“A Meal with Jesus”- Book Recommendation

I recently read an excellent little book by Tim Chester called “A Meal with Jesus: Discovering Grace, Community, & Mission around the Table“.   It’s a study of several portions of Luke’s Gospel that deal with Jesus at various meals.  I was greatly challenged by much of what was said, especially in the practical applications of [...]

Exegesis and Systematics and Church

from N.T. Wright’s Justification, which I’m currently working my way through: “But the present debate about Paul and justification is taking place between people most of whom declare their allegiance to Scripture in general, and perhaps to Paul in particular, as the place where and the means by which the living God has spoken, and [...]

His freedom to be Christ’s- Bonhoeffer quote

from Life Together: “Because Christ stands between me and others, I dare not desire direct fellowship with them.  As only Christ can speak to me in such a way that I may be saved, so others, too, can be saved only by Christ himself. This means that I must release the other person from every [...]

“No safe investment”- CS Lewis on Love

from C. S. Lewis’s The Four Loves: “There is no safe investment. To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, give it to no one, not even to an animal.  Wrap it carefully [...]

“Resurrection People” Series

The week leading up to Easter I did a series of daily quotes on the topic of Resurrection.  Here’s all the links in one convenient spot if you’re interested. Day 1- Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 Day 8/1

The Well-Adjusted Jesus- CS Lewis

from The Four Loves, referring to the problems he saw with classifying all human problems as psychological or pathological and how “normal” should not necessarily be our goal: “We have only seen one such Man. And He was not at all like the psychologist’s picture of the integrated, balanced, adjusted, happily married, employed, popular citizen.  [...]

“Dare to be a sinner…” from Bonhoeffer

Finished reading “Life Together” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer with my wife recently.  I hope to add some more quotes from it in the near future (though I will probably have to re-read the book since we don’t underline when we read together!). from chapter 5- “Confession and Communion”… “He who is alone with his sin is [...]

One Vast Need…

from CS Lewis’s ever-quotable “The Four Loves”: “Every Christian would agree that a man’s spiritual health is exactly proportional to his love for God.  But man’s love for God, from the very nature of the case, must always be very largely, and must often be entirely, a Need-love.  This is obvious when we implore forgiveness [...]

Tozer on today’s church…

“Every age has its own characteristics.  Right now we are living in an age of religious complexity.  The simplicity which is in Christ is rarely found among us.  In its stead are programs, methods, organizations and a world of nervous activities which occupy time and attention but can never satisfy the longing of the heart.  [...]

“Jesus was a legalist.”

No, that’s not my new blog title! (I’m still thinking through some updates and changes, but I’ve been kind of busy the last two weeks now that I’m “bi-vocational” for a month or two).  But unfortunately, this title was found on a local church sign near where I live: Now, let me admit a couple [...]