While the topic of this project seems miles removed from concrete pastoral issues, it is one that does have some practical applications. First, there is a doxological application. As we come to understand that in Christ we have received more than we lost in Adam, and as we grow in appreciation of the extent of … Continue reading Our Destiny in God, Pastoral Reflection
quotes
Best Paragraph this Week
I haven't had time to post anything real this week as I'm out in St.Louis taking another class. It's a great class on our Union with Christ. Lewis Smedes writes a wonderful paragraph, my favorite in all I've read the past two weeks. Commenting on Ephesians 1:1-3 he writes (and where you read 'Paul' insert … Continue reading Best Paragraph this Week
What to Pray For
Bob's sermon from yesterday (6/26/11) was a wonderful and powerful reminder of the efficacy of prayer. Today I read this quote from Augustine in Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion: God orders what we cannot do, that we may know what we ought to ask of him. There is a great utility in precepts [commands], if all … Continue reading What to Pray For
Calvin on the Secret Counsels of God
Last night some monstrous storms rocked Bloomington. Jake knows enough to be scared of storms like that - he heard about Joplin. Luke, trying to comfort his older brother, was singing "Jesus Loves Me." Last night we saw the news and saw how bad some parts of Bloomington were hit. By God's mercy, nothing compared … Continue reading Calvin on the Secret Counsels of God
Sanctity of Human Life
This week I was leading a discussion for the college students on 'the big story' of the Bible. We started, of course, with creation (after a brief prologue on the eternal community of the Trinune God). I am reminded almost daily how important Genesis 1-3 are for us as believers. There is so much explanatory … Continue reading Sanctity of Human Life
God Entranced 