off the Romans and set off a wave of persecution. Yet the people wanted to be out from under their oppression. In the middle of all this, Jesus chose to live 24/7 with a rag-tag group of 12 men. Yes, he spoke to the masses, but his primary focus was on this more intimate group.
The second section is about how we follow Jesus. Christianity is unique in that we worship a God who wants a close, intimate relationship with us. Our faith in God is more than just agreeing that what He says is true. It is much more gritty than that. When I read the chapter on faith I thought about vows said at weddings: in sickness and health, in plenty and want, forsaking all others… It is more than a “get out of hell free” card. It flows out of a relationship that you stick with even when its hard and you don’t understand. It’s the kind that asks us to yield to God’s instructions even when the results are unpleasant. And, this is the kind of relationship and faith we need to be sharing with unbelievers and those new to the faith. When we disciple others, we need to show them the whole picture, not just the sunshine and daffodils.
The third section has to do with our minds. A section on anxiety resonated with me as I have been struggling in this area recently. I particularly like the line, “Somehow we think we still have the power to mess things up.” I have made plenty of bad decisions in my life and yet I survived. But I still tie myself in knots when making big choices. Bad stuff has happened and I survived. Still, like the examples in Stan’s book, I struggle to carry the lessons from those past experiences into my present reality and future possibilities. It is comforting to be reminded that other people who love Jesus as much as I do struggle to feel peace.
The fourth section discusses the kind of people Jesus calls us to be. In the chapter on compassion Stan talks about disability in the New Testament and today. I want to say, thank you Stan for sharing your world with me. As I have said on this blog before, I have some physical challenges that are not apparent to the casual observer. There are some things I cannot do, like play tennis or carry a gallon of milk. Other things I do differently. I am a unique individual with unique challenges, and have preferences in how I am treated. I love when people ask questions rather than assume. Stan reminded me to extend the same courtesy to others.
Stan wraps up his book with a section on essential doctrines and some social issues. A critical piece is what we believe about the Bible. If we think it is a bunch of stories, or has been corrupted over time, then what will we base our other beliefs on? On the other hand, we have to read the Bible in the right spirit. It is not just a list of historical facts and rules and regulations. It is still about relationship with God. When we keep that in mind, then what the Bible says about marriage, food, and the like are given their proper place in the whole counsel of the Word.
It took me a really long time to get through this book. Not because it was boring or dry, but I would read a little and then have to ponder what it was saying. I had to ask myself these questions and could not gloss over them. If I say I believe thus, am I living accordingly? Then I’d read a little more, or reread a section. It was definitely a book deserving of a slow pace. I am glad I didn’t rush through it.
All in all this is another great book by Stan Guthrie. It causes you to notice things in the Bible you might not have noticed before. It challenges you to revisit what you believe about Jesus and how those beliefs affect the way you live your life. Well done, Stan.
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