Don’t Lose Your Song
By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. On the willows there we hung up our lyres. For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land? – Psalm 137:1-3 There are times when all of us are tempted to become discouraged. “Don’t lose your song” is, in a sense, something…
Forgiving One Another
In looking at some of our everyday problems—inspired by our sermon series in James—last week, we considered anger; today, let’s think about the related problem of forgiveness. How do we move from one to the other? As we begin, I think it is worth nothing what forgiveness is not. It isn’t merely ignoring those who wrong us. That’s fine if it’s because the offender is ignorant of what they did, but not if it is because we hold them in…
Be Angry and Do Not Sin
As we will see in our sermon this morning, one of the great themes of the letter from James is dealing with trials we encounter in our lives as Christians. He will discuss that at length in various ways. But it seemed good to me, then, to think about trials from the slightly different perspective of our everyday problems as a sort of companion to the study here in this space. So let’s begin by thinking about something we all…
Don’t Be Anxious
As we will see in our sermon this morning, one of the great themes of the letter from James is dealing with trials we encounter in our lives as Christians. He will discuss that at length in various ways. But it seemed good to me, then, to think about trials from the slightly different perspective of our everyday problems as a sort of companion to the study here in this space. So let’s begin by thinking about something we all…
When Upon Life’s Billows
Storms have been in the news a great deal in recent weeks. Thankfully here, we have just had to deal with unrelenting rains for several days. But only a few miles away, it was not long ago that a dangerous tornado ripped through parts of Greater Houston. And this past week, a bit further away but still close to home, much of the state experienced ice that caused tremendous damage. These storms got me thinking about a familiar story in…
Questions and Answers
As most of you know, we had the first meeting of our new small groups last. Nearly every person who signed up to participate was present, and the few exceptions all had good reasons for their absence like illness or travel—no one just flaked on us, in other words. And since then, in face-to-face conversations, in text messages, in secondhand word-of-mouth reports from others, I have heard nothing but positive feedback from all quarters. I do not like to talk…
Is “Your Church” a “Red Door” Church?
This is an article I ran across this week by Ken Weliever, a gospel preacher for more than a half century. He evidently published it back in May, but reprinted it this week because it was his 2nd most read post of the year. It touches on many of the themes we have been talking about over the last couple of weeks and especially relates to our lesson this morning. What’s more, the elders had asked what we are going…
What is Cultural Christianity and What are the Dangers?
This is an article from Wes McAdams’ “Radically Christian” a few weeks ago. I thought it was relevant for us on a number of different levels, as we deeply consider what it means to be a disciple (and how that might mean rethinking some of our practices). It is slightly altered in format for our space. -BP A cultural Christian is someone who identifies as a Christian, but whose religious ideas and practices come more from popular culture than from…
Going to Church
Why are we here? I don’t mean that existentially. I am talking about you, sitting there reading the bulletin this morning at our assembly. Why have we gathered together? Why are you here? It wasn’t that long ago that it was common to hear sermons emphasizing the assembly to the point that you need to be here or you’ll be in hell. Neglecting it has been viewed as a mark of such unfaithfulness that it was about the only reason…
How Do You See It?
In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet: “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say, ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in…
Merry Christmas
I have printed this article, written by Reuel Lemmons and published in the Firm Foundation several decades ago, every year since I have been here. I suppose it is something of a Christmas tradition in itself at this point. While it seems silly in some ways to repeat it, I get comments every year from those who missed it before somehow about how much they appreciate it; so I make no apologies for running it again—especially on Christmas Day!—and I…
For Unto Us a Child is Born
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of…